Will sat on the hospital bed next to Kevin with his right hand softly stroking his back while his left hand grasped Kevin's own tightly. Kevin sat staring down at the floor the blankness back in his eyes. His body had stopped shaking with just an occassional shudder evident. Gunnar and Avery were now in the room with them; Gunnar standing with his arms crossed looking grim while Avery sat in the lone chair his entire body oozing empathy for Kevin in his sorrow. The only thing they had managed to learn so far was that Kevin had not been behind the wheel of his own car last night. Apparently his friend Jill had been and had subsequently died that morning from her injuries. Will hadn't realized just how close Kevin and Jill were as friends. He had only met her the one time, and it hadn't gone particularly well. He had gotten the distinct impression that she didn't like him much.
"What do I say to them?" Kevin asked suddenly in a soft voice almost as if he were asking himself the question.
Will squeezed his hand and spoke just as softly. Speaking normally just seemed inappropriate with Kevin being so fragile. "Who are you talking about?"
Kevin continued to stare at the floor as he spoke. "Jill's parents. They're flying in from California. They should be here soon." Kevin's eyes filled up with tears as he continued. "How do I tell them that she died because of me?"
Avery reached over and touched Kevin's knee. "Hey, that's not true. It wasn't your fault." Kevin didn't respond. Avery glanced up at Will helplessly then turned back to Kevin. "Why don't you tell us what happened?"
They all waited, furtively glancing at each other, wondering if Kevin would start talking. Eventually, he did. "Jill came over to the house yesterday afternoon. We were working on a song. It started to get late and some of our friends texted her to see if we wanted to meet them for dinner and drinks at a bar we like to go to. I didn't really want to go but Jill insisted. She said that I needed to get out; that I'd been too depressed lately." Will shared a knowing look with Gunnar and Avery. "We had to take my car because Jill's didn't have much gas." Kevin snorted softly. "That was so Jill. She never had gas in her car." Will, Gunnar and Avery smiled as they waited for Kevin to continue. "We finished dinner and just sat around talking. Nobody seemed like they wanted to leave. The next thing I knew Jill ordered a round of shots. I told her I couldn't because I was driving but she told me…" Kevin's voice cracked and he squeezed his eyes shut trying not to break.
Will rubbed his back and placed a soft kiss on his temple as they all waited in silence for Kevin to regain his composure and continue. "She told me that she would drive us home. She said that I needed to have fun for a change. She was tired of me being such a buzzkill." Will watched as a few tears escaped and ran down Kevin's cheeks. "So I did. And one round turned into two and then three and four and that's why she was driving instead of me. It should have been me. It should have been me."
Will pulled Kevin to him as he broke down. "Shhh, Kev, it's okay. It's not your fault. It's okay. I'm here. Everything's okay." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Avery stand up as he brushed tears from his face and nodded his head at Gunnar. They quietly left the room as Will held Kevin and tried his best to comfort him.
Will stepped out into the hallway and saw Gunnar and Avery pacing outside the door. They came closer when they saw him with matching concerned looks on their faces as Gunnar said, "How is he?"
Will sighed softly before replying, "Not great. He's resting. I tried to get him to close his eyes and catch some sleep but I don't think that's happening any time soon."
Avery just shook his head. "I feel so bad for him. I wish there was something we could do."
Will placed his hand on Avery's shoulder and squeezed. "You're here. That means a lot."
Over Avery's shoulder, Will saw a doctor step up to the nurse's station. "May I see Kevin Bicks' chart please?"
Will walked over to the doctor anxiously. "Excuse me. Are you Kevin's doctor?"
The doctor turned to Will with tired eyes. "Yes, I am. And you are?"
Will stuck his hand out and shook the doctor's hand. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm his boyfriend."
"I see. Will you be able to stay with him for a couple of days?"
Will nodded. "Absolutely."
The doctor smiled slightly at that. "Good. Then I feel better about releasing him."
Gunnar stepped forward with a look of amazement on his face. "Seriously? He's…okay?"
The doctor turned towards Gunnar when he spoke but turned back to Will before replying. "Your boyfriend is extremely lucky. He walked away from a very serious car accident with some bruising and a mild concussion."
Will heard Avery say "Wow" softly behind him. He was having a hard time believing it himself. "You're sure?"
"We ran another CAT scan early this morning. There's no fracture, no swelling, no bleeding. Just the bruising and swelling that you can see to the soft tissue on the right side of his face which will diminish over the next few days."
"What about his arm?" Will said as he remembered the sling.
The doctor shook his head. "The sling is purely optional. He has a large contusion on his right shoulder. We thought the sling might make him more comfortable, but it's entirely up to him if he wears it or not." The doctor smiled at Will knowingly. "It must be a relief. I'm sure you were expecting much worse when you got here."
Will snorted in relieved laughter. "That's an understatement."
The doctor turned back to the nurse's station and opened Kevin's file. "I'll sign off on the paperwork to release him, so you should be able to take him home in about an hour or so. I'm also going to write out a prescription for some pain pills. He's going to be extremely sore for the next few days. I'll also give you the name of a grief counsellor that I've worked with. She's very good."
Will nodded gratefully as he thought about the survivor's guilt that Kevin was already displaying. "Thanks doc."
The doctor reached out and squeezed Will's arm. "You're welcome. If you need anything, my number will be on the paperwork. Call anytime." With a small wave to Gunnar and Avery, the doctor turned and headed back down the hallway.
Gunnar stepped forward and watched him walk away. "Well he was nice."
"I can't believe it." Gunnar and Will turned to Avery as he spoke. "How crazy is this day?"
"Pretty damn crazy." Gunnar said as he turned to Will and draped an arm over his shoulder and gave him a one armed hug.
Will leaned into Gunnar more grateful than words could express that his worst nightmare hadn't come true after all.
