The wait for Dr. Shannon did indeed turn into a long one as the group remained in the doctor�s office with Lonnie periodically coming and going, in and out of the room. Not too long after Joey had been joined by the others, the doctor had found the opportunity to call upstairs, letting the group at least know that Lance had very briefly regained consciousness�had answered a few questions, and was, all in all, doing about as well as to be expected. The doctor also let them know that once the tests that had been ordered were completed and the results reviewed he would be upstairs to give them those results.
Chris had been closest to the phone when it had rung, but had remained virtually frozen in place. It had been Lonnie who had actually enough presence of mind to answer it, and, after a few brief words, had handed over the receiver to the young man.
�Hello? Dr. Shannon?�
�Chris�how are you doing son? Everyone is there?�
�How is he doing? Did he come to?� he blurted out totally ignoring the doctor�s questions.
�Yes�very a moment or two he did,� the doctor answered with a slight wince remembering that the young man had also grown violently ill, but he didn�t feel the need to add that small detail. It only would have added the obvious tension in the room�the nervousness that he could very clearly hear in Chris� worried tone.
�Well�when can we see him?� Chris next asked, his hand gripping the phone so tightly that his knuckles were white�his tone revealing how anxious to see for himself just how well his friend was doing. He felt powerless to do anything and the wait was proving to get the better of him. As a result, he could no longer stay seated and he stood up to begin rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet as the doctor spoke, his free hand running through his hair, causing it to stand on end.
�Soon, Chris�soon,� the doctor replied with a small smile on his face, recognizing the protective tone in other man�s voice. He had heard it on many occasions from all five of the young men and had expected no less from them now.
�The tests are going to take a while longer, Chris. I want to be sure of what may have caused Lance to faint.�
Chris felt a twinge of guilt hit him in the pit of his stomach. They all felt a certain amount of guilt over the fact that they had been seemingly ignorant or oblivious�had not foreseen the collapse, but there had been no warning�it had all happened so suddenly. He had already made up his mind to sit down with Lance, once he had significantly recovered, to speak with him about never hiding his exhaustion again�to never put anyone through what they were going through. He was also certain that the others were also prepared to have similar conversations with Lance, once given the opportunity.
�Chris�did he show any signs of fatigue or stress in the last few days�or weeks?�
The doctor�s voice jolted Chris from his thoughts and he frowned before tentatively answering.
�No�� Chris answered, looking to the others for support, forgetting that they had not heard the question. �No more than what we all go through when rehearsing.�
JC caught the look on the older man�s face and frowned.
�What�� JC whispered, standing up from his seat on the couch. �What did he say, Chris?�
�Hang on, doc.� Chris covered the receiver then turned to the others who all seemed even more anxious, it that were at all possible. The sound of the one-sided conversation did not sound good at all.
�Did you guys seen anything that would�ve�� Chris asked, his voice trailing off, watching the others sadly shaking their heads as visible regret crossed their faces.
�Umm�no�no one saw anything�he never said anything,� Chris replied, his words slightly garbled since he now was biting the nails on his free hand. �What could have caused the fainting, doc? I mean�we�ve all gotten a little woozy from time to time�maybe even grayed out or blacked out�but�Lance�he�he�� Chris�s voice fell away and Dr. Shannon began speaking again using a very gentle and carefully thought out words. He knew that his answer would be upsetting to hear�might cause Chris and the others to worry even more, but he didn�t want to pull any punches in the event he was possibly wrong in his assumptions.
�There are a multitude of reasons, Chris�not all of them serious and I�m not expecting anything from the tests to tell me so, but�with his heart history and what little information he was able to give me when he last came to, I�m tending to believe that it was a combination of exhaustion and a drop in blood pressure when he tried to stand up. He mentioned feeling dizzy before he blacked out.�
Just as soon as Chris heard the word, �heart,� his own heart skipped a beat or two and he shakily reached out for a chair, edging toward it then sat down heavily, his legs too rubbery to hold him up.
�His heart? It could be his heart that caused him to faint?� Chris whispered in disbelief, not noticing how his fearful words caused the others to gather even closer in.
