Little Cabin in the Woods� Chapter 2
Dr. Shannon was just closing his office door, his workday at Mercy General Hospital having been officially over several hours earlier, when his pager beeped and vibrated against his hip.
�No�not now,� he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose�a headache on the periphery of his senses. This evening had been full of paperwork on top of paperwork and the week had been long�full of meetings, late days with one emergency or trauma after another meaning that he was more than ready to be on his way home, anticipating a hot shower and going to bed. A call around dinner time from his wife, Peg had him looking forward to a nice, quiet Saturday and Sunday, alone with her�their daughter spending the entire weekend with grandparents, who would drop her off at school Monday morning. The pair had made tentative plans for a Saturday filled with antique shopping�road-side flea markets and a nice dinner at an out of the way restaurant they had been told of by some friends while the first half of Sunday would be spent at church and the latter half just catching up with household chores that had been neglected. All in all, it was to be a weekend of his dreams�and�now with the pager sounding off, those dreams just might be going up in smoke.
As the sounds and vibrations of the pager continued, Dr. Shannon rolled his eyes while at the same time jerking the offensive object off his belt.
�Do not�I repeat�do not ruin my weekend,� he said over the beeping, then, with another groaned plea to the inanimate object, he pushed his door open and made his way to his desk. With quick movements, he picked up his phone and dialed an all too familiar number that would connect with the emergency room.
�Dr. Shannon�I got your page. What do you need,� he said in clipped tones. Moments later, he rushed out of the room to the elevators down the hallway. He impatiently punched the down button while calling his wife on his cell phone, cringing as he glanced at his watch noting the time.
�Peg?� he said, watching the numbers above the elevator doors lighting up, indicating the car was slowly making its way up to his 10th floor office�stopping at every level, it seemed, causing him to inwardly debate whether or not the stairs would be faster.
�Yeah�sorry I woke you up, hon�yeah�got an emergency coming in. I know�I know�but�it�s bad, Peg. Yeah�I�it�s�Lance, Peg�Lance Bass. There�s been an accident and he�s being brought in. I don�t know any of the details. Yes�I�ll call you when I can. No�don�t wait up�I know�I will. Okay�I love you, too.�
Just as he severed the connection, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. He then stepped into the car, pushed the first floor button and closed his eyes in a quick prayer as he leaned against the back wall.
Joey reached out, his blood stained hands snaking out to grasp stainless steel rails lining the inside of the ambulance�s walls, bracing himself as the vehicle made a quick turn�his eyes darting back to the still figure lying strapped to the gurney before him. Hearing no immediate response to his question, he cleared his throat and repeated himself, speaking louder this time.
�Umm�how�s�how�s he doing?� he asked, his voice still barely heard over the wail of the siren, even in the insulated space of their surroundings.
�Fine�really,� the paramedic Griffen Morris replied in clipped tones, quickly glancing toward him before bending over Lance to place his stethoscope over his exposed chest. Seconds later, he sat back up, laying the stethoscope over the back of his neck before grasping Lance�s limp, right wrist to check his pulse then reaching out to push back his right eyelid while drawing out a small penlight. With quick, deft movements, he flashed the bright light into a pale, green eye then repeated the process again with the left eye. He quickly pushed the penlight into his shirt pocket then reached out and began to run his hands over Lance�s throat, down his neck, onto his chest then abdomen, all the while searching for any abnormalities as well as responses from the young man�and eventually, finding neither.
�Do you have any idea if Mr. Bass may have been complaining of feeling ill, weak, or faint recently?� the paramedic asked, sitting up slightly, glancing to the side at Joey whose gaze did not leave the unconscious figure as he shook his head to the question.
�Has he experienced any recent blackouts that you know of?�
�No�no,� Joey answered emphatically. �He�s been fine. We�ve been together�all of us�for the past few weeks. We would have seen�noticed�something,� Joey said, convinced that he was right, knowing in the back of his mind that his answer made perfect sense.
�All of you?� Griffen asked, his voice slightly confused as he focused his attention back on Lance, running his hands over his arms before reaching for a pair of heavy shears. Moments later, he had cut through Lance�s jeans, working around the canvas straps holding his still figure immobile on the stretcher. Once finished, he was able to lay open the denim to reveal Lance�s legs and he ran his hands up and down the still limbs continuing in his search for any obvious injuries.
