Snow Lodge
Chapter 38
Howie followed Jonesy up to the ICU. The closer he got, the more scared he felt. He didn't know what to expect when he saw AJ, but he was terrified.
Finally Jonesy led him into the Unit, and stopped him outside a door, turning to face him.
"I need to warn you before we go in. AJ is very ill, and he has a lot of monitors and machines around him. I know they look scary, but they are there to help him. He was not breathing on his own very well, so he is on a ventilator, which always looks scariest, but it is only there to help him breathe. Okay?"
Howie swallowed and nodded.
"Good. You can stay with him as long as you like, the staff have all been notified."
With that, Jonesy opened the door, and let Howie in.
Howie whimpered as he saw his best friend laying perfectly still on the bed, surrounded by machines. He suddenly found himself at AJ's bedside, although he didn't remember moving, and he reached out to gently take AJ's hand in his own, simply needing to make some form of physical contact.
Howie couldn't believe that this was his best friend, he was almost as white as the sheet he lay on, except for the big dark circles under his eyes, and the ruddy complexion on his cheeks. A light sheen of sweat covered his body, and occasionally Howie could see him shake lightly from the fever that was ravaging his body.
But it was the ventilator that scared him the most, the large machine beside the bed, and the horrible mechanical breathing sound it made. It reminded Howie of the noise Darth Vader made in Star Wars, that horrible rasping sound that reminded him of evil, bad things. And the tube that supplied AJ with oxygen seemed to almost be choking him, as it snaked it's way into his mouth and down his throat.
Howie sat down in a chair beside the bed numbly. He still held AJ's hand in his own, and he squeezed it, hoping for a response. He jumped when Jonesy spoke up behind him.
"Talk to him. Let him know you're here, that you care about him."
"Can he hear me?"
"Possibly, we can never be sure. But I like to think that on some level he can, even if he can't let you know. Be strong for him, just be there."
"Thanks." Howie replied, his voice barely audible.
"You're welcome." Jonesy replied. He squeezed Howie's shoulder lightly, before leaving him alone.