�Now, Chris�relax,� the doctor said, instantly regretting his choice of words. With an inward groan, he shook his head before speaking quickly in an effort to curb the rising fear he could hear in Chris�s tone as well as of those of the rest of the group�their fear was unmistakable in the background as their voices became louder�their questions clearly heard, but their words to mixed to easily discern.
�Now�wait a minute, Chris,� the doctor said, in an effort to bring some semblance of control back to the conversation.
�I said, Chris, that he has a heart history�nothing more than that, son. Do you understand me?�
�Yes, sir�it�s just a heart history,� Chris said, looking at the others in the room. �Just a heart history,� he repeated causing the others to step back�their words silenced with the clarification.
Dr. Shannon nodded in relief�the silence replacing the confusion heard only moments earlier signaling that he could further explain things to Chris.
�With his irregular heartbeat caused by a mitral valve prolapse, I always have to give those conditions my consideration when a fainting episode occurs. Now�I�m not expecting to find anything wrong with his heart. I�m not expecting to find any other catalyst behind the fainting episode other than what I already said that I suspect happened�he fainted due to a combination of exhaustion, a drop in blood pressure when he attempted to stand up and the fact that he�s been pushing himself pretty hard and neglecting himself.�
For several moments, the doctor stayed silent allowing the information to sink in before continuing, knowing that he needed to say a few things more.
�Chris�it was no one�s fault. I don�t want you or the others to kick yourselves too hard about this,� he said gently, knowing that the group would do exactly that�no matter what anyone else would say, but he had to at least try to encourage them to eliminate those unnecessary feelings of guilt.
At the same time, the words seemed to go in one ear and out the other�their meaning totally lost to Chris since he and the others had already made up their minds collectively that they if they had been paying more attention to Lance, they would have been able prevent his being so seriously injured.
�If we had seen this coming�if we had only seen�� he continued to think to himself as Dr. Shannon said a few more words of encouragement before hanging up�words that Chris didn�t actually hear since he was still lost in thought.
Lonnie rested a hand on one of Chris�s shoulders then gently took the phone receiver out of the young man�s grasp when he made no move to place it in the phone�s cradle.
�He�s doing okay?� the bodyguard asked as he placed the receiver back on the phone. Hearing Chris�s side of the conversation caused his own heart to skip a beat or two, but for now, he needed to be the one to remain in control. One glance at the others� faces reinforced that fact.
JC�he had not seen the young man look so pale and he was shaking�literally shaking like a leaf. Sitting nearby, he could see briefly that Justin had a torrent of tears leaving trails down his pale features before he buried his face in his hands. Beside him, Joey�s features were unreadable since his face was also hidden in his hands, but it was obvious that the young man was crying since his shoulders were shaking and shuddering. Lastly, Chris looked almost green prompting the bodyguard to step around the back of Dr. Shannon�s desk and grab the trashcan there before returning to Chris� side.
�I want you to bend over for a minute, Crazy�take deep breaths for me,� Lonnie said, reaching out to gently grasp the back of Chris�s neck, pushing him slightly forward over the trashcan. Once he had Chris in position he looked up to see JC stepping back until the back of his legs hit the couch and almost bonelessly, he collapsed upon its surface at Joey�s side, his eyes blank and unfocused. For several minutes the group remained silent, save the sounds of an occasional hiccupped sob and Lonnie�s hushed words of comfort�the large bodyguard working his way back and forth in front of the couch, touching each of the young men until Chris slowly sat up, pushing his back against the couch.
�Doing better, Chris?� Lonnie asked, gently grasping a trembling knee.
�Yeah�yeah,� Chris said, as he seemed to shake himself out of his near daze to see that Lonnie was kneeling directly in front of him.
�When did you do that, Lon?� he inwardly questioned before once again, quite literally this time, shake himself before a deep shudder worked its way through his body.
�Now�what did the doc say?� the bodyguard gently prodded as he stood up, his knees popping in protest.
�Dr. Shannon wants to run a few more tests to find out why he fainted,� Chris said quietly, not realizing that the others already knew of that fact.
�He�he thinks�it might be Lance�s�his�heart, but�the doc�won�t know until the tests are�run.�
Lonnie took a deep breath, nodding at the news watching the others reaction to Chris�s words.