�Yeah�the guys�ummm�� Joey answered in a slightly bewildered tone, tearing his gaze away long enough to give the older man a look that asked the question��don�t you know who I am�who he is?� before realizing that apparently the paramedic actually had no earthly idea who they were�the look on his face answering the unspoken question.
�You don�t�you�umm�Lance and I are members of Nsync. We�ve been rehearsing and stuff for a few weeks�daily, really. So�no�Lance hasn�t been sick or anything else�we would have noticed for sure.�
�So�this rehearsing�is it strenuous? Has he been resting regularly or has he complained of fatigue in any way?�
Before Joey had the opportunity to answer the question, the ambulance made one final turn.
�We�re here, Griff,� the driver called out and the vehicle began to slow down.
�Okay�when we pull up, you jump out first and move out of the way. You can follow us in then you�ll be able to stay nearby for a few minutes�and Dr. Shannon is waiting inside to treat your friend.�
Joey simply nodded his head in reply, watching as the paramedic moved about in the cramped space preparing Lance to be removed from the back of the ambulance�the words that had been said to him slowly processing in his mind.
�Dr. Shannon,� he whispered in a voice full of relief as he realized that Lance really was going to be in good, familiar and caring hands.
Moments later, the ambulance came to a stop and, seconds later, the back doors were pulled open and Joey felt a hand on his shoulder.
�Time to get out, sir,� Griffen said, taking in the pale features of the extra passenger, mentally noting that they might have one more patient within a matter of minutes.
Joey simply nodded his head, as he stumbled out of the ambulance, accepting the help from the other paramedic.
�Stand over there�follow us in.�
Again, Joey nodded his head, noticing for the first time that he had a slightly swimmy sensation washing over him with each movement of his head. He took a deep breath in an effort to keep himself together�Lance was needing him to stay alert, but�he could definitely tell that he wasn�t feeling�right as he followed Lance�s stretcher through the electronic doors leading into the trauma treatment center of Mercy General Hospital.
Almost as soon as the small entourage entered the trauma center, Joey found himself being whisked away from his friend�s side by an older nurse with a gentle voice, but firm hands, one grasping his right forearm and the other wrapped around his shoulders.
She knew just by the shocked expression on the young man�s face that his exit from the room needed to be immediate�his small protests ignored as he pulled slightly against the woman�s grasp.
�Let�s get you cleaned up, young man,� she said, attempting to lead him from the room at the same time that Dr. Shannon was entering.
�Doctor,� she said quietly, nodding as the physician stopped before them, seemingly without Joey even noticing his presence. One glance at Joey�s pale features prompted him to steer the pair toward a row of chairs lining one of the nearby walls, thankful for the early hour since that meant an almost empty waiting area since the young man didn�t seem to be in the position or in need for anyone to be pestering him for autographs at the moment.
�Jean�I need you to get us a pack,� he said, referring to an icepack as he turned Joey then guided him down onto one of the vinyl chairs. The nurse nodded her head and left the pair for a few moments while the doctor gently pulled Joey forward in his seat, bending him at the waist until his head was between his legs.
�Take deep breaths for me, son,� he said quietly, looking up when the nurse returned shaking a plastic pack, activating the chemicals within the packaging. She placed it on the back of Joey�s exposed neck, eliciting a muted hiss and jerk from the young man.
�Cold,� Joey said, reaching up to hold the pack.
�Doctor?� a voice called out several feet away. �We need you in here.�
�All right, Vernon,� Dr. Shannon answered before squatting down before Joey, placing his hand on his knee.
�I�m going to have Jean get you cleaned up, Joseph,� he said gently, noting the negative shake of Joey�s head in response he was getting.
�I�m staying here,� Joey replied, lifting his head up just enough to look Dr. Shannon in the eye.
�No, you�re not,� was the reply he received and its tone left no room for argument. �You are going to get cleaned up then you�re going upstairs to my office. Are the others on their way in? Do they know what happened?�
�Yes�they�re coming,� was the quiet reply, muted reply since Joey had lowered his head back down.
