So�This Is Montana� Ch. 11
Dr. Shannon busily worked his way around the now very crowded plane cabin. The plane had landed not 10 minutes ago and now, several ambulance attendants had joined him and the co-pilot, Jared Davis. Outside the plane were some very anxious parents waiting to have a glimpse of their sons along with some members of the group�s management team, including Johnny Wright.
Dr. Shannon glimpsed outside the plane and saw the Bass�s, Lynn Harliss, the Chasez�s, Mr. Fatone, and Mrs. Kirkpatrick.
�Don�t move them until I speak with the parents,� the doctor called over his shoulder. He quickly exited the small plane and was immediately surrounded by the anxious parents. Johnny Wright and the others remained on the outer fringes of the circle, trying to allow the parents their time with the doctor.
�How are they?� asked Mr. Fatone. It had been decided by the group that one of them should ask the necessary questions so that there would not be undue confusion. More questions that required detailed answers, it had been decided, would be asked later at the hospital.
�They�re doing as well as expected. Before we left Montana, we gave each of the boys a sedative to insure a comfortable flight. We had to administer another injection while in flight when we experience heavy turbulence and Justin and Chris were beginning to experience wakefulness.�
�What about JC, Lance and my boy?� Mr. Fatone asked.
�Joey and JC were given another dosage even though they were not showing signs of coming to. The turbulence was so heavy that we didn�t want to take the chance of having to attempt the injections later on.�
�What about Lance?�
Dr. Shannon ran a hand through his hair. His hesitation was enough to cause Mr. Bass to grasp his wife�s hand in anxiety. The doctor saw the movement and quickly spoke in order to help eliminate fears, but he knew that he was also going to be creating new fears with his words.
�Dr. Shannon?� Mrs. Bass asked as she stepped away from her husband and placed her hand on the doctor�s arm.
�Lance had a bad reaction to some pain medication in Montana�it was Vicodin. We had to put him in soft restraints in order to keep him from injuring himself.� He stopped long enough to let his words to briefly sink in before continuing.
�What kind of reaction�he had never had a reaction to that medication before,� Mrs. Bass said in disbelief. Dr. Shannon covered her hand with his and spoke in a calm manner.
�Lance was having moments of confusion, memory lapses and high agitation during times of wakefulness. When these episodes began to increase in frequency and intensity, we administered a heavy sedative before leaving the clinic.�
�That�s not all that happened�is it? Mr. Bass asked when he heard a slight hesitation in Dr. Shannon�s voice.
Dr. Shannon shook his head slowly before continuing with his explanation of Lance�s condition.
�With the heavy turbulence and the medication that we administered in Montana, Lance�s system rebelled. He briefly awoke about 45 minutes ago and vomited�into his oxygen mask.� The Bass�s immediately gasped at the news and it was a second or two before the others completely understood the doctor�s words.
�Did he aspirate any of the fluid?� Mrs. Chasez asked. Dr. Shannon looked at her in surprise and shook his head.
�What does that mean?� Mr. Bass asked. Just the sound of the word sent a chill down his spine.
�It�s when fluid is breathed into the lungs,� his wife answered. �Did he, Dr. Shannon�did any of the vomit go into my son�s lungs?� she asked
�We believe that he didn�t. We reached him very quickly and used suction to pull out what remained in his mouth and throat after we had turned him on his stretcher. We�ll be able to run some tests and x-rays at the hospital to make sure but, as a preventative measure, I�ve already planned to begin treating him with strong antibiotics to prevent infection and he�ll stay a day or two longer than the others under observation at Mercy General.�
�So�he�s going to be okay? They�re all going to be okay?� Mr. Fatone asked.
Dr. Shannon nodded as he answered, �Yes, they�re all going to be just fine. We�re going to keep them all for at least the next 24 hours under observation.�
Any further comments were put on hold when the first stretcher was carried off the plane. The anxious parents stepped forward in order to see who the occupant was and a small cry rose from Lynn Harliss as she recognized her son�s trademark curls poking from beneath the sheets that had been pulled up over his face. She quickly moved to Justin�s side, reached for his limp hand and grasped it before pulling the sheets back to reveal her sleeping son�s pale face hidden beneath an oxygen mask. Still bent over her son, Lynn looked over her shoulder at the doctor, her face streaked with tears.
�Thank you for bringing our boys home,� she whispered.
�Yes�thank you,� the others replied as more stretchers were carried from the plane to waiting ambulances. For the next serval minutes, each parent was reunited with their child in almost the same emotional manner. A separate ambulance was used for each of the unconscious young men and the parents were quickly hustled into each respective ambulance with their son. As soon an ambulance was loaded and the doors were shut, it would race away to its destination.