�Well�that means we just need to be patient and wait. Lansten is going to be okay�don�t fret about it. Lance is healthy�his heart is strong. He�s being taken care of�the doc called you with the information and didn�t come up here so that means something�don�t it?� he asked, reaching down to give Chris a shake while looking at the others�getting small, uncertain nods in response.
�Ummm�yeah?� Chris said, his voice holding no confidence in the words Lonnie was saying. �His heart, Lon�his heart. Why didn�t we see anything? I tried to get him to go out tonight�but he wouldn�t. He was too stubborn�but�his heart?�
�It�ll be okay, Crazy�he�s gonna be okay,� Lonnie said, his voice more confident than the feelings racing through him.
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
In the meantime, Mike Headnot, Lance and Joey�s bodyguard, had stayed at his young charge�s side every step of the way. He was mindful to remain within sight of Lance without interfering with those performing the prescribed examinations and tests�stepping back at various times while nurses and technicians attached additional probes to Lance�s chest and substituted the nasal canula that had been supplying him oxygen with a mask since the upcoming tests might prove to be strenuous on his already strained body.
Mike�s efforts, in all actuality, were proving to be no small feat, due to the fact that when Lance did happen to experience brief periods of consciousness, he was confused and frightened by his surroundings since his earlier conversation with Dr. Shannon was now lost as was any other recall of his falling. Having very little memory of the events preceding his first awakening at the hospital created moments of near panic in the young man and, as a result, Mike had to repeatedly reassure him that there had not been an accident involving the others and that everyone was healthy and waiting for him in Dr. Shannon�s office upstairs.
Just as those who had been working on Lance left the room, there was a brief stirring on the gurney before a quiet, almost broken voice could be heard.
�Mike? Mike?�
�Yeah, Lance�whatcha� need, little man?� the bodyguard asked using calm tones, standing up from the rolling stool that he had pulled up beside Lance�s gurney. He leaned on the cool, rails surrounding the bed then reached out for the hand that Lance was waving slightly in the air. Carefully, being mindful of the wires and tubing surrounding the young man, Mike grasped the hand then lowered it to the hard mattress. Gently, he rubbed his rough thumb over Lance�s cool hand then reached out to push the call button to notify the nurses that the young man was once again conscious.
�Happened, Mike�wha�going on?� was the weak reply, the voice slightly slurred and warbling�a side effect of his concussion which Dr. Shannon had relabeled as being serious�a grade 3.
At that same moment, a voice came through a speaker on a wall above the gurney.
�Yes? May I help you, Mr. Headnot?� came the disembodied male voice.
�Wanted to let you know that Mr. Bass has regained consciousness,� Mike answered, glancing down at his watch�noting the time since he had been instructed to do so�the information would be noted on Lance�s chart along with how long the episode of wakefulness lasted. Mike knew that those attending to Lance were also keeping up with the information and this was just an effort on their part in making him feel more useful and he appreciated having something more to do.
�I�ll notify the doctor,� the voice said.
Mike unconsciously nodded in response then turned his attention back to Lance, watching as the young man�s features seemed almost pained and the expression on his face could be clearly read as confused and frightened.
�Mike? Mike? Others? Happened?� Lance asked, his voice cracking�his unfocused eyes darting back and forth before the bodyguard reached out and gently cradled one side of his face in his large hand, wincing at the cool and clammy feel of the young man�s skin.
�You�re in the hospital, Lance. You fell at your house and hit your head. The guys are upstairs in Dr. Shannon�s office�all safe and sound�promise,� Mike said, repeating the same, nearly practiced reply that he had been giving with each instance that Lance had reached any level of consciousness, no matter how shallow. If the young man�s eyes had even just briefly fluttered, he had been quick to convey to him that he and the others were safe and that he was being taken care of by Dr. Shannon.
In response to Mike�s quiet statement, Lance once again asked the same question, as if he had not even heard the bodyguard�s words and, in response, Mike repeated what he had just said not five seconds earlier watching as fat tears seeped from the corners of Lance�s eyes�his weak voice causing his words to become almost indiscernible above the sounds surrounding them as he asked the same question. Gently, Mike ran a thumb under Lance�s right eye, rubbing away the tears leaving traces of dampness upon the young man�s washed out features.
