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Appendix
Colby bent down to tie his laces and groaned as the pain once again shot through his stomach.
His suffering didn't go unnoticed and Jon walked over to him with concern.
"Are you ok man? You've been groaning and acting like you're in pain since yesterday morning" he asked his friend.
"I'm fine" Colby said through pain filled gritted teeth.
Jon nodded but he knew his friend was lying.
"We don't have to go to the gym today if you don't want to. We can stay here. You look like you could do with the rest" he told his friend.
Colby sighed in relief.
"You sure you don't mind?" Colby asked.
"Of course. You can't help it if you're sick man" Jon told him.
"Tell ya what. Go get into something comfortable, I'll make you some lunch and get you some pain killers and you can watch shit TV and eat crap all day. That's bound to make you better" he said smiling.
"Yes to the pain killers, comfy clothes and crap TV, but I'll pass on the food. If I eat something I don't think it'll stay down for long" Colby said as he kicked off his shoes and stood up, slightly hunched over as he clutched at his stomach.
Jon frowned when he looked at his friend.
Joe came back from his morning run and walked into the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Hey man" he greeted Jon.
"Hey. Good run?" he asked.
"Mmm hmm...nearly tripped and broke my ankle but other than that, it was ok" Joe told him.
"We need to keep an eye on Colby. He's not feeling too good and he looks like he's in pain" Jon told him.
"He's a big boy. He can take some pain meds or go see his doc if he needs too" Joe said chugging down some more water.
"I think it might be serious. He skipped going to the gym" Jon told him.
Joe gasped in shock.
"No way?" he said.
"Way man" Jon said nodding.
"He could have the plague and he'd still be down that gym busting a sweat" Joe said matter of factly.
"Exactly. That's why I know its more serious then just some cold or flu or something. Guy looks like he was about to collapse" Jon explained.
"Alright. We'll keep an eye on him" Joe agreed.
Later that day, Colby was asleep on the sofa.
He'd taken some pain killers but was still in pain. He had spiked a fever and he's vomited twice before finally crashing out in his current spot.
Jon sat in the living room at the dining table looking at his friend worriedly.
"He's not gonna disappear ya know" Joe said chuckling.
Jon shook his head.
"Something isn't right" he told his friend.
"What do you mean?" Joe asked while taking a bite of his sandwich.
"I don't know. It's just an uneasy feeling I got" Jon said, not being able to explain what it was, or why it was he was feeling the way did.
An hour had passed and Joe was showing Jon how to play a game on his phone.
Both of them were startled from their discussion when Colby whined out in pain from his spot on the couch.
"Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww" he groaned while clutching at his stomach, sweat on his brow.
Both men got up from the table and hurriedly made their way over to their friend.
"What's wrong" Joe asked but Colby didn't answer.
"Go and start the car" Jon told Joe over his shoulder.
"Shouldn't we call an ambulance?" Joe asked.
"And what? 'Wait' till they get here. No, we can get him to the hospital faster, now go start the car and wait for us" Jon demanded.
"Come on brother" he said as he leant down and wrapped Colby's arm around his shoulder.
Colby tried to stand but the pain was too much for him to bear and with a shout of agony, he fell to his knees.
"Jesus Christ" Jon said panicked.
He knelt down next to his friend who was gasping for breath through the pain and had tears streaming down his face in sheer agony.
"Talk to me man...what's happening" Jon asked.
"Pain" Colby groaned.
"I can see that" Jon replied.
"Where?" he added.
"My stomach" Colby said holding back a sob.
"Did you pull a muscle or something?" Jon asked.
Colby shook his head 'no'.
Jon huffed.
There was only one way to do this.
"God help me, if you tell anyone I did this, you wont live to tell the tale" Jon said before picking his friend up bridal style and carrying him out of the apartment.
He managed to close the door behind him and made his way to the car.
Joe opened up the back door and eyed his friend sceptically.
"He couldn't walk. Guy's in some serious pain" Jon told him worriedly.
Once they got Colby in the back seat as comfortably as they could, both men got into the car as well and Joe sped off.
After a few agonising minutes of driving, Jon turned to look at his friend.
