Boston Garden High School

"Merci de me laisser en arrière, Stephanie." Patrice said as he pulled some sheets from his closet (Thanks for letting me back, Stephanie).
"Patrice, vous êtes en restant sur ce canapé pas combien vous me beurre affaire." Stephanie glared at Patrice as he grabbed a pillow from their bed (Patrice, you're staying on that couch no matter how much you butter me up).
"Stephanie!" Patrice pleaded.
"Je ne veux pas l'entendre, Patrice." Stephanie folded her arms and turned away from Patrice (I don't want to hear it, Patrice).
"S'il vous plaît, Stephanie..." Patrice begged (Please Stephanie)
"Non, Patrice!" She shouted and Patrice lowered his head (No Patrice!). Patrice's phone went off and as he checked it, he gasped loudly. "Quoi? C'est quoi?" Stephanie asked in an annoyed tone (What? What is it?).
"C'est Z" Patrice said quietly (It's Z).
"Ce qui s'est passé?" Stephanie asked gently (What's happened?).
"Il a FAIT casser son cou." Patrice said angrily (He DID break his neck.) "Comment diable les médecins ne manquez pas la première fois?!" Patrice threw his phone down on the couch. (How the hell did the doctors miss that the first time?!)
"Patrice, calmer! Calmer." Stephanie said.
***
"Hey Krech, I just got a text from Bergy." Tuukka said showing David his phone.
"Wow. Poor Z. D'ya think he's okay?" David said getting up from his couch. "Should we go see him in the hospital?" David walked to his kitchen.
"Is he even IN hospital?" Tuukka asked, shuffling about on David's couch.
"He's got to be, Tuke." David shoved a cookie in his mouth. "He broke his neck." He muffled with his mouth full.
"But the accident was days ago." Tuukka followed David into the kitchen.
"He'd still be in the hospital."
"I don't think he would be."
"How did Bergy find out then? How did Z find out? Did he just have an x-ray or MRI carried out in his living room? He had to have gone to hospital, Tuke."
"Maybe he's gone home?"
"Unlikely. They've probably brought him to intensive care or something-you just don't get over a broken neck easily." David stuffed another cookie in his mouth.
"This is Big Z we're talking about. He's gonna be fine."
"No he won't, Tuke."
"I'm gonna text Marchy." Tuukka took his phone from his pocket.
"Marchy? Why Marchy?" David asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because Marchy took Z to the hospital." David nodded as Tuukka tapped away on his iPhone.
"You think Z's alright, Tuke?" David asked.
"Z's gonna be fine. He's a big man-figuratively AND literally, the man's a giant-of COURSE he's gonna be okay. Just don't worry about him." Tuukka smiled. David's phone alert sounded. "What was that?"
"Nothing. Just... D'ya remember that person I slept with last week when I was drunk?"
"No, but I remember you saying. And the lipstick all over your face and chest." Tuukka chuckled to himself. He'd taken photos of David while he was passed out drunk and text them to everyone in his contacts list.
"Well I accepted a Facebook friend request from her. Man, I gotta say she REALLY likes this... RuPaul person. Do you know who that is, Tuke?"
Tuukka snickered. He did know who RuPaul was, but he wasn't about to tell David. "No, I don't. But RuPaul sounds like a funny name."
"Yeah, she's obsessed with RuPaul's Drag Race. I didn't know women even LIKED drag racing." David shook his head and threw his phone on his couch as Tuukka's text alert sounded.
"Oh, that's just Marchy. He said Z's at home. His wife is apparently upset that doctors missed his injury the first time-here's what is says 'Z at home with wife. She can't believe doctors neglected his neck injury earlier'. Y'know, I can't believe it either. They're supposed to be looking after you, but ignoring such a serious injury..." Tuukka shook his head in disgust.
"I know Tuke, neither can I. It's just shocking. He and Tatiana should sue or something." There was a knock on David's door and he went to answer it.
"So do you think he'll have to use a wheelchair or something?"
"No he won't." A voice said. Tuukka turned around and saw it was Brad.
"I feel awful for poor Z." Tuukka whined.
"Yeah, well... Z's gonna be fine." Brad mumbled. "It's just an itty bitty, tiny, little... Severe sprain."
"So his neck's NOT broken?"
"No, it's not. He's gonna be just fine." Brad smiled. "But he IS taking around a week off work. He's a freakishly tall man with an injured neck, he has to." Tuukka and David nodded.
"So... What're we doing tonight?" Brad grinned.
***
"Patrice! Open up!" Milan said, thumping on Patrice's front door. "I know you're in there!" He shouted into the letterbox.
"Patrice, Milan est votre ami. Vous devez ouvrir la porte." Stephanie said, putting her hand on Patrice's shoulder (Patrice, Milan is your friend. You should open the door). Patrice grunted as he walked to the front door and held his head low as he answered it.