�Shhh, now�Lansten�you�re okay�so are the others,� Mike said. He continued to almost croon his words of comfort to the young man, watching as his eyelids slowly fluttered until they were only open at half-mast revealing very little of his bright, green, unfocused eyes. Mike took a deep breath before sitting back down on his stool, knowing that in minutes he would be going through the same situation all over again. Reaching out, he gently readjusted the thin blankets covering Lance�s form�his large hands and thick fingers smoothing the covers down, while at the same time keeping an eye on the young man. He was finding to be increasing difficult to not do something to somehow make the situation better�more comfortable for his charge. The bodyguard was more accustomed to correcting situations�to remedying problems as they arose and now that he couldn�t readily do that for Lance, he felt powerless and inadequate.
In the background, the gentle swishing of the pale, blue curtain surrounding them caused Mike to slightly turn on his stool to see who had entered their enclosure before turning his attention back to the still figure lying on the gurney when he recognized the approaching figure.
�How�s he doing?� Dr. Shannon�s voice asked quietly, watching the bodyguard continue to gently run a large, black hand up and down Lance�s pale, left arm, all the while speaking in low, rumbling tones so quiet that he could not clearly hear what was being said�not knowing that Mike was letting Lance know who had joined them.
Mike chanced a quick glance behind him, his frown all the answer that the doctor really needed.
�Not any better, doc. He� still asking about the others�wants to know what happened,� Mike answered turning, looking down to see that Lance�s eyes were now closed, his breathing relaxed and deep. He then stood up from his bent position, his large frame easily dwarfing the 6�3� doctor.
Dr. Shannon frowned, placing his hands first on his hips before crossing them over his chest, all the while going through options in his mind. Seconds later, he nodded, as if having made up his mind.
�I�m not sure who will benefit more�but�I think Lance could use some visitors for just a few minutes,� the doctor said quietly. �I had planned on going upstairs to let the others know how he�s doing and�if one or two of them are up to it, I�ll bring them back down with me in a little while.�
�That would be great, doc,� Mike said with a small smile. �I don�t think he really understands what�s going on but one of the guys might help out if they were down here when he wakes up again.�
�Well�okay�if he wakes up in the next few minutes, keep doing what you�ve been doing, Mike. I�m going to go work on getting reinforcements,� Dr. Shannon said, turning on his heel to leave the room while Mike once again leaned over the gurney as Lance quietly moaned as he stirred, once again reaching a shallow level of consciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Shannon stepped off the elevator, rubbing his neck with one hand while glancing at his watch, wincing at the time�4:00 a.m. Moments later, he reached his office door and quietly tapped on the door before slowly pushing it open. Just inside the doorway stood Lonnie, a guarded expression on his features until he realized who was opening the door.
�Oh, hi doc�sorry,� the bodyguard said sheepishly, moving to the side, allowing Dr. Shannon to enter the room. Just as he stepped fully into the room, Justin, JC, Chris and Joey, the gazes anxious and nervous, surrounded him.
�How�s he doing�when can we see him�is he awake yet�is it his heart?�
Their questions were quick, their tones almost desperate as they stood waiting, impatient for any information that the doctor could supply.
�Boys�boys�� the doctor said, raising his hands in an effort to get a word in edgewise as their questions continued, frowning when he couldn�t get their attention.
�Guys�quiet, now,� Lonnie said suddenly, his tone uncompromising as he motioned for the boys to step back toward the couches they had just jumped from moments earlier. �Go sit down�give the doc some room and I�m sure he�ll answer all your questions.�
Almost grudgingly the four returned to their seats on the couch�watching anxiously as the doctor pulled a chair from in front of his desk over to where they were seated, all the while watching them carefully in an effort to decide as to who could accompany him back downstairs.
Dread had instantly filled JC when the doctor entered the room�his features visibly paled while his hands began to slightly flutter, his eyes wide as he desperately searched Dr. Shannon�s features for any information only to find nothing other than the older man�s reassuring look.
At the same time, seated next to JC, Justin began swallowing heavily in an effort to push down the bile that threatened to rise up his throat. The long wait had given him, as well as the others enough time to imagine the absolute worse concerning Lance�s heart. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the nearby trashcan and he kept his eyes trained in the direction.
At that same moment, Lonnie, seeing what Justin was looking at, moved the can between the young man and JC, uncertain as to who might need it first by the looks of things.
