Nurse Elizabeth leads Kyle and Wendy over to a sink to wash their hands, passing them each a gown. She points through a window. "That's him right there, if you can see him somewhat."
Kyle feels sick, the only familiar thing about that person laying in that bed is the shock of black hair.
"Oh, Stan." Wendy starts to cry as she washes her hands and gowns up.
"I know, I know. He'll appreciate us there to hold his hand and talk to him." Kyle gives Wendy a quick hug and takes in a shaky breath to ready himself.
"This feels wrong. This shouldn't be happening. Can't believe Stan's mom didn't want to see him right away." Wendy remarks as she's led into Stan's hospital room.
"Maybe she's afraid, or she doesn't want us to see her crying over him." Kyle ties up the gown and follows the nurse through the doors. The room is bright and clinical and cold. Huge. Giant machines on either side of a figure that was the form of Stan. Kyle's eyes go to two tubes coming out of his chest and into a large machine circulating blood. "Holy shit." Kyle's voice is high and tight.
Kyle approaches closer, expecting his super best friend to still be intubated and machines attached. But the sheer number of them was overwhelming. He looked down at Stan's bruised face. "I hate when they leave his eyes open. It looks worse that way." Kyle peered into the familiar shade of blue. Wishing for but not expecting a hint of recognition back.
Wendy is hesitant to step forward. This isn't the Stan she knows and loves. This figure looks alien, almost. She wanted to touch his hand but the shape that was in front of her hardly resembled the hand she knew and held so often. She was afraid to touch him, to hurt him more, this thought made her sob. She feared he was gone at this point.
He felt cold. Cold as he lay on what appeared to be a concrete slab of some-sort. He stirred a little before cracking open an eye. It was all dark. Confused, Stan opened his other eye before deciding to push himself off the cold ground he was on.
He looked down. He was dressed in his usual get-up of jeans, Converse shoes, a band t-shirt, and a brown jacket. His hat was off. He shrugged. He didn't wear it too often now anyway. But where was he? Why was it so dark?
"Um... hello? Anyone there?" Stan calls into the darkness.
Kyle lifts the sheet covering Stan's chest, seeing the tubes coming out of his skin, bruises, a heavy bandage across the left side. "It's not...as bad as the last time he had heart surgery. Hopefully he recovers sooner." He tries to lie to himself; he sees the burn marks and has to put the blanket down quickly. He leans close to Stan's face. "Hey. Stan, it's Kyle. Can you hear me?"
Stan suddenly hears a voice. It comes in rather clear. "Kyle? Kyle?" He runs around now. "Where the hell are you, dude?"
Wendy takes a moment to collect herself before going to Stan's bedside. "Do you think he... he knows we're here?"
Stan looks up into the pitch black. "Wendy? Wendy! Where the hell are you guys?"
"I mean it can't hurt to keep talking to him, right? He almost died this morning." Kyle reaches over and grabs Stan's bandaged hand. "Hey dude, where did you want me to put the Batman and Yoda, we got you in here? It would make the place look nicer." Kyle squeezes his hand.
"What the fuck are you saying- oh right! Damn, that was today? What happened? Why is it all dark? Kyle! Talk to me! Where the hell am I? God damnit this better not be the fucking violet place again!" It's too dark and suffocating in here, he has no idea which direction to start to try and get out of there.
Kyle squeezes Stan's hand again. "Yeah, you're kinda stuck now with your new equipment. You're part cyborg now. I did some googling. You should've listened to me." Kyle tries to crack a smile but starts to cry instead. "Dammit Stan, why do you keep scaring us? What if I'm not around next time? What then?"
Stan feels tears burn his eyes. "Just tell me where I am, you guys. It doesn't feel like hell or the Violet Place. But I don't like this. The last thing I remember is... fuck. Getting ready for gym. Did I even participate? I don't remember."
Kyle feels drawn into this conversation somehow. "Fine, let's talk about yourself. You looked like shit the past few weeks but before gym you were like a grayish blue. Your skin and lips. You looked creepy. You wouldn't go to the nurse. You thought you could play dodgeball. I kinda had to force you to let the coach sit you out. I don't think you'll remember." As Kyle cries, tears drop onto Stan's forehead, Kyle wipes them away. He ruffles Stan's hair gently.
Stan feels a warmth over the top of his head now. "Kyle? Wendy? I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being a stupid stubborn ass. I didn't think I'd wind up... wherever I wound up. Please don't think any less of me for it. I couldn't go. Going would mean facing- I'm sorry that this happened."
