“No...I...can’t...” Brian moaned, his voice a strangled whisper.
Nick’s head shot up at the distressed moan from his friend. “Bri?” He jumped out of his chair and bent over the fitful singer. Tentatively he reached his hand to gently shake Brian’s shoulder. Brian’s eyes were shut, but his face was twisted into a grimace.
The heart monitor above Brian’s bed began to beep erratically. Nick fearfully glanced back at the machine. “Shit, Brian. Wake up buddy.”
Brian continued his struggle, his breathing becoming more and more labored. Nick shook his friend a little harder, his voice hitting a level of panic.
“Come on, Brian! Don’t do this to me!” He whimpered desperately.
“What’s going on?!” The door burst open and several nurses rushed into the room, one of them switching on the overhead light.
“I don’t know! He was sleeping and then all of a sudden he started moaning and gasping. Please do something!” Nick cried frantically.
One of the nurses took his arm, leading him out of the room. “We need room. Let us help him.” She instructed swiftly.
Nick started to object, but held his tongue when he realized that his arguing would only divert the nurses’ attention from Brian. The nurse shut the door behind Nick and rushed back over to the bed. Nick bit his lip as he tried to see what they were doing.
“Please, God, don’t take him.” He whispered, tears stinging his eyes.
AJ’s head snapped back like a rubberband. “That’s Brian’s doctor!” He exclaimed.
Kevin’s face turned white, cup of coffee slipping from his hands. “No.” He whispered. The styrofoam cup barely made a noise as it hit the floor, the lukewarm coffee spilling across the floor.
“”Wh-what’s ‘code blue’?” AJ stuttered, hoping it wasn’t what he thought it was.
“He’s stopped breathing.” Kevin croaked.
Without another word, the two band members scrambled to their feet and rushed out the door and to the ICU, their hearts pounding.
The guards ignored me and continued to escort me to the rear door that I had come through. Hot tears stung my eyes as I thought of Brian not breathing, slipping away from us this very minute.
“Code Blue. Dr. Johanson stat to ICU! Code Blue!” The voice repeated, more urgent this time.
“Please, Brian, don’t give up!” I choked out.
One of the guards jerked the door to the garage open and started to push me through it. I gasped when I collided solidly with someone.
“Ellie?! What’s going on? Where have you been? Everyone’s been worr-” Howie started, steadying me as I tried to regain my balance.
I shook my head quickly, brushing his questions off. “Howie, they just called a code blue in ICU! They called Brian’s doctor!” I yelped.
Howie paled. “I saw a commotion in the lobby. We have to get up there!”
The guards heads volleyed back and forth between Howie and I. One of them finally spoke. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. We’re just trying to-”
Howie held a hand up. “I know. No harm.” He said hastily as we filed past them. Thankfully, the elevator was already on the first floor so we didn’t have to wait. I punched the button to the fifth floor and continued to stab it all the way up.
“It’s taking too long. We should have taken the stairs.” I groaned, my voice choked.
“Ellie, what happened? I thought he was fine.” Howie exclaimed urgently.
“I thought he was! I mean, he was upset earlier. I went into his room and he was crying. He wanted me to get Nick, but I didn’t think anything was physically wrong with him.” I explained hastily. “But then I left.” I continued softly, tears starting to fall. “Maybe something happened after I left.”
Howie placed a gentle hand on my own, stilling it from the button-pushing. “Why did you leave?”
“I don’t know.” I admitted miserably. “He was upset and I think he didn’t want me in there. I just sorta lost it and took off.”
“I don’t think it’s like that, Ellie.” Howie said softly, his eyes flickering up to the lit numbers above the elevator doors. Worry consumed his expressive brown eyes.
I didn’t reply, but I didn’t have to because the elevator dinged to let us know we had arrived to the fifth floor. I shoved through the doors before they slid all the way open. Howie was right beside me as we raced down the hall to the ICU doors.
‘Please be okay, please be okay.’ I prayed to myself as Howie hit the button on the wall, so we could be let in the ICU. Agonizing moments later, the doors opened. Howie and I raced forward, but skidded to a halt at what we saw before us.
Kevin was standing in front of Nick, his hands gripping both of the younger boy’s shoulders. Nick had tears streaming down his face as Kevin talked to him in a low voice. AJ stood next to the pair, his arms wrapped tightly around himself, his eyes scrunched shut.
“Guys?” Howie’s voice trembled. I could only stare at them, unable to accept what was happening.
Before anyone could reply, the door behind Nick and Kevin opened and a nurse backed out of the room, her hands gripping the handles to something. My knees grew weak when I saw it was a bed that she was helping to pull from the room. A white sheet covered the silhouette of a small body underneath.
The young nurse at the head of the bed looked up with pained eyes. “We were too late.”
