Chapter Forty-three
The ambulance ride seem to take forever to get there. Nick
was the first one to leave the auditorium followed by
Brian’s ambulance. Jess felt sick to her stomach as she
looked over at Nick. He had all of the medical aparatus
hooked up to him, the monitors, they were manually giving
him oxygen, forcing air into his lungs.
A paramedic lifted one of Nick’s eyelids and shone
a penlight into the eye. The stare of his eye was as if no
one was inside, it was like Nick was already gone. Jess
folded her arms tightly across her chest as if to protect
her from anything that would be bad that would happen to
Nick.
In the other ambulance, a female paramedic was
keeping close watch over Brian’s vital signs. Jess could
hear the radio communication from the ambulance that Brian
was in.
“Tampa, I have a 25 year old male, involved in a
crowd panic situation, he was crushed against a wall. BP is
90/50, pulse is thready and 56, respirations are shallow and
16. It appears that the patient had prior heart surgery. We
have him on 100ml ox, Ringers Lactate 25ml and will stand by
for further instructions, our ETA is 3 minutes, over.”
“10/4 Bravomary out.”
Jess could feel chills go up her spine listening
to Brian’s vital signs. The voice that was communicating
sounded panicked to her for some reason. She dismissed the
thoughts thinking that she was just looking for something
that wasn’t really happening.
Nick’s paramedic picked up a dispatch phone.
“Tampa Bay General this is Bravofour.”
“Go ahead Bravofour.”
“Tampa, I have a male approximately 19, appears to
have lost consciousness and fell 8 feet and was stepped on
during a crowd panic situation. BP is 148/92, pulse is is
85, respirations are labored and 45. We have him intubated
and ox 100ml, Ringers 25ml and will stand by for futher
instructions, our ETA is 1 minute, over.
“10/4 Bravomary out.”
Jess was looking for some sign from the paramedic
as to Nick’s condition, but got nothing. He just kept
working on Nick as the ambulance pulled into the bay and the
sirens made an eerie echo.
The doors to the ambulance burst open and a
hospital crew was there to help pull the stretcher out. Jess
still couldn’t grasp the idea that this was happening now.
As Jess was behind the stretcher trying to follow
Nick into the emergency room a nurse cut her off and took
her by the arm.
“I need you to help me with the patient’s
registration and history information. Do you know the other
patient as well?” The nurse asked Jessica quietly.
“Yes.” Jess didn’t take her eyes off of Nick’s
stretcher. Brian’s was pushed past her next. She looked at
him and saw that he was still unconscious as well.
“Follow me, I need you to help me with this, then,
please.” The nurse led Jessica to a room and softly closed
the door.
Kevin and Howie arrived at the hospital only to be
directed to a small private lounge off from the emergency
department. AJ was brought in last and was taken to a room
in the emergency department.
Howie paced back and forth in the small waiting
room. “God, how I hate this waiting. I wish we could find
out something, anything.”
“Calm down, Howie, this is not going to help
matters any with you getting upset over this.” Kevin said
quietly.
Both Nick and Brian were each in a Trauma Room
being worked on by a team of doctors and nurses.
When Jess was finished with the registration for
both Brian and Nick, she was taken to the room where Kevin
and Howie were waiting. Jess hugged both of them and then
started crying.
“Jess, they will be okay, think positively.” Kevin
said as he held her tighter.
“What next, now Brian is laying there hurt too.”
Jess sobbed.
“They will be getting the best possible care. We
will be finding out about their conditions soon, I hope.”
Kevin said in a calm voice.
A young doctor appeared in the doorway. “Are you
family of Mr. Littrell’s?”
Kevin and Howie both stood up. Kevin answered the
doctor stating they were family.
The doctor entered the room and closed the door
behind him. As he was sitting down, he started to speak.
“Brian has some injuries that happened when he was
crushed against the stage. He has a concussion, three
fractured ribs and tests indicate that he has some internal
bleeding which is from a ruptured spleen. He is being
prepped for surgery right now.”