On the other side of Justin, sat Joey. Several minutes earlier, he had regained control of himself�his tears having given him the much need opportunity to rid himself of some of the anxiety that he had been feeling. His expression seemed strong�almost calm and Lonnie was thankful for that fact. Knowing that Joey had been through so much caused the bodyguard to be especially mindful of keeping a watchful eye on the young man.
More than once, Lonnie had marveled at what all Joey had been able to withstand�Chris�s frantic phone call�searching for then finding Lance�keeping the others calm on top of caring for Lance while waiting for help�being the only one able to provide good information to the paramedics and accompanying Lance in the ambulance had been almost insurmountable tasks but he had remained in control throughout.
Last was Chris, who had also regained control of his emotions�his face now a stony mask hiding his true feelings and deepest fears for one of his youngest brothers. He took a deep breath, briefly closed his eyes before reopening them, his gaze unwavering as he stared at the doctor, waiting for anything that he would say about Lance.
While Lonnie was making his observations, Dr. Shannon was making his own in an effort to select who would best suit his and Lance�s needs.
�Justin�JC�definitely out of the running,� the doctor thought, taking in their pale features. �Judging by their expressions and body language�they wouldn�t help the situation any�so that leaves Joey and Chris�yep�they�ll do.�
�Doc?�
Lonnie�s voice broke the doctor�s concentration and mentally, he shook himself.
�Sorry,� he said, a small smile gracing his tired features as he glanced at the anxious faces staring intently at him.
�First let me reassure you that Lance is going to be fine. He�.�
�It wasn�t his heart?� Chris blurted out before Dr. Shannon had the chance to continue.
�No�you need to let me finish before you ask questions, Chris,� the doctor gently chided, raising his hands while trying to remain patient knowing that the young men were scared for Lance�just as much as he was.
�Sorry�it�s just��
�I know Chris�I understand how worried you are about Lance. It�s okay, son,� the doctor said quietly, reaching out to pat Chris on the knee as he gazed at the others, giving them another tired smile in the hopes that it would relieve some of the palatable anxiety in the room.
�Now�right now, Lance is resting rather comfortably downstairs in the ER. He�s pretty much out of it�meaning we have to re-explain everything to him each time he regains awareness. Mike has had to repeatedly let Lance know where he is�what happened to him,� he said as he gestured with his hands.
�He doesn�t remember what happened?� Justin asked in disbelief.
�Now�boys�he took a pretty heavy blow to the head when he hit his desk and has a grade three concussion, which is pretty serious and that explains his confusion and short term memory lapses. He�s been able to answer questions about what he did yesterday and several days before, but for the most part, today and this evening are gone. What little information he was able to supply when he first came to in the ER is gone and that is not uncommon with a grade three concussion.�
�Grade three?� JC asked, his voice small and uncertain. �What is that�what does it mean?�
�That sounds pretty bad, doc,� Joey added quietly�his voice just as small as JC�s.
�We use that label when a victim meets certain criteria, such as the short term memory loss. Since Lance lost consciousness more than once, from the information you gave us and each period was for an unknown but extended amount of time, we�ve given his concussion that classification. Now�I don�t want you to worry too much about the classification�it�s serious but he�s going to be okay. There are some minor complications, such as the short term memory loss, moderate to severe headaches and the like that we�ll be dealing with for the next several days�but really, he�s going to be fine. There should be no complications in the healing process other than the headaches. He�ll just need time and lots of rest. �
There were several sighs of relief then Chris spoke.
�Then why do I get the feeling that there�s a �but� statement coming?� he asked, cocking an eyebrow as he made bunny ears in the air with his fingers.
Dr. Shannon nodded his head conceding to Chris�s remark�admitting that there was indeed a �but� statement coming�at the same time knowing full and well it was not going to be taken very well by the group. That fact caused him to take a brief, deep breath before continuing.
�Okay�this is the deal,� he said, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees as he clasped his hands before him then fanned them out.
�We need to find out exactly why he fainted in the first place. Now�it may have been something as simple as exhaustion�fluctuations in his blood pressure levels or�possibly�his heart.�
�So�what do you think it is, doc?� Lonnie asked, looking intently at the older man. Having this new information from the doctor was bringing some sense to the one-sided conversation that he and the others had listened to. Chris had attempted to fully explain the conversation with Dr. Shannon to the others but his emotions had been running so high during the phone call that the majority of the words were lost before his attempt.
