Chapter 3

Kevin drifted through a gray fog that seemed boundless. Muffled sounds came and went, strange flashes of light appeared unexpectedly. Once, the fog cleared for a brief moment and he found himself staring up at a friend: Howie. He saw dark eyes open wide and a mouth move to speak, but the fog returned before he could catch the words.

Eventually things began to clarify and he found he could distinguish mechanical sounds from voices. With effort, he concentrated on the voices, trying to comprehend what was being said. There were two people nearby, their low, rapid words difficult to understand. A little more concentration...

"...told me that it could be any time now. Howie swears he woke up once. He says Kev seemed to recognize him but went out before he could ask him anything." Brian?

"He’ll be in a world of hurt when he comes to. He’s got a hell of a lot of healing to do." AJ.

"We’ll be there for him, Bro. He’s done so much for us, for the family."

"Yeah. You know, he’s lucky he even survived. That car… it was a miracle he came out of it at all. I still don’t know how D skated with just a minor concussion."

A voice came closer. Brian's voice.

"Hang in there, cuz," he said softly. "We’re pulling for you. I don’t know if you can hear me, but-”

"Bri..." Kevin breathed, surprised he could speak. With an Olympic effort he opened his eyes and tried to focus. Images- a face, a light, a curtain- whirled dizzily before him and he inhaled deeply, trying to steady the scene. When things finally began to settle down he saw his cousin’s worried face hovering above him. The look of concern there touched him deeply; he tried for a smile but didn’t really succeed. It seemed much easier to simply shut his eyes again…

"Kevin! Try to stay awake... AJ’s gone to get the doctor."

"Not want... doctor," he said, frowning.

Brian smiled nervously. "You’re a patient for the time being, and doctors come with the territory. How’s the pain?"

"Pain..." He considered it. "No pain. Feel... kinda strange. Dizzy. Fuzzy."

"No wonder. They said you’ve got a concussion, among other things. Do you remember what happened?"

"Um. Went to... to the Camp. He told me..."

"He? Who, Kev?"

"Dad. He told me about my... about my Garden."

Brian frowned. “Your garden?" he inquired carefully.

"Yeah. He took me to-"

"Well, Mr. Richardson, I see you’re finally awake!" said a voice full of cheer. “I’m Dr. Linda Meyers,” she said as she glanced over a clipboard. “You’ve had quite an evening. How are you feeling?”

"I’m not sure," he said hollowly. All at once his energy seemed to desert him and he shut his eyes for a moment. "I... don’t..."

In an assuring, gentle tone, the doctor said, "Easy there. You’ve been through the wringer. Don’t exhaust yourself. It’s going to be okay."

Kevin felt a hand on his arm. He summoned the will to open his eyes again, just long enough to see the woman watching him carefully. “Your body is telling you to rest, and that’s what you need most right now. Don’t worry, we can talk more when you wake the next time.” She made a few notes on the chart and left quietly once she was assured that Kevin was resting properly.

From the other side of the bed, Brian watched Kevin’s emerald eyes cloud over as he drifted under once again. Not for the first time he felt a wave of anxiety. To see Kevin this way, to know how close he’d come to death, sent a chill through the blond. He’d always hated hospitals, and now…

AJ moved close and said, “I’ll go check on Howie and Nick if you want to stay here for a while.”

“Yeah, thanks, Bone.” He pulled a chair next to the bed and began the wait.

*******

“D?” AJ said as he came into the room. Sure enough, Nick was nearby, looking utterly lost.

“C’mon in,” Howie said, gesturing. “They want me to stay the night for observation. They say I have a mild concussion, but it’s nothing to worry over.”

AJ sat down and ran a hand across his face. “What the hell happened, D?”

Howie took a measured breath. “It all went so fast, some of it’s just a blur. We were driving along and everything was fine, we were not even doing the speed limit… you know good old law-abiding Kevin.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“I remember he turned to me and said something, and I looked up just in time to see this pair of headlights…” Howie suppressed a shudder. “I don’t think the other car even stopped. Kev lost control of our car and the next thing I know there was this terrible noise and I was seeing stars. I guess I might have been out of it for a minute or so, but when I got my senses back I realized that Kevin was hurt, bad. My cell was in my pocket, and I called 911… then you guys. He wouldn’t wake up, and I got out to see if I could pry open the driver’s door. It was jammed tight, so I just had to… to wait,” he said in an increasingly shaky voice.

AJ reached over and grasped his friend’s arm. “There’s no way I would have been that cool-headed, D. You did good.”

“To see him bleeding like that, so pale and-”

“You did the right thing,” AJ insisted. “Don’t beat yourself up over something you had no control over.”

Nick, who had been uncharacteristically silent the entire time, finally spoke.

“Is Kevin going to die?” he whispered, his azure eyes wide and frightened.

AJ was surprised at how young Nick sounded in that moment. Feeling older by decades rather than just two years, he turned to the blond and said, “They’re watching him real close, Nicky. He’s not going to die.”

“You don’t know that!” came the sudden outburst as the youngest leapt to his feet. “What if there’s something they forgot to look for? What if they-”

“Nick, calm down…”

“How am I supposed to be calm when Kevin is-”

“What’s going on here?” came a stern voice from the doorway.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Howie said to the scowling nurse. “We didn’t mean to get loud.”

“Aren’t you with Mr. Richardson?” she asked after studying the trio. “Brought in a while ago from a car accident?”

“Yeah,” he said. “How is he doing?”

“I’m afraid I’m not assigned to his section,” she said. “If you promise to keep the noise level down, I’ll find out for you if you’d like.”

“Thanks,” Howie said with a slight nod.

The moment she left, Nick walked to the window and fixed his gaze on the darkness beyond. The flare of panic he’d let get the best of him a moment ago had vanished, and he felt foolish at his outburst.

AJ and Howie exchanged glances. At a nod from the older man, AJ moved to their brother’s side.

“Chaos?” he said carefully.

“Sorry,” came the tense reply. Nick didn’t turn around.

“It’s okay, we’re all worried. Why don’t you trade places with Brian for a while? You haven’t seen Kevin since we arrived here.”

“No,” Nick said flatly. Images of blood and pale flesh assaulted his vision. “I… no. You go.”

“I’ve been,” AJ said, frowning. “I think you need to see him.”

“You don’t have a c-clue what I need,” Nick said, his voice catching slightly. Without as much as a look at the two other Boys, he spun on his heel and fled the room.

AJ made a move to follow but was stopped by Howie. “No, let him go. He needs to get a handle on things first, he’ll be back.”

“Damn, Howie,” AJ said, rubbing at his eyes. “This has been one hell of a night.”

“Yeah,” came the tired agreement.

*******