Soon, the only parents waiting were Lance�s. Dr. Shannon saw that they beginning to feel the strain of the last 2 days and he quickly tried to reassure them
�I told them to make Lance last,� Dr. Shannon explained. �I wanted to check his vitals one more time before putting him in the ambulance. I�ll be back in a few minutes�
With that said, the doctor quickly climbed the stairs back into the plane. A few moments later, two attendants descended the stairs carrying the last stretcher.
Mr. and Mrs. Bass quickly made their way to their son�s side and pulled back the sheets covering his face. Both had to work hard to fight their tears when they saw how pale Lance�s features were, but they found that there really wasn�t any time for crying now. Dr. Shannon quickly motioned the attendants to move on to the ambulance and then he asked the Bass�s to follow him. Once Lance had been placed into the waiting ambulance, Dr. Shannon and the Bass�s quickly climbed in. When Dr. Shannon sat on the small bench inside the back of the ambulance he leaned his head against the wall and breathed a small sigh of relief. He felt a hand tightly grasped his and brought his head back up to look at a teary eyed Mrs. Bass.
�Thank you for bringing my boy home, doctor�thank you very much,� she whispered. Dr. Shannon patted her hand, then leaned over Lance�s unconscious form and began the task of checking his vitals.
Three weeks later, the car accident that sent Dr. Shannon to Montana was all but just a memory for all those involved. All that remained were a few scars, bandages and the cast on Lance�s arm.
�I�ll be so glad when the doc takes this thing off my arm,� Lance complained as he carefully poked a bent coat hanger underneath the cast to get at an itch. He and the rest of the group were at Jive studio for the afternoon, busily recording a song that they were considering for their next album. Justin, JC and Chris had left the room for a snack, leaving Lance and Joey to themselves during their brief break.
�Man�you shouldn�t be doing that,� Joey said as he attempted to grab at the hanger, but stopped himself when he saw the look on Lance�s face.
�If you don�t want to make use of this hangar, you will leave me alone,� Lance said in a low growl.
�Oooh, Poofoo has a temper,� Joey said with a grin as he leaned back in his chair.
�Don�t call me that,� Lance retorted. He then gave Joey a little push causing him to fall out of the chair onto the floor.
�Hey�that was uncalled for,� Joey said with a slight grin as he picked himself off the floor.
�What happened?� Justin, Chris and JC came back into the room. They quickly passed out small bags of chips and canned cokes to Joey and Lance.
�Lance here pushed�� Joey began.
�Lance�you shouldn�t be doing that,� JC said, watching Lance attempting to satisfy the incessant itch that he was experiencing under the cast.
�Leave him alone JC,� Justin said. �I remember what that felt like wearing that cast in Germany when I fell on stage and broke my thumb.�
�Thank you, Justin,� Lance said with a small smile as he pulled the hanger out from under his cast and dropped it onto the floor behind his chair.
�But, Dr. Shannon said�� JC began, but stopped when he realized that his words would only be ruffling feathers. He shrugged his shoulders then popped open his drink and took a sip.
�So�what�s next on the agenda, Scoop?� Chris asked. He sat down in a nearby chair and began to slowly spin himself in circles.
�Um�we have a�uh�meeting with�Chris would you�Chris�stop it!� Lance sputtered in an exasperated tone of voice as he watched the older man�s spinning increase its speed. �I think I�m going to be sick,� he added as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Chris stopped his spinning and Joey laughed aloud when he saw the dizzy look on his friend�s face and the look of frustration on Lance�s.
�Cool ride?� Justin asked as he and JC joined in with the laughter.
�Better than anything at Disney,� Chris giggled as he watched the room continue to spin about him.
The group laughed at the comments and continued to eat their snacks as they waited for their manager, Johnny Wright, to show up. Minutes later, the older man entered into the room and sat down in a nearby chair.
�Hi guys,� he said as he shook his head no to the snacks offered to him by Lance and JC. �Thanks, but you eat it,� he said.
�What�s up Johnny?� Chris asked as he stood up to gather everyone�s trash from the table and carried it to a nearby trashcan.
�Well, I wanted to talk to you about rescheduling your vacation to Montana,� Johnny answered with a smile.
�Really?� Lance asked in excitement. �I spoke with Mr. Benson the other day and told him that I didn�t know when we might be able to visit.�
�Well, how does about 3 weeks from now sound?� Johnny asked as he laid out his calendar in front of everyone. �I�ve done a little shuffling around and it looks like you�ll be able to spend about 2 weeks there like you had planned the first time.�
�Are you kidding us?� Lance asked. He looked at the rest of the group and saw that they were just as excited as he was.
