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Things Happen For a Reason

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Steve entered the hospital on Community General. He said hello to some of the personnel he recognized as he made his way to the Pathology Lab. He wasn’t there for work though. He just knew that’s where his father would be. After all, Mark visited Amanda at least once or twice a day and usually around the same time. Steve reached the Path Lab and walked in. Sure enough, Mark was in there with Amanda, as well as Jesse.

??????????? “What is everyone doing in here?” Steve asked.

??????????? “Hiding.” Jesse replied.

??????????? “Hiding?” Steve asked. “Who are you hiding from?”

??????????? “He’s just kidding.” Mark said. “Jesse seems to be in a very playful mode today.”

??????????? “Well, are you ready to go home dad?” Steve asked. Mark’s car was being repainted and therefore he was stuck without a car. Steve had dropped Mark off at work and came back to pick him up.

??????????? “Yup, I’m ready Steve.” Mark replied.

??????????? “My shift ended two hours ago.” Jesse replied. “I think I’ll walk out with you.”

??????????? The three of them left the Pathology Lab and headed for the parking garage. Surprisingly, Steve had parked only a few cars away from Jesse without even realizing. Jesse said goodbye and hopped in his car. Steve and Mark continued walking until they reached Steve’s truck. Steve thought for a moment as he climbed into his truck. It had been through a lot. It was shot at, burnt, and not to mention stolen and tossed into the LA river. Steve never thought he would have it looking so bright and white again but sure enough he lucked out.

??????????? Mark climbed into the passenger seat and Steve started the engine. He pulled out and began to drive when he noticed Jesse was still in his parking spot. Steve pulled up to Jesse’s car. He put his car in park and told his father to stay put.

??????????? Steve climbed out of the car and noticed that Jesse was just sitting in the driver seat.

??????????? “Jess, what are you doing?” Steve said. “You think you might put the key in the ignition and try starting it up first?”

??????????? “Well aren’t we funny today.” Jesse said with a laugh. “My car won’t start. The engine just keeps cranking.”

??????????? Steve proceeded to the front of the car and lifted the hood. Everything seemed alright with the car but he wasn’t a mechanic.

??????????? “Jess, I don’t know what’s wrong.” Steve said. “Why don’t you just come home with my dad and I, have dinner, and I’ll drive you home. We’ll call a mechanic and get your car looked at. I can drive you around for now.”

??????????? “Thanks Steve I appreciate it.” Jesse said. Jesse stepped out of his car, locked his doors, and hopped into the truck along with Mark.

??????????? “Jess’s car wouldn’t start.” Steve said as he climbed back in.

??????????? “Oh well looks like Jesse will be eating dinner at our house then.” Mark said. “Is Chinese alright?”

??????????? “Dad, it’s Jesse. The kid will eat anything.” Steve said.

??????????? “Hey Steve, I don’t eat anything, only the edible stuff.” Jesse said. “For example, I would never touch your cooking.”

??????????? “Oh you’re real funny. Just remember who’s driving you home tonight.” Steve said.

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??????????? Steve’s truck pulled into the empty driveway of the beach house. The three occupants inside climbed out, and entered the house. Mark immediately went into the kitchen to get the number for the Chinese restaurant while Jesse scanned the menu over numerous times.

??????????? Steve left the house to pick up the food. He was after all the only person in the house with a working vehicle and NO one was able to drive his car. His truck was like his precious and priceless child.

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??????????? Steve returned about ten minutes later. “My God, dad.” Steve said. “How much food did you order?” Steve entered the house carrying two large grocery bags filled with food.

??????????? Mark chuckled. “Well, Jess is here so I assumed I should order half of the menu.” Steve and Mark both laughed and even Jess let out a chuckle. After dinner, Mark retired to his bedroom. Jesse and Steve sat together on the couch in the living room drinking a beer.

??????????? “So Jess. What time do you have to be in work tomorrow?” Steve asked.

??????????? “Not until 9:00 AM. I can call Amanda and ask her to pick me up.” Jesse said.

??????????? “No Jess, it’s okay. I don’t mind. Why don’t you just spend the night anyway? You would do the same for me and you’ve been there for me. What’s one ride to the hospital?” Steve asked.

??????????? “Thanks Steve.” Jess replied. “I appreciate it.” Jesse took the last swig from his beer. “If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to call it a night also. All that eating made me tired.”

