Driving back to the hospital, Ryan felt a sense of relief. Talking to her father about Justins accident had allowed her to let her emotions out, without any feeling of restriction. She was apprehensive about voicing her fears and concerns around the other guys, because she was sure they were just as worried as she was, and she didn't want to add to their problems.
Her father had listened as she rambled on about her nightmare, the fears she felt about losing Justin, and he held her while she cried. It was something she really needed right then, and she was glad to have someone like her father there for her.
Her mother arrived home only moments before Ryan had to leave. Helen Garner assured her daughter that they would come to visit Justin the next day, feeling that it was better for him to rest for a day or two before having to deal with a barrage of visitors. She had even gone out and bought Justin a flower arrangement, figuring it would brighten his room and make him feel a little better. Katie had come down from her room after an hour or so, and was surprised to find her older sister there. She said she was sorry for what happened to Justin, and gave Ryan a picture that she had drawn for him. Ryan smiled as she looked over her little sisters artwork. There was a big yellow sun shining in the sky, as birds flew around the clouds. A curly haired little person stood on what appeared to be a stage, with several other little people below who Ryan assumed were an audience. It had to be the cutest thing she had ever seen, and promised Katie that she would deliver the painting to Justin as soon as she saw him.
Ryan was proud to learn that Katie had won her science fair the night before. She felt bad that she wasn't able to be there for her sister that night, but Katie understood completely that Ryan had other obligations. Even at her young age, Katie was very understanding about the situation Ryan was in.
After hugging her family, and thanking her father for being there for her, Ryan headed back to the hospital. She was thankful to have a little time to herself as she drove, giving her a chance to collect her thoughts and emotions before seeing Justin again.
She was still having trouble getting over the thought that she almost lost him the night before. Any one of a million little things could have changed the outcome of that night. But luckily, things had worked out for the better.
Parking her car in the visitors lot, she headed inside with her bag slung over her shoulder. Katies painting was rolled up in her hand, and the flowers from her parents tucked safely under her arm.
Walking in to the waiting room, Ryan was surprised to see that Lynn was not there. Peaking her head inside Justins room, her breath caught in her throat to find that he was gone as well.
She felt herself begin to panic. What if something happened while she was gone? What if he had a relapse or something, and was in surgery right at that moment? What if they had tried to get in contact with her, but weren't able to?
Walking up to the emergency desk quickly, Ryan tried her best to keep her voice calm.
"Excuse me," she asked politely to the middle aged woman behind the desk.
The woman smiled sweetly at her. "Yes, dear."
"Um, where is the young man in that room over there?" Ryan pointed to Justins room as she spoke. "Justin Timberlake."
"Oh, dear he was moved upstairs. The doctors checked him over and felt that he was well enough to be moved up to his own room. He's in room 445. Take the elevator up to the fourth floor, and he's the third door on your right."
Ryan thanked the woman before heading up to the desired room. As she stood in the elevator, she could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She took deep breaths to calm herself before stepping out into the hallway as the doors swung open as she reached the fourth floor.
Heading down the hall a short way to the room she was told, she saw an elderly man walking towards her. He looked about the age of eighty, pulling an IV stand along with him. His steps were short and wobbly, his feet sluffing along the floor. The man smiled at Ryan as he passed.
"Good morning, young lady." he said sweetly.
Ryan smiled brightly back at him. "Good morning, sir."
The man stopped and peaked his head into Justins room before looking back at Ryan. "You're here to see the young man from the car accident last night, eh?" he asked.
Ryan was a little shocked to find that the old man knew of Justins condition. "Yes I am. How did you know about his accident?"
"Oh," he laughed lightly. "I know most of what goes on around this floor." Extending his hand to Ryan, he flash her a toothless grin. "Charles McAlister is the name. But most people call me Doc."
Shaking the mans hand, Ryan nodded to him. "Nice to meet you Mr. McAlister. My name is Ryan Garner."
"You that young mans girlfriend? You sure are a pretty one." Doc asked with an adorable grin.
"Yes, sir. I mean, thank you." Ryan felt her cheeks flush, as Doc giggled at her embarrassment.
