It’s been a week since Jade’s accident and all our lives have come to a complete stop. There’s been little change in Jade’s condition. Two days after the accident she had a brain scan which showed that all the initial swelling had gone down. We had all been convinced that meant she would wake up soon, but she hasn’t. She’s still on a ventilator and heart monitor. Her parents arrived the night Jay called then, not long after Kevin. Kevin had pretty much taken control of the situation – cancelling studio sessions, putting out an official press statement and making sure there was enough security for Jade’s room. Brian has barely spent an hour away from Jade. We have all tried to make him go home and sleep but he refuses. He’s too scared to leave Jade so he falls asleep in the chair by her bed. He looks almost as pale as she does, and that’s really sayin’ something. AJ spends almost as much time with her. I really hope she gets the chance to realise just how lucky she is to be loved so much. As each day goes by without Jade waking up, we all get a little more resigned to her death. Except Brian and AJ. They have complete faith in Jade’s will to live, only because if they even begin to doubt it they will break down. Today, the doctor is turning her life support off to see if she will start breathing on her own. Only Brian, Jay and her parents are allowed in the room, the rest of us are relegated to the family room. AJ and Kevin are pacing nervously, Howie and Callie are sat together with their heads bowed by the window, Nick is fidgeting with his shirt and I’m trying to take my mind off of it by watching a baseball game. It’s not working.
“If, when we turn the ventilator off, Jade doesn’t start to breathe on her own, do you want us to resuscitate?” Dr Paget asks Jade’s family.
“Yes,” Brian tells him strongly. “You can’t let her die.”
“I agree with Brian,” Mary says. “It’s only been a week.”
“You can’t let her die,” Jay mutters.
“Fine,” the doctor nods. “Ok, ready?” he asks another doctor and a nurse who are standing by.
They nod and he turns off the ventilator, removing the tube from Jade’s mouth. The usual humming noise dies out and the room is deadly silent, all seven pairs of eyes focussed on the still form in the bed.
“Come on baby,” Brian whispers, stroking her hand as, across from him, Mary does the same. “Just breathe for me…”
“Come on sweetie,” Tony says softly, stroking his daughter’s hair.
“You dare give up on me,” Jay threatens her, tears in his eyes. “C’mon pookie.”
“Get the defib ready,” Dr Paget tells the nurse. “We’ll give her forty more seconds then we’ll have to resuscitate.”
“Baby…” Brian whispers, tears filling his eyes. “Come back to me. I love you so much and I need you,” he reaches up to stroke her face with his other hand and bows his head in a quick prayer. As he looks up again Dr Paget is switching the defib on and Jade suddenly gasps, her body going rigid. “What is it?!” he exclaims, looking at the doctor with a scared look.
“She’s remembering how to breathe again,” Dr Paget tells him with a small smile as Jade’s body relaxes and she starts to breathe on her own.
“Oh thank God,” Brian murmurs, looking at Mary as she starts to cry. “She’s goin’ to be ok,” he tells her as Tony gives her a hug.
“I know, it just came so close…” she whispers. “I was so scared that I was watching my daughter die.”
“But she’s breathing on her own,” Jay tells her and then looks at the doctor. “That’s good right?”
“It’s very good. Hopefully she will start to come out of the coma now,” he says.
“Brian, will you go tell Ali and everybody?” Tony asks and Brian stands up. He heads into the family room and everybody looks at him, jumping up if they are not already standing.
“She’s breathing on her own!” Brian grins and they all sigh relievedly. “The doctor says it’s the first step to waking up.”
“Oh man, that’s wicked!” AJ declares and hugs Brian, quickly joined by the rest of them.
“Yeah,” Brian agrees, in the middle of a group hug. It makes him feel better about things. Jade is breathing again and he has true friends who will stop their lives for him. “Thanks y’all, y’know, for everything these past few days.”
“Nothin’ else we could do,” Nick tells him. “We wanna be here for you and Jade.”
“Well, thank you. Everyone’s been amazing,” he smiles, genuinely touched at the way people care about him and Jade. There’s the other Backstreet Boys and their partners who have come by the hospital every day, his family who are staying nearby and visit each night, Britney Spears who is on tour in Europe but phones every night, Justin Timberlake who is in Australia and phones every morning… So many people who care. That’s the good to come out of all this. And the fact that he knows he can forgive Jade anything, just as long as she comes back to him.
AJ strokes Jade’s hair slowly as he studies her pale face intently, looking for any change in colour or expression. There’s nothing.
“Oh boy Jady, I hope you realise just what you’re puttin’ us all through,” he whispers. “We miss you so much. Brian and Jay and your parents are all goin’ crazy here. I am too. I miss seein’ your smile and hearin’ you laugh at one of my dumb jokes. I need you back Jady. I know you’ll never love me the way I love you and that’s ok. You can wake up and go right back to Brian and I’ll be ok. See, all I need is you in my life in some way. Please don’t leave my life Jady.”