I'm Right Here by Rose Haze
Disclaimer- I don't own The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Author's Note: Isn't it awesome how a month ago I said that chapter twelve would be up in a week, and then it wasn't? Yeah, sorry about that. But thank you everyone for the overwhelming (not really—I loved them all) amount of reviews and PMs! They made me feel extremely loved, and it makes me feel even more terrible that it took so long to update. There's another note at the end of the chapter for my reviewers! Okay, that'll be enough of that. Here's chapter twelve:
Chapter Twelve
Ten Minutes Ago
"Head wounds are so dramatic" –Augustan Burroughs, from Dry
Once again, Carey, Kurt, and Samantha were crowded around an unconscious boy in a hospital bed. Only this time, the boy wasn't Cody. It was Zack.
Carey shook her head nervously. Now she was just as worried about Zack as she was about Cody. She thought back to the day before, when Zack passed out for the first time.
At the time, Dr. Harrison had just told them that Cody was in a coma. Zack made a sort of gasping noise when he heard the news, then he just slid onto the floor. He lay perfectly still for a few seconds, than began to stir once Dr. Harrison called his name. He woke up, and after a few minutes he was fine. It scared Carey when it happened, but it was nothing compared to how she felt when Zack passed out in the hospital cafeteria.
It was one of the scariest moments she'd ever experienced. Everything had been fine. For awhile it almost seemed normal. Then, out of nowhere, Zack screamed. He was clutching the back of his head and wearing a pained grimace on his face. She went to him, but before she reached him he collapsed.
There were some doctors and nurses in the cafeteria when it happened, and they knew what to do. Zack wouldn't wake up, so someone came with a stretcher.
Carey and Kurt told them what happened—how his head seemed to be hurting before he lost consciousness. Carey also told them about the headaches he experienced the day before. Because of the headaches, and the fact that Zack hit his head really hard when he hit the Formica floor, the doctors gave Zack a CAT scan.
The scan showed that Zack had a very slight concussion, but there was absolutely no explanation for the headaches. The doctors decided that they were probably the result of stress.
After the scan, the doctors wheeled Zack into a small room in the ER. Carey, Kurt, and Samantha spent the next few hours at his bedside, not saying anything.
"He's not looking too good, is he?" Kurt observed, breaking the silence that had hung over the room for the past few hours.
Samantha squeezed Kurt's hand, "I'm sure he'll be fine."
Carey bit her lip. She wished she could be as confident as Samantha, but the hospital really seemed to bring out the pessimistic side of her. It had been four hours since Zack's episode, and he still hadn't woken up. And besides, she agreed with Kurt. Zack didn't look good at all. His blond hair was matted down against his forehead. There were dark circles under his eyes. He was wearing a hospital gown.
'He looks like Cody again,' she thought to herself.
A nurse walked into the room.
"Hi," she said with a bright smile, "he's still out?"
Carey nodded somberly.
"It's been a really long time," Kurt said worriedly, "are they sure there's nothing wrong?"
"Well nothing showed up on the CAT scan," she replied breezily, "A lot of times sleep is the best cure for head injuries."
When she said "head injuries" Carey shuddered. Those words made her think of Cody. It was a weird coincidence that both of her twins were weakened with head injuries at the same time. The difference was the degree of seriousness between the two. Zack's being minor, and Cody's being possibly fatal.
"That's strange," Samantha spoke up, "There was this kid who got a concussion at my nephew's baseball game a few weeks ago and there was a doctor there who said that it was important for him not to go to sleep."
"All concussions work differently," the nurse said, "But you are right. In that situation it would have been important to keep the victim awake before he got to the hospital. But luckily for Zack, he was in a place where he could get the medical care that he needed immediately. And besides, it's not that we're letting him sleep," she paused and lowered her voice, "he just can't wake up on his own until he's ready."
She went to Zack's bed and checked his pulse.
"His heart rate's normal," she announced, making a note on a pad of paper, "I'll be back soon to check on him."
Carey went closer to Zack and sat on the edge of his bed. She gently caressed his forehead and said, "It's been a rough two days for you, hasn't it?"
Samantha looked into Kurt's eyes, and he nodded in response.
"I'll go get us some coffee," she whispered to excuse herself.
Once she was gone, Kurt walked over to his ex-wife.
"It's been a rough two days for all of us, Carey," he said gently.
"They're always together," she said, "This is killing him."
"He'll be able to get through this, Carey. He's not alone."
"I know," said Carey as her eyes filled with tears, "But—I don't know what to do."
Kurt took her hand, "it's okay."
"No, it's not. It's not. The boys and I have been through so much together. We've had so many hard times, but we survived because we had each other. And now—now we might not have that anymore."