�In all honesty, Lonnie�I�m leaning more toward exhaustion�possibly a loss of blood pressure when he stood up from his desk chair. You�ve been rehearsing�right?� he said, addressing the rest of the group.
�Yes�for a few weeks,� Justin quietly answered. �It�s been hard�we�re being pushed and all, but it�s not been as bad as other times.� He looked at the others, who were nodding in agreement with his statement.
�We�ve had it a lot worse, doc�a lot worse,� JC added. �There are some new dances we�re working on and the studio schedule has kept us pretty busy too�but�� he said, shrugging his shoulders.
�He�s right, Dr. Shannon�� Joey said, gesturing toward JC. �We�re just working hard�but we�re all managing okay.�
�Well, then if rehearsals have been keeping you busy, you�ve all probably had to spread yourselves a little thinly in order to meet other obligations�right?� the doctor said, nodding when he heard the boys agree with his statement.
�Then, it�s safe to say that since Lance was found in his office, it�s my guess that he wasn�t just pushing himself in rehearsals and in the studio,� Dr. Shannon said, raising his eyebrows when he was met with four nods of agreement.
�So�tell me about what you do know about Lance and his schedule.�
�I did call him wanting to go out to eat tonight but he said he was too busy with Freelance stuff�� Chris said, his voice falling away when Joey spoke.
�He told me just this morning before rehearsals that he let things pile up some.�
�Me too,� Justin added, clearing his throat. �He told me the same thing a couple of days ago, but I really didn�t put too much into it. I mean�Lance�when he says he�s behind, it�s usually nothing he can�t take care of in a couple of hours.�
�Yeah�if I said the same thing, doc�it would be bad, but Lance?� JC interjected, waving a hand in the air. ��I�m the procrastinator�not Lance.�
Dr. Shannon nodded in agreement. Although he had only known the group for a short time�about two years, he knew enough about each of them to come to the same conclusion. Lance was not known as one to put off his responsibilities and he certainly wasn�t one to shirk them. In all reality, the doctor was certain that the young man had more irons in the fire than necessary and that Lance would be the last person to admit to it.
�So�what comes next, doc?� Lonnie asked. �Just what kinds of tests do you plan on running?�
�We�ve already drawn blood to check his blood sugar levels�we did that as soon as he came in and everything looked pretty good there. The levels were low but strenuous exercise and a lack of good diet and proper rest can explain that. An ECG is scheduled to for this evening.�
�What?� Justin asked, leaning forward toward the doctor with a confused look, which for the most part was being mirrored by the rest of the group.
�It�s a heart rate and rhythm test, Justin. Patches and wires will be attached to Lance�s chest and connected to a monitor and recorder. If there are any irregularities in Lance�s heart rhythm that may have caused his fainting episode, they�ll be identified using this test. Now�remember�I�m not expecting to find anything wrong with his heart, but I need to start somewhere and, since Lance is currently unable to provide us with much information, this is the best test to begin with,� Dr. Shannon said gazing intently at each of the young men.
�Do we need to call Jim and Diane?� Lonnie asked. �If you�re talking tests�maybe we should let them know.�
Dr. Shannon nodded his head in agreement. �I think that would be best, Lonnie.�
�I�ll do it,� Chris said quickly before the request could even be posed. �I�I really want to do that for Lance�please,� he added, looking at the others who simply nodded in agreement.
�If you�ll put them on speaker phone, I can answer any questions that they might have,� Dr. Shannon added as he watched Chris stand up and walk over to the doctor�s desk all the while wiping his hands nervously over his pants legs.
�Humph,� he said incredulously once he had taken the few short steps toward the phone. �All the courage I had just over there is gone,� he said pointing toward the couch before allowing the same hand to briefly hover over the phone. Seconds later�
�Diane? Ummm�this is Chris�ummm�yeah�something has happened to Lance�no, no�he�s okay�but, not okay��
He gazed desperately at Dr. Shannon who quickly stood up and punched a button on the phone causing Diane�s anxious voice to fill the room.
�Mrs. Bass? This is Kenneth Shannon��