Please Don't Make Me Beg
Chapter 37: Westbound Sign
Something was wrong. He was trying to open his eyes, but somehow the lids were so heavy, too heavy to lift. It was so much easier to lie still here in the dark, listening to--and ignoring--his alarm clock beeping rhythmically on the night stand. Maybe he would stay home from school today--his throat hurt badly, and it was hard to breathe. And the pain in his chest--had he been coughing in his sleep? Surely his mother would be able to see how sick he was.
There was a soft click and a whooshing sound, and he heard footsteps coming across the room, but still couldn't will himself awake.
"Dan?" whispered a voice sweet and soft. Whose was it? It sounded familiar, and it made him feel peaceful. He relaxed, in spite of the pain in his throat, and began to drift into dreams again.
The battery on his clock must be running out...the beeping was beginning to slow down...he was glad, because he wanted to sleep, and it was getting harder to take a breath. Maybe his dad would check in on him a little later and bring him some water...or maybe that beautiful voice would call him again, and he would wake up this time.
*********
"Dan? Dan!" Andi screamed. She leaned closer to him, squeezing his hand and patting his shoulder with barely disguised panic. A flashing red light had gone on over his bed, and there was the sound of rushing footsteps in the hall. She turned toward the door just in time to see the charge nurse push through at a run.
"Miss, I need you to stand back," the uniformed woman ordered. Andi took a few clumsy steps backward, her feet frozen and useless. What was happening?
The heart monitor beside the bed was growing more feeble by the second--the number flashing in the corner had dropped from 60 to 42 in a matter of seconds, and she wasn't sure exactly how bad that might be.
The nurse thumbed the emergency call button threaded through the side railing, then bent toward Dan to flash her penlight into his eyes. She moved to the IV bag, flicking the port with her fingernail, but apparently it was working to her satisfaction. And still the beeping slowed...36...30...24...
Andi's fingers were digging into her arms, gripping herself in a spasm of fear.
*******************
He felt a tugging against his cheek, and then a hissing sound that seemed to grow fainter. Everything, in fact, seemed to be drifting away slowly, like smoke, and it was a pleasant sensation, if only he could get a breath.
Damn dog must have nosed open his curtains...the room flooded with sunlight, even through his closed lids, and he wanted to turn away, but couldn't make his limbs move. He seemed to be rising, barely touching the bed now, and his mind began to protest.
He wanted to know where that beautiful voice had come from, to see who was calling his name. But the light grew still brighter, a brilliant, blinding white, that pulled him insistently toward it...
*************
Deftly, the nurse slid the suction catheter into the trach tube and capped off the valve with her thumb. Andi could hear resistance from the machine as she worked, and then suddenly it seemed to clear.
The monitor perked up immediately, and she watched as the numbers climbed steadily back to the realm of the living. Lightheaded, she realized she had been holding her own breath.
As the nurse finished, she turned back to the white-faced girl by the door. "He's okay, honey. He had a blockage in his breathing tube. It happens sometimes, and we just have to get it cleared quickly, so he can breathe."
"I th-thought he had, maybe, like a b-blood clot or something," she squeaked, her voice strangled with emotion. "The monitor, and the lights..." It was so much, she couldn't find words to say it.
The woman smiled and patted her arm. "Nothing that serious. Don't worry, I think your brother is going to be okay. You can sit here with him for a few minutes, but let him rest. There'll be plenty of time to talk to him when he wakes up."
Andi didn't bother to correct her; she was much too relieved. She crept slowly to the side of the bed as the nurse made careful notes on the chart. She didn't speak, but stood looking at him for a long moment. The tubes and IV lines anchored him to the bed, but his face bore an almost ethereal expression, as though his grip on life was tenuous.
In her mind, like a film projected against a blank wall, the memory of the struggle between Dan and Evan flickered, ghostlike and surreal. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the horror from flooding back in on her, but it came anyway, chilling her skin like a black, icy ocean.
A tiny sound startled her, and she opened her eyes to find herself looking directly into Dan's hazel ones. His fingers fluttered weakly against the sheets, and she took his hand between both of hers, pressing it to her cheek.
"Welcome back, you big hero," she whispered hoarsely, voice cracking with emotion. "You're going to be okay. Just take it easy and rest."
His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked slightly bewildered.
"Don't worry, you don't have to say anything. I promise I'll give you a chance to talk later," she said as his lips struggled to move around the intrusive tube. He settled at her words, trusting what she was telling him.
From behind her, a low voice broke in. "Could I have a moment with him?"
Dan's father had arrived at last, and she leaned over to kiss the boy's forehead. "There's someone here to see you, big guy. I'll check back with you later, okay?"
He blinked again, slowly, to show he understood.
Lips still close to his ear, she whispered, "Thank you, Dan. You saved my life, and I can never thank you enough."
She thought she saw his head nod, almost imperceptibly. With a last kiss on his cheek, she turned and gave his father a hug.
