Snow Lodge
Chapter 58
Kevin stood up, the metal chair scraping across the floor once more as Jonesy entered the room and closed the door behind him, before turning to face them.
"Doc?" Kevin questioned him, his voice breaking slightly.
Jonesy took a deep breath before speaking. "He's still with us."
All four of them simultaneously let out the breaths they had been holding at this news. Brian and Howie both began crying softly again as they held each other, but this time from sheer relief.
"What happened?" Kevin asked as soon as he could form the words.
Jonesy sighed heavily. "You all heard the alarms?" He asked. All four nodded.
"That was his heart monitor. He went into cardiac arrest."
Brian and Howie gasped audibly at that admission as they clutched each other tightly.
"Oh God." Nick whispered, feeling his knees go weak. Kevin saw this and pulled Nick over to his chair, sitting him down.
"We got him back, eventually." Jonesy told them. He didn't tell them how he had refused to give up, even when the other staff had decided they had gone on long enough.
"Is there... is there any more damage?" Kevin asked softly, afraid of the answer.
"We can't tell, at least, not at the moment. He's gone for an ECG scan now, but his brain is still swollen, and that means we can't be sure of the accuracy of the results. But there is always that risk in any patient when their heart stops, regardless of their condition beforehand. To be honest, the only way we will be able to tell is when he wakes up."
"You... you think he will?" Howie choked out.
"Anything is possible." Jonesy replied. "He's strong willed, I'll give him that. The odds are still stacked against him, yet he's holding on with everything he has. He isn't ready to give up yet."
"He never was one to do what you expect." Nick remarked dryly.
"So it seems. In fact, despite everything, his chances are actually better now than they were before."
"How do you figure that?" Kevin asked incredulously. He couldn't see how having your heart stop would actually help AJ's chances.
"His heart stopped due to a seizure brought on by his fever and consistently high temperature." Jonesy explained. "But it seems that his fever has now broken, and we are slowly getting it, and the pneumonia that caused it, under control. Once his body temperature drops to something approaching a normal level, he will have a much better chance of recovery."
"One less complication he has to fight." Brian commented softly.
"Exactly." Jonesy concurred. "And as I told you before, his fever was the thing we were most worried about, at least in the short term. Now that has broken, his body will have a much better chance at recovering."
"But what if his brain has been damaged- his body can't fix that, can it?" Kevin asked.
"We don't know if he has sustained any brain damage, let's just wait until he wakes up before we cross that bridge okay?" Jonesy told him.
Kevin nodded, not entirely happy with Jonesy avoiding the question, but knowing he wasn't going to get any other answer either.
"Can I go see him again?" Brian asked.
Jonesy looked at Brian. He still looked fragile, his face was haggard and streaked with tears, he still had black circles under his eyes, but his eyes themselves were now bright and clear. It seemed as if Howie had been right, and Brian's trip to see AJ had been what he needed, despite the events following it. But still, he needed his rest.
"Not right now Brian. You need to rest some more before I let you back up there, but if you're good, I might even release you tomorrow sometime, depending on how well you have recovered. How's that?"
Brian's eyes had dimmed slightly when Jonesy had refused him, but sparkled even more at the prospect of being released. Then he would be able to get out of this room and spend his time with AJ, and there would be nobody and nothing that could stop him.
"Okay." Brian told him, smiling brightly.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Jonesy asked them.
They shook their heads and Jonesy smiled slightly. "Okay then, I'll be off, but I will make sure somebody lets you know when the rest of you can go back up and see AJ, okay?"
"Thanks Doc." Kevin told him.
"Yeah thanks." Nick echoed.
"No problem. I'm just glad it was good news." Jonesy smiled at them once more, before leaving them alone in the room.