??????????? “It’s a wonder why you’re not always tired then.” Steve said and laughed. He finished his beer. “Night Jess. We’ll leave here tomorrow around 8:30 in case there’s traffic. See you then.”

??????????? “Alright Steve.” Jesse said. “See you tomorrow morning. I’ll make breakfast.”

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??????????? The next morning, Steve woke, showered, dressed, and hurried upstairs. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he could smell eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes. He knew Jesse had to be the one behind this because his dad would not make that much to eat. Steve reached the kitchen and sure enough, Jesse was in there making food for everyone.

??????????? “What’s all this?” Mark asked as he entered the room.

??????????? “Looks like Jesse decided to cook breakfast for everyone.” Steve said.

??????????? “Everyone is right. This could feed an army.” Mark said.

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??????????? Jesse finished cooking and separated everything onto three plates. They sat together and enjoyed their meal. After breakfast, Mark cleared the table and cleaned up. Steve looked at his watch. It was already 8:45. Jesse had to be at work in fifteen minutes and Steve knew the traffic was going to be horrible.

??????????? “Jess, hurry up!” Steve yelled. “It’s late and you’re going to be even later if we don’t leave now.”

??????????? Jesse quickly got up, grabbed his lab coat, and headed out the door behind Steve.

??????????? “Bye dad!” Steve yelled.

??????????? “Bye Mark! Thanks again.” Jesse hollered.

??????????? “See you guys. No problem Jess.” Mark replied. The front door shut and Mark was left, by himself, to clean up.

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???? ~*~

??????????? “The traffic on PCH is probably going to be horrible.” Steve said. He quickly increased speed as they traveled along the road.

??????????? “Steve relax. If I’m late I’m late. It’s no big deal.” Jesse said.

??????????? “Jess, it’s my fault if you’re late. I’m going to get you there on time.” Steve said.

??????????? Steve looked at his watch. It read 8:55. “We’re almost there.” Steve said as they neared the intersection about three blocks from Community General. The light was green and Steve continued to drive. As his truck entered the intersection, a driver from the opposite direction him hit them straight on. The opposing car slammed into Steve’s truck and everything went black.

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????? ~*~

??????????? Dr. Amanda Bentley stood in the Emergency room awaiting the two car crash. It had been phoned in to the hospital. Amanda wondered why Jesse wasn’t already there at the hospital helping her. She couldn’t handle this trauma by herself. All together there were three victims. She had no idea what condition any of the victims were in except for that they were all critical. The first victim came in. He wasn’t critical, because he was already DOA. Amanda had him sent to her Pathology Lab for an autopsy to be performed.

??????????? The second victim was being wheeled in as well. Amanda rushed over to the gurney and froze. Below her, lay Jesse. He was badly injured and she had no idea what had happened or what would happen next.

??????????? “Oh my god, Jess.” Amanda said. “Can you hear me?”

??????????? Jesse woke for all of thirty seconds to hear Amanda talking. “Steve.” Jesse said. Everything around him went black and he once again drifted out of consciousness. Amanda assessed his injuries. He had some internal bleeding and possibly some broken bones. Amanda wasn’t concerned about his bones though. She wanted to concentrate on the bleeding.

??????????? “Take him to the OR stat.” Amanda said. “Tell them I want to be paged the second he comes out of the Operating Room.”

??????????? Jesse was wheeled out of the trauma room and onto the elevator. His vitals were stable but he was still very critical.

??????????? About fifteen minutes later, the next victim was being brought in.

??????????? “Sorry we took so long doc.” The paramedic said. “They had to use the jaws of life to get the door off the car to get him out. Vitals are stable right now but he’s bad.”

??????????? Amanda rushed over to the gurney still concerned about Jesse and nearly fainted. It was Steve. Amanda remembered Jesse saying his name but she didn’t know that’s why. “Take your ambulance and go over to Dr. Mark Sloan’s house. Tell him Dr. Travis and his son were brought in and he needs to get here fast!” Amanda said to one of the paramedics. They both rushed out and headed away.

??????????? “Get this man to trauma two, stat!” Amanda hollered. Steve was wheeled into the trauma room and Amanda took control of the situation. She thought she was going to be sick but she knew her friends needed her. “Steve, can you hear me?” Amanda said. There was no response. His vitals began to drop and Amanda knew something was seriously wrong.???????????