Wendy finally touches Stan's left hand. Stan feels another comforting touch in his hand as she does this. He starts to see a very dim light filtering through the top of wherever he is.
"Stan, you there?" Wendy asks. She looks into his face, seeing tears well up. "Look, his eyes are tearing up." Wendy says she finds a tissue nearby and wipes his eyes.
"Maybe since they're open and are drying out. You think they'll get mad if I try to close his eyes? It's sad seeing him stare at nothing. Almost like he's..." Kyle gets into Stan's face now. "You can hear us. You'll find your way back. Don't be brain damaged or let the heart damage slow you down too much. How many chances do you get? You're welcome by the way."
Stan feels something touch just under his eye now. As if someone was drying his tears. He could feel Kyle and Wendy there nearby but couldn't see them. "Of course, I can feel you. Fuck what do you mean brain damaged? What's wrong with me?"
Wendy finishes wiping Stan's face. She puts the lightest of kisses to his cheek. "Try to close his eyes, Kyle. If they say something, then we'll know not to touch him next time."
Kyle takes a careful finger and closes the right and the left. Stan's right eye opens up again. "Come on, you want to see around?" Kyle tries to close it again. "You think he is brain damaged if that's not hurting him?" He looks at the nurse watching them through the window. "He's heavily sedated. Also got defibrillated like about a million times. You get to take one home now, heh." Kyle starts to cry again. "Why am I pretending everything is going to be okay?"
"Because it is. I think. I... I don't know anymore." Stan calls up, but this felt silly yelling at some dim light. He sits down now and runs both hands in his mop of hair. "I'm confused. I can hear you guys and feel you but I can't see anything. You guys? Is my mom there too? Tell her I'm sorry. I hope she didn't see me get defibrillated. Fuck."
Wendy still has the lightest touch as she keeps touching the side of his face. "How would they know if he has brain damage? How long until he... he might show signs of waking up?"
"I dunno, they'll do some CT or MRI scan on him. You weren't there for that, but I was with Mrs. Marsh." He points to the ECMO tube in his chest. "That's pretty much keeping him alive. It's taking stress off his heart and lungs and other organs and keeping his blood super oxygenated so he can recover. He'd be a goner if it weren't for that machine that takes up half the room." Kyle shakes his head and tries to close Stan's eyes again. "Hey dude just get better; we have lots of fun to have still."
Stan lifts his head from where he was sitting. "What machine? What am I attached to?"
Wendy's hand drops. "I'm sorry, Stan. I think I have to leave now. I'll get Stan's mom to see him." She wipes at her tear-stained cheek.
Kyle looks up now at Wendy. He gives Stan's hand a squeeze once more. "You get better, or I'll punch you in the chest again." He tries to close Stan's eyes again.
Stan looks up as the bit of light from above disappears. "No! Don't leave me, you guys! Come back! Damnit!" Stan kicks at the floor but tries to calm down. "Oh well, at least Mom's coming in next."
Wendy steps out, shaking with tears. Seeing Stan like that was overwhelming. She looks around the waiting room.
Bebe comes up to her. "Stupid prom season. I'm back from work to take you home. Oh Wendy, I'm so sorry." She hugs her. "How bad?"
"Bebe, he doesn't even look like himself. The only thing that gives off any Stan vibes is his hair and his eyes. Oh god his eyes, they were open and just staring into nothing. It wasn't like Stan at all. I'm so scared for him." She clings to Bebe.
Bebe can't help it and starts to cry too. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Will he get better?" She rocks her best friend back and forth.
"The doctors don't know. It's a waiting game now." Wendy sobs helplessly.
Kyle had his head down leaving Stan's side as he returned to the previous waiting room. He found Wendy leaning on Bebe, tears falling from her eyes. He sat next to the girls. "Mrs. Marsh go back yet? I didn't see her on my way down."
Wendy looks up and shakes her head. "We thought maybe- maybe she was in the restroom or something."
"Oh well, I can't really check the ladies room. I'd hate to ask one of you to do it. I know it's a hard day." Kyle leans back wearily in his chair.
Wendy looks to Bebe.
Bebe nods her head. "I'll go check. Here... take care of each other." She hands Wendy her pack of tissues before getting up to check.
Kyle looks up at the ceiling, the events of the day running over him, feeling the exhaustion in his bones. "Maybe if we keep talking to him, read to him, play some of his favorite music he'll start to wake up. I guess they did it when he was in a coma when he was three. I don't really remember but if it worked last time..."