"I'm so glad you're here. He's doing okay, but he'll be glad to see you. You should be really proud of him--he's the reason I'm standing here talking to you right now."
The older man's throat worked, and before he tried to speak, she laid her hand gently on his arm. He nodded, and she left father and son alone together.
There was a soft click and a whooshing sound, and he heard footsteps coming across the room, but still couldn't will himself awake.
"Dan?" whispered a voice sweet and soft. Whose was it? It sounded familiar, and it made him feel peaceful. He relaxed, in spite of the pain in his throat, and began to drift into dreams again.
The battery on his clock must be running out...the beeping was beginning to slow down...he was glad, because he wanted to sleep, and it was getting harder to take a breath. Maybe his dad would check in on him a little later and bring him some water...or maybe that beautiful voice would call him again, and he would wake up this time.
*********
"Dan? Dan!" Andi screamed. She leaned closer to him, squeezing his hand and patting his shoulder with barely disguised panic. A flashing red light had gone on over his bed, and there was the sound of rushing footsteps in the hall. She turned toward the door just in time to see the charge nurse push through at a run.
"Miss, I need you to stand back," the uniformed woman ordered. Andi took a few clumsy steps backward, her feet frozen and useless. What was happening?
The heart monitor beside the bed was growing more feeble by the second--the number flashing in the corner had dropped from 60 to 42 in a matter of seconds, and she wasn't sure exactly how bad that might be.
The nurse thumbed the emergency call button threaded through the side railing, then bent toward Dan to flash her penlight into his eyes. She moved to the IV bag, flicking the port with her fingernail, but apparently it was working to her satisfaction. And still the beeping slowed...36...30...24...
Andi's fingers were digging into her arms, gripping herself in a spasm of fear.
*******************
He felt a tugging against his cheek, and then a hissing sound that seemed to grow fainter. Everything, in fact, seemed to be drifting away slowly, like smoke, and it was a pleasant sensation, if only he could get a breath.
Damn dog must have nosed open his curtains...the room flooded with sunlight, even through his closed lids, and he wanted to turn away, but couldn't make his limbs move. He seemed to be rising, barely touching the bed now, and his mind began to protest.
He wanted to know where that beautiful voice had come from, to see who was calling his name. But the light grew still brighter, a brilliant, blinding white, that pulled him insistently toward it...
*************
Deftly, the nurse slid the suction catheter into the trach tube and capped off the valve with her thumb. Andi could hear resistance from the machine as she worked, and then suddenly it seemed to clear.
The monitor perked up immediately, and she watched as the numbers climbed steadily back to the realm of the living. Lightheaded, she realized she had been holding her own breath.
As the nurse finished, she turned back to the white-faced girl by the door. "He's okay, honey. He had a blockage in his breathing tube. It happens sometimes, and we just have to get it cleared quickly, so he can breathe."
"I th-thought he had, maybe, like a b-blood clot or something," she squeaked, her voice strangled with emotion. "The monitor, and the lights..." It was so much, she couldn't find words to say it.
The woman smiled and patted her arm. "Nothing that serious. Don't worry, I think your brother is going to be okay. You can sit here with him for a few minutes, but let him rest. There'll be plenty of time to talk to him when he wakes up."
Andi didn't bother to correct her; she was much too relieved. She crept slowly to the side of the bed as the nurse made careful notes on the chart. She didn't speak, but stood looking at him for a long moment. The tubes and IV lines anchored him to the bed, but his face bore an almost ethereal expression, as though his grip on life was tenuous.
In her mind, like a film projected against a blank wall, the memory of the struggle between Dan and Evan flickered, ghostlike and surreal. She closed her eyes, trying to stop the horror from flooding back in on her, but it came anyway, chilling her skin like a black, icy ocean.
A tiny sound startled her, and she opened her eyes to find herself looking directly into Dan's hazel ones. His fingers fluttered weakly against the sheets, and she took his hand between both of hers, pressing it to her cheek.
"Welcome back, you big hero," she whispered hoarsely, voice cracking with emotion. "You're going to be okay. Just take it easy and rest."
His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked slightly bewildered.
"Don't worry, you don't have to say anything. I promise I'll give you a chance to talk later," she said as his lips struggled to move around the intrusive tube. He settled at her words, trusting what she was telling him.
From behind her, a low voice broke in. "Could I have a moment with him?"
Dan's father had arrived at last, and she leaned over to kiss the boy's forehead. "There's someone here to see you, big guy. I'll check back with you later, okay?"
He blinked again, slowly, to show he understood.
Lips still close to his ear, she whispered, "Thank you, Dan. You saved my life, and I can never thank you enough."
She thought she saw his head nod, almost imperceptibly. With a last kiss on his cheek, she turned and gave his father a hug.
"I'm so glad you're here. He's doing okay, but he'll be glad to see you. You should be really proud of him--he's the reason I'm standing here talking to you right now."
The older man's throat worked, and before he tried to speak, she laid her hand gently on his arm. He nodded, and she left father and son alone together.