Snow Lodge
Chapter 55
Kevin slipped into the room, followed by Jonesy.
"Cuz?" Kevin called softly, not surprised to see his cousin's shoulders shaking with tears.
Brian reached a hand behind him, which Kevin quickly grabbed and squeezed, offering what little comfort he could.
Jonesy was concerned, until he saw Brian's face. Although he was crying, and his face was streaked with tears, a strange kind of peace seemed to have settled over him, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He realised then, that Howie had been right when he said that Brian needed this.
He stopped beside Brian's chair and crouched down beside him.
"Brian. You need to go back to your room and get some rest now okay?"
Brian looked as if he was going to protest for a moment, but Kevin stepped in first.
"Come on Bri, I'll come with you back to your room. You need to rest, and then the sooner you get better, the sooner you can come back, right Doc?"
Jonesy smiled gratefully at Kevin. "Yeah, that's right."
Brian looked at Kevin for a minute before looking back at AJ.
"You won't leave him alone will you?"
"No. Of course not. Howie will stay with him, Nick too if you want." Kevin answered gently.
Brian just nodded. He squeezed AJ's hand one more time before letting go and allowing Kevin to wheel him from the room. Jonesy took a quick look at the monitors around AJ before following them out.
Kevin stopped the chair outside the room where Howie and Nick were standing. Both men crouched down to Brian, both placing a hand on each knee.
"Frick?" Nick called softly.
"Stay with him Nicky. Look after him for me, please. Both of you look after him." Brian requested quietly.
"Of course we will Rok. We'll never leave him alone, we promise." Howie replied just as softly.
Brian nodded again, and Nick and Howie stood up, so that Kevin could take Brian back to his room.
"You okay Bri?" Kevin asked as they waited for the elevator.
"I don't know." Brian replied honestly. "Ask me again when this is all over."
Kevin opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of an alarm sounding at the Nurse's desk. Both men jumped, and Brian watched as the nurses quickly hit a button before heading off down the corridor towards one of the rooms.
The elevator doors opened behind Kevin, and he quickly pushed Brian inside, a horrible feeling inside the pit of his stomach. The elevator doors closed, but not before Brian got a glimpse of which room they all entered.
"ALEX!"