??????????? “Get a crash cart in here, now!” Amanda said. Steve began to seizure and all at once, it stopped as well as his heart. It no longer beat. Amanda shocked him two or three times and finally he was back with steady vitals. Steve also suffered from internal bleeding. Amanda had no idea what other injuries Steve and Jesse suffered besides the bleeding. She didn’t want to waste any time.

??????????? “Take him to OR also. I want to be paged when both he and Dr. Travis are out of the operating rooms and into ICU.” Amanda said.

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ~*~

??????????? Mark was sitting in the living room when he heard a knock at the door. He got up and opened the door. He was surprised when he saw two paramedics standing at his front door with an ambulance parked in his driveway.

??????????? “Can I help you with something?” Mark asked.

??????????? “Dr. Sloan.” One of the paramedics spoke.

??????????? “Yes, that’s me.” Mark replied.

??????????? “Dr. Bentley sent us. Dr. Travis and your son were involved in a car accident. She wanted you to come to the hospital as soon as possible. We’re here to pick you up.” The paramedic said.

??????????? Mark nearly fainted. He remembered the phone call from Chief Masters telling him his son had been shot. Now, his son was in a bad accident. Mark jumped back to reality.

??????????? “Let’s go.” He said. Mark left his house, and hopped into the ambulance. The lights and sirens began and they were on their way.

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ~*~

??????????? Amanda sat in the ER waiting room not sure what to do. All she could do was worry about her two best friends.

??????????? “Amanda!” a voice yelled. Amanda jumped up and looked. She saw Mark running towards her.

??????????? “Amanda.” Mark said. “Please, how are they? How is Jesse? How is Steve?”

??????????? “Mark,” Amanda replied. “I don’t know. They both had internal bleeding and were taken to the OR about an hour ago. I know they have other injuries but I wanted the bleeding to be controlled as fast as possible.”

??????????? “I want to see them. I want to see Steve.” Mark said.

??????????? “Mark. They’re going to page me the second both of them get out of the OR. They’ll be put side to side in the ICU so we can watch them.” Amanda said. “Mark it’s hard but we need to be strong. They’re going to need us. They still have a lot of injuries we haven’t discovered yet.”

??????????? Mark gave Amanda a big hug. “Amanda, I don’t know if I can do this.” He said. “What if he doesn’t make it?”

??????????? “Mark, he’ll make it.” Amanda said. “They’re both fighters. Steve has been shot, burned, tortured, and many other things, and each time he has overcome it. Jesse will pull through too.”

??????????? At that moment, Amanda’s pager went off. She rushed to the nurse’s station and called. She spoke for a moment or two and hung up.

??????????? “They’re out of surgery, both of them. Let’s go to the ICU and see them.” Amanda said.??????????

??????????? The elevator doors to the 4^th floor opened and the two doctors stepped off. They entered the ICU and saw Steve and Jesse lying side by side, motionless.

??????????? “Doctor.” Mark said.

??????????? “Doctor Sloan.” The surgeon spoke. “Steve was involved in a major car crash. He suffered internal bleeding in his abdomen. We were however able to stop the bleeding. He has some other injuries I assume. As you know the next twenty-four hours are crucial though. After that, we can assess the other injuries.”

??????????? “What about Jesse?” Amanda asked.

“It’s basically the same thing. They’re both very lucky to be alive. If you’ll excuse me, I have some other patients to attend to. If you need me, have one of the nurses page me.”

??????????? “Thank you.” Amanda said.

??????????? Mark walked over to where Steve and Jesse were laying. “Amanda, do you know what happened?” Mark asked.

??????????? “From what I gather, a car ran a red light and hit them head on. They think the other driver was drunk. They said it was bad. The firefighters had to use the jaws of life to get him out.” Amanda replied.

??????????? “What about the other driver?” Mark asked.

??????????? “ DOA.” Amanda spoke. “He’s in my pathology lab waiting.”

??????????? Mark looked back down at his son. A breathing tube was in his mouth helping him breathe. Jesse also had a breathing tube. Both men were hooked up to a bunch of wires. They were vital wires though. Amanda and Mark pulled up chairs next to both men and sat. They finally fell asleep beside the bodies of their friends.

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ~*~

??????????? Mark woke up and looked around the room. It was dark. He looked at his watch. It read 11:45 PM. He thought it had all been a dream. Then he looked around and noticed his surroundings. He was in Community General and in front of him laid his son fighting to survive. Next to him was his best friend, Jesse.

