AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thank you so much to the readers and reviewers, I appreciate it so much. :)
Enjoy
Chapter 6 – Downfall
NORMAL POV
Heath and Bianca swapped a glance at the crashing noise they heard outside their apartment room, across the hall from the Braxton's house.
"What was that?" Bianca asked.
Heath shrugged and went to open the door. Heath's expression turned to shock when he saw Casey falling in and out of consciousness and choking on his own vomit. Heath lifted Casey's chest up and slapped his face.
"Come on Case, wake up!" Heath yelled.
Bianca stood in the doorway after hearing her husband's voice. "Heath what's going on?" She asked quickly.
"It's Case. He's drunk himself stupid! Come on Case stay with me." Heath said.
Bianca could hear the frustration and worry in Heath's voice. His brother's meant the world to him. Bianca rushed and banged on Brax's door.
"Brax! Brax!"
Brax groaned and opened the door and quickly snapped out of any tired thought he had when he saw Heath trying to keep his brother awake. Brax ran out the door and shooed Heath away, getting in behind Casey and sitting his brother upright against his body.
Brax gently shook Casey's head. "Casey wake up! Casey!" Brax yelled.
Casey continued to drift in and out of consciousness as vomit continued to expel from his mouth. "Damn it Casey! Come on!" Brax yelled a little louder.
HEATH'S POV
I stood in shock at the sight of my baby brother choking on his own vomit and losing consciousness. I hated to admit it but part of me felt scared when he wasn't responding to mine or Brax's assistance while the other part of me was fueled with anger at his stupidity to get drunk enough to land him in this state.
I just wanted to shake it all out of him and make him better again. Why did he do this and not come sort it out with me, Brax or Kyle? My family means everything to me and I'd hate for something terrible to happen to any of them.
Bianca rushed back out of our apartment.
"I've called the ambulance. They're on their way." She notified us and watched on.
I stood up from kneeling at Casey's feet and wrapped my arm around my wife. "Thanks."
Bianca gave a reassuring kiss on my cheek. I was thankful she was there to hold me together at a time like this. Sighing, I hoped the ambulance would hurry up.
NORMAL POV
Brax, Heath, and Bianca watched on as Casey was loaded up in the ambulance. As soon as the ambulance took off Brax stormed into the house to grab his car keys.
"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Heath shouted.
"No stay here and let Kyle know what's happened." Brax replied quickly.
"Brax you can't keep me away from coming with you. I'm worried about Casey too." Heath argued.
"Yeah sorry mate. I just want to make sure Case is okay." Brax replied frazzled.
"I'll let Kyle know, you two go and see to Casey." Bianca said.
"Thanks Bee." Heath replied quickly before racing out after his brother.
Kyle felt his phone ring in his pocket and quickly set down a customer's order before racing out the back to check his phone. He was surprised to see Bianca's number come up. Kyle redialed Bianca's number.
"Kyle. I have some news." Bianca spoke.
"What's going on? Has Casey come back?" Kyle asked as he heard Bianca sigh.
"Casey has been taken to the hospital. Heath and Brax have gone with him now." Bianca explained in a soft tone.
"What? What happened?" Kyle said in panic.
"Casey collapsed on our doorstep completely drunk and losing consciousness." Bianca explained, hearing Kyle gasp on the other end of the line.
"Geez. I have to get down there." Kyle panicked.
"Kyle you have to stay and manage Angelo's no-one else can cover for you."
"I know but these are my brothers. I have to be there for them. " Kyle pushed.
"I understand, but by the looks of how Casey was there isn't much you can do. I'll keep you posted if I hear anything." Bianca reassured.
Kyle sighed. "Fine. I'll finish my shift here then go to the hospital. Thanks Bianca."
Kyle hung up his phone and tried to focus his mind back on his work, but he just couldn't stop thinking about Casey and how he acted the previous night before all this happened.
Brax and Heath ran through the doors of the hospital and crashed into the front desk.
"My name is Brax and my brother Casey Braxton has been bought in through emergency, where is he?" Brax gasped in panic.
"Sir, I need you to remain calm and just take a seat. Someone will be with you shortly." The lady spoke.
"That's not good enough! We need to see him now! Make sure he's okay!" Heath yelled, but unlike Brax he let his anger towards the situation represent his worry for his brother.
"Please as soon as we know something we will let you know." The lady assured.
Brax huffed and pushed Heath away from the counter. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Casey being rushed down the hall on a hospital bed. He had an oxygen mask over his face and was struggling and choking on the bed.
"Casey! Casey!" Brax yelled as he chased after the emergency team, until he was pushed out of the room by one of the nurses. Brax tried to look over the nurse.
"Sir please wait outside."
"He's my brother! I need to know if he's okay!" Brax shouted.
"We have to stabilise your brother's condition first before we can properly treat him." The nurse explained.
"What does that mean?" Brax questioned.
"Please. I won't tell you again. If you do not leave us to do our job, we will have security take you off the premises." The nurse warned.
Brax held up his hands in defense. "No. I'm going. Just please tell me as soon as there is any change." Brax pleaded.
"Of course." The nurse nodded before turning to head back into the hospital room.
Casey was still vomiting and struggling to gain consciousness, until his condition worsened and his body started to shake violently in a seizure. The doctors kept him stable on the bed, trying to keep his oxygen mask on and kept him rolled on his side to prevent aspiration.
"Janice grab the activated charcoal and set up for IV fluids. We need to flush this boys system now!" One of the doctors yelled to a nurse.
