Chapter 14
"Midnight/ Not a sound from the pavement/ Has the moon lost her memory/ She is smiling alone/ In the lamp light the withered leaves collect at my feet/ And the wind begins to moan…" ~Memory from the Broadway show "Cats"
The hospital was
absolutely inundated. A news leak to the press was all it took to ignite a fury
of media to land at the West Shore Hospital's doors.
"This is MTV news with an MTV news brief. It seems that Backstreet Boy
Nick Carter…"
"Nick Carter of the famed Backstreet Boys…"
"Fan favorite Nick Carter…"
"Known to many as 'the cute one,' Nick Carter landed in the hospital…"
For Sara, it was too much to take. She couldn't so much as walk outside without
being mobbed. With the hospital being overwhelmed, Sara was forced to take the
bed on the other side of the room and sent a security guard to pick up a few
things at the house. Security was also on the lookout for anyone who hadn't
been cleared by either the Carters or the Galens.
It wasn't only the media that showed up at the hospital. Crazed fans had found
their way to the doors also. Some held prayer sessions. Some lit candles. Some
tear stained faces brought pictures, autographs, and anything else they could
get their hands on. A few fans even flew in from as far away as Oregon and vowed
to sleep outside the hospital until Nick was released.
Inside Nick's room, however, things were eerily quiet. Sara and the rest of
the Carter clan were going to get lunch in the cafeteria to give themselves
some sense of normalcy at Nick's urging. His heart monitor went off in regular
intervals and the IV still dripped different solutions to give Nick the proteins
he needed. He was still very pale and weak. Since he had first started to get
sick, Nick had dropped nearly 50 pounds.
Nick's slumbering body seemed to be at peace. There were a few screaming fits
every now and then, but far less since Nick had started to receive the treatment
he needed.
But it was too quiet. Quiet enough for something to be wrong.
The rapid increase of the heart monitor could be heard across the hall. Nick's
body was covered in cold sweat in the matter of an instant. The serene scene
of a few moments before was gone and in its place was a hellish nightmare.
* * *
"Pass the
ketchup," Jane said as she munched on some fries.
"The doctors said that they're thinking about releasing Nick soon,"
Sara said.
"Is he really doing that well?" Bob asked.
Sara nodded and swallowed her mouthful of lemonade. "Yeah. Since he's been
off the respirator he's been doing fine. They're thinking about releasing him
in a week or two."
"Just in time for you two to come back," Bob joked.
Sara laughed lightly. "If he's released when they say, then we'll have
another week at home before the baby's expected."
"That's all?" Jane asked. "Has it been that long already?"
"I know," Sara said as she rubbed her rotund stomach. "It seems
like it was last week when we first called to tell you that we were having a
baby."
"Is everything set up?"
Sara shook her head. "Nick was going to finish it, but…" Her
voice trailed and she looked down at her fries. "We're here instead,"
she finished softly.
"Not for long. Another two weeks and…"
Jane was cut off by the PA system. "Will Sara Galen and family please report
back upstairs. Repeat: Sara Galen and family please repeat upstairs immediately."
Jane, Bob, and Sara immediately looked at each other in concern before darting
up and locating the nearest elevator.
* * *
Back upstairs in
the ICU, doctors worked fast and furiously to revive the sickly 23 year old.
The slight fever that the doctors had been carefully keeping an eye on had gone
horribly out of control. In the matter of five minutes, Nick's temperature had
gone from 100 to 106 degrees. It had caused Nick's body to go into shock, his
blood pressure to drop to dangerously low levels.
"Clear!" the doctor called as the electrical paddles were placed on
Nick's chest, causing him to be momentarily lifted off the bed. All eyes turned
to the heart monitor. It was still a flat line. "Clear!" the doctor
yelled again as the paddles were once again placed on Nick's chest…
* * *
Sara, Bob, and
Jane ran as fast as possible through the hospital corridor in time to see Nick's
body being shocked with the electrical paddles. All three parties went pale.
Jane collapsed into hysterics. Bob held his wife as she bawled into his shoulder.
Sara had the worst reaction of them all. She doubled over and vomited. As if
that wasn't enough, her pale figure started to collapse. Bob saw Sara start
to fall and caught her just before she was to hit the floor. With nurses being
everywhere, all three were able to get Sara into a chair with cold compresses
on her wrists and on the back of her neck.
Fifteen minutes later the doctors walked out of Nick's room and found two Carters
and a Galen waiting for the news.
"Nick's comatose," the doctor started. "He's been placed on a
respirator and he's also heavily medicated."
"Comatose?" Sara squeaked out. "Is he going to get better?"
The doctor sighed. "As of right now, his chances are slim to none."
"But there's still a chance," Bob pointed out.
"Yes, there's still a chance."
"When can we see him?" Jane questioned meekly.
"In a few minutes," the doctor replied. "We want to keep an eye
on him for a few minutes longer. I'll send a nurse in when we're ready."
"Thank you, Doctor," Bob replied.
"If you need me I'll be at the nurse's station filling out a few forms."
With that, the doctor left.
* * *
"Leighanne?"
Sara asked meekly in the phone.
Leighanne put the glass she was about to put away on the counter as she heard
the tone in her friend's voice. "Sara? Is that you? What happened?"
"Nick's worse."
"Oh my G-d. Are you OK?"
" He's comatose."
Leighanne's hand immediately flew to her mouth in disbelief. Comatose? That
wasn't possible. "Do you want to speak to Brian?"
At the sound of his name, Brian's ears perked up. He could tell from the tone
of his wife's voice that something was horribly wrong. Leighanne handed Brian
the phone as soon as he stepped into the room.
"Hello?" he asked unsteadily.
"Brian? It's Sara."
"What's wrong?" Brian asked kindly.
"Nick's…he's…he's in a coma," Sara said as she curled up
in a ball in the corner of the room.
Brian's eyes went wide and he turned around to Leighanne for a confirmation
of the news. Her face said it all.
"What hospital is he at?"
"West Shore."
"We'll be there as soon as we can."
* * *
Meanwhile, Angel,
Aaron, BJ, and Leslie weren't taking the news too well. They all were in a state
of disbelief and knew that they had to be at the hospital as soon as humanly
possible. Out of the four of them, Leslie was the one who was the most collected,
her current age defying the mental age she was displaying.
"Get in the car," she barked at the others as she grabbed her keys
and a light jacket. "We're going to the hospital."
With that, all four got into the car and Leslie started the engine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~