Wendy rests her head on Kyle's shoulder. "We have to try anything at this point. Bebe is confident he'll make it, but we can't be that complacent for something so serious." She looks up at him now. "I mean how many chances is Stan going to get?"
Kyle leans forward to look at her. "You know what my worry is? People get brain damage after four minutes without a pulse and his heart stopped three different times. From Google the ECMO thing is supposed to reverse it but what if it doesn't?"
"He's only eighteen, we all are. We have our future ahead of us. What if he doesn't get one?" Wendy sobs into her tissues, offering one to Kyle.
Kyle grabs one. He's used to being the strong one in situations like this. But if he was just as unsure and scared as her, she didn't know if he could handle both their grief. Someone had to be strong in this. But if the worse happened it wouldn't be either of them.
Bebe comes back looking a little flustered. "She's not in there, I checked both bathrooms, the cafeteria, outside, and asked the front desk to page for her. I don't know what happened." Bebe goes to sit down with them again.
Kyle felt uncomfortable. "You think she got sick or something? The stress made her go get checked out in the ER or something?"
"Sharon Marsh dial line 102 Sharon Marsh dial line 102." The page overhead stated.
"If she's in a different part of the hospital she'll hear that. I hope she's not unconscious." Bebe shook her head. "No, she'll call back."
Wendy gets to her feet, worried. "She said she'd see him right after. I hope Something bad didn't happen to her. If anything, the hospital would allow her more time with Stan since it's her son and she works here. She has to be around."
Kyle thought for a minute. "Maybe talking to Stan's doctor? She must have an office. Or someone else who can help him."
"Sharon Marsh dial 102. Sharon Marsh dial line 102." The page calls out overhead.
Wendy shrugs. "Maybe she's talking to someone.
What other floors might she be at? Maybe she went to the labor and delivery ward?"
"She works there but I don't know if she'd be there if she's worried about her son. Where's cardiology? He got sent to the ICU and maybe she went to the wrong part of the hospital?" Bebe asked.
Kyle shook his head. "She works here, she knows this place better than any of us. Unless the doctor is over there. She'd page though."
"Sharon Marsh dial 102. Sharon Marsh dial 102." The page calls out again.
"I'm worried now." Bebe says.
"We weren't gone that long, were we?" Wendy asks.
Bebe looks at her phone. "Half an hour? But you've been here since morning, what's a half hour more since you were waiting to see him?"
Wendy thinks. "Maybe she went to her car. Maybe she wanted to get something."
"Um yeah. Where would she park? In visitors or staff? She drives the red Acura. Let's go check." Kyle now gets up to head to the parking garage, Bebe gets up to follow.
"Okay, text me if you find her." Kyle nods and takes off to the staff parking lot.
Twenty minutes later, Kyle finds himself next to Bebe's red sun fire as he meets the girls. "Nothing in staff."
Wendy leaned with her back to the car. "Nothing here either. We saw that same car but it's not hers. It doesn't have the floral license plate cover she has. Did you try calling her?"
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, I called and texted. no response. I'm worried."
"Stan's mom wouldn't just take off. Would she?" Bebe asked.
Kyle thought for a moment. "Normally no, but she has really bad PTSD from watching Stan code when he was a toddler. Occasionally it creeps up and she goes like catatonic. Especially if he's in the hospital. I wonder if she had an episode."
Wendy sighs. "You think so? Poor Mrs. Marsh... where would she be? Would she go back home?"
"I hope so, if she just drove off, I hope she doesn't hurt herself somehow. But she kinda goes back to when he was age three and starts crying and babbling." Kyle hugged himself.
Wendy puts an arm on his shoulder. "That's not good. She could be a danger to herself. We need to call more people to look for her!"
"I hope she didn't get into a car accident or go somewhere dangerous." Kyle picks up his phone to try and call again.
Stan meanwhile wanders around aimlessly n the dark and cold nothingness of his mind. Looking around. His footsteps echoing.
"Hello? Mom? You there? Kyle? Wendy? Hey, you said my mom was coming right? You guys all ditch me?" He calls out.
Nurse Valerie comes in. She goes to check Stan's vitals and medications for the night. "You poor boy." She says as she sings softly to herself as she takes his blood pressure.
Stan feels something squeeze his arm, but he can't see what it is. He tries to swat at whatever it is. "Hey cut it out!" He moves arm away. "Hello? Who's there now? Can you hear me?"