"Oh, don't be embarrassed my dear." He shuffled closer to Ryan as he stepped out of the way of another patient passing by in a wheelchair. "Mornin' Clarice." he smiled brightly at the older woman wheeling by. The woman smiled at Doc as she headed down the hall.
"You know," he continued, turning back to Ryan. "My granddaughter was here earlier when they rolled that young man of yours up here. I swear, Ive never seen her so flustered in all my life. It was like she had gone retarded, cause she couldn't even make out a full sentence."
Ryan smiled as she thought of the look on the poor girls face. Here she was visiting her grandfather, and Justin Timberlake rolls by.
"She said he was in some kind of music group? Something to do with a sink?" Doc asked, his brow furrowed in thought as he tried to remember the name.
Ryan laughed at Doc as he tried to remember the name of the group. "NSync, you mean?" she answered.
"Ah, that's it." he snapped his fingers in recognition. "Hmm. Well, cant say that Ive heard their music, but I'm sure its wonderful."
Ryan could only marvel at the elderly man in front of her. The IV he was pulling down the hall was attached to his arm, and he also had a small ventilator helping him breath. She was amazed that even though he obviously had so much wrong with him, he took the time to be interested in those around him. Ryan could tell she was going to like talking to him while she visited Justin.
"Well, I don't want to keep you from him. If you're around, make sure you stop in and say hi. I'm right next door, here." Doc pointed to the room across the hall from Justins. "If ya need to know anything about anyone around here, just ask me."
"Thanks. I'll do that." Ryan waved goodbye as Doc shuffled down the hall.
She smiled as she watched him go. He reminder her a lot of her grandfather, who had passed away a few years back. Her grandfather was the kind of person who would do anything for anyone. He knew everything about everything, and was always willing to help someone in need. He always had a soft spot for Ryan, and she loved him more than anyone in her life. When he died, she thought she would never feel complete again. He was such a strong influence on her, and she truly believed she was the person she was, in part, due to him. She knew that she would miss him forever, but that she would be able to move on, just not with all the pieces she had before.
Turning to head into Justins room, Ryan smiled as she saw him.
He sat on his bed, smiling up at the TV across the room. There was no sound, but Justin seemed to be enjoying himself without it. He would giggle quietly to himself, his laughter being muffled to a tiny snicker. Looking over by the window, Ryan noticed Justins mother, sleeping peacefully in a chair. She had a blanket draped over her, with her head comfortably laying on her arms that were crossed over a tabletop.
Stepping further into the room, Ryan waiting for Justin to notice her. It only took a few moments before he looked over and smiled at her.
"Hey" he whispered softly.
"Hey to you, too." she replied in the same manner.
Ryan was relieved to see that Justin looked even better than he had that morning. He still looked a little pale, and was still hooked up to the IV, but he was much more alert and seemed to be comfortable.
"What's all that?" Justin asked, looking at the items wrapped in Ryans arms.
"Just some stuff." Placing her overnight bag on a chair near Justins bed, she stepped up and placed the flowers on the night stand. "These are from my parents. They said they will be in tomorrow to see you." Justin smiled as he looked at the bright flowers. "And this is from Katie." Ryan handed Justin the painting, which he rolled out across his lap. "She said she hopes you feel better, and that if you wanna hold her upside down by her ankles when you get home, she'll let you and not even cry." Justin laughed at Katies offer, smiling happily down at the painting in his lap.
"Can you hang it up over there?" he asked, handing the painting back to Ryan to hang above the flowers.
Ryan propped the drawing up behind the flowers, before turning to look across at the TV.
"Whatcha watchin'?" she asked, leaning down to sit on the edge of Justins bed.
"Fresh Prince of Bel Air." he smiled. A tiny giggle escaped his lips as he watched Carlton dance his famous moves.
"With no sound?" Ryan asked, looking down at him.
"Yeah, Moms been sleeping since they moved me up here. I don't want to wake her up." Justin stared at the TV for a few moments before continuing. "Ive seen most of the episodes already, so I know what they're saying."
Ryan looked back and watched the TV for a few moments. Justin was right. She had seen most of the episodes of that show, and knew the dialogue by heart.
