Chapter 2

He felt a stab of pain in his side, then another from his leg. The wail became an urgent howl as the light above began to flash in rapid succession. A huge burst of pain hit him all at once and he fell on the ground, curled in agony. Sounds began amplifying, confusing in their complexity and volume. The Camp faded away and he was suddenly aware of coldness and the sensation of water on his face. Loud noises... voices, he realized... echoed above him in the dark. Something grasped his shoulders, hard. There was a huge sound like tortured metal being ripped, and an immense burst of fresh pain…

He had to concentrate with every bit of energy to focus. A face, hovering overhead, familiar but not quite...

Howie.

It was Howie, and he was saying something that sounded urgent. Kevin frowned as he fought for clarity. He opened his mouth to reply but was unable to make any sound other than a groan. For a brief moment everything faded, then snapped back into focus.

"...come on, Bro... Look at me. Kevin? Can you hear me?" came Howie’s desperate plea.

"H- unh…"

"Easy there,” said a stranger’s voice. It belonged with a face he didn’t know. “We just got you out of the car, you need to keep calm. Where does it hurt? Leg?"

Kevin found that if he steeled himself, he could nod briefly.

"How about your side?"

A wave of blinding pain shot through him, nearly blotting out his consciousness. It was hard to pinpoint a specific spot, it was coming from so many places, but he finally nodded.

"Okay. Kevin, hang in there. The ambulance just arrived and they’ll be getting you to the hospital right away.”

“Where’s… Howie…” he managed to croak.

“Right here,” came the worried reply from his side. “I’m right here, Kev. I called the guys, they were only about fifteen minutes behind us. Just… take it easy." Howie was trying hard to be calm, but even in his current state Kevin could hear the panic in his voice.

The ambulance’s flashing red lights came close, its sirens going silent as it pulled up. He was drifting in and out of awareness, seeking an anchor in the chaos.

"Dad?" he called raggedly, searching for that comfort once again. There was no reply at first, then he heard one phrase echo gently through his mind:

Courage, son, you are not alone.

Kevin felt a wash of warmth and caught an image of flowers bobbing in the breeze. Hundreds of flowers...

"...was that? What did you say?" the rescue worker asked as he went about his task.

"Dad," he sighed softly, reassured by the image. "Dad..."

"Kevin, focus, okay? Don’t go out on me again…" he heard Howie say desperately.

"Yes... will t-try. Will... fight...” Kevin whispered in promise.

Uncertainly, Howie watched his brother shift focus. The light behind green eyes faded as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Dammit, hang in there," he urged. "Don’t let this thing get you."

“It’s going to be all right,” the rescue worker said to the distraught Howie. “It’s best he isn’t awake when we try to move him. I need you to step aside and let the others through.”

Howie stood uncertainly, not knowing quite what to do next. Hearing a shout, he turned to see Nick, who had just arrived with AJ. The pair rushed toward the wrecked car.

“Where’s Brian?” he asked before they had stopped.

“He’s over there talking to a cop,” said AJ with a gesture. “Trying to get some information.”

"Oh my God!" the youngest cried when he saw the twisted metal and broken glass. "H-Howie?” he asked, his voice a pitch above normal. He couldn’t bring himself to look past the vehicle, did not want to see…

"There was this car, it ran us off the road, right into the telephone pole,” came the rushed explanation. “The rain made things worse," he added unnecessarily.

“Are… are you okay?” AJ wrenched his eyes from the prone figure on the ground to his clearly panicked friend.

“I’m fine, I think. Just some scratches. We hit… on the driver’s side,” Howie managed to say. “He… it looks pretty bad.”

Nick forced himself to look down but was uprepared for what he found. He let out a gasp; Kevin’s clothing was covered with blood, the large cut on his forehead flowing freely despite the worker’s attempts to apply pressure. His leg was at an unnatural angle, obviously broken... his skin was paler than he’d thought possible. Bruises had already started to form along his jaw… his labored breathing rattled disturbingly, audible even from a distance. This isn’t Kevin, it can’t be…this isn’t happening…

"Has he been awake at all? Did he say anything?" AJ asked, moving out of the way of the paramedics who had just arrived.

"He’s been pretty much out of it, he was calling for someone for a bit," Howie said, letting a professional rescue worker take his place at Kevin’s side.

"Who?" he asked.

"His Dad,” Howie provided. “We- whoa!”

His cry snapped AJ’s attention over to Nick, who was staring in utter shock at the scene. His face drained of color; an instant later the blond’s eyes rolled upwards and it was all AJ could do to keep him from hitting the wet pavement face first. With Howie’s help, they lowered Nick to the ground.

Brian ran over, his blue eyes wild. “What happened?”

“Nicky-” AJ began.

“Kevin!” Brian exclaimed as he looked beyond the youngest. He automatically moved forward, trying to reach his cousin’s side, but Howie held him back.

“No, Bri, let them work. Let them do their job,” he urged.

“What happened?” Brian demanded again. “Howie, did you get hurt?”

“I don’t know how, but I barely got a scratch,” the dark-haired man answered.

“You’ll need to be checked out, sir,” said a calm voice behind them. “Can you come this way with me?”

Gently, the paramedic took Howie by the arm and led him away from the scene while another crouched by the slightly stirring Nick. Brian and AJ hovered anxiously while the new paramedic glanced their way.

“Was he involved in the accident?” the woman asked, turning back to her charge and checking for signs of awareness.

“No, he just kind of passed out after he saw- saw Kevin lying there,” AJ managed to explain.

“Yeah, he’s kind of shocky, but I think he’ll be okay. Are you related?”

“We’re family,” Brian supplied without hesitation.

“What’s his name?” she asked.

“Nick,” AJ said.

The paramedic leaned close and checked pupil response and pulse, then listened to his breathing for a moment. With a nod, she leaned forward and called to him in a loud voice. After a couple of tries and a small ammonia tablet held under his nose, Nick gasped and leapt into the conscious world once again.

Confusion gave way to embarrassment rather quickly, and a hot blush replaced the pallor of his skin when he realized that a paramedic… a woman paramedic… was staring at him very intently.

Brian crouched down and put a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “Frack, you okay now?”

“Yeah, I didn’t mean to… to pass out,” he mumbled.

The paramedic patted his arm and gave him a kind smile. “It’s perfectly understandable, it happens a lot more than you might think. Let’s all get out of this drizzle, if you feel like you can stand now.”

Nick was grateful for her professional attitude, and felt a bit of his embarrassment vanish. “Yeah, I can walk, I’m okay.”

AJ supported his elbow for the first shaky steps until Nick grew steady. By the time they reached the rescue unit he was doing fine. He turned and looked past Brian just in time to see Kevin lifted onto a stretcher.

“K-Kevin?” he said in a trembling voice.

“He’s is in good hands, the best,” the paramedic assured him. “Are you feeling okay now, hon?”

“Um, yeah, I think so,” came the distracted reply.

“Okay then. I’ve got to ride in with the squad, I imagine you will want to come to the hospital in your vehicle. Do you know where Mercy Memorial is located?”

“Yes ma’am,” Brian said as the ambulance doors shut on both Howie and the still-unconscious Kevin.

“Good. Drive carefully, now, you don’t want to add to the drama any more tonight.”

The three remaining Boys stood there numbly, the impact of the accident and what had happened taking its toll. Finally, as the ambulance pulled away, Brian found his voice.

“Let’s get going, guys. There’s a ton of calls and stuff we have to make once we get there.”

The ride to the hospital was completed in silence.

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