�Good�use my phone to call Johnny if he doesn�t already know. Wait on calling Jim and Diane until I come up�okay?�
With that said, the doctor stood up and patted Joey on the shoulder.
�Lance is going to be okay, son. Now�let Jean get you cleaned up.�
Joey shakily stood up and allowed the older woman to lead him away from the trauma center toward a smaller treatment area while Dr. Shannon walked with quick strides in the opposite direction.
Looking back, Lance had no true inkling as to what actually caused him to open his eyes. Only that�it just�happened. There had been nothing gradual about his regaining consciousness and the harshness of coming out of darkness into bright, white light was almost too overwhelming for him to handle, causing him to wish that he could once again become enveloped by the heavy cloak of darkness he had just emerged from and he tightly clinched his eyes shut.
Dr. Shannon bent over him, looking intently at the confused and painful expression pinching Lance�s pail, washed out features.
�Lance?� he said quietly knowing that the young man was more than likely unable to discern the buzz of activity going on about him.
�Lance? Lance? It�s Dr. Shannon�I need for you to stay with me, son,� a deep voice said reassuringly from his left and Lance attempted to move his head in that general direction, but for some reason, found that impossible to do.
�Nnng�wha�mmm,� he quietly moaned, reaching up toward his head as the dull throb that he had awakened to suddenly flared into something almost unbearable. Before he even had the chance to lift his hand more than a few inches, it was intercepted and gently pushed back down.
�No�I want you to lie still for me, son,� the voice said again. �You�ve got a pretty nasty bump on your head. Do you know where you are and what happened? Open your eyes for me, Lance.�
Lance moaned again concentrating on what the voice was telling him to do. He knew that he was being told to open his eyes but�for some strange reason, he could not get his eyelids to cooperate and they remained shut.
�You need to open your eyes for me, son�you can do it,� Dr. Shannon�s voice urged him. He took several shaky breaths before once again, with great effort, forced his eye�s open only to wince at the bright lights overhead.
Through blurred vision, Lance recognized that he was no longer at home. The lights�sounds�smells alerted him to the fact that he had to be at the hospital but for the life of him, he had no earthly idea what had happened and why he was there.
He swallowed thickly, grimacing at the sound of voices seemingly assaulting him at all sides. He could barely make out one voice above them all�a man�s deep voice�one that he recognized from somewhere in the back of his mind but�just as clarity was beginning to come, a hand cupped his chin before his head was moved to the side. Almost instantly his vision swam, a wave of dizziness hit him full force and a sudden rush of nausea overwhelmed him, and helplessly he gagged violently as bile burned its way up in his throat.
�Whoa�turn him,� the voice called out and, in the span of an instant, he felt his body turned from his back to his side allowing vomit to escape and he tightly clinched his eyes shut at the burning in his throat and the steady clinch of his stomach�discomforts that held no comparison to the excruciating, blinding pain in his head.
More words were said, but were lost in the haze of pain that was overwhelming all his senses. The words slowly lost meaning and his senses dimmed as he felt himself being turned onto his back. The light that had been harsh was becoming softer as it slowly began to tunnel�the periphery of his vision blurring from white�to gray�to blackness�then to nothing.
�Let�s get that cleaned up,� one nurse said, stepping over the splattered, tile floor. Moments later, those working around Lance were stepping on towels that had been tossed onto the floor in an effort to prevent anyone from slipping and falling.
In the meantime, Dr. Shannon was working around the hands of a nurse as she ran a rag over Lance�s face, wiping away the remnants of his sudden sickness.
�Looks like a probable concussion�both pupils responsive�left slightly more sluggish than the right,� he said, stepping to the side as another nurse cut through the last remnants of Lance�s shirt before moving toward his pants, cutting through what the paramedics had not.
Once he was free of the last of his clothing, save his boxers, Dr. Shannon did a quick visual check and came to the conclusion that the only obvious injury that Lance had was his head wound but further tests would confirm his suspicions. He stepped back and moved to a position behind Lance allowing others working on the inert figure to draw blood, insert another IV and perform various other tasks in an effort to ascertain the his condition.
A small moan and movement from Lance alerted Dr. Shannon that he was once again returning to consciousness and he bent over the young man, watching as eyelids flickered and moved before slightly opening to a half-mast position.