They were watching the TV in silence, enjoying the peace and quiet, when a loud commotion sounded at the door.
Sitting forward, Ryan rolled her eyes as she saw Joey and Chris pulling in a huge hockey bag full of goodies.
"What are you morons doing?" she asked, giving them a strange look.
Chris grunted as he pulled on the giant bag, which was dragging across the floor. Joey was behind, bent over as he pushed on the bag. Ryan could only imagine what they had in there that weighed so much.
"We're taking care of our baby." Chris said proudly. He stopped suddenly without warning Joey, causing him to fall over the bag and onto the floor with a grunt.
"I'm not a baby!" Justin whined from the bed.
"Really?" Joey asked, lifting himself up from the floor. "You sure sound like one when you whine, Ju."
Justin only pouted in response, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Excuse me," a voice called from across the room. "But some of us are trying to get our beauty sleep."
"Sorry Mama Lynn." Joey smiled as he walked up to her. Placing a kiss on her forehead, Joey grinned down at her.
"Dude, stop hitting on my mom!" Justin complained.
"Chris, what do you have in there?" Ryan asked as she stood from the bed to stand beside him.
"Just the basic necessities. No man should be without the following," Chris knelt down to unzip the bag, and began to pull items out and pass them to Ryan. "Copies of Maxim, FHM, and Stuff." Ryan stared down at the covers of the magazines before handing them to Justin.
Joey stepped up quickly, taking them from Justins hands. "Ill take these" he stated as he sat down at the table with Lynn and began flipping through the magazines.
"A CD player complete with every CD Justin owns," Chris pulled the CD player out and placed it on the table at his bedside. Rummaging through the bag again, he returned with three cases of CDs which were placed beside the stereo. "And earphones, so you don't disturb the other patients."
"Yeah, like his whining wont disturb them enough." Joey called as he flipped further through a magazine.
Justin as about to protest, but Chris cut him off. "Next, we have a Play station and games. I'm not sure if you can hook this up to your TV, but we thought it was worth a shot." Chris left the system in the bag to hook up later. Sitting down on his hands and knees, he pulled the bag closer to him and leaned down to look further inside. Ryan smiled to herself as she thought of shoving Chris in and zipping it up.
"We got some of your clothes, a couple movies and just general crap to keep you occupied while you're in here, man." Chris' head was completely in the bag as he called out to the room. "Hey, ya'll! I bet I can fit in here!"
Justin laughed as Chris began to climb into the bag. He was surprised to find that Chris really did fit inside quite well, and was tempted to get Ryan to zip him inside.
A nurse walked into the room, and was shocked to find a grown man laying in a bag at her feet. "Um, are you alright, sir?" she asked, looking down at Chris confused.
"Yeah, he's fine." Joey smiled flirtatiously at the nurse. "He's just waiting for an empty spot in your mental ward."
The nurse gave Chris one last strange look before stepping over him to walk up to Justins bedside. "Well, Mr. Timberlake, I'm just here to change your IV. How are you feeling?"
"Good." Justin nodded as he laid back further into the pillows behind his shoulders. " A little sore, but alright."
"That's good. The doctor will be in to check on you before his shift is over, and you have a call button at your side there if there is anything you need. Just push that little button and one of the nursing staff will be right in to check on you." she explained as she changed Justins IV.
"Does that only work for Justin, or can anyone use it?" Joey called from his spot at the table. The nurse gave him a grin before turning her attention back to her job.
"Oh, and a Mr. Wright called today. He said he will be in to see you this afternoon." the nurse continued as she completed her task.
Justin figured Johnny would be in to check on hi.as well as to talk to him about what they were going to say to the press. The fact that he was in a car accident would make headlines, and he knew that their management would want to go over what was going to be said and what to expect.
The nurse checked Justins pulse before smiling sweetly at everyone and exiting the room. She looked down at Chris strangely, who was still laying comfortably in the bag, as she stepped out.
"Whoa," Joey whispered as he watched the young nurse leave the room. "Dude, mind if I use that call button ya got there? I think I may be having a heart attack."
"You're probably having a hormone attack, Joey." Ryan called to him sarcastically as she sat back down on the edge of Justins bed. "The poor little things are working overtime."