The nurse checks his blood pressure. It's still critically low but he wasn't even two hours out of surgery. She takes the stethoscope to his chest. Very low heart rate but also normal for what he just went through. She marks these down in her computer.
Stan shivers as something touches his chest. "Hey, cut it out there! Mom? Kyle? Wendy?"
She continues to sing to herself a bit as she takes out some alcohol wipes and bandages. She pulls back and does a wound check along the two tubes in his chest and cleans them up a bit.
"Oww! Oww fuck! What are you doing?" Stan pulls his shirt up to feel along his chest but sees nothing. He can hear soft singing now. He frowns and looks around. It's comforting almost. He sinks to the ground, calming down as tears fill his eyes. "Mom? Is that you?"
Valerie pulls back his large bandage now to check over the surgery incisions under his collar bone and in his side. She cleans these wounds as well and redresses them.
Stan rubs his arms all over his body now as he feels hands on him. It's uncomfortable and scary and he is confused since he can't see any hands. "Are you a doctor or nurse? Can you help me please?"
She cleans his face a bit and sees his eyes have opened and tears are falling down. She's a bit startled at this, and she goes to keep cleaning his face up.
Stan feels someone wiping his face now as one would do if he were crying. Was he crying? Stan felt his own face, his hand coming away wet with tears. Guess so. He sniffed as more tears fell. He was so confused and scared. Why could he hear people and feel their touch but not see anything? This wasn't like the Violet Place? Maybe it was his own personal hell. To see loved ones cry over him but not being able to communicate back. Truly awful.
Valerie puts eye drops in each of his eyes and grabs some surgical tape. She carefully closes each eye and puts tape over them to keep them closed. She wipes his cheeks once more.
Stan feels a heaviness over his eyes now. He can still see but his eyes just feel heavy. As if he had a cold and was really achy and tired. He rubs his eyes. "What's going on up there? Someone please help. My name is Stan Marsh. I'm eighteen and from South Park Colorado. I just want to know what going on... please."
He lays down in a fetal position and closes his eyes, not sure what else to do.
The nurse finishes up by changing over his medicine and blood IVs and tucks him back in and turns the lights down for the night until the next check.
Sharon meanwhile is sitting in her car. Parked at Snowy Hill Park. A favorite place Stan liked to go when he was little. Her car lights are off. hands gripping her steering wheel. She stares into the night. Unaware of almost anything at this point.
It's nearly midnight and there's a tap at her window. Her older brother and his friend Ned are standing by the car. "Sharon? Sharoooonnn." Jimbo calls out.
Sharon continues to stare, making no notice she hears the rapping on her window.
"Dammit, Ned get the thing to jimmy the window. She's gone shell shock again." A moment later the car door lock pops open and Jimbo opens the car door, touching his sister on the shoulder. "Sharon? Hey."
Sharon glances over at him before looking forward as she has been. Eyes wide. Fingers white as she clutches her steering wheel.
Jimbo makes a move to grab her hand to unclench it from the steering wheel. "Sharon, if you keep this up you're going to hurt yourself and end up in the hospital."
Sharon says nothing as her fingers unwind. She turns her eyes to Jimbo, they are red and dry, having not blinked much the past half hour.
"Okay, now we're getting somewhere. I'm gonna unbuckle your seat belt and try to get you to stand up." He reaches over and unclicks the seatbelt. He puts a hand on her shoulder. "Please, say something. You don't have a husband anymore but maybe your son can come get you?"
"Mmm…I'm sure Stan is worried about you." Ned says.
Sharon's eyes widen as she whips her head around now. "Stanley? Where's Stanley?"
"I don't know. Kid won't answer his phone. Probably out causing trouble like I was at that age, haha. I got a call from the cops about you. You're lucky I know you get like this. Come on Sharon. We'll call Stan after we take you home."
"Stanley! My baby boy. My poor baby boy." Sharon starts to sob as she's pulled from her car.
Jimbo sighs. "He's eighteen, he's fine, probably out with his friends. He's not three anymore."
Sharon cries harder now, shaking her head.
Ned looks down at Sharon's phone now and picks it up. "Mmmm, you have a bunch of missed calls from..." he looks. "Your son's friends."
Jimbo looks at Sharon now. "Stanley in trouble? Hey, look at me." He holds her by the shoulders to make her look him in the eye.
Sharon nods and sobs into his arms.
"Okay he's in trouble. Can you tell me what happened? Do you need our help? Does he need our help?"
Sharon cries. "Mommy is so sorry Stanley. So sorry."
