Changing Paths

Disclaimer: I don't own them, cuz if I did things would be a lot different. This story contains slash!!!

Summery: Bright has a lot to say, but can't seem to make anyone listen, until something happens to wake everyone up a little. Will his family and friends accept him when they find out who Brighton Harold Abbott really is?

Bright has been elusive for days; he is never around and on the brief occasions when he is he won't speak to anyone. Not a single world, unless asked a direct question and then his answer is short and to the point. Then he retreats to his room or vanishes from the house. No one really seems too concerned though, it's just Bright being weird nothing new there.

Bright was sitting at the kitchen table scribbling something down in a notebook. Rose had been watching him from the door for almost fifteen minutes, she knew something was off, but not quiet sure what it was. Harold had always been very close with Amy, but she had always identified more with Bright, she just didn't know how to reach him. Bright glanced up briefly from whatever he was working on and made eye contact with his mother for only a second. That second was all Rose needed and her mother instinct kicked in, there was something definitely wrong with Bright, he didn't look well.

"Bright honey, are you feeling okay? You look pale?"

"I'm fine mom." Bright sounded annoyed and didn't even look up from his paper.

Rose tried again. "Why don't you stop by your father's office and let him take a look at you? You've seemed off for weeks now."

Bright closed his notebook and stood up from the table. "I'm fine mom, don't worry. I'm going out and I won't be back for dinner."

Before Rose had a chance to reply, Bright had bounded out of the house and spun out of the driveway. Rose stood in the doorway and just shook her head and said to the shrinking taillights, "Be careful."

The Office of Andy Brown and Harold Abbott Jr.: Three hours later

"Andy?"

"What Harold?"

"You want to get some lunch, I'll buy... I know I've been getting on your nerves the last couple of months, and it's almost two o'clock."

Andy looked up from the file he was reading and gave his usual warm smile.

"I'm not hungry, but thanks for asking. I'll take a rain check though."

"Okay, sure. My next patient isn't until three, so I'll be back in about forty-five minutes or so."

"Okay Harold thanks for the warning."

Harold rolled his eyes and left the office. He took up his usual spot at Mama Joy's. He stared at his soup for the longest time; he couldn't get his mind off of the whole Amy/ Princeton thing. He had to make her understand that she couldn't throw her dreams away for a boy. Time had slipped away from him and the nest thing he knew Andy was standing at his side.

"Is my three o'clock in the office waiting for me? You didn't have to walk over here you could have just called and said that I was late." Harold stopped and looked at Andy. His face was worried, the only other time he had seen that look on Andy's face was when he told the Harts that Colin didn't make it. It unnerved Harold, something was wrong and it was bad.

"What is it? What's wrong?'"

"Rose called, she got a call from Hensbrough Hospital, Bright is being treated in their Emergency. No one knows what his condition is. They wouldn't release any information over the phone."

The world around Harold swam for a moment; My son is in the emergency room in Hensbrough; that's thirty miles from here, in the opposite direction from Denver. What was he doing heading out that way? Oh my God, what could have happened? It must have been an accident; surely if he was ill he would have come to the office or called me to come home.

He was jerked back into reality when Andy touched him on the shoulder.

"Come on I'll drive you. Rose and Amy are already on there way, so is Edna and Irv. Amy called Ephram he is going to meet us there."

Hensbrough Hospital Emergency Department

Andy and Harold arrived about the same time as Rose and Amy. They were shown to a small private waiting room. They somber quartet were given relatively little news on Bright's condition. There was already a young man in the waiting room, he was small built with reddish brown hair an big green eyes. He stood up to greet them.

"You must be the Abbotts."

"Yes and who are you?"

Harold was curt; he was worried about his son and his nerves were frayed and he was very irritable."

"I'm Donovan Jacob's. I'm a friend of Bright's; I was with him when he collapsed."

"We know all of Bright's friends and I've never heard of you."

Donovan's posture changed, he was caught between being respectful to an upset father and the need to defend Bright.

"With all do respect, Dr. Abbott, Bright tells me that you don't really talk anymore so there might be allot of things about Bright you don't know. We have been hanging out for several months now and seeing how I live in Letherton and you live in Everwood how would you know me?"

Rose interrupted before this little discussion turned into and argument. Delia, Ephram, Edna and Irv walked into the room.

"It's nice to meet you Donovan. You said Bright collapsed, could you tell us what happened?" Her eyes were sad and pleading.

Donovan's faced warmed as he looked a Mrs. Abbott. He could tell he was going to like her. "I could tell he wasn't feeling well, he hasn't been for almost a week. I kept trying to convince him to tell someone, but he wouldn't. I would have called you myself, but the only number I have is Bright cell phone. We had plans to go rock climbing today, but I could tell Bright wasn't up to it, so I told him that I didn't want to go so he would take it easy and rest. We were sitting on my front porch talking when he got really pale, and when I asked him if he was alright he said he was, but I knew he w as lying. I told him I was going to either take him to your office or the hospital but he had to pick one. He chose your office, I ran inside to get my keys, and when I had come back he was out cold on the porch. I called the ambulance and the hospital called you. That's all I know."

Donovan's recount of the day's events did little to shed light on what might be wrong with Bright. It also did very little to calm his families fear.

The doctor entered the room. She was about five' six and very slender.

"Hello, I'm Dr, Susan Whillot. I'm the doctor in charge of Brighton's case."

"How is my son?" Rose was anxious.

"He is stable and he will be fine. Bright's kidneys are failing..."

Harold interrupted her. "His kidneys are failing! Bright is a healthy nineteen year old boy, there is nothing in his medical history that would account for this type of organ failure."

"Harold! Please let her finish!" Rose was at the end of her rope.

"Brighton went into kidney failure do to an old injury. About three years ago he was in an accident in which he was thrown from the vehicle, correct?" All nodded their heads. "Well something was missed when he was admitted. He had sustained an injury to his right kidney; it was not a fatal injury and it healed on its own, but the function of that kidney permanently compromised. In the last several months for unknown reasons that kidneys ability to function adequately diminished at a very fast rate and the left kidney couldn't compensate, which threw him into failure."

The entire room was silent. They were all shocked, Bright was really ill. Harold was the first one to speak up.

"Is he on dialysis?"

"Yes and in about twenty minutes he will be prepped for surgery, and we will remove his right kidney. Our game plan is to; remove the damaged kidney, keep him on dialysis long enough to allow the left kidney to recover, and then slowly wing him off dialysis to allow the left kidney to build up the stamina it needs to keep his body going. He is awake and talking and driving our nursing staff nuts." She took hold of Rose and Harold's hands and smiled. "Bright has a 95 chance at a full recovery with no complications, as a doctor I like those odds. I know you're worried and will be until he is at home safe and sound, but believe me when I say Bright will be fine."

Rose looked up, from the spot on the floor she had been staring a hole into. "Can we see him before the surgery?"

A strange look crossed the doctor's face. "Only one of you can and since he is of age we have to honor his wishes. Which one of you is Donovan?"

The party turned to the stranger in their midst.

Donovan was nervous with all of their eyes staring at him. "I am."

"Brighton's asking for you. If you follow me I'll take you to him."

She took him down a short hallway to an exam room.

"You can stay with him until we take him upstairs to the O.R. He is putting up a strong front, but he is scared."

"I'll try and reassure him the best that I can."

Donovan took a deep breath and entered the room.

Author's note: I'm not a doctor and don't claim to be one. So pardon me if this story is unrealistic, but I'm trying. Please Review Please! Please!Please!