�Lance�son�you�re going to be just fine,� he said as a glint of fear filled the pale face, but it was fleeting, remaining only for the instant it took the doctor to utter his words above the din in the treatment room.
�It�s Dr. Shannon, son. I want you to look at me.� Doctor Shannon moved slightly to the right of Lance, forcing the young man�s eyes to travel sluggishly in that direction.
�Follow my finger with your eyes, Lance,� he said, while gently cupping Lance�s chin in his hand, all the while moving an index finger slowly, back and forth before Lance, watching as the young man struggled to track the movement.
�Good�you�re doing fine, Lance,� he said gently, a smile evident not only on his face but also in his voice. Lance�you�re at Mercy General. Do you know why you�re here?�
A look of confusion washed over Lance�s pinched features as he slowly licked his lips, making a face at the bitter taste there. Dr. Shannon could tell that the young man was struggling to comprehend what was happening and he waited patiently, repeating the question two more times before he received a slight nod in response.
�Tell me with words, son�what happened. Why are you here? Do you remember what happened?� the doctor further prodded wanting to further assess Lance�s condition, to see if he truly comprehended his questions.
Again, Lance slightly nodded his head.
�Words, Lance�I need to hear your voice, son,� Dr. Shannon said firmly, his tone making his words sound more like an order rather than a request.
He watched as the young man blinked twice then swallowed thickly, licking his lips before finally opening his mouth.
�I�I�fell?� Lance said, his usually deep, vibrant voice small and unsure, wavering and cracking with the effort that it took to speak.
�Where were you when you fell, Lance?� the doctor pushed further.
�I�was�at home�my office?� he replied, his voice somewhat stronger but still nowhere near what the doctor was accustomed to hearing. �Head�hurts�� he added, almost as an afterthought as he reached up again only to have his hand intercepted.
Dr. Shannon smiled down at him and gently placed a hand on Lance�s chest while gently grasping the other.
�Well�it should, son. Apparently, you fell and hit your head on your desk. Do you remember why? Did you stumble or trip over anything?�
Lance closed his eyes in concentration before shaking his head not even alert enough to question the fact that the doctor obviously knew more about the situation than he did or how he even got the information.
�No�woozy,� he said, his voice thick, a touch of uncertainty beginning to creep within its tone.
�That�s to be expected, son. Take it easy and it will pass,� Dr. Shannon replied, thinking that Lance was complaining of a dizzy sensation happening that very moment but the frown that graced the young man�s face caused him to continue in his questioning.
�You�re not dizzy now?�
�Little,� was the whispered reply. �Dizzy�then�got up�felt strange��
Dr. Shannon frowned at the explanation and his mind quickly raced at the possible reasons as to why Lance had suffered a dizzy spell. In the meantime, Lance slowly blinked his eyes as a wave of exhaustion washed over him, starting at his feet and moving up his body until it seemed as if he were floating on a bed of soft warmth. With each blink of his eyes, the lids slowly grew heavier and heavier until he was no longer able to open them.
From above him, he could hear Dr. Shannon�s voice speaking in reassuring tones before he was once again swallowed up by blackness.
�Okay�let�s get him ready for a CT scan�full skull series,� Dr. Shannon said as he straightened up from his bent position. Seeing Lance come to for such a brief moment gave him a small amount reassurance that the young man�s head injury was not as serious as it could have been. He and those others around him had already determined that Lance was more than likely suffering from a minimal concussion. What he was most concerned about, for the moment, was the reason behind Lance�s collapse. There were no other apparent injuries suggesting a fall and, according to the information that Joey had given to the paramedics, things were in order throughout the home so an intruder had also been ruled out. For the moment, all that he had to go on was the fact that apparently Lance had collapsed, had been able to call Chris before collapsing once again. In the end, only Lance would be the one to give an accurate account of what had actually happened.