Brax and Heath saw a nurse rush out of Casey's room before rushing back in with a handful of supplies and equipment. Another nurse stood monitoring Casey's vitals. "Name, Casey Braxton, age 19. Reason for hospitalization, severe alcohol poisoning. Symptoms upon admittance; severe vomiting with risk of aspiration, seizures, and loss of consciousness. Blood Pressure 150/95, low Heart rate 55, pale mucous membranes, and low temp."
The doctor forced a tube down Casey's throat and into his stomach then proceeded to force the activated charcoal solution down the tube. Casey gagged and struggled as he vomited out the toxins within his system through the tube.
Brax and Heath could hear the violent gags of their brother and glanced at each other with a worried expression. Once the doctor was satisfied that enough of the alcohol had been removed. He ordered the nurses to set Casey up on IV fluids whilst he left to get some medication to settle Casey's stomach.
One of the nurses, Amanda started placing in the IV catheter while Janice the other nurse set up the fluid bag. By the time they were finished the doctor had come back and given Casey his medication and sedative through his drip line and took the chart of Casey's vitals from the nurse and read over it. His Heart rate had increased since the sedative and medication, and his color had returned slightly.
"Keep monitoring him closely for the next few hours and notify me if he has any more seizures." The doctor told the nurses and left.
Brax ran up to the doctor. "What's happening? How is he?"
The doctor sighed. "We have managed to stabilise your brother but he still has quite a lot of toxicity in his system. We flushed his stomach and we have him on IV fluids but he still needs to be monitored closely." The doctor explained.
"Can we see him?" Brax pleaded.
"I'm sorry but until we know your brother is fully clear of any chance of having another seizure from the alcohol poisoning."
"What? What do you mean he had a seizure?" Brax questioned, as more worry rose inside him.
"Why didn't anyone tell us?" Heath demanded.
The doctor gave a sigh. "We had to make sure Casey was stable first..."
"That's bull Doc! We had a right to know!" Heath yelled, only for Brax to place a hand on his chest to calm him.
"There was no time to explain your brother's condition. It is our duty to make sure a patient's health comes first." Heath turned away annoyed.
"Yeah, alright. Well what about the seizure how'd it happen?" Brax asked.
"Your brother had a serious case of alcohol poisoning and the toxicity in his system had affected his brain signals dramatically causing him to have a seizure." The doctor explained.
"He's gonna be alright isn't he?" Brax panicked, trying to peer into Casey's room.
"We have done all we can, now we just need to monitor him until we are sure."
"Well when do we get to see him, instead of wasting our time out in the halls?" Heath snapped.
"Please just be patient, I know this is hard for you both..."
"Hard! That's our baby brother in there and you lot won't let us see him damn it!" Heath shouted.
"Heath calm down! I don't like this either but we have to let them do their job, for Casey's sake." Brax yelled, receiving a huff from Heath.
Even though Brax was worried about Casey he had to stay strong. "I will let you know when you can see him but for now I have another job to get to." The doctor walked off into another consult room, leaving Heath and Brax concerned and frustrated.
Brax and Heath approached Casey's hospital room and peered through the window. They could see the nurse monitoring Casey's vitals closely and Casey lying on his side, asleep on the hospital bed with an oxygen mask on his face and a fluid bag attached to his left hand. After a few moments Heath's temper again got the better of him and he startled Brax out of thought when he slammed his hand against the hospital wall.
"Damn you Casey! You are so stupid!" Heath shouted and paced down the hall. Brax ran his hand through his hair as he watched Heath raving.
Brax felt his phone ringing in his pocket and pulling it out he saw that it was Kyle. "Hey mate." Brax greeted.
"Brax! What's going on? Bianca called me before and told me Casey was taken to hospital!" Kyle shouted.
"Yeah, he has severe alcohol poisoning." Brax replied in a quiet tone.
"Is he alright?" Kyle asked and heard Brax huff.
"They say they're doing everything they can. They've pumped his stomach and have got him on fluids now."
"Well I'm almost finished my shift at Angelo's and I'll be right over." Kyle replied.
"Yep, okay. Bye." Brax hung up the phone and continued to stare through the hospital window.
Heath couldn't take being in the hospital anymore, it was beginning to agitate him. He stood back next to Brax and took another look at his younger brother in the hospital bed.
"Look mate if they're not going to let us see him. I can't stand hanging around here waiting besides I have to get home to Bianca and let her know what's going on. You let me know as soon as you hear anything." Heath told his brother and received a nod from Brax.
"Sure mate. I understand. Kyle's coming down soon anyway." Heath patted Brax on the back and exited the hospital.
Kyle ran into the hospital a few hours later and saw Brax sitting on a chair outside Casey's room with his head in his hands.
"Hey, have you heard anything?" Kyle asked but Brax only sighed.
"They still won't let me in. They say he's still in recovery." Brax almost shouted towards the room. Kyle sat down next to Brax.
"How'd this happen?" Kyle asked. Brax shrugged.
"I shouldn't have let Case go off on his own. I knew he wasn't able to handle the shock of the news." Brax said sadly.
"Brax you can't blame yourself for this." Kyle tried to comfort his brother.
"Well who..." Brax was cut off mid sentence when he was approached by the doctor.
"Casey has woken up and has shown no signs of any more complications from the alcohol poisoning. You can come in and see him now, but only one at a time."
Kyle shrugged and motioned towards Brax. "You go, he's closer to you, and he'd be likely to need you with him more than me." Brax nodded and followed the doctor into the room.