O Brother Where Art Thou?
Here's the latest update on my tale of two brothers. I am not a nurse, doctor or any other kind of medical personnel so any medical mistakes are all mine.
Don't own anything OC.
The cab had barely come to a stop when Seth jumped out followed quickly by Kirsten and Sandy. They had already decided that Seth and Kirsten would go immediately to the surgery waiting room while Sandy took care of any paperwork. In the elevator, Kirsten reached for Seth’s hand, for her own consolation as well as Seth’s.
Inquiries at the nurses’ station garnered the same information that Trey had imparted; Ryan was still in surgery. Trey stood up as they entered the waiting room receiving a ‘Hey’ from Seth and a tentative hug from Kirsten. Seth took over the waiting room, turning on the television, flipping through the channels with sardonic comments for every program. Kirsten quietly inquired about Ryan’s mental state, was he scared, had Trey been able to comfort him at all? Trey did his best to answer but fatigue and stress were taking their toll. Kirsten recognized the need for stimulation and sent Seth for coffee for everyone. Quiet settled in the waiting room once more, giving Trey the courage to speak honestly with Kirsten.
“You have to take Ryan back to Newport with you.”
“Did Ryan say he wants to come home?”
“He doesn’t know what he wants. I’m like a crutch for him right now. Living with me he doesn’t have to think, talk or deal with anything. And he has to soon, so he can move on with his life.”
Kirsten silently contemplated Trey’s words. When she didn’t speak right away, Trey became nervous. What if they didn’t want Ryan back? Hoping to avoid that disaster, Trey spoke up again.
“Ryan is supposed to go to college, make something of his life. It’s not going to happen here with me. Look, I promised him I would stay with him while he was in the hospital but as soon as he’s ready to go home, I’m bowing out. You have to take over.”
Kirsten could see the seriousness on Trey’s face. Choosing her words carefully, she spoke.
“That’s what we want for Ryan also. But he has to want it as well. We can’t force him to come home just to have him leave again.”
Trey nodded, knowing what he had to do. Before he could speak again, Seth returned with Sandy and coffee. The room was hushed, even with Seth there, as everyone sipped their coffee thinking about Ryan.
When Dr. Chase finally appeared in the waiting room, they all jumped to their feet. Introductions were disposed of promptly and Dr. Chase urged them all to sit down.
Holding hands, Kirsten and Sandy obliged, while Trey and Seth remained standing. Pulling up a chair, Dr. Chase sat and began to explain Ryan’s condition.
“First, let me say that Ryan’s surgery was successful and he is in the recovery room resting comfortably.”
There was a collective sigh of relief from the Cohens and Trey.
The doctor continued. “Ryan’s appendix had burst - that ‘s one of the reasons the surgery took longer than we had anticipated. Because of this and the fact that his temperature is still elevated, we are going to keep him in the hospital and on intravenous antibiotics for 24 to 48 hours.”
“When can I see my brother?” Trey interrupted.
“Yeah, when can we see Ryan?” Seth chimed in.
“He’s still a little out of it from the anesthesia but you can see him for a few minutes. As soon as he’s more coherent he’ll be moved to his room where you’ll be able to stay with him through visiting hours.”
“I want to see him now,” Trey demanded.
Kirsten lightly touched Trey’s arm as she calmly spoke to the doctor. “I’m sure it would be most beneficial to Ryan if Trey could see him right away.”
“Sure,” Dr. Chase replied, recognizing a formidable woman in Kirsten. “I’ll take you to him right now.”
The doctor explained that Ryan would be hooked to what might seem to be a lot of machines but that they were mainly just to monitor his vital signs. As they entered the recovery room Dr. Chase again reminded Trey that Ryan was still groggy and he could only stay for a few minutes.
“How’s our patient?” Dr. Chase asked the nurse.
“He’s being a little stubborn. Doesn’t want to keep those baby blues open for me.”
“Well, perhaps he’ll stay awake for his brother. Wake up, Ryan. There’s someone here to see you, “ Dr. Chase spoke loud and slow. He stepped aside to let Trey get near Ryan’s head just as Ryan’s eyes flickered open.
“Hey, bro, how’s it going?”
“Hey,” Ryan responded, his eyes beginning to close again.
“Oh, no you don’t. You gotta stay awake, dude.” Trey leaned in close and whispered, “I got you a room on the floor with the hottest nurses, and they’ll take you there as soon as you stay awake.”
A smile played across Ryan’s lips and he opened his eyes once more. “You’re sure about that?”
“Definitely, I wouldn’t lie about hot nurses.”
“I guess I could stay awake for that,” Ryan replied with another little smile.
“Now he’s staying awake. You must have told him something good,” the nurse smiled.
“Ry, I gotta split while they get ready to move you. But I’ll see you as soon as you’re settled, okay?” Trey squeezed Ryan’s hand.
“’Kay.”
Trey headed back to the waiting room where the Cohens were eager for any news about Ryan. He tried to reassure them but he knew they wouldn’t be satisfied till they could see Ryan for themselves. Sandy had arranged a private room for Ryan so they all made their way there to wait yet again. Seth chattered on about everything and nothing with his parents responding now and then. This left Trey free to ponder how he was going to explain the Cohens’ presence to Ryan. Not one prone to thinking before speaking, he knew he had to choose his words carefully to achieve the ultimate goal - getting Ryan back with the Cohens.
After Sandy had checked with the floor nurses for the third time on Ryan’s estimated time of arrival, they saw him being brought down the corridor. While Ryan was being settled in his room, Trey took the opportunity to speak with the Cohens.
“Let me talk to Ryan before you see him, let him know you’re here.”
Both Sandy and Seth were about to protest when Kirsten gave them both a stern look.
“I think that’s a good idea,” she told Trey. “Let Trey break the news gently, prepare Ryan for our presence. After all, he’s probably still woozy from the anesthetic.”
Sandy just wanted to see Ryan, tell him he loved him, take him home and take care of him, but the look from Kirsten made him hold his tongue and agree to let Trey talk to Ryan first.
“You can come in now,” one of the nurses told them. Trey walked uncertainly into the room, going over in his head what he would say.
“How you feelin’, bro?” Trey asked as he reached Ryan’s bed.
“Sleepy,” Ryan’s eyes opened slowly.
“Listen, Ry, there’s some people here that are real anxious to see you.”
“Who, guys from work?”
“No, dude. I called the Cohens last night. They’re right outside.”
Ryan closed his eyes and turned his head away.
“Look, you can be mad at me all you want but the Cohens don’t deserve this. They love you, Ry. They came all this way in the middle of the night cause they were worried about you.”
Ryan sighed, nodded his head and said, “Okay.”
Trey smiled, “Cool, bro. I’ll send them in.”
Kirsten entered first pushing Ryan’s hair off his forehead to place a kiss there saying, “Oh, sweetie, you need a haircut.” Sandy was on his other side saying, “Hey, kid, you had us worried.” Seth was at the foot of his bed commenting, “You know, you didn’t have to get sick to get us to come see you.”
The outpouring of love was almost too much for Ryan. But it felt right that the Cohens were there and as he drifted asleep he said, “I’m really glad you’re here.”