Jess gasped when she heard the word internal
bleeding. She knew how serious the situation was.
“Can we see him, and how is Nick?” Jess asked.
“I am not on Nick’s case, so I’m sorry I can’t
answer any questions regarding his condition. You can go in
and see Brian, but only for a few minutes,” the doctor said
as he stood up.
Kevin, Howie and Jess followed the doctor into
Trauma room 4. As they walked past the other trauma room
where Nick was, Jess strained to see if she could see
anything at all. All she could see was hospital staff
working around Nick and she could hear all of the equipment
beeping and buzzing.
When they reached Brian’s room, Jess felt her
knees lock. She was afraid to take another step. She
didn’t want to see Brian laying on a hospital stretcher.
Kevin took her by the arm and guided her into the room. Jess
scanned the trauma room before her eyes fell upon Brian’s
face. He was hooked up to a heart monitor, which kept a
steady rythmn and he had oxygen tubing and an assortment of
IV’s hung on a pole next to his bed. Brian looked like he
was sleeping and other than the color of his face being so
pale, Jess would have never guessed anything that serious
was wrong with him.
Jess reached out to touch Brian’s free hand. She
put her hand ontop of his and leaned near his face. “Brian,
we are praying for you, please get better, we need you.”
Jess’s voice broke as she spoke. Tears slipped off her
cheeks and fell onto Brian’s. As Jess wiped the tear off of
his cheek, she appologized to him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t have
to shower you.”
Kevin and Howie didn’t speak to Brian at all.
They just approached his bed and touched his shoulder. Jess
looked up at Kevin. Kevin nodded slowly, he knew that Jess
couldn’t take seeing Brian this way and wanted to leave the
room. They walked back into the private room to wait and
find out about Nick’s condition.
The minutes seemed to take forever.
“God, what is taking them so long with Nick, I am
getting scared.” Jess sighed. She paced the floor in the
tiny waiting room.
Just as Kevin was about to answer Jess, a young
woman appeared in the doorway.
“I am Doctor Maddenly, are you family of Mr.
Carter’s?” The woman waited for a reply before she
continued.
“Yes, we are his family.” Jess said softly.
The doctor entered the room and closed the door
behind her. “I am one of the trauma doctors assigned to his
case. I know that he has been in and out of the hospital
since June, is this correct?” Dr. Maddenly asked as she sat
down.
“Yes, Nick was in a car accident in June.” Jess
wasn’t sure where the doctor was going with this.
“And he has been under a doctor’s care since that
time?” The doctor continued.
“Yes.” Jessica answered. She was starting to
wonder where all of these questions were leading up to.
“What was Nick taking valium for?” The doctor
asked.
“Valium? It was prescribed for him after he
collapsed onstage in November, I guess it was for him to
relax, why?” Jess was starting to feel nervous about that
question.
“Well, Nick’s bloodwork showed elevated levels of
valium. He evidentally took more than what his system could
handle which would explain him blacking out before he fell.
Now, we are working on pushing the drug out of his system.
The amount of valium Nick took caused his heart to stop. He
is in a coma from the overdose right now.”
Jess put her hand over her mouth when she heard
the word coma come out of the doctor’s mouth. Her mind was
racing thinking back to June when Nick was in a coma after
the car accident.
“He will be okay, he will come out of this,
right?” Jess panicked.
“It’s too early to tell, we have to wait.” The
doctor replied.
Jess looked towards Kevin. She burst into sobs.
“Kev, this can’t be really happening, no!”
Kevin put his arm around Jess to comfort her.
“Can we see Nick?”
“Yes, talk to Nick, maybe this will help him come
out of this. I am sorry there isn’t more I can tell you
about him.” The doctor spoke as she stood up to leave the
room. Howie, Kevin and Jess followed her out of the room.
Jess couldn’t believe that she was going through
the same steps like she did last June. Nick was laying so
still on the hospital bed, machines and IV’s surrounding his
bed. Jess bent down and kissed Nick’s forehead. There
wasn’t a response from him. The monitor kept it’s steady
pace.