"Sharon, you didn't kill him, did you?" Jimbo asks.
"I'm a horrible mother!" Sharon screams.
"Sharon...do you need help hiding a body? No matter what Stan did, we can make it look like a hunting accident. Right, Ned?"
"Mmmmm yep." Ned agrees.
"My baby. My baby is- is- in- n- hospital. And I'm- I'm- here!" Sharon sputters out.
"Oh, good you didn't kill him. Thank God. Okay, why is he in the hospital?" Jimbo asks again.
Sharon shakes her head as she cries.
"You gotta give me more than that."
Ned pulls Kyle's number from Sharon's phone and goes over to call him.
Kyle jumps as his phone rings. "Hello? Hello?"
"Mmmm who's this?
"This is Kyle! Who- is- is this Ned?"
"Mmm yep. Stan with you?" He looks over at Jimbo trying to get Sharon to calm down
"No, Stan is unconscious. Have you heard from Mrs. Marsh?" Kyle asks frantically.
"Mmm she's here with Jimbo." Ned looks at Jimbo. "Stan's unconscious."
"Dammit Ned, give me that!" Jimbo takes the phone. "Hello? Who's this?"
"This is Kyle! What the hell is going on?"
"You can tell me the same thing? If Stan's drunk tell him I'll cover his ass, but I got a call from the cops at midnight they found Sharon in her car freaked out at the park. I'm trying to take her home!"
"She's- she's at the park?" Lyle looks over at Wendy and Bebe in the front seat of the car. "They found Stan's mom at the park…Which park, Jimbo?"
"Snowy Hill by the old house. You kids used to play here all the time! Is Stan okay? His mom is freaked out." Jimbo asks. "That boy is in trouble if he freaked out his mom!"
Kyle's eyes fill with tears. "No, Stan is sick. Very very sick, Jimbo. He collapsed at school and had to go in for emergency surgery for his heart. He's... he's in critical condition."
"Goddammit." Jimbo is quiet for a minute. "Well, we have Sharon here in her car at the park. Should I take her to my house to be watched until she's calmed down? Where are you at, son?"
"We're driving around looking for her. We looked at Mrs. Marsh's place just now. We thought she might be there. But if she's in an obvious mental state I don't feel she's safe on her own. Me and Wendy visited Stan first after his surgery. Mrs. Marsh said she would see him after and then when we went back to the waiting room she was nowhere to be seen. We've been worried sick over both of them." Kyle explained.
"If he's that bad she's probably scared. Sharon, you want to stay at my house on the couch? It's not much but if you don't want to be alone..." he thinks for a minute. "I'll close the gun shop and we'll go see Stan in the morning."
Kyle thinks for a moment before an idea hits. "Wait! Can you maybe drop her off at my place? My mother will look after her. Make sure she showers and is fed. It would make me feel better too if I know she's right there. Until she comes to again or Stan wakes. I don't know which will happen first." Kyle's voice cracks as he tears up again.
"Okay, son. Text me your address and I'll take her over there. Drop off her car at the apartment. Need anything else from us? We'll still go visit Stan if they let us." Jimbo says, putting an arm around Sharon, hugging her close.
Twenty minutes later Jimbo is pounding on the Broflovski's front door at 1 am. He still has his arm around Sharon, this time to hold her up.
The door is answered by a pissed off looking Sheila Broflovski. "Excuse you, it's the middle of the night. Sharon! Jimbo! The boys! What's happened?"
Sheila takes Sharon in and sits her on the couch while she lets Jimbo and Ned in. "Kyle? Kyle! Kyle bubbe wake up, somethings wrong!"
A few minutes later Kyle's phone is being blown up by calls from his mom.
Sheila is trying to call Kyle and hands Sharon a cup of tea. Jimbo and Ned decline the offer to stay and take off into the night.
"Sharon? Hey Sharon? What's wrong with the boys? Should we call the police?" Sheila asks worriedly as she hands her a cup.
She finally sees her older son picked up. "Kyle! You scared me to death. Stan's mother showed up on my doorstep and she's in one of her... states. Where are you boys? It's a school night!"
"Mom…" Kyle's voice is weary. "Stan is in the hospital. I'll tell you what happened when I get home. I'm on my way now."
"What what what!" Sheila shouts as she is hung up on. She sighs. "Come on Sharon dear. Let's find you something to sleep in and I'll put you up in our guest room. Do you need to tell me anything? Drink your tea, it'll help you sleep."
