Being assured from the on-duty nurse that Brian's family was called, Nick went and called his own and assumed that they were calling everyone else. Now, all he had to do was wait.
The waiting room is, in it's own right, one of the most horrible places to ever be. It allows you to get personal with the feelings of helplessness and unending time. Not to mention though, the stinging of the nose and eyes from the horrid smells of chemicals and sickness.
Nick had stared blankly at the TV, walls, and floors for most of the wait. While everyone else had showed up within an hour and half, they tried hard to keep a conversation going. Some trying to play catch up with another, only to let the sentences trail off and die when it got too hard to keep the facade going.
It was hours before someone arrived with some news, and when they did, Nick could only grip tightly onto the armrests, while his eyes bore holes into the doctor's.
"He's broken the fourth and fifth metatarsal in his right foot." He explained slowly, a metal clipboard in front of him as if like a shield. "But that's not the serious thing."
Nick's eyes clouded over, how can that not be the serious thing. He's got broken bones in his foot, won't be dancing for a while, and that's not serious?!
"I don't understand." Mrs. Littrell commented slowly, confusion stretching across her face.
Watching the doctor take a deep breath, Nick awaited the explanation. "There's two ankle joints really. The top one, the true ankle joint is made up of three bones, while the second joint below it is made up of two. We believe that when the door caved in, it crushed both ankle joints and parts of the fibula and-or the talus cut through the skin."
Trying hard to process the information, Nick held his breath. He knew there was something else to come. Something much worse.
"The damage is too much, and we need to put screws in his ankle to keep it attached to his leg basically." He finished ceremoniously. "Now Nurse Gregors will help you with all your questions and talk you through all the procedures that will be taking place over the next few hours, days, and weeks."
The announcement had him walking back down the corridor and disappearing into another room.
The room erupted with fast movements and muffled words making Nick's head spin wildly. Feeling nauseated and as if his tongue had swelled in his dry mouth, he stood to get a soda or something else to drink. But upon getting to his feet, the room spiraled out of control, and his hands flew out in front of him to stop it all from falling and from spinning.
A loud shriek echoed in his ears as his eyes closed with fatigue. Thinking he moaned a question, he waited for a response. Nothing but blackness came.