“Nick, why do you do this to me? I can’t keep
going on like this.” Jess tearfully spoke.
She looked at his face for some type of
acknowledgement. His forehead had a bandage covering the
cut that he got when he fell. His left cheek looked bruised
also. Nick just laid there, appearing to be asleep. Jess
stroked his blond hair back. “Nick, just get better,
please?”
Jess had to walk out of the room, she was so upset
at looking at Nick she didn’t want to start to cry, she was
afraid that she wouldn’t be able to stop.
Once out in the hallway, Jess looked across and
noticed that she was standing outside of AJ’s room. AJ was
laying back on the stretcher. Jess walked up to the door
and softly knocked.
“AJ? It’s me, Jess, can I come in?” Jess asked
quietly.
“Yeah.” AJ answered quietly, he had his good arm
laying across his face.
“How are you doing?” Jess asked as she got closer
to his bed.
“Crappy, this sucks, man.” AJ’s voice was quiet.
Jess could tell he was in pain.
“How’s the arm?” Jess was afraid to ask.
“Broke in two places. They are consulting with a
bone doc to see if they need to fix it. God, I hope to hell
not. I hate knives.” AJ sighed.
“AJ, they will do what is best for you, just calm
down.” Jess said as she touched his shoulder.
“How’s Brian and Nick?” AJ asked.
Jess wanted to avoid that question entirely. “Um,
I don’t know yet.”
AJ turned his head and looked at Jess directly
into her eyes. “You do too know, tell me, please!”
“Oh, AJ....” Jess’s voice trailed off. “Brian is
in having surgery right now and Nick, Nick is in a coma.”
“Shit, how the hell did this happen? All this
just from Nicky falling offstage? Why is Brian having
surgery?” AJ was visibly growing upset.
“His doctor said he has a ruptured spleen and some
internal bleeding.” Jess replied.
“Dammit. He is gonna be okay right?” AJ asked.
Jess noticed AJ’s heart rate rising on the montior
they had him hooked up to. “Calm down AJ! They seemed to
be optimistic.”
“Yeah, well what about Nick, how come he is in a
coma?” AJ pressed for more answers.
“Well, they said his blood tests show that he had
a significant amount of valium in his blood. Almost too
much and that is what caused him to black out in the first
place and fall off the stage.”
“That son of a bitch, I knew he was doing
something he wasn’t supposed to, I just knew it. I caught
him sneeking something the other day at rehearsal and then
he was really relaxed after break. I should have confronted
him then.” AJ was growing more adjitated.
“AJ, there was nothing that would have clued you
into this type of thing happening. Don’t go beating
yourself up over this now.” Jessica rubbed his shoulder as
she spoke.
A doctor appeared in the doorway.
“Hi, Mr. McLean, I am Dr. Swans, the orthopaedic
surgeon on call. I have looked over the films of your
fracture on your humerous and the radius and I’m afraid we
will have to do surgery to repair the break.” The doctor
was looking over AJ’s chart as he spoke.
“Shit.” AJ didn’t say another word after that.
“Plates in his arm?” Jess asked the doctor.
“Yes, plates and screws, it is the only way to
repair the arm and minimize the damage.”
“Shit.”
“AJ, it will be okay, quit saying that.” Jess
tried to calm him down.
“I will admit you to the hospital tonight, and
have you scheduled for surgery first thing in the morning.
You will have to stay inpatient for twenty-four to
forty-eight hour following surgery.” Dr. Swans told AJ.
AJ closed his eyes and sighed deeply letting the
information the doctor just told him, sink in. He hated
hospitals and was scared to death of knives. AJ hated to
admit it, but even with all of the tattoos he had, he was a
baby when it came to needles and pain.
“AJ, it will be okay, you are in good hands.”
Jessica tried to help him relax.
“I know, it’s just that I’m really scared of
having something like this done, I mean, surgery and shit
like that scares the hell out of me.” AJ tried to put his
panic on hold.
Jess simply touched his shoulder, trying to calm
him down. Her eyes wandered off towards the room where Nick laid, unconscious.