Chapter 19

After 15 minutes of driving down the road in silence, the boys finally saw the hospital in the distance. As they came closer to the hospital, the young men all took in a deep breath and silently prayed that their friend would be alive and would again be the Brian that they all knew and loved. After circling the parking lot a few times, the boys finally found a parking place. They all took in another deep breath as they exited the Jeep to head towards the hospital doors. They quickly made their way to the front desk and waited patiently until the nurse on duty was finished talking on the phone.

“May I help you?” asked the nurse as she wrote down something on a piece of paper.

“Yes ma’am our friend Brian Littrell was brought in just a few minutes ago. We were wondering where they took him exactly.” said Howie. All the guys quickly noticed the change in the nurses expression.

“Um, yes sir. Your friend was brought in just a few minutes ago, but they are working on him in the emergency room. I will have a nurse come down and escort ya’ll to a private waiting room. Please sit over there and the nurse will come alone to assist you shortly.”

As the boys took a seat in the small waiting room a voice came over the P.A. system “Code blue case in Emergency Room, Code blue case in Emergency Room.” All the guys quickly looked at each other as those words rang throughout the hospital halls.

“Oh my gosh guys. What if that is Bri they are calling the Code Blue about? Doesn’t Code Blue mean cardiac arrest or something?” softly whispered Howie with a fear filled voice.

In response, the rest of the guys looked at the floor, afraid to come to the reality that it may be Brian that had gone into Cardiac Arrest in the Emergency Room on the lower floor. They were brought back from their thoughts when a young nurse quietly cleared her throat and spoke.

“Are ya’ll with Brian Littrell?” the only response she received was a nodding of four heads. “If ya’ll will please follow me, I will take you to a private waiting room where you can wait until they bring Mr. Littrell up after they stabilize him. It should only be a few moments of waiting”

The four young men obediently rose from their seats and followed the nurse to the elevator. They rode in the elevator in complete silence, all taking sudden interest in the floor again. They then arrived on the floor where the Intensive Care unit was located and solemnly walked out of the elevator and followed the nurse to a small but cozy waiting room. The waiting room contained a couch, 3 chairs, a television set, a small refrigerator, and a small microwave. The guys quietly found their seats and the nurse told them to wait there she was going to go and make sure that Brian was brought to the Intensive Care Unit and that they could see him. They thanked the nurse and she left and again turned their gazes to the floor.

The nurse returned 10 minutes later and the guys quickly rose to their feet, anxious to hear any information the nurse may have had about their friend. They quickly notice the expression on the nurse’s face; a expression of regret and sympathy.

She quickly tore her gaze away from the young men that stood in front of her and said,”I’m sorry, um they haven’t brought Mr. Littrell to this floor yet. I will come back and tell you when he is here.”

She then turned quickly and made her way towards the door. She turned around quickly as she felt a hand on her arm turn her around and she looked into a pair of tear-filled emerald green eyes.

“Please ma’am tell us what is wrong. I can tell that something isn’t right. Please tell me, this is my younger cousin we are talking about. Please tell me. I need to know if he is ok. The guilt is becoming too much, please tell me.” begged Kevin as his tears escaped his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

“I..I guess I can tell you gentlemen, you will hear this sooner or later. Mr. Littrell was supposed to be brought up here by now, but they had some complications in the Emergency Room just as they brought him in. I’m really sorry. Now if you gentlemen would please excuse me. If I find out anything new, I will inform you immediately.”

The nurse then turned again and walked out the door. When the guys heard the soft click as the door was gently shut, they all collapsed in their seats, the tears they were holding in started to flow down their faces with no sign of stopping anytime soon. With sorrow in their hearts, they sat in the waiting room as tears kept falling from their eyes, anxiously waiting for any news on Brian.

Chapter 20