??????????? Mark sat staring at the monitors that showed him that both Steve and Jesse were still alive. Suddenly, he noticed a change in Jesse’s vitals. His heart beat began to slow and his pulse began to slow down as well. Mark kept a careful watch on Jesse but his vitals began to fall even more.

??????????? “Amanda! Wake up!” Mark yelled. Amanda woke up startled.

“Mark, what is it?” she asked

??????????? “ Jesse’s going into shock and his heart is about to stop.” Mark replied. “Look at his vitals. Get a crash cart and a team in here now!”

??????????? Amanda rushed out of the room. Jesse’s heartbeat stopped. He had no signs of life. Mark quickly began CPR. Amanda returned about a minute later with some doctors and a team of nurses. They quickly helped Jesse and brought him back.

??????????? Mark and Amanda both gave a sigh of relief and embraced in a hug. Neither of them knew what they would do without Jesse or Steve in their life. Jesse’s vitals slowly began to climb until they were back to normal.

??????????? “That’s one of the things we always worry about with critical patients.” The doctor said. “Nice job catching it doc.” He said as he gave Mark a pat on the shoulder. He left the room. Mark sat with Amanda, both keeping a close eye on Steve and Jesse. They couldn’t lose them now. They had come to far.

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?????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????? ~*~

??????????? Each hour passed by, slowly. Finally, daylight broke through the windows. Jesse and Steve had both reached their twenty-four hour time period. If they survived the night, which they did, their chances of survival were higher.

??????????? The doctor who performed the surgeries, named Dr. Hando, came in to check on Steve and Jesse.

??????????? “How are they doing?” Hando asked Mark.

??????????? “They seem alright. After Jesse’s scare there wasn’t much change in either of their vitals.” Mark replied.

??????????? “That’s great news.” Dr. Hando said. “I’m just going to check to make sure no infection is beginning to occur and I want to evaluate them over.”

??????????? Dr. Hando checked Jesse first. He examined him to the fullest extent making sure everything was okay. “Looks like he broke his collarbone.” Dr. Hando said. “That’s the least of our worries now. Other than that, he seems to be doing already.”

??????????? Hando then moved on to Steve. He checked him over too.

??????????? “Mark.” Dr. Hando said.

??????????? “What is it? What’s wrong with Steve?” Mark asked. Amanda could hear the panic in his voice and went to comfort Mark.??????

??????????? “Steve doesn’t seem to be responding the way he should be. He doesn’t react to any light or anything else. I’m not sure what we can expect. We have to keep a close eye on him.” Dr. Hando said.

??????????? Mark slumped down into his chair with Amanda by his side.

??????????? “Whatever it takes.” Mark said. Dr. Hando left the room and Mark checked Steve himself. He wasn’t responding the way he should be.

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ~*~

??????????? The next few days were touch and go. Jesse began to respond to the voices he heard by squeezing hands. However, he had not yet opened his eyes or taken a breath on his own since he entered the hospital. Steve however still laid motionless in his bed, not responding to anyone or anything around him. Mark began to worry. He had already lost his daughter. He couldn’t lose his son too.

??????????? That night Mark sat besides Steve’s bed and began to talk to him. Mark tried to talk with Steve every night to see if he would get any response. Sometimes Mark didn’t know what to talk about. Tonight, he told Steve that he needed him. He couldn’t live without him and how much he loved him. Mark held Steve’s hand and suddenly, Mark felt the hand he held squeezing his. He looked down and noticed that Steve had squeezed his hand. Mark opened Steve’s eyes and checked them with a light. Sure enough, they were responding to the light. Steve was not brain dead as the doctors originally began to believe. Slowly, Steve’s eyes began to flutter open. He looked around the room, noticed his father and tried his hardest to smile. He was still very tired though.

??????????? “Steve, it’s me, dad.” Mark said. Mark paged the doctor and Dr. Hando was surprised when he saw Steve’s eyes open.

??????????? “Steve, how are you feeling?” Dr. Hando said. He went towards Mark. He looks alright Mark, but I want to keep that tube in his mouth for the night and he’s okay tomorrow, we’ll remove it and move him to another room.”

??????????? “Did you hear that Steve?” Mark asked. Steve looked at Mark. “You get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.” Steve nodded his head in agreement and closed his eyes and slept.