�No�no I�m not,� Johnny reassured the group as he quickly pointed out the changes in the schedule. �I�ll give you an updated schedule by the end of the day and that�s the end of this meeting. You�ve got some work to finish in the studio so get going.� Johnny pushed his chair back stood up.
�Thanks Johnny,� Lance said as he gave Johnny a quick pat on the back. �Yeah, Johnny�thanks!� the rest of group exclaimed as they also stood up to leave the room. Johnny only smiled and gathered his papers together as he watched the boys leave the room.
Once, out of the room, the boys could barely contain their excitement over the news as they began walking down the long corridor leading toward another portion of the building, which held the recording studios.
�I can�t believe that Johnny was able to do that for you, Lance,� Justin commented, his voice full of excitement for Lance and the rest of the group.
�Not just for me, but for all of us,� Lance corrected. �He could have just let me go, but he�s letting all of us go.�
�Man�I can�t wait to see your ranch,� Chris said as he clapped Lance on the back.
�Yeah�the pictures don�t do it justice I bet,� JC added.
�Yeah�they don�t,� Lance answered with a grin on his face. �I�m going to call Mr. Benson right now and let him know when we�ll be coming,� Lance said to the group, once they had entered the hallway leading back toward the recording studios. He quickly sat down on a nearby chair and began to dial the familiar number on his cell phone.
�Okay�we�ll be waiting for you,� JC called out over his shoulder as he and the rest of the group continued to walk down the hallway.
�Tell Mr. B hi for us,� Joey called out.
Lance smiled and waved as he began speaking into the phone.
�Mr. Benson�this is Lance Bass��
�Who was that Mr. Benson?� Steven Cartwright, Harvey Benson�s head ranch hand asked as he entered the business office located in the ranch house.
Harvey Benson stood up and crossed the room to hang up the phone. �That was the ranch owner,� he said with a smile.
He turned to face Steven and saw a look that did not seem quite right.
�Something wrong Steve?� Mr. Benson asked.
�No sir,� Steven answered. He cleared his throat and wiped a hand over his face. He then took his Stetson hat off his head and pulled a rough hand through his wavy hair. Harvey Benson watched the man�s movements briefly then sat down at his desk and pointed at a nearby chair. �Take a load off.�
�Sure thing Mr. B,� Steve answered. He sat down and began to fidget with the Stetson hat that he had in his hands.
�Like I asked�is anything troubling you, son?� Harvey picked up a pen from his desk and began to busily write on his large desk calendar.
�No sir�everything�s just peachy.�
Harvey gave a short laugh at the remark and laid his pen down. �Got some good news, Steve.� Harvey turned in his chair to face the younger man. �That was Lance Bass on the phone.�
�Oh really?� Steve answered, with sudden interest.
�Yeah,� Harvey answered with a broad grin on his face. �He and the rest of the group will be out here in about 3 weeks to visit the place.�
�How long will they be here Mr. B?� Steven Cartwright found it very difficult to conceal the dark anger he was beginning to feel at that moment, but his employer, or former employer, didn�t catch the bitterness in his voice. He was too excited at the good news to notice.
�Their manager is giving the group two weeks vacation time to spend here.� Harvey�s grin was genuine and almost contagious for the ranch hand, but not contagious enough. He forced a fake grin and nodded his head. �Sounds like you�re really excited about this, Mr. B.�
�I am�I am,� he answered. �If you had only seen those boys in the clinic, Steve�� Harvey let his voice drop as he momentarily took himself back to when he first laid eyes on the entire group at the small county clinic almost a month ago.
�Those boys were very lucky to have survived that car crash,� he said in a whisper.
Steven Cartwright looked down at his hat and sneered. �They won�t be so lucky this next time,� he thought. He looked over at Mr. Benson and saw that he was still lost in his thoughts. Steven stood up and his movement seemed to bring Harvey out of his thoughts.
�Hope their luck doesn�t run out this time,� Steven said, in mock sincerity.
�Me too�me too,� Harvey murmured.
�Got work to do, Mr. B,� Steven said as he walked out of the room.
�See you at supper then.�
�Yes sir,� the younger man called over his shoulder as he opened the front door and left the house.
Steven immediately went to the bunkhouse and found one of his fellow ranch hands, John Williams.
�John�we have some plans to make,� Steven said in a voice full of hatred.
�How long we got?� John asked as he sat down on his bunk. They and a few of the other ranch hands had known that eventually the new owner of Hickory Hill Ranch would be returning to Montana. They also knew that they were going to insure that the visit would be one that the owner and his friends would want to forget.
�Three weeks�� Steven answered with a smile.
�Just long enough,� John replied with a laugh.