Chapter 17

 

By Rachel

 

Brian and Kevin stood side-by-side staring at the newspaper article in front of them.  The article was almost too good to be true, a blessing in disguise.

 

“We need to make a copy of the article to show the guys”, said Brian who only received a barely noticeable nod in return.  

 

Kevin barely felt the binder move underneath his hands as Brian pulled it towards him, eager to get the article out and make a copy of it. 

 

“Kev put your hand here to mark the place where the article was so I can take it to the copy machine” instructed Brian and sighed, as Kevin didn’t make a move.  Brian gently picked up Kevin’s hand and placed it on the page in the binder to mark where to put the article about the fire once Brian was finished.

 

Brian silently walked over towards the back of the room where he spotted a copy machine earlier with the article that was protected by clear plastic clasped firmly in his hand.  Brian dug through his pockets to retrieve a dime and dropped it in the coin slot and placed the article face down on the machine and waited for it to copy.  A few seconds later, Brian retrieved the article and the copy and walked back over to the table where Kevin sat. 

 

“Here Kev” said Brian as he placed the original article back in the binder and thrust the copy into Kevin’s hands.  Brian then picked up the binder and placed it back where Evelyn, the librarian, had original got it from and smacked Kevin in the shoulder. 

 

“Come on.  Let’s go!” exclaimed Brian loudly, causing Kevin to jump slightly and shake his head as if to clear his thoughts.  “What were you doing cuz?” asked Brian  “I have been trying to get your attention for awhile”

 

Kevin looked up at his younger cousin and blushed slightly “Sorry Bri.  I was just thinking,” explained Kevin

 

“Oh don’t do that too often you may hurt yourself,” quipped Brian while he moved out of his cousin’s reach.

 

“Ha Ha Brian” said Kevin “Let’s go”

 

Brian smiled softly to himself as he followed his cousin out the door and to the Taurus, noticing that Kevin was sitting in the passenger’s seat.  With a playful sigh, Brian grabbed the keys out of Kevin’s hand and started the car, heading to the hospital to share the new information they had found with the other two guys.

 

***

Brian pulled the Taurus into the hospital parking lot and quickly parked the car in the nearest spot to the hospital entrance and exited.  He then waited patiently for his cousin and once Kevin caught up to Brian, the two quickly ran up the stairs to the 3rd floor, too impatient to wait for the elevator.  Once they reached the 3rd floor, they ran to the private waiting room and seen both AJ and Howie inside.  AJ was staring out the window, and Howie was absentmindedly flipping through a magazine. 

 

“Hey guys,” said Brian as he approached his two friends.

 

Both AJ and Howie looked up and said “Hey” at the same time.

 

“Can we go see Nicky?” asked Kevin impatiently.

 

“Yeah go ahead,” replied Howie “We just left his room about 20 minutes ago.”

 

Kevin and Brian both turned to leave the room but not before remembering the article they had found earlier.

 

“Read this you guys,” said Brian as he placed the article in Howie’s hand.  “This is the article about how the guy we see as a ghost died.” Before Howie and AJ could reply, Brian turned and ran out of the room towards the ICU unit.

 

Brian reached Nick’s room and quickly punched in the access code and entered the room.  He seen Kevin sitting on Nick’s left side, talking to him softly, so Brian sat down in the empty chair at Nick’s right side and sighed as he listened quietly while Kevin told Nick about all the information they had found that day.

 

***

  

Meanwhile in the Waiting Room

 

AJ finished reading the article and looked Howie right in the eyes.  “This is a bunch of bull, D”, said AJ  “There is no such thing as ghosts!  Nick must have planted that thought into Bri’s and Kev’s minds.”

 

“AJ calm down!” ordered Howie.

 

“How can I calm down, D?  I’m stressed out of my mind and then both Kevin and Brian come up with this crazy ass story about seeing ghosts and it is a bunch of bullshit!  I can expect this kind of stuff from Brian and Nicky but not Kevin!” AJ exclaimed as he stormed out of the waiting room leaving Howie, who was shocked by his sudden outburst, alone in the room

 

***

 

Meanwhile in Nick’s Room

 

“And can you believe it Nicky?  The picture from the article looked exactly like the ghost me and Bri seen”, continued Kevin as Brian sat in his chair about to doze off when all of a sudden a high pitched noise came from one of the machine’s hooked to Nick.  Brian sat up quickly and looked around horrified to see a flat green line on the heart monitor hooked up to his best friend.  Brian reached over to the nurse-calling button and repeatedly smacked his hand down on the button as the machine continued its eerie sound. 

 

A few seconds later, Dr. MacDonald ran into the room followed by a group of nurses with a crash cart behind him.  Brian and Kevin both looked on in horror as the watched the doctor shock Nick and receive no response.  The scene finally became too much for Brian and he tore himself out of his cousin’s grasp and ran out of the ICU unit and down the stairs and once he reached outside, he ran outside and completely ignored his friend AJ as AJ kept yelling at him asking what was wrong.  The shear terror of AJ’s voice as he called out his name, stopped Brian in his tracks.

 

“Brian look out!” screamed AJ as he ran towards Brian.  Brian’s eyes widened as he turned around and seen a speeding car coming straight for him, and he screamed, praying he would live through this and braced his body for impact.

 

 

***

 

 

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