(Scott)
We were all pretty subdued as we shuffled out of Austin's room, all wrapped up in our own thoughts. I was trying to tell myself he'd be OK. Even though I'd only know him for less than twenty-four hours, it was still hard to leave a friend in the hospital. And I did already consider him a friend. We'd laughed, talked, hung out, and worked together. I could only imagine how his band mates were feeling. I felt so bad for them—if it were any of my group lying in the hospital, I'd be beside myself. I imagined Mitchie lying there and just about lost it myself. I bit my lip hard trying to avoid crying. They were already taking it hard. I glanced at Rob, who kept on taking his glasses off and rubbing at his eyes. Tim was gnawing on his thumb again with wide glassy eyes. Wonder if he even realized that he does that. Chance kept clenching his fists, fingers digging into his palms, though he maintained his neutral expression. Poor Adam kept twirling a lock of hair around his finger. The five of us, by some kind of spoken agreement, were giving them their space. If they needed us, they'd let us know. I prayed they knew we'd do anything we could for them. I'd already volunteered Mitch up for them, to stand in for Austin if need be. I closed my eyes. I hoped to God it wouldn't come to that.
Tim, shuffling his way down the hall alongside me, made a kind of a strangled noise, and I looked up and over at him. I frowned—he was acting really strange, shaking his head. Then he grabbed it and I swear my heart started to pound. His eyes, already wide and glassy, were out of focus and his breath was coming short and ragged—when he was actually breathing. His throat and Adam's apple were going crazy, moving up and down.
"Tim?" I whispered, scared about out of my mind.
Mitch, walking to my left, peered around me to look at him. I felt his hand clutch around my arm. "What—," he started to say as Tim waved us off.
I was not one bit convinced. "Tim!" I said louder. Avi, who was two steps in front of Mitch and me, turned around just as Tim collapsed. Avi's and my mouths dropped open and Mitch let out his typical scream. I smacked him. "Quit screaming!"
He lowered his scream to a whimper, still clutching my arm with a death grip. I felt tears spring to my own eyes and carefully pried his fingers off me. "Mitchie, let go."
He closed his mouth and just stood there, frozen, with tears rolling down his face. My heart officially broke at that point and I froze, torn between a collapsed Tim and a pitiful best friend.
"Scott," Avi said my name. "Focus."
"Help!" I started shouting, at the door of the hospital. Half of us had already spilled out and were presumably trying to catch a cab while Avi, Mitch, Tim, and I were back here. "Help! Help! Help! Help!" I stood there just squawking like a chicken with its head cut off. I was attracting attention. Though it was exactly what I wanted.
"Scott!" Avi yelled at me, already kneeled over by Tim.
"What's going on?" A nurse ran over to me. Wordlessly, I pointed to Tim, who was still out on the floor. I finally stopped screeching and went over to him only to get pushed back.
"Give us room!" she told Avi and me pushing him aside as well. He darted over to Mitch and me as the nurse yelled something into her radio, something about codes, and the three of us bunched further together.
"What happened to him?" Avi asked us, biting his lip.
"I dunnooo," Mitch moaned into my shoulder.
"He—," I started before hiccuping. I bent my head forward and pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing a breath out and back in. Both Avi and Mitch looked alarmed as I did this. "I'm fine. Pulling myself together."
Avi nodded and I could see relief in his eyes. "No more passing out," he said, barely able to get the words out.
"Come here," I told him, then took him into Mitch's and my hug.
"He's awake!" somebody cried out as somebody else called out for some sort of drug. "Pulse is 140! We got to get it down!"
Avi's eyes nearly popped out. "Oh holy shit."
Mitch and I shared a terrified glance. Any relief I'd had when they'd said he was awake was chased away.
Kevin came back in. "Just got them—Home Free—in a cab. We're taking the next one."
"Bring them back!" Mitch shrieked.
"Not all of Home Free!" I told him, gesturing to Tim on the floor.
"Get him to the back, get him to the back!" a doctor was saying. "His blood pressure is crashing and I can't do anything out here!"
"Crashing?" Kevin froze, staring at Tim, horrified.
I ran out into the drop-off zone. "Stop! Wait! Stop!" I yelled frantically as the cab pulled off. How could they forget him?
Kirstie looked at me weirdly. "Scott, what the hell?
"Your phone, your phone!" I ordered, yanking it out of her hand when she pulled it out. "Damn it, what's any of their numbers?"
"Scott!" Kirstie slapped me. "Get a hold of yourself! What the hell is going on?"
"Tim—passed out," I gasped out, darting back inside with Kirstie on my heels. She screamed when she saw him being lifted onto a gurney.
"Oh my God!" she yelled. "I thought he was with you!"
"He was!" I snapped at her. "Until he passed out!"
"He is awake," Kevin told us. "They're taking him to the ER to deal with his vital signs."