??????????? Meanwhile, Jesse was not improving. He responded to people’s voices but he wouldn’t open his eyes or breathe on his own. Amanda began to worry. The longer a patient stays on a breathing tube the harder it is for them to get off of it.

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????? ~*~

??????????? The next morning, Mark entered the ICU around 8:00 AM. Steve and Jesse were both still there, sleeping. Amanda was not there. She had called Mark and informed him that she would be at the hospital sometime around 9 after dropping CJ off at her mom’s house. Mark walked over to Jesse’s bedside and checked his vitals. Nothing had changed. He was in the same state he was in the previous night.

??????????? Mark walked over to Steve’s bed. He was doing well. Mark thought Steve would be waking up soon but he wasn’t very sure. Mark pulled up a chair and assumed his position beside Steve’s bed. He had been in that chair by Steve’s bed for awhile now, day in and day out. Finally, it looked as though Steve would be leaving.

??????????? At 9:00 am, Amanda entered the ICU and approached Mark.

??????????? “How are they doing Mark?” Amanda asked.

??????????? “Well Amanda, Steve hasn’t woken up again yet, but I’m not very worried. You know how critical patients are. Jesse however hasn’t changed since last night. I’m getting worried.” Mark said.

??????????? “Me too Mark. I’m scared.” Amanda said.

??????????? At that moment Steve awoke and began to stir a bit. This caused Amanda and Mark to turn around and face the bed which Steve laid in. Steve looked around and knew why he was there and what had happened. He wasn’t fully aware of what had happened to him because as he tried to speak something was lodged in his throat. Steve began to panic. He couldn’t talk and now it felt like he couldn’t breathe. Steve was unaware that a breathing tube was in his throat and that he could breathe. He began to squirm more and more. Immediately Mark noticed the change in his son’s behavior.

??????????? “Steve, what’s wrong?” Mark asked. “It’s me dad. You’re alright.”

??????????? Steve tried to talk once more yet again something was lodged in his throat. Steve began to thrash in the bed attempting to pull out the tube.

??????????? “Amanda, hold his arms!” Mark commanded. Amanda quickly grabbed his arms. “Someone get Dr. Hando in here now please!”

??????????? Mark tried to hold Steve still. “Steve calm down.” Mark spoke. “It’s okay. It’s a tube to help you breathe. It’s coming out soon. Just relax and then we’ll get it out.”

??????????? Steve wasn’t listening. He needed this thing out of his mouth and he couldn’t understand why his dad and Amanda were holding his arms and not helping him. Mark repeated himself and the second time was when Steve heard what his dad said. He slowly calmed himself and relaxed his body.

??????????? Dr. Hando came rushing into the ICU. “What’s wrong Mark?” he asked. “One of the nurses said you yelled for me.”

??????????? “I did.” Mark said. “Steve was unaware of the tube in his throat and began thrashing around. He tried to take it out himself but Amanda and I calmed him down. He finally calmed down and relaxed himself. Do you think you can take the tube out now?”

??????????? “Most certainly.” Hando said. “He’s breathing on his own.” Dr. Hando turned towards Steve. “Steve, I’m going to take this tube out. I’m going to count to three and then you’re going to cough, okay? Then I’ll slide the tube out. Ready?”

??????????? Steve nodded in agreement.

??????????? “Alright. One, two, three.” Dr. Hando said as he slid the tube out.

??????????? Steve began to cough, violently. A look of worry washed over his face.

??????????? “It’s alright Steve.” Amanda said and she sat on his bedside. “It’s what the tube does when it comes out.”

??????????? Finally Steve stopped the coughing and sat for a minute. His mouth was extremely dry. His dad however was one step ahead of him and handed him a cup of crushed ice. He helped him take some.

??????????? “Thanks dad.” Steve spoke. “I needed that.”

??????????? “Anytime son.” Mark spoke. “How are you feeling?”`

??????????? “Well, pretty sore actually. My ribs are killing me and my left arm is really sore.” Steve said in a very low and quiet voice.

??????????? Amanda took a look at his arm and pulled out his chart. “This says he had an x-ray on it but it was inconclusive due to massive swelling. Looks like it’s time for another x-ray in case it’s broken.” Amanda said. She got up and walked over to the phone to call radiology.

