I Can't Not Love You

Alex

Flyzik got to the bus within two minutes, way quicker than I had expected. When he got on the bus his face was flushed from the cold air and from running. Everyone else was behind him; Rian, Zack, and every last crew member.

“He’s really sick,” I said nervously, still knelt down beside Jack. He was dozing off again, his chest still heavy and his breathing labored.

“Holy shit, how did he get that much worse so quickly?” Flyzik asked in alarm, also kneeling down by Jack. “Jack, wake up. How are you feeling?”

“Go away, Alex,” Jack mumbled, causing Flyzik to frown.

“I’m Flyzik, not Alex,” he said, reaching out to touch Jack’s face. He drew his hand back quickly, “He’s burning up!”

“I told you,” I said, looking up at the others. They looked worried.

“His chest is moving really weird,” Rian said, his voice full of concern.

Flyzik sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “I’ll call an ambulance for him. There’s no other way to get him to a hospital and he needs to go right now. Somebody help him pull some shoes on so his toes don’t freeze.”

“Where are his shoes?” I asked, looking around. Zack found them and brought them over to me, helping me put them on. It was easy to pull Jack’s shoes on because he was so weak – he wouldn’t move, so he couldn’t fight me. Everyone was silent while Flyzik was on the phone, and he slid his phone into his pocket when he hung up.

“They’ll be here in a few minutes. They said not to try to get him out of the bus, because they’ll do it,” Flyzik told us solemnly. Just as he had said, we heard the sirens within minutes and Flyzik and a few others headed outside to guide the ambulance near us. The Maine guys were probably going to be out here to see what was going on soon.

I stepped back as two paramedics came onto the bus, Flyzik behind them. He talked to him, explaining the symptoms and everything. They started to lift Jack up to get him out of the bus, but Jack was getting upset. Sure, now he decides to regain some energy.

“’s cold out!” Jack protested, trying to pull away from them.

“Jack, chill out. They have heated blankets in there to keep you warm,” I told him, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. That seemed to calm him down a little, but he was still upset. The paramedics managed to get him out of the bus and onto a stretcher waiting in front of the bus. They strapped him down onto it, stepping aside for a moment when Jack started to cough in their faces.

“Are any of us allowed to ride there with you?” Danny asked hopefully. “We obviously don’t have any way of getting there on our own.”

The bigger, male paramedic sighed, pausing for a moment before speaking. “Fine. Only three are allowed in the vehicle.”

“Definitely me,” Danny said quickly, stepping forward. “Alex and Flyzik too.”

I nodded, shivering slightly in the frigid air. I was glad I had put my coat back on before following them out here.

“The rest of you can just finish loading up the trailer and hang out in the bus for the night. No driving tonight,” Flyzik said to the others quickly. They nodded, beginning to disperse.

“Alright, come with us then. Let’s go,” the female paramedic spoke up. They rolled Jack into the back of the vehicle before beckoning for the rest of us to get inside. We climbed in and they shut the doors, already beginning to hook Jack up to medical equipment. Flyzik, Danny, and I stayed in the corner, not wanting to get in the way. Jack was half asleep again and didn’t seem to understand what was going on. If he was aware of his surroundings, he’d be freaking out.

We were all silent as the ambulance drove to the hospital. Except for the sirens outside the ambulance, the only sounds were Jack’s heavy breathing and the paramedics, who were talking to each other about Jack’s condition. The ambulance got to the hospital within minutes, despite the traffic around. We were ushered out of the vehicle and Jack was wheeled out into the emergency room quickly.

“Go in through the main doors to the emergency room. Tell them you’re with someone who just arrived in an ambulance, and they’ll allow you to wait in the waiting room until they have updates for you,” the female paramedic told us, looking sympathetic. We thanked her and headed inside. Flyzik went up to the front desk before sighing and sitting down.

“This is insane,” I murmured after a few minutes, running a hand through my hair.

“No kidding,” Danny sighed. “I’ve never seen Jack look that sick.”

“Hell, I haven’t even heard him cough like that ever before. He rarely gets sick,” I said. After about fifteen minutes of silent waiting, I stood up and began to pace back and forth. I was beyond worried about Jack. What if he was deathly ill or something?

“I can’t believe I didn’t realize how sick he was,” Flyzik groaned, his head in his hands. “If I had realized it sooner, he wouldn’t have gotten this sick.”

“So if he dies, we blame you,” I said dryly, continuing to pace back and forth in front of him. Flyzik glared at me. I continued pacing for a few more minutes before Danny spoke up.

“Dude, you’re making me dizzy.”

I kept pacing, “I don’t care. This helps ease my anxiety a little.”

“Well it’s going to make me nauseous and I’m going to puke all over you,” Danny warned. I stopped immediately, knowing he was right. He pukes way too easily.

“He’s going to die, and it’s all our fault,” I groaned, slumping down beside Flyzik.

Danny rolled his eyes, “Quit being so dramatic. It’s no one’s fault, alright? He wasn’t that sick in the morning. He was sicker than yesterday, but he wasn’t as sick as he is right now. It probably came on quickly, and that’s why we didn’t catch it in time.”

“We should have cancelled that show,” I mumbled, tapping my foot against the ground. “That’s what wore him out.”

“It came on quickly,” Danny repeated. “No one could have known how quickly he was going to get sick. And you can’t just cancel the show an hour before it starts, anyway.”

“I guess the fact that it came on so quick would be why I didn’t realize how sick he was,” Flyzik admitted, seeming to be a little reassured.

“Well no matter how quickly he got sick, he’s still sick,” I pointed out stubbornly. “My best friend is lying in a hospital bed somewhere back there, and I refuse to leave here until he’s better.”