He sat down in the chair that she was using before she sat on Zack's bed.
"I'm sorry I haven't always been there for you guys," he said grittily.
She shook her head, "It's my fault. I pushed you away."
"I'll make it up to you," he told her, as if he didn't hear her last sentence, "I don't know how, but I will."
"Just by being here you are making up for my mistakes."
"Well I told you I'd stay strong for you, didn't I?"
Carey smiled, "Yes, you did."
Kurt noticed that the fluorescent hospital lights made here tears glitter. Her eyes were like two sparkling sapphires. And her smile, though bittersweet, lit up her face.
For Carey, this conversation was bringing back happy memories. She remembered when they had been each other's support system. Things changed when Zack and Cody were born. Carey had to forget about her dreams of becoming a famous Broadway singer, and focus on her new dream: being the perfect wife and mother. But money was tight and work was hard to find. Thus, the fighting began.
But now they weren't fighting, and Carey was beginning to remember what made her fall in love with Kurt so many years ago. His strength, his kindness, and of course, his sense of humor were so appealing to her. His now, in his thirties, Kurt was gorgeous with his dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. And he had the perfect smile—a smile that Carey had the sudden urge to kiss.
She leaned close to him and he leaned in too. Their eyes locked as they moved closer and closer together. Their lips were only inches apart…
…then Kurt pulled away.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I can't—Samantha."
Carey nodded in a disappointed understanding, "Right. Samantha," she looked at him, "You really love her, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do."
"That's good… for you, I mean."
She looked at Zack to avoid Kurt's eyes. She resumed stroking his forehead, and an awkward silence befell.
After a few minutes, Samantha returned with three steaming cups of black coffee. She passed them around and the three of them sipped their drinks without saying anything to each other. Kurt returned to his seat on the other side of the bed, next to Samantha. He put his arm around her shoulders. His facial expression was apologetic and there was a hint of guilt in his eyes.
Zack shifted in his sleep and pulled the covers up to his neck.
"Zack, sweetie?" Carey asked, "Are you waking up?"
He rolled over onto his side and buried his face in his pillows.
"Zack?" Carey rubbed his back, "Please open your eyes, baby."
Kurt and Samantha exchanged hopeful looks.
Zack rubbed his eyes and sat up, "What happened?" he asked groggily.
"You fainted and hurt your head. How do you feel?"
He leaned back against the pillows and held his hand to his head. He remembered being in the cafeteria and that his headache returned. And it was bad—much worse than it had been before.
"Dizzy," he muttered, "but normal, I guess."
Carey nodded in understanding, "Good, so your head doesn't hurt?"
"I'm fine," he insisted, "Is Cody out of surgery yet?"
"No," Carey replied, "We haven't heard anything so far."
But a few minutes later, a doctor came into the room.
"Hi," he said, "you're Cody Martin's family, correct?"
"Yes," Kurt answered, standing up, "How is he?"
Zack sat up straight in his bed. He tried to read the expression on the doctor's face. He didn't seem particularly sad, but he didn't look happy either. He looked… bored.
'Please say that Cody's okay,' Zack prayed silently with his fingers crossed.
"He just got out of surgery about ten minutes ago," the doctor told them, "There were a few complications, but it went well. He's still breathing with the respirator, but Dr. Harrison doesn't want to take him off of it until tomorrow. We want to make sure that he gets through the night before making any big changes."
Despite learning about the complications, Zack felt relief was h over him like a wave. The surgery was over. It went well. Cody would be breathing on his own soon. Zack was so thankful that he could have cried. But, of course, he didn't.
"That's good," Carey said breathlessly, "So when can we see him?"
"Soon," the doctor assured them, "he's in recovery right now."
He looked at Zack, "I heard you acquired some head injuries of your own. Are you feeling okay now?"
"I'm fine."
Carey ran her fingers through Zack's golden blond hair, "Yeah, he just woke up about tine minutes ago."
Zack felt shivers run up his spine.
'Ten minutes ago'
The room was suddenly silent again. Everyone noticed the connection.
The doctor was the first to speak, "perfect timing," he said with a small laugh, "what a coincidence."
"You got that right," said Kurt.
The doctor stood up, "Somebody will notify you when you can visit with Cody. It won't be too much longer."
They thanked him and watched him walk out the door.
"So by this time tomorrow Cody will be breathing on his own," said Kurt.
Zack nodded, thinking to himself, 'as long as he makes it through the night.'
TBC…
To the reviewers: First of all, thank you! I love you all. I want to thank you all individually, so if anyone who reviewed my last chapter (or sent a personal message) did not get a reply, please let me know in a PM or an e-mail, and I'll get back to you. Also, thanks to those of you who replied anonymously! Please keep it up (hint :D)