Colby had his knees drawn up to his chest and was biting his bottom lip in pain.
"How you holding up?" he asked.
Colby just nodded.
They got to the hospital and Joe hadn't even parked the car before Jon was out of his seat, opening the back door, getting Colby out too and walking him slowly into the A&E department of the building.
Joe locked the car and ran up to his friends, helping Jon support Colby's weight.
Once inside, they made their way over to the front desk.
"Hey um...my friends in some serious pain here, he needs to see a doctor right away" Jon told the women who didn't even bother to look up at him or his friends.
She pushed a clip board forward and said "fill these out and sit over there. A doctor will be with you shortly".
Jon looked toward Joe and then down to Colby who was barley standing up right. Were it not for his friends holding him, he'd be on the floor.
Jon clicked his neck in agitation and glared at the nurse.
"HEY" he called loudly startling the woman.
"Did you hear what I just said? My friend is in serious pain and needs a doctor RIGHT NOW. So don't be handing me clip boards and telling us to sit 'over there'. Where the hell is 'over there' anyway?" he shouted making all eyes in the room land on himself and his friends.
"I know your busy, but you can't tell me there isn't ONE doctor who could come and help my friend" he added.
"So why don't you get your rude ass up and go and find someone to help, huh?" he demanded.
She stood up and hurried to find someone who could help.
Jon leaned down to get a better grip on Colby who was getting closer and closer to the floor.
Colby let out another painful moan and Joe looked to Jon worriedly.
A man in a white coat came over to them and after taking one look at Colby, told the boys to follow him as he led them to a medical room.
"I'm Doctor Charleston. Ok, what seems to be the problem here?" he asked as he motioned for Joe and Jon to help Colby up onto the examining table.
"He's been in pain on and off since yesterday. It really started to get bad about thirty minutes ago. He's been puking and I think he's got a fever" Jon explained as he watched Colby curl in on himself as he groaned in pain.
"Alright let's have a look" the doctor said as he put on some medical gloves.
"What's his name?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Colby" Joe told the man.
"Ok, Colby, can you hear me?" the doctor asked, to which Colby nodded.
"Ok, how bad is the pain on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst" he asked.
"Twelve" Colby groaned.
"I'm just going to examine your stomach. Can you roll onto your back for me?" he asked.
Colby did as asked but couldn't straighten his legs.
The doctor pressed here and there, but when he began to push on Colby's right side, he yelled out like he'd bee stabbed.
"Ok, I think I know what the problem is" the doctor said stepping away and taking off his medical gloves.
"What is it?" Joe asked.
"Your friend here has an appendicitis. He's going to need surgery to remove it. The amount of pain he's in would signify that it's too late to try any antibiotic treatments and the best thing to do is to go in and remove it before it bursts" he explained.
"Does he have a next of kin?" he asked them.
"They...are my...next of...kin" Colby said from the table.
"Right ok. I'm going to get a porter to come and have your friend taken to be prepped for surgery. Once he's out and in a recovery suit, I'll come and get you to explain how it all went. You can wait in the family waiting room" he said, telling them where said room was.
Joe walked over to his friend and put his hand on his friends arm.
"Feel better soon dude. We'll be waiting for you" he said before walking to the doorway.
Jon turned to look at his friend and moved a step or two closer to him.
"Don't die. Ok?" he demanded.
Colby nodded and Jon walked out of the room.
When they got outside, he walked off quickly and rounded the corner, Joe running after him.
When he caught up to Jon, he found his friend leaning against the wall, his head down, hands on his knees as he choked back a sob and breathed heavily.
"Wow...dude, breathe. He's gonna be ok" Joe told him.
Jon nodded as he continued to try and steady his breathing.
"Do you want me to get a nurse or something?" Joe asked.
Jon shook his head 'no'.
"I'm ok" he told his friend as he finally started to breathe at a regular pace and slowly slid down the wall to sit.
"You sure you're ok?" Joe asked concerned.
Jon nodded.
"I'm not keen on hospitals. Spent too much time in them growing up" he told his friend who nodded sadly.
"Seeing him like that...I just...you and him are my...and I don't...I can't lose either of you" Jon said through tears.