??????????? “Steve, do you remember what happened?” Mark asked.

??????????? “Unfortunately, yes.” Steve said. “Some guy, he had to have been drunk, came right at my truck and just smashed it completely up. I don’t remember anything after that.”

??????????? “Well, unfortunately,” Mark said. “We don’t know what happened either after that. It does seem like everyone has the same story though from there.”

??????????? Steve looked around the room. Suddenly, he looked to his right and he saw Jesse’s body, lying motionless in the bed beside him.

??????????? “Oh my god.” Steve gasped. He reached towards Jesse. “Jesse, I’m so sorry. If I wasn’t driving so fast... Jesse, please wake up man.”

??????????? “Steve.” Amanda said. “Please calm down. We all want Jesse to get better, and he will.”

??????????? “Jesse don’t do this to me!” Steve yelled as he reached for Jesse once again.

??????????? Amanda grabbed Steve’s right arm, which had reached across the bed and was reaching for Jesse. “Steve, calm down. He’ll pull through this. He’s strong.”

??????????? “How is the driver of the other car?” Steve asked.

??????????? “Dead.” Amanda replied. “Autopsy shows that his blood alcohol was twice the legal limit. It’s a wonder he didn’t crash sooner.”

??????????? The entire time Amanda talked; Steve sat staring at his best friend who laid motionless. Mark had already left the room too overwhelmed by the entire situation. He was thankful to have Steve back, but there was one more person that still needed to pull through.

??????????? “I’m going to leave you alone for a little bit Steve.” Amanda said. “Now that you’re awake, I want to make sure your dad gets a good rest. Don’t worry about Jesse. I’ll send a nurse in to take you for another x-ray.”

??????????? Steve didn’t respond. Amanda left the room and met Mark in the hallway.

??????????? “How is he?” Mark asked.

??????????? “Well Mark,” Amanda began. “He’s upset. You know he feels responsible for the accident, even though it wasn’t his fault. Now his best friend is lying in a coma because of this accident. Steve’s heartbroken and you know how he is. He lets it all bottle up inside.”

??????????? Mark sat and listened to Amanda.

??????????? “They’re taking Steve for another x-ray of his arm. I want you to go home and get a good rest. I have the day off so I’ll be around if they need me and I promise to call you if anything should change.” Amanda said.

??????????? “Thanks Amanda.” Mark said. He gave her a big kiss and left.

??????????? Amanda went back into the ICU. Steve had already left. She knew he was getting his x-ray. Amanda pulled a chair up beside Jesse’s bedside and sat. About a half hour later, Dr. Hando entered the room.

??????????? “Shouldn’t you go get some rest?” Dr. Hando asked.

??????????? “Oh I’m fine. Mark’s the one needing rest and now that Steve is awake, he’s getting it. What brings you in here?” Amanda asked.

??????????? “Well, I think I finally have some good news.” He replied. “Jesse had a significant amount of swelling around his brain causing him to be unresponsive. It looks like the swelling is finally coming down. I came in to test to see if he reacts to light or any other tests.”

??????????? At that moment, Steve was being brought back into the ICU. He refused to go to his own room until he had seen Jesse. He entered, and both Amanda and Dr. Hando turned to him.

??????????? “What’s wrong with him?” Steve asked.

“OH god, no please don’t be anything serious.” Steve thought to himself.

??????????? “Steve, Dr. Hando just came in to perform some tests on Jesse. He thinks that the swelling has finally gone down.” Amanda replied.

??????????? Dr. Hando reached into his lab pocket for his small light. He grabbed the light and shined it into Jesse’s eyes. Amanda and Steve waited patiently for a response.

??????????? “He’s responding to the light.” Dr. Hando said. “That’s a good sign.”

??????????? Then, Dr. Hando grabbed Jesse’s hand. “Squeeze my hand if you can hear me Jesse.”

??????????? Suddenly, Jesse’s hand squeezed Dr. Hando’s hand. Amanda and Steve smiled as they saw improvement in their friend. Amanda pushed Steve towards Jesse’s bed.

??????????? “Jess, it’s me Steve.” Steve said. “Open your eyes buddy. Come on.” Jesse didn’t respond. Steve reached for Jesse’s hand. “Squeeze my hand if you know it’s me.” Jesse squeezed Steve’s hand. “Finally.” Steve spoke. “He’s going to be okay Amanda.”

