The next three and a half months were the longest in Nick's life. Becky and
Matt canceled their wedding. The boys and girls had left and came back from the
tour already. Katie switched rooms so that everyone could be in her room and
still be comfortable. Still there were no signs of her waking up. The doctor was
giving her three days and if she didn't show any signs of waking up, then he was
going to take her off of life support. Nick had been crying everyday for the
last week, but he had not given up hope that Katie will wake up. All the guys
and girls had been there everyday. The doctor let them come into Katie's room so
Nick wouldn't be alone. Nick hadn't left Katie's side. He only left to take a
shower and change clothes but only as long as someone was there with Katie, in
case she woke up. Brian and Kevin left to go get Nick something to eat.
"Do
you think that Katie is going to wake up?" asked Brian.
"Well, to tell you
the truth, I don't think she will and if she does it will be a miracle from God.
I don't even want to know what Nick will do if she doesn't," replied Kevin.
"I know, he is a total wreck right now," said Brian. They got Nick his lunch
and took it up to him. When they got to the room they saw Nick in the same old
place, right by Katie's side holding her hand, praying that she would wake up,
crying. He always tried to hide it though. Jessie, Nate, Becky, Matt, Jackie,
Scott, Erin, Jason, Howie, Leighanne, Kristin, AJ, and Amanda were all watching
TV.
"Don't go in there. Nick wants to be alone with her," said Erin.
"I
don't care I am going to give him his food. There isn't going to be anything of
him left when she wakes up if he doesn't start eating. I don't care if I have to
start feeding him like a baby," said Brian. Then, he walked into the room where
Katie was. "Hey Nick, here is your food," he said.
"I'm not hungry right
now. Can I be alone?" said Nick sniffling.
"Nick, you are going to be skin
and bones when she wakes up if you don't start eating," warned Brian.
"I
don't care just as long as she comes back," said Nick stubbornly.
"She is
going to wake up. Don't worry," assured Brian.
"Bri, the doctor said that
she has one more day and then Wednesday at 9:00 they are going to take her off.
I don't know what I will do without her," said Nick. He never even looked at
Brian. He just kept looking at Katie. Brian walked around Katie's bed to the
other side so that he was facing Nick.
"Nick, she is going to wake up, and
if she could talk right now, I know that she would be yelling at you because you
are doing this to yourself," he said.
"Doing what?" asked Nick.
"Not
eating, doing nothing but crying, not sleeping, not taking care of yourself.
Look at you; you are a wreck. Have you looked into the mirror lately? You look
horrible! Do you want her to see you like this when she wakes up?" exclaimed
Brian.
"I know you are right man, but I can't make myself leave this chair
and go to sleep on the couch. I am too afraid she is going to wake up and I
won't be here," said Nick sighing.
"All fifteen of us are here. We can take
turns staying up making sure that someone is awake when she wakes up. Then that
person will tell everyone. And you will be the first one that they tell. Plus,
your butt is going to become attached to that seat if you don't get out of it,"
said Brian trying to make an attempt at a joke to try and get Nick to loosen up
a little bit.
"Yeah you are right," said Nick laughing but also crying a
little at the same time.
"Did I just hear Nick laugh?" asked Erin poking her
head into the room.
"Yeah," replied Nick.
"WE HAVE MADE A
BRAKETHROUGH!!" yelled AJ to the other guys in the room. Everyone started
laughing including Nick.
"Now I'll stay with Katie, why don't you go eat and
get some sleep?" suggested Brian.
"Okay," said Nick, he grabbed his tray and
walked out of the room.
"OMG! He is out of the room. I think we need to get
a doctor in here. I think Nick is sick too," said Jason. Nick started to laugh.
Everyone was happy to see that he was loosening up. Jessie and Nate got off the
couch and sat on the floor so that Nick could eat and then get some rest.
~~~In Katie's room with Brian~~~
Brian was sitting next to Katie on the opposite side that Nick was.
"Hey
Katie, it's Brian, I really need you to pull through. I don't know what Nick
will do without you. I am afraid to see him with out you. I don't want to lose
you either. You are the little sister that I never had. I don't know what any of
us will do without you. You were always there to help someone get better when
they were down. You always lit up a room when you walked in. You were always so
happy. Just to see your smile again would make me happy, to see Nick smile would
make me happy. I don't know whom I will run to when I have problems if you don't
wake up," said Brian emotionally. Then he started to say a passage out of the
Bible.
~~~In the other room~~~
Nick had been asleep for ten minutes. After he was done eating he lay down
and fell right to sleep.
"I am so happy that he is asleep. I seriously
thought that we were going to have another big problem on our hands when he got
sick from not eating or anything," said Nate.
"Yeah I know," said Erin.
"What time is it?" asked Scott.
"Umm...10:00 pm, why?" asked Jackie.
"Well when it will be 9:00 am, the timing will begin," replied Scott.
"I
don't know what I would do if she doesn't wake up. She is like the coolest
person that I know," said Jessie.
"I feel offended," complained AJ.
"Shut up AJ," said Leighanne.
"Hey I was just trying to get rid of all
of this depression out of the room," said AJ defensively.
"No one can make
the depression leave the room like she did," said Becky wistfully.
"I know;
there was just something about her that lit up a room when she walked in," said
AJ.
"And no matter how down you were she would always find some way to make
everything ok," added Kristin.
"Yeah like that time when me and Nate got in
that big fight, when I was on tour. Katie was there to make me feel better and
then she found a way for Nate to get here to see," remembered Jessie.
