Instead of calling AJ to let him know about his flight arrangements, Aaron took the first flight out to Tampa and once he landed, caught a cab and went directly to the hospital, not really sure if Nick was in Tampa. He was expecting to be told to go directly up to a certain room and was shocked when the receptionist directed him to the nurses station on the eighth floor. Pulling the bill of his baseball cap closer to his eyes, Aaron slipped onto the elevator and pressed the number to the desired floor, praying that the young girls that stepped on wouldn't recognize him.
Thankfully, they got off a few floors below and he rode the rest of the way alone. Slinging his backpack over his left shoulder, he trudged toward the nurses station. He stood at the counter for a few moments waiting patiently as the nurses busied themselves with charts and answering phones. He nervously cleared his throat to get attention. An older nurse looked up from her charts.
"Can you tell me what room Nick's in?" Aaron asked quietly. The nurse looked at him with a puzzled expression. "My brother?"
The woman's face was void of recognition. "Nick?"
Aaron was beginning question if he got off on the right floor. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Carter.....Nick--"
"Oh, okay, and you are?"
"He just said he's Nick's brother," another nurse stated from the other side of the small station. "It's Aaron, he's on the list," she replied nonchalantly.
"Okay......so he's suppose to go down to the private waiting area then, right?"
"I-I just want to know what room Nick's in, I think I can manage finding him by myself," Aaron replied, worry etched in his voice.
The older nurse pointed at a row of chairs with her pen. "Take a seat over there and someone will be by to take you down to gown up."
Wordlessly, Aaron obeyed the nurse's direction and took a seat, resting his elbows on his knees. He sat quietly for a few moments when he suddenly realized the nurse mentioned that he would have to gown up. He wondered what that was all about or if he had misunderstood her. Just as he was about to approach the station and ask them what they were talking about, he heard his brother's name being mentioned from the room that was next to where he was seated.
"I know this is a tough case, but that Carter kid is going to need the BMT or it his outlook won't look good."
"Did Andersen have a donor waiting?"
"She said that was what was dragging things out, from what she told me, he didn't want any family members to be tested....if you ask me, I think he's crazy, I mean it will be his only chance."
"Listen, I gotta go check on Steinberg in six, talk to you later Neil."
Aaron stiffened in his seat as one of the men that was talking about Nick left the room. The man aparantly was a doctor, he surmized as he looked watched the tall, dark skinned man dressed in dark green scrubs breezed by, walking toward the nurses station. His mind was reeling with questions - whats a BMT and what is the donor for? He wondered why Nick didn't want any family members to be tested? Why did he have to be so stubborn? If it could save his life he should accept any help he can get. His family needed him and more importantly, Aaron decided selfishly, he needed Nick.
"Aaron......honey?"
Aaron jerked when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see a young nurse standing in front of him, he immediately stood up, a blush stained his cheeks.
"Um, sorry."
"I could see you were thinking kinda hard there," the nurse smiled.
"Yeah, I guess so.....I sorta space out like my brother Nick."
The nurse smiled. "I think I've seen Nick do that a couple of times myself. My names Jessie."
Aaron felt his heart skip a beat. He got excited thinking that for the nurse to notice that may be a sign that his brother wasn't as bad off as those doctors made it sound. "You have?"
The nurse nodded yes.
"Swallowing hard, Aaron gathered the courage to ask, "Jessie, c-can I ask you something?"
"Sure you can."
"Um, whats a BMT?" Aaron noticed that the smile on the woman's face quickly faded. "I um, overheard someone say that word and I wondered what it was."
"I don't know if I should say," the nurse stalled.
Aaron lightly touched her on the wrist, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Please, I have to know."
Jessie glanced back at the nurses station. "Well, I suppose you won't let it go until you find out?"
Aaron shook his head.
"Lets talk about it on our way to the scrub room, follow me."
Wordlessly, Aaron followed the young nurse down the brightly lit hallway. It wasn't until they were out of sight of the nurses station did the young woman stop and turn to face the replica of Nick.
"Okay, its obvious that you've heard someone talking about, who said something to you?"
"I sorta over heard somebody talking about Nick when I was waiting in those chairs."
The nurse's eyes widened. "Someone as in one of the nurses at the station?"
"N-no, it was two doctors."
"I guess it really doesn't matter who you heard its just that someone was carelessly talking about things that should be private. What if it were someone else......" the woman trailed off. Her posture suddenly stiffened. "Okay, your brother will probably kill me if he knows I'm telling you this so you have to promise me that he won't know I spelled this out for you, okay?"
"I promise."
"A BMT is a bone marrow transplant."
Tears sprung into Aaron's eyes. "Thats bad, isn't it?"
"It's not good, but its an option for your brother."
"Those doctors said that Nick needs a donor and he refuses to ask for one, why?"
Jessie shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows?"
"How do you get a donor, I mean what do they do to find a donor?"
"Aaron, you're asking me more questions than what I should be answering, lets go get you in some scrubs so you can go see your brother."
"Why do I have to wear scrubs? I've never had to do that before when I went to see Nick."
"Didn't anyone come up with you?"
"I came up here from the airport, I haven't talked to anyone yet other than when AJ called me and said I needed to come and see Nick."
"Oh, so you really don't know whats going on then..."
"I know my brother is sick if thats what you mean," Aaron replied.
"Nick's in isolation so we need to dress up like we're going into surgery so we don't spread anything to him. Here's the locker room to change into scrubs. C'mon, I'll show you were you get things."