"Were not going anywhere brother" Joe told him as he pulled his friend into a hug.
"Now come on. Let's go wait in the waiting room for the doc" Joe said, pulling his friend to his feet and leading the way down the corridor.
Two hours had gone by and both men's anxiety levels were rising more then they thought possible.
Jon paced back and forth while Joe's legs shook as he agitatedly moved them up and down at a fast pace as he sat on an uncomfortable chair.
"Something went wrong" Jon mumbled.
"Don't say that" Joe said tiredly.
"What's taking them so long?" Jon asked angrily.
Out of everyone that was in the family waiting room, they were the last two and it was driving Jon insane.
Just as Joe was about to speak again, Doctor Charleston walked in.
"Is he ok. How did it go. Can we go and see him" both men asked at once.
He held up a hand and chuckled.
"Yes, Mr Lopez is doing much better. We managed to get to it in time, his appendix was about ready to burst. He's in recovery at the moment and you can go up and see him now if you'd like. He needs his rest and once he's come round and not in so much pain, he can go home" the doctor told them, both men sighing in relief.
"When will that be?" Joe asked.
"If all goes well, he can go home tomorrow" the doctor told them as he escorted them the their friends room.
"He's on some strong pain medication and is still out from the surgery but he should come round in a few hours" he told them.
Both men thanked him before he walked away.
They went inside Colby's room and took a seat either side of his bed.
"He looks so small in that bed" Joe said shaking his head sadly.
A nurse came into to check on Colby and he reassured the boys that their friend was ok.
After an hour or so had gone by, Joe had suddenly remembered to call Paul and tell him what had happened while Jon was dozing in the chair beside his friend.
He woke with a start when he felt something poke him in the head.
He looked at his side before his eyes fell on Colby's face, smiling tiredly down at him.
Jon stood up and walked over to his friend.
"Hey" he said quietly.
"Hey" Colby replied groggily.
"Am I ok?" he asked.
"You're gonna be fine. They took out your appendix" Jon explained to him.
Colby nodded.
"I know this is the part where I should tell you, you scared us. But, I'm guessing you already know that" Jon asked.
Colby again nodded.
"Good. I will say this though. If you EVER pull any stunt like this again, near burst appendix or not...I swear to all things holy...I will kick your ass" Jon told him sternly.
Colby smiled at his friend.
"Ok" he said still smiling.
Jon glared at his friend before sitting back down.
"When can I go home?" Colby asked.
"Doctor said if all's ok, you can go home tomorrow" Jon told him.
"Heeey, you're awake" Joe said happily as he walked into the room.
"How you feeling man?" he asked.
"Tired and sore" Colby told him.
"Can I have some water?" he asked.
Joe poured a glass of water and helped Colby hold it while he took some sips.
"Thanks" he said tiredly.
"You scared us man" Joe told him.
"I know. I was scared myself" Colby told them. "That pain is unreal. I think I can really sympathise with women who go through labour" Colby said making his friends laugh.
They talked some more before Colby fell asleep and a nurse came in to tell them visiting hours were over.
After saying goodnight, both men drove home and went straight to bed, too exhausted to do anything else.
The next day. Colby sat in his hospital bed waiting for his friends to arrive.
He'd been told he was ok to go home later that afternoon.
When Jon and Joe arrived, he smiled at them both as they walked into his room.
"Hey brother" Jon said fist bumping his friend.
"Hey man" Joe said doing the same.
"So...the doctor says I can go home this afternoon" he told them happily.
"Great news man" Joe said smiling.
Somewhere during their talking near lunch time, Colby had fallen asleep.
Joe and Jon continued to natter quietly to one another.
"So...how did you know yesterday that something wasn't right?" Joe asked his friend.
"I don't know man. I just knew" Jon told him.
Joe shook his head.
"What?" Jon asked.
Joe chuckled.
"You two man. There's something between you. An unbreakable bond. I swear you know more about each other then you do yourselves" he said chuckling softly.
Jon just snorted.
Patiently they sat waiting for Colby to awaken so they could take him home and begin the first steps in his recovery.
Being waited on hand and foot by his brothers!
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