"And
like that time when me and Kevin couldn't figure out the names for the baby. She
has got some good ideas in her head," put in Kristin.
"How did you guys
decide? Becky and me are kind of in that situation right now," asked Matt.
"She told us both to make a list of our favorite boys names and then girls'
names. And whichever name we had the same that would be the one. And it worked
to," replied Kristin.
"What are the names?" asked Matt.
"If it is a boy
then we are going to name him Christopher Michael. If it is a girl we are going
to name her Kelsey Lynn," answered Kristin.
"I like those names," said
Jackie.
"I think Alexander James is better but those work, I guess," said
AJ.
"Whatever AJ," said Kevin rolling his eyes. Everyone kept talking about
the good and bad things that have happened to them that Katie helped them with
and just stuff about her. Nick slept through everything.
Brian yelled to
Leighanne from Katie's room.
"What is it? Is she waking up?" asked
Leighanne.
"I wish. Can you come and sit with her? I promised Nick that
someone would be with her at all times," replied Brian.
"Ok sure," said
Leighanne.
"Ok I will be right back," said Brian.
"That is ok. I want to
talk to her," Leighanne told him.
"Ok well if she starts to wake up make
sure Nick is the first one you tell," said Brian.
"Ok. I will," promised
Leighanne. Brian walked out of the room and Leighanne started talking to Katie
about everything that was going on, and how much they needed her. She told Katie
about everything that everyone was talking about in the other room. Soon
everyone gathered in Katie's room just to talk and see her.
~~~The Next Day~~~
Nick woke up at 8:00. When he really woke up he noticed that no one was in
the room with him. He quickly got up and ran to Katie's room.
"Why is
everyone in here. Is she waking up?" he asked anxiously.
"No sorry buddy. We
just all came in here because we didn't want to wake you," replied Howie.
"Well you look a little better this morning," commented Brian.
"Thanks.
AJ get up out of my seat," said Nick looking at AJ.
"Ok sorry, man," said
AJ.
"Sorry AJ. I didn't mean to snap at you. You can sit there if you want
to," apologized Nick.
"No it is ok. You can sit here," said AJ.
"Ok
thanks," said Nick gratefully. He sat back next to Katie. He took her hand and
held it again.
"Well it is 9:00," said Scott.
"Come on Katie, you have
24 more hours," urged Leighanne.
"She will make it. I know she will," said
Nick determinedly. The day went by really slowly for everyone. They all waited
in Katie's room. The doctor came in a lot that day to see if there were any
signs of her waking up.
"Is there anything?" asked Nick.
"No sorry, not
right now, Nick," said the doctor shaking his head. Everyone went down to lunch
except for Nick and Becky. Brian was going to bring them something back.
"Nick, I don't know what I am going to do without her. She is the only
family that I have left. I don't know who my father is. She is all I have," said
Becky emotionally.
"I know Becky, she will make it through though, I know
she will," said Nick reassuringly. Then Brian walked in. Both of them ate their
lunch. Becky couldn't take sitting there looking at Katie facing that fact that
she wasn't going to wake up. Everyone had pretty much lost hope. Nick was still
full of hope but was slowly running out as the time passed.
It was 8:00 the
next morning. Nick was back at the same place he was the day before. He wanted
to be alone. Crying and not eating. No one knew what to say. The entire room was
full of sadness. Everyone was crying, even the guys. It was 8:58 when the doctor
came in. Everyone was in Katie's room. The doctor came in. He did his last check
up to see if there were any signs.
"I'm sorry, Nick, but I don't see
anything," said the doctor apologetically. Nick broke down crying, and so did
everyone else. The doctor started to unplug all of Katie's tubes, when Nick felt
her tighten her hand.
"WAIT!! SHE JUST TIGHTENED HER HAND!!" cried out Nick.
"What?" said the doctor. Katie started to move her fingers. And then slowly
started to come around. The doctor immediately plugged everything that he had
undone back in.
"Come on Katie!! Wake up!!" urged Nick. Surely enough Katie
slowly woke up. She started to say Nick's name, really softly.
"I'm here
Katie. I am right here!" said Nick. About ten minutes later Katie was fully
awake. Everyone was crying because they were so happy that she was awake. Katie
sat up and looked at everyone. Nick was looking at her and he was crying the
hardest.
"Nick, I am ok," said Katie reassuringly.
"I know but I am just
so happy that you are awake," said Nick through tears. He stood up and gave her
a big hug and then kissed her. Everyone gave her a hug. Katie didn't understand
what was going on.
"Why are you guys all crying?" she asked confused.
"Katie, you have been in a coma for four months. They were about to take you
off of life support when you woke up. It is a miracle that you woke up," replied
Nick.
"What about the baby?" asked Katie. Everyone started to cry even
harder.
"Well umm..." stumbled Nick.
"Katie you lost the baby. Nick your
decision didn't matter. Once we got into OR the baby had died," said the doctor
breaking the news to Katie. She started to cry. Nick gave her another huge hug.
"I want you two to know that it was neither one of your faults the baby
died. The food poisoning had the baby from the beginning," explained the doctor.
Katie was in the hospital for another week. Then she was able to go home.
She went to her house in Naples so she was close to her family and friends.
She was feeling much better. She didn't have any dizzy spells since she left
the hospital. Her and Nick have become even closer from this experience. They
spent as much time as they could together.