Aaron followed the nurse into the white tiled room. Blue steel lockers were lined up along one wall and shelves holding neatly folded scrubs were on the opposite side of the room.
"Just take a locker and put your personal stuff in there," Jessie said as she pointed towards the lockers. "You can grab a pair of scrub tops and bottoms here and theres disposable booties you have to put over your shoes in here and last but not least, disposable surgical masks are in this box next to the booties. I'll help you tie those on after you're done gowning up. Just go into that dressing room over there and I'll be waiting out here if you have any questions."
Aaron grabbed the scrubs and walked hesitantly toward the dressing room, closing the door softly behind him. He dressed quickly and turned to inspect his relection in the mirror. With a sigh, Aaron tugged a nervous hand through his already touseled blonde hair as the words that he heard the doctors utter nearly a awhile ago, play through his head. His brother was in deep trouble and now his only chance for survival would be a bone marrow transplant. There was no question in his mind that he would step up and do what needed to be done to protect his only brother, but being fifteen, there were bigger issues at hand and one of them was getting permission from his parents.
Aaron knew that his father wouldn't say no to something this serious but the problem at the moment was that Bob had slipped out of the country to be with his new wife and didn't leave anyone with a number that he could be reached. Jane on the other hand wasn't as easily convinced that Nick was as sick as he was. As much as Aaron avoided speaking the words, he knew it was true - Nick was dying. He needed to get this issue through to his mother so that the doctors could start the process of harvesting the bone marrow.
"Aaron, how are you doing?"
Jessie's voice snatched Aaron from his thoughts. Grabbing his clothes, he opened the door. "Is this okay?"
The nurse looked the young teen up and down. "You look quite handsome in those blue scrubs," she winked.
Aaron blushed as he smoothed the blue material across his chest. "Thanks."
"Okay, the next time you come to visit your brother, you'll need to check in at the nurses station and they will let you know if you can go down to the scrub room or you may be directed to the private waiting room," the nurse explained. "Slip these booties on over your sneakers."
Aaron took the cheese cloth material foot coverings from the nurse, obediently pulling them over his Nike tennis shoes.
"Here, let me tie the surgical mask around your neck and I'll tie it ontop so you can slip it up before you enter his room."
Standing still, Aaron waited for the woman to finish her task.
"Follow me," Jessie directed as she made her way toward the door. "Okay, Nick's in ICU three, make sure you put the mask over your face before you open that door."
Nodding, Aaron took a deep, shakey breath in.
"Are you gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, just a little nervous I guess," Aaron quickly replied.
"When you get done visiting, you can go back to the scrub room and could you please check back and the nurses desk before you go?"
The young blonde stood still, staring at the door to ICU 3.
"Aaron, hun, did you hear me?"
"Huh?"
"I said you can go back to the scrub room when you're done and to check back in at the nurses station before you leave. Are you sure you're alright?"
Licking his lips, Aaron nodded the affirmative.
The nurse smiled at the young teenager. "Alrighty."
A million thoughts were swimming in Aaron's head as he trudged toward ICU room 3 and none of them were good.
"The little shit promised he'd call me back and he hasn't yet," AJ muttered through gritted teeth.
"Little shit....Nicky?"
AJ shook his head furiously. "Not that little shit, the other little shit Carter."
"Why would Aaron promise to call you back?"
Pulling a chair back, AJ sat down hard, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his front pocket. "I called the kid last night and told him to catch a flight in to see his brother."
"You did what? I thought we promised Nick we weren't calling his family---"
"We did and Nick asked me to call Aaron," AJ rasped as he pulled a cigarette from the pack.
"Don't you dare light that up in the house!"
AJ smiled through gritted teeth as he fingered the unlit smoke. "I wasn't planning on lighting it, dickhead."
"It sure as hell looks like that was what you had in mind."
"I respect Nick just as much as you do. I wonder if I should try calling AC and see if he got his flight booked."
"Who's getting a flight booked?" Kevin asked as he entered the kitchen.
"Glad to see you're finally alive," AJ growled. "You are still on west coast time dude, it's almost eleven."
Kevin grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup of black coffee. "Well even though you didn't see me until now doesn't mean I haven't been up earlier," he corrected. Taking a sip before he sat down at the table, Kevin locked eyes with the rebel singer. "Now who were you saying was getting a flight booked?"
"Kaos asked me to call his brother, he wanted to see him."
"I see," Kevin replied as he raised his thick eyebrows. "Did you get that cleared with Jane?"
"Jane can kiss my hairy ass."
Kevin ignored the comment. "Thats fine, but did you get it cleared with Jane?"
"I really don't give a rats ass what Jane Carter wants....if she was anything that a mother should be, she'd be right up in that goddamn hospital keeping a vigil with her goddamn son."
"You don't need to cuss," Howie softly reprimanded.
"Well anyway, that Carter woman ain't no mother and I'd prefer to leave her out of this conversation!"
"Okay, what did you say to Aaron? You better not have mentioned anything about how bad off Nick is or you know you'll have hell to pay with Nick when he sees Aaron," Kevin asked.
"Nope, just told the boy his brother wants to see him," AJ skirted the question.
Kevin looked suspeciously at his younger brother. "You sure?"
AJ pushed himself away from the oak kitchen table. "Postive, now if you'll excuse me, I have a phone call to make and a cigarette to smoke."
Kevin and Howie watched as the rebel singer sauntered out of the kitchen toward the door leading to the garage.
Shaking his head he looked at Howie. "I dunno about you, but I think that Bone was lying about his call to Aaron."
All Howie could do was shrug his shoulders in response. "Let's hope you're wrong."