??????????? Amanda and Steve left Dr. Hando to finish attending to Jesse. Suddenly, Amanda noticed the cast on Steve’s arm.

??????????? “Steve, I didn’t even notice your cast.” She said.

??????????? “Yeah. It’s broken.” Steve said. “The doctor said it would probably be between four to six weeks.”???????????

??????????? “Any other injuries?” Amanda asked.

??????????? “Not that the doctors can tell or have checked for. My ribs are sore but the doc said they would be because of my seatbelt and the airbag.” Steve said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about writing though.”????????

??????????? “Oh Steve, I completely forgot.” Amanda replied. “You’re left-handed. Guess you’re going to have to learn how to write with your other hand for now.”

??????????? “I know but that’s going to be SO difficult.” Steve said.

??????????? “Well Steve, don’t you remember the time your dad broke his hand? He learned to use his other hand and now he’s practically ambidextrous.” Amanda replied.

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ~*~

??????????? Mark woke up after a well needed nap. He grabbed a couple of things he thought Steve might want at the hospital and hurried to get back. When he arrived, he immediately entered through the ER and headed towards the ICU. Once inside, he saw Amanda sitting with Jesse and no sign of Steve.

??????????? “Amanda.” Mark said.

??????????? Amanda turned to face the voice that spoke to her. “Hi Mark. Did you sleep?”

??????????? “Yes Amanda.” Mark replied. “Thanks SO much. I really needed that.” And with that, Mark gave Amanda a big hug. “How’s Jesse?”

??????????? “Good news, Mark.” Amanda replied. The doctor came in and said the swelling around his brain came down. He responds to light and voices by squeezing hands, but he hasn’t opened up his eyes yet.”

??????????? “Oh Amanda, that’s GREAT news!” Mark said. “Where’s Steve?”

??????????? “Steve is down in his room.” Amanda said. “It’s right down the hallway because he refused to be away from Jesse.”

??????????? “That’s just like Steve.” Mark replied.

??????????? “You don’t understand Mark.” Amanda said. “Steve would not leave Jesse’s bedside until about 4 nurses pried him from Jesse’s bed and promised him a room REAL close. It was pretty cute.”

??????????? “Yep, that’s my boy.” Mark said. “He could be hanging from a cliff, but still asking someone else if they need help. I’m going to go over to his room to see him.”

??????????? “Alright Mark.” Amanda said. “I’ll be over in a little bit. I’m going to order us all something to eat.”???????????

??????????? Mark left the room and Amanda left the ICU not long after. Mark walked down the hallway. He only had to walk about 50 feet before reaching Steve’s room. He entered and saw Steve staring at the ceiling.

??????????? “Steve, it’s me.” Mark said.

??????????? Steve looked over. “Oh, hi Dad.”

??????????? “What were you doing?” Mark asked.

??????????? “I was just sitting thinking...” Steve said.

??????????? “Steve, this wasn’t your fault. Don’t think it was. Jesse is going to pull through.” Mark said.

??????????? “I know dad.” Steve replied. “But I was driving the car. How can I not think it was my fault? My BEST friend is lying in there and I can’t do a damn thing for him!”

??????????? “Steve, it’s okay to be mad.” Mark said. “Right now all we can do is hang in there for Jesse. He’s a fighter.”

??????????? “Can we go back to his room?” Steve asked.

??????????? “Well, Amanda went to get us all something to eat. Why don’t we wait until she gets back and we’ll all go eat in there.” Mark replied.

??????????? “Alright dad.” Steve said.

??????????? The two of them sat for a few moments in silence until Mark began the conversation.

??????????? “Blue always was your favorite color.” Mark said.

??????????? “What?” Steve asked.

??????????? “Your cast.” Mark said. “You didn’t think I would notice?”

??????????? “Haha dad.” Steve laughed. “Actually I just forgot.”

??????????? “How long do you have to keep it?” Mark asked.

??????????? “About four to six weeks.” Steve replied.

??????????? “Yeah, well that’s normal. Thank god it’s a real plaster cast though.” Mark said.

??????????? “Why?” Steve asked.

??????????? “Because there is NO way you can’t follow doctor’s orders or take it off.” Mark replied.

??????????? “Haha dad.” Steve said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about writing and other stuff.”

??????????? “Don’t worry Steve. You won’t have trouble using your right hand. You’ll get the hang of it.” Mark said.