"Where are JC and Lance?" Justin asked, looking over at Chris who was curled up in the bag. His eyes were closed peacefully, and he appeared to be quite content.
"They should be here soon. I think they're picking up food or something." Joey answered as he turned his attention back to the magazine in front of him.
Standing from her chair, Lynn stretched her arms over her head. "I think Im going to go down and get something to drink. Anyone want anything?"
"Id like a water, Ma." Justin said in a child like voice.
Lynn smiled at her son before heading for the door. "Anyone else?"
A collective round of "No thanks" sounded through the room as Lynn stepped over Chris as he lay in the bag, and exited into the hall.
"Well, Ju, since your Moms awake and all, looks like we can turn on the volume." Joey commented as he stood and retrieved the remote at Justins side.
"Hey, I think there is a basketball game on!" Justin mentioned. Joey flipped through the channels before landing on a basketball game. Justin smiled immediately, propping himself up further in the bed.
Moments into the game, JC and Lance entered the room, bags of food in their hands.
"Hey there, J." Lance smiled as he placed the bags he was carrying on the table in front of Joey.
JC stood at the door, looking down at Chris who was now sleeping in the giant bag. "What the hell is he doing?" he asked, looking up to the others in the room.
"With Chris, why do you even ask?" Justin waved JCs question off, motioning to Lance. "Dude, hand me some food! I'm starving!"
"Yup, he's feeling better. His appetite is back in full force." Joey teased as he opened a bag and removed some of the food from inside.
Justin shot him a dirty look. "Hey, I'm the injured one, so I get whatever I want."
"How is that different from your normal life, Ju?" JC commented as he stepped over Chris to place the bags in his hands on the table.
"What the hell, is it pick on Justin day?" Justin whined as he looked at his friends.
"Well, it is now!" a voice called from the doorway.
"Oh no, I know that voice." Justin groaned as he threw his head back onto the pillows with frustration.
"Have no fear, Lois is here." Lois stepped into the room dramatically, before looking down at Chris' sleeping form. "What the fuck?"
The others in the room simply waved it off, so Lois shrugged and stepped over him.
Monica, Lynn and Cheryl followed her into the room, not bothering to look down at Chris as he slept in the oversized bag at their feet.
"Hey girls" Justin smiled happily from his bed. They all walked up and hugged him gently before standing around the room.
"You know what," Lois said, placing her hands on her hips to stare at Justin angrily. "I'm mad at you."
"What? Why?" Justin stared at her confused.
"Because, you made me worry about you, you dumbass." She flicked his arm playfully in an attempt to be mad at him. "I signed on to work with you, not actually have to care about you. And here you go and worm your way into my heart, like some little parasite and make me worry about your skinny ass. I just wanna be a smartass who dresses JC all freaky," Lois was temporarily interrupted by a whimper from JC. She didn't bother stopping to look at him before she continued to ramble on at Justin. "Not someone who actually has to care whether you get hurt. But I do care. So for that, I am mad at you." she nodded finally, crossing her arms over her chest.
Justin just smiled up at her, his eyes playfully shining at her. "You wov me, and you know it."
"Oh, shut up." she whined. Turning away from him, she headed over to sit on Joeys lap. She began to eat his fries, giving Justin dirty looks from across the room.
"If it makes you feel any better, you are a really good smartass who dresses JC all freaky." Justin called to her.
"Hey!" JC pouted. "You don't dress all that spiffy yourself there, Justin."
Justin gave JC an amazed look, raising an eyebrow at him. "Spiffy? Does anyone even say that word anymore?"
Ryan smiled as she listened to them bicker about whether the word 'spiffy' was an actual word.
Lance sat across from Lois and Joey, quietly chatting as they ate. Monica, Lynn and Cheryl had pulled chairs up to the table, and were rummaging through the bags of food. Chris was still happily sleeping in his bag, completely unaware of the conversations and people around him.
As she looked around at the people in the room, Ryan felt her smile widen. She was so lucky to have them in her life, and was glad that they were here for Justin.
With friends like these, she had no doubt that Justin was going to be just fine.