"We got to get ahold of Home Free," Mitch was saying. "They are going to freak the fuck out."
"Austin!" I yelled, darting off with Kirstie's phone in my hand. "I'mma get Chance's number from Austin!"
"Good idea!" Mitch said, trying to keep up with me.
I took the stairs two at a time up to Austin's room and nearly barreled over several people mulling around in Austin's hallway. I ran into his room, probably looking like a deranged idiot. A nurse, who was checking Austin's blood pressure, looked up at me. He looked at me too, frowning.
"Sir, I am—," she began, irritated.
"This is important," I told her. "Crucial. Please."
"Please step out of the room. I am examining a patient," she stated evenly.
"I have to ask him—," I insisted, pleadingly.
"Please step out or I will have to call security," she reiterated.
"He's fine, Mary. Scott, what's—"
Kevin and Avi darted behind me, both shouting Austin's name.
Mary reached down and pressed his call button. "Send security to room 308."
"No—please!" Kevin asked her, a little out of breath.
"It's urgent," Avi begged her.
"Austin, what is Chance's phone number?" I asked him.
"Uhh..." He paused, watching our commotion.
Mitch and Kirstie came running in, both crying. "Didja get it?"
"Get what?" Austin asked, sitting up and getting concerned. "What's going on?"
"Get out of my patient's room!" Mary the nurse ordered.
"There a problem, Mary?" a beefy guy asked. He immediately grabbed Kevin, who allowed himself to be pulled away. "You causing trouble, man?"
"There's been an emergency downstairs," Kevin explained, still being pulled, rather viciously in my opinion, out the door.
"What happened?" Austin yelled.
"Quit manhandling Kevin," I ordered, eyes narrowed.
Avi's hand fell on me. "Scott. Be cool."
"Tim is seriously sick," Kevin was saying as he was pushed agains the halfway wall. "We need to get in touch with Chance."
"What?" Austin demanded, all color draining from his face. Another security guard pushed me against the wall, probably as a result of my mouth. "Let go of my friends!"
"When you are interfering with medical personnel, we have to ask you to leave," the guy on me said, grappling for my hands.
"We don't mean to interfere!" Kirstie yelped, having issues with her own security guard. "Please listen to Kevin!"
Austin was fit to be tied, fighting off his nurse. "What is wrong with Tim? Let my friends go!"
"Austin! Settle down!" The nurse was losing her fight.
"I am not settling down until your call these guards off my friends and let them tell me what is wrong with Tim!"
"Eek!" Mitch squealed, tossed out alongside Kevin and Avi, both of which had gone out without a fight. The dude on me managed to grab my wriggly hands and held them together as he started shoving on me. I dug my heels in and stood my ground. Yeah. Good luck pushing my 6'3" frame out.
"Austin! Lay down! Guys! His heart rate is skyrocketing!"
"Let Scott and Kirstie go!" he yelled, succeeding in pushing his nurse out of the way.
"Let them go," the nurse finally said, sitting a wobbly Austin back down.
Tears were running down Austin's face. "What is wrong with Tim?"
The guard let up on me and I took advantage of this to run to him. Avi did as well. We both dropped to our knees, knowing we'd need to break it to him as gently as possible.
"We're not entirely sure what is wrong with him just yet," Avi began softly.
"He was walking next to Mitch and me and he made some sort of strangled noise," I told him. I licked my lips. "I looked over at him, he grabbed his head, and was gasping for air before he passed out."
"Does he have asthma?" Kevin asked, re-entering the room but still being eyed suspiciously.
"No." Austin shook his head.
"He grabbed his head?" Kirstie asked, alarmed. "Remember, he's already knocked himself out once tonight."
"I know," Mitch said, crying.
"He's downstairs in the ER right now," I said.
"Where—where are Adam, Rob, and Chance?" Austin asked, then groaned, rubbing his temple. "The pain pill, please, Mary?"
"Pain pill." She went out to get it.
"In a cab, probably halfway to the hotel by now," Avi groaned.
"Which is why we need their phone numbers," I conclude.
Austin nodded to the locker next to the sink. "They're in my contact list. In my broken phone. Check my wallet; think I have their numbers written down on a card in there."
Mitch grabbed it. "Now who's got a working phone?"
"Not Rob," I remembered. "Not Adam. Not Tim—err, anyway. Chance—find Chance."
Mitch pawed through his wallet for a minute. "Chance, Chance.... was that Adam Chance?"
"Yep," Austin said as the nurse came back with his medicine and a small cup of water. He swallowed the pill down.
Mitch started to call him, but, as Austin's phone had been doused in the Great Bathroom Flood of 2016, was unable to call out. Kevin pulled his out of his pocket and handed it to me wordlessly.
"What's the number?" I asked, dialing it out as Mitch rattled it off.