"Finally, Bergy! I've been waiting out there... What's the matter?" He asked upon noticing Patrice's despondency.
"It's just... Z."
"Z?" Milan's eyes went wide. "Why Z? What's happened to Z?"
"They missed it. He has a broken neck."
"What? Oh my god! That's disgusting! How could they just... Miss it?! Or ignore it?!" Milan's face filled with disgust.
"I know, Looch." Patrice grabbed Milan's arm. "I know."
"Patrice, are you going to see Zdeno?" Stephanie asked, concerned.
"Am I allowed?"
"Of course, Zdeno is your friend and he is badly hurt." Stephanie smiled at Patrice and Milan. "Unless you're gonna go out drinking and-and... Baiser les prostituées!"
"Steph, I promise, hand on heart, that Bergy and I won't drink and have sex with prostitutes... Wait, what? Is THAT what you think Bergy did?"
"I KNOW he did it." Stephanie glared at Patrice.
"No, he didn't. We watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and then everyone but me and Bergy and Krech and Torey went home. We watched the Sox game from Jerry Remy's, got drunk at Cactus Club, Your husband clogged a toilet at McGreevey's, Krech threw up, Torey threw himself into the road and Krech carried on getting drunk and we played pranks on him the next day, which in hindsight was a wretched thing to do because as it turns out he was suffering from alcohol poisoning and had to go to the hospital to have his stomach pumped."
"But Guill said..."
"Steph, answer me this. Who do you trust more, your husband... Or his brother? Because if you answer 'brother', then you married the wrong Bergeron." Stephanie looked ashamed. "C'mon Bergy. We're gonna go to Mass General to see Z." Patrice grabbed his keys and left his house.
"Looch, Z's at home." Patrice said, getting into his car.
"Oh." Milan nodded as he got into Patrice's car. Patrice reversed out of his driveway and drove to David's apartment,
***
"Je tam niečo, čo potrebujete, Zdeno?" Tatiana asked Zdeno, who was lying in their bed. (Is there anything you need, Zdeno?).
"Nie, vďaka. Som v poriadku, Tatiana." Zdeno smiled (No thanks. I'm okay, Tatiana).
"Ste si istí? Sendvič? Trochu vody? Naviac vankúš?" (Are you sure? A sandwich? Some water? An extra pillow?)
"Tatiana! Som v poriadku!" Zdeno smiled (Tatiana! I'm fine!). "No, ja som v nákrčník, pretože môj krk je vymkol tak zle-ale som v poriadku." Zdeno said stroking Tatiana's face (Well, I'm in a neck brace because I've sprained my neck so badly-but other than that I'm fine). "Som v poriadku. Som v poriadku." Zdeno said quietly (I'm fine. I'm fine). "Som v poriadku." (I'm fine.)
Tatiana began crying softly. "Čo by som robil, keby si nebol v poriadku? Ak ste zlomil väz? Ak ste boli... Ochrnutie?" She put her head in her hands and cried further (What would I do if you weren't fine? If you had broken your neck? If you were... Paralyzed?).
Zdeno sat up and wrapped his arm around his wife. "Pozri sa na mňa, lásko." Zdeno said gently and Tatiana looked into his eyes (Look at me, my love). "Nech sa stane čokoľvek, tak sa tým, preto, že sa medzi sebou." (Whatever happens, we'll get through it because we have each other). Zdeno lay back down and pulled Tatiana down next to him. "Vy, ja a Elliz. To je všetko, na čom záleží vo svete." (You, me and Elliz. That's all that matters in the world.) Zdeno sighed. "Naša malá rodina." He whispered into Tatiana's ear, which made her smile (Our little family).
"Zdeno, ja ťa milujem." Tatiana whispered back (Zdeno, I love you). Elliz, their daughter suddenly burst into their bedroom.
"Daddy! Mal som zlý sen!" She said almost bursting into tears (Daddy! I had a bad dream!). "Bojím som." Elliz' bottom lip began quivering (I fraid).
"Elliz, poď sem, s Daddy a Mommy." Tatiana said, making room for their small daughter (Elliz, come here with Daddy and Mommy). Elliz climbed into bed with her parents and Zdeno put one of his huge hands on her tiny body.
Zdeno closed his eyes and sighed. He took it all in. His wife, his daughter, his pet cat-his family. He felt the warmth from their bodies. The sensation of his cat's fur brushing against his ankles as she breathed. Tears gently rolled down his cheeks as he lay there loving every second. "To je najdokonalejší moment, Tatiana." He whispered, almost too quietly to hear (This is the most perfect moment, Tatiana).
"Áno. Áno, to je, Zdeno." Tatiana whispered back (Yes. Yes it is, Zdeno). The family just lay there together, quietly.