Chapter 5
Kevin
went to find Dr. Lake in the hallway.
"So, he's awake?" the doctor asked.
"Yeah, he just came to." Kevin said. "Doc, if
you don't mind, I'd like to tell him what happened. I think he'll take it
easier coming from me than someone he doesn't really know, no offense."
"None taken. That's not a problem,” the doctor said
before they walked into the room. "Mr. Littrell, it's about time you
decided to join us,” he teased. "I'm Dr. Lake. I'm guessing you'd like to
get that tube out of your throat?” he said. Brian squeezed Nick's hand tightly.
"That's definitely a 'yes'." Nick laughed. The
doctor glanced at the monitor by the bed.
"You're respirations look fairly normal." he said.
"That's good news." He turned off the respirator and took the tube in
his hand. "You know the drill, on three... 1...2...3."
Brian
took a deep breath and blew hard as the doctor gently pulled the tube from his
throat. He coughed and wheezed as he tried to catch his breath.
"Oh, that hurts like-" He clutched at his chest in
pain and felt the bandages for the first time. He moved his hands and studied
the gauze wrapped around the whole top half of his chest to his abdomen. His
bottom jaw dropped and he looked up to Kevin with pure terror penetrating from
his icy blue eyes. Jessie was badly tempted to make her visible to him and
comfort his fears but she knew that the time was not right.
Dr.
Lake quickly and silently ushered everyone out of the room, leaving Kevin to do
all of the explaining. Brian carefully studied Kevin's unsure face and then let
his head fall back onto the pillow in discouragement.
"Why?" he demanded, almost in a whisper.
"There was no other choice." Kevin said softly.
"That's wonderful. They just cut me open again without
my even knowing about it!" Brian moaned, trying desperately not to cough.
"They couldn't ask you. You were unconscious."
Kevin said.
"Oh yeah. I forgot that small detail." Brian added
sarcastically. Kevin sighed and went to say something but Brian interrupted him
quickly.
"So, what is it this time? Huh? Because, if they found
another freakin' hole in my heart I don't even wanna know about it,” he said
angrily. Kevin drew in a deep breath to calm his nerves before answering.
"This isn't easy to say..."
"Get off it, Kev."
"Brian...you had a heart attack."
"A...a what?" Brian gasped.
"Your main artery was blocked and your heart quit
beating." Kevin said slowly. Brian was silent for a moment. "For a while there...we...we actually
lost you." Kevin choked.
"Oh my...Kevin, were you there, when I ...you
know?" Brian asked, his hands starting to shake. Kevin nodded.
"They preformed a bypass to restore the blood flow to
your heart muscle,” he explained. Brian buried his head in his hands and tears
welled up in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Kevy." he cried. "I'm scared
so stiff I can't even think straight."
"I know, kid. I know." Kevin put a hand on his
shoulder for support.
Kevin
sat with Brian until he fell asleep before joining the others in the waiting
room. They had already stripped of the medical garb and he took his surgical
gown off as well when he reached them.
"How is he?" Nick asked.
"He's pretty shocked. I've never seen him so scared. He's falling
apart." Kevin answered.
"Is he asleep now?" Howie asked. Kevin nodded.
"He's in a lot of pain. We need to tell the doctor to
give him some more painkillers before we go." he said. They headed toward
the front desk in search of Dr. Lake.
Jessie
sat quietly on the edge of Brian's bed. He had been sleeping for three hours
now. Though it was not a peaceful sleep it was better than him lying awake all
night. She concentrated on his thoughts and realized that he was having a
nightmare. The heart attack he had suffered earlier in the day was re-occurring
in his mind. She touched his forehead gently with the palm of her hand and sent
a rainbow of beautiful colors into his mind. The fear quickly faded and his
muscles relaxed. His breathing slowed dramatically and he slept well for the
rest of the night. Even the nurse coming in every hour to measure his vital
signs couldn't disturb his rest.