�Dr. Shannon�the rest of his friends are here now,� a nurse said, briefly stepping into the room. �We moved them to your office as you requested.�
�Thank you, Nancy,� the doctor replied, turning momentarily toward her. �Have someone let them know that I�ll be up in a little while.�
�Yes, sir.�
Meanwhile, upstairs on the tenth floor of the hospital, Joey stood on shaky legs, staring out the large window at the back of Dr. Shannon�s office. The nurse who had patiently taken care of him had just left after making sure he had recovered adequately from signs of shock to wait on his own for the others to arrive. The scrubs that he had been supplied with further brought out the still pale pallor of his face and served as a further reminder to the amount of blood that Lance had lost.
Just minutes earlier, he had finished a quick phone conversation with Johnny, letting the manager know what few details he had. It was decided that two of the bodyguards would be sent up to the hospital to watch over the group, one in the doctor�s office and one with Lance since details were still sketchy, at best as to what had actually happened to him. No one suspected an intruder to be the culprit, but the manager was unwilling to take any chances�not at least until he had the opportunity to speak with Lance and the police, who had been called to the scene.
He instructed Joey to remain in the doctor�s office until the others arrived then they would all need to remain there until further notice. He planned to go to Lance�s home to speak with police before going to the hospital.
With a small sigh, he crossed his arms over his chest in an effort to not only ward of the chill that was coursing its way through his being, but to also hold himself together. He was afraid that if he happened to let go, he would totally fall apart. What he needed more than anything was to know that Lance was all right but there had been no word from downstairs.
Stepping closer to the window, he leaned his forehead against the cool glass�his breath leaving a trace of fog upon its surface. He closed his eyes and began to pray that Lance would indeed be okay�that Dr. Shannon would make good decisions�
�Joe?� a voice called out, causing Joey to startle badly. He turned around and saw that JC, Justin and Chris were being ushered into the office by one of their bodyguards, Lonnie.
Joey dropped his arms to his side and stepped toward the middle of the room, meeting the others halfway. For a brief moment, no words were said, but the sound of choked sob seemed to set everyone into motion and the four became a tangle of arms as they hugged each other fiercely. For several seconds, the only sound to be heard in the room were whispers of reassurance intermingled with tearful sobs until Chris stepped back from the group.
�Have you heard anything�anything at all?� he asked, attempting to look up into Joey�s eyes, which was difficult since the younger man still had his head bowed�his hands covering his face as he struggled to regain control of himself.
�Joe?� JC question, placing a hand on his friend�s shoulder. �Who�s treating him? Is Dr. Shannon with him?�
�Yeah�he is,� Joey replied, bringing his hands down from his face. �He said that Lance was going to be okay when we first came in�but�that was�I haven�t heard�he hasn�t called,� he added, stumbling over his words and scattered thoughts.
A large hand then descended upon Joey�s head and it drew him toward the immense stature of Lonnie. The large black man enveloped Joey in his strong grasp, running his hand over the young man�s head in a soothing, almost hypnotic manner.
�Well, then, little bear,� he said, his voice rumbling through his chest against Joey�s ear as he gently used the nickname he had affectionately labeled Joey with years earlier. �I guess you just need to take the doc�s word for it and have some faith�okay? Lansten is in good hands and is gonna be just fine.�
With that said, Joey simply nodded his head against the bodyguards chest then gave him a squeeze before wiping a shaky hand over his face�then accepting the wad of tissues Justin was handing him.
�Thanks,� he whispered, stepping away from Lonnie.
�Did you call Jim and Diane?� Justin asked, concerned that Lance�s parents might hear of their son�s collapse from outside sources rather than them.
�No�Dr. Shannon said that we should wait until he tells us how Lance is doing,� Joey replied tiredly.
�I guess it things looked really serious, he would have had us call them by now,� Chris reasoned, glancing at his watch to see, much to his surprise that the phone call that had started the avalanche of events had only occurred less than two hours earlier for in his mind, the time span had to have been greater than that.
�Umm�who�s downstairs with Lance?� Joey asked, suddenly remembering that there would be two bodyguards.
�Mike is with him and Tiny will be on the way. He�s with Johnny right now at Lance�s place,� Lonnie replied, nodding his head toward the couches off to the side as he continued speaking.
�So�we just need to sit here and wait now. Why don�t you boys get comfortable? It might be a long wait.�
With heavy sighs, the group made their way over to the large couch at the other side of the room then sat down while hoping and praying that their wait would not be long.