"He's not breathing!!" I heard a nurse yell to a doctor. Grabbing my chest, I tried to peek into the crowded ER room. There he was laying on the bed, lifeless. His face was pale and pastey, and I could see clear tubes and wires being wrapped around his neck. His blonde hair was caked with dried blood. Several small machines were surrounding his bed, each had a different sent of numbers or symbols.
"Clear!" I heard a doctor scream. Ryan's chest rose, above as his head went limp. The sounds of the ER were peircing into my head. A loud machine started a long period of buzzing sounds. My heart was beating out of my chest. Grabbing my ears I slid down to the floor and burried my head in my lap.
"He's going to make it. He will be ok. He is going to make it. He will be ok." I soflty whispered to myself.
Memories of Ryan and I began to play in my head, one standing out. I focused on that memory and drifted off into a blurry haze.
It was the summer before our freshman year. Ryan and I had worked all summer so we could see our favorite band, Skillet. On the day of the concert we went to go buy our tickets and found out they had sold out months before. Of coarse we were mad, but it was a friday night, so we could do whatever we wanted. We ended up renting some five dollar movies and having at movie night as his place. I remember him laying down with me, laughing at the old 80's scary movies. Ryan made me who I am today,..Now I wonder If I'll ever see his face again, or hear his voice.
A warm hand landed on my shoulder blasting me back to reality. I raised my head to find Neil standing beside me, his eyes were dark and red.
"Oh, Neil." I said standing up. He wrapped his arms around me pulling me close. His shirt smelt of cologne, I could feel my tears running down my face and onto his chest.
"Have you heard anything? " he asked. His voice was low and soothing.
"Last thing I heard was...he wasn't breathing, then they shut the doors." I said. My voice was nothing like his, it was shakey.
"Stay here, I'll go check it out." He let me go and walked to the door labed ER. Gently he pushed on it, but it was locked. I watched as he walked down an empty hall in search of a nurse.
Neil returned with a nurse, she was short with bright blonde hair. Her dark bags under her eyes showed she had been her for a long.
"Here's the deal. Ryan survived the crash," she said. I let out a deep sigh and started to cry.
"Thank god!" I said. Neil gently smiled and stepped torwards me.
"Wait, listen, Ryan's condition is very serious. He's got what we call an Anoxic Brain injury. That means he has little oxygen traveling to his brain. Which results in unconsciousness. As of right now, he is in ICU."
The lump in my throat began to grow, I placed my hand on my chest and felt my heart thumping a million beats for second.
"When can we see him?" Neil asked her.
She reached into her deep pockets and pulled out a small clipboard that contained several small clips. I watched her eyes move among the page as she read. "Now, but it will have to be fast. Come with me. "
We followed her down a series of halls, the white floor tiles had changed from green to a bright blue and back to green. She stopped infront of a small room, I tried to peer inside, but a series of checked curtians blocked my view.
"Ok, visiting hours ended ten minutes ago, so make this quick." she said. I nodded and slowly opened the door.
It was nothing like I expected. Neil shut the door behind me and followed me deeper into the room.
Ryan was laying on a tall bed raised up by metal bars. His left leg was wrapped in a thick opal colored cast. My eyes traveled up the thin sheet covering his limp body. I slowly walked beside his bed and slid my fingers between his, they were warm. My eyes rested on the series of wires that were stuck in his arm. Red, Blue, and clear liquids were dripping from plastic bags hoisted by metal poles.
"He looks so,...so, ... lifeless."I whispered.
His face was still pale, but the thing that got me was his mouth. A large blue tube went from a white humming machine and down his throat, two tubes were placed in each nostril. I ran my other hand through his hair, they must have washed it. Any sign or blood was gone.
"Lauren,.."Neil whisped. He was looking at Ryan's tubes as well.
A small knock on the door caused me to jump, followed by the blonde nurse entering the room. "I'm so sorry, but you have to leave now.
"Thank you for letting us see him." I looked at her brown eyes. I glanced at Ryan one last time, I wished to stay so much longer. I moved around a machine and kissed his cheek. It didn't feel right, he didn't smell like his cologne, he wasn't as warm. Grabbing his hand I whispered," Until then."
The nurse guided me and Neil into the hall. "You can get to the front entrance through that door, take a left when you see the silver elevators."
"Again thank you. " Neil said. She nodded and turned around walking away.
As we were leaving I felt Neil's hand brush againist mine, then he guided his fingers through and gripped my hand tight. It was a new feeling, but I liked it.
"Laruen? Neil? " the nurse called out behind us. We turned to find her jogging torwards us. When she caught up she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag. Opening it she pulled out a silver necklace, Ryan's silver necklace.
"I thought you would like to keep this for him, until he gets better." she said forcing a smile.
I slid the necklace over my head and grabbed the smalled pendant. It was the necklace I had got him for his fourteenth birthday.
"Thank you." I said. She left and we continued to leave.
I gripped Neil's hand and closed my eyes. My life was changing every second, and I hated it each minute.
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I included a picture of Lauren for you guys!!