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??????????? Amanda entered the room. “Hi guys. I brought Chinese.”

??????????? “Sounds good.” Steve said. “Dad, can we go now?”

??????????? “Amanda, Steve wants to eat in the ICU near Jesse. Would that be alright with you because if its not, we’ll just eat it in here.” Mark asked.

??????????? “It’s fine with me. I feel guilty not being by Jesse anyway.” Amanda said.

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??????????? Steve hopped into his wheelchair. Amanda pushed him towards the ICU while Mark carried the food. They entered the ICU and noticed that the breathing tube in Jesse’s throat was no longer there.

??????????? “Looks like Jesse is doing alright.” Amanda spoke.

??????????? Steve wheeled himself closer to Jesse’s bedside. “Alright buddy, keep pushing.”

??????????? Steve, Amanda, and Mark gathered around and began eating their meal. They talked, about things that had happened. No one dared to bring up anything about the accident.

?

??????????? Jesse felt a different feeling in his body. Suddenly his arm began to move a little bit.

??????????? Steve was the first one to notice the movement in Jesse. “Look, he’s moving a little bit.” Steve said.

??????????? Amanda and Mark moved closer to Jesse’s bedside, as did Steve. Then Jesse’s eye slowly began to open.

??????????? Finally, Jesse’s eyes were completely open and he sat looking around not sure of what happened.

??????????? “Jesse, buddy.” Steve spoke. “It’s me Steve. Do you recognize me? Do you remember?”

??????????? Jesse laid silent for a moment.

??????????? “Come on Jesse.” Steve said.

??????????? “Steve, relax. I know who you are. I’m just really confused.” Jesse said.

??????????? Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, especially Steve.

??????????? “Do you know what happened?” Mark asked.

??????????? “No. Not really.” Jesse replied.

??????????? “You were in a car accident with Steve. Some drunk driver hit you. You’re going to be fine now.” Amanda said.

??????????? “I really don’t remember anything.” Jesse said.

??????????? “That’s probably for the better.” Steve said. “Jess, I’m SO sorry. I didn’t mean to do this to you.”

??????????? “Steve, relax. Shit happens. I know you didn’t PLAN this, did you?” Jesse said with a joking matter.

??????????? Steve slopped around Jesse’s hair. “Well, I see the patient will be just fine.”

??????????? “When can I leave?” Jesse said.

??????????? “My god, you sound like Steve.” Mark said. “I’ll talk to the doctor. Maybe you can leave tomorrow if you agree to come back to the beach house and keep Steve company.”

??????????? “Me?” Steve asked. “I only have a broken arm and some sore ribs.”

??????????? “A broken arm needs some time off and sore ribs can’t heal without rest. Besides, you still need to be closely watched. You only came out of the ICU a day or two ago yourself.” Amanda said.

???????????

??????????? Dr. Hando entered a short time later, evaluated Jesse, and allowed him to now bunk with Steve in the hospital. Tomorrow, they were going to be discharged together and taken back to the beach house.

??????????? Once Steve and Jesse were settled, they had already begun acting like little kids making jokes and playing around. Mark and Amanda said their goodbyes for the day and exited the room.

???????????

??????????? “Boy, am I glad that’s over?” Amanda said.

??????????? “Me too, Amanda.” Mark said. “It’s another hurdle in life that we fell over, but were able to get back up and jump it.”

??????????? “That’s something I never want to have to do again.” Amanda said.

??????????? “Believe me,” Mark replied. “No one ever wants to do that.”

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ? ~*~

ONE WEEK LATER

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??????????? A week had passed since Jesse woke up and now he and Steve were at the beach house where Mark kept an eye on them. Jesse and Steve were both doing well. Jesse still didn’t have much recognition of the accident and Steve’s arm was still broken. Other than that, everything was going well.

?

??????????? “Jess, I’m sorry.” Steve said.

??????????? “Steve, if you apologize one more time, I think I may break your other arm.” Jesse said.

??????????? “Alright Jess, but seriously, I mean it.” Steve said.

??????????? “Okay.” Jesse replied. “Just remember I’m not mad at and things happen for a reason.”

?

And with those words, everything was dropped. Mark entered the room with a movie. He put it into the VCR and together the three sat and watched the movie. They laughed, they grew quiet, and they enjoyed the time they spent together. Everything was going to be alright.

The End
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