Sharon clutches her cup as she stares ahead. "Stanley... Stanley baby I'm so sorry." She says quietly.
"Did Stan get hurt? Or sick?" Sheila asks, sitting next to her.
"Yes, sick." Sharon begins to cry again.
Sheila hugs her. "What is he sick with?" She hands her a tissue.
Sharon takes the tissues but just balls it in her hand. "His heart. Again. My baby…"
"I'm so sorry. You know Stanley is also like a son to me." Sheila also starts to cry over what her own son has gone through and hugs Sharon. "Sharon dear, sip your tea."
Sharon sets down her cup and rubs her eyes. "I'm so horrible Sheila. An awful mother."
"No, you're not. Stanley loves you very much." Sheila starts. Kyle barges through the front door. "Mom? Mrs. Marsh?"
Sheila gets up and goes to hug Kyle. "Bubbe, you had me worried sick." She kisses him on the cheek and hugs him again.
Kyle hugs her briefly before going over to Sharon. "Mrs. Marsh? Where were you? Why did you leave? You had us worried sick.
Sharon shakes her head and doesn't answer, picking up the tea but not drinking it.
Sheila sits on Sharon's other side. "Sharon dear, your tea is getting cold. Take a sip. Kyle, please tell me everything. Stanley got sick again?"
Kyle sits down across from his and Stan's moms. "Can I have some tea too? It might help."
Sheila nods and goes into the kitchen. She returns a moment later with a cup for each of them. "Sharon dear please. You have to drink." She hands Kyle his cup and puts blankets over both Sharon's and Kyle's shoulders.
Kyle rubs his tired eyes and takes a sip. "We'll, first off, Stan's been sick. Very sick and he didn't tell any of us. He had doctor appointments lined up, but he waited too long to be checked out."
Sheila's face pales a bit, her eyes going to Sharon who seems in a trance. "Go on, bubbe."
Kyle feels his eyes tear up. "I tried talking to him about it the other day at work. Of course, he brushed it off like nothing. But I could tell something was up. He looked pale and jittery. Was clutching his chest. Then today at school, same thing. He looked awful but insisted he was okay. Said he'd be able to make it through the day and all he needed was to rest at home."
"Stanley... Stanley baby." Sharon mutters to herself.
Kyle grimaces as he takes another sip. "Stubborn ass... during PE he sat out since at this point he really looked horrible. Then the next thing I knew- he passed out in the bleachers!"
Sharon starts to cry again.
"Oh, no." Sheila puts a hand to her mouth and hands over a box of tissues to Sharon.
Kyle shuts his eyes, trying not to see it. "He wasn't breathing, no pulse. Started CPR, school nurse helped, and we got him back after a while. paramedics arrive and they- they take him. He got worse in the ambulance."
Sharon cries harder.
Sheila starts to cry now; she grabs a tissue. "You did that today, Kyle? Bubbe, that was so brave."
Kyle nods as tears fall. "What are you gonna do? He's my best friend, I wouldn't give up on him. But they took him into emergency heart surgery. It might be all for nothing. The doctors don't know if he'll pull through. Wendy and I went to see him, he looks bad. We came to give Mrs. Marsh her turn and she had run off."
"Poor things, all of you. And Stanley. Oh no." Sheila wipes her eyes and hugs Sharon. "What is his prognosis according to the doctors?"
Kyle leans his head on his mom's shoulder. "Not great. He had to have emergency surgery. They implanted this device called an ICD. Sort of like a pacemaker. He's on a ECMO machine to give his heart and lungs a chance to heal and not have to overwork itself."
Sheila felt ice on her own chest and stomach at these words. She hugs her son close and tries to comfort Sharon. "I'm sorry, how scary. Sharon we'll take care of you and Stanley and do whatever it takes. We've had this happen before and he was okay after. Kyle and I are here to you and Stanley no matter what happens." Sheila can't quite let her own son go from her arms. "Oh Kyle, I'm so sorry." She starts to cry again.
Kyle cries in her arms now. "I don't- don't want him to die Mom. I'm so scared."
"I don't want him to either. We're going to be here for both Stanley and his mom no matter what. Right?" She hugs him and lets him cry into her shoulder, even if her son is much taller than her these days.
Kyle looks up with a tear-stained face. "We had plans for graduation Mom. Stan and I wanted to have a big BBQ cookout. Rent out some grills and benches. Do some stupid silly relay races and shit on the grass. Cool off at the water sprinkler thing. It was going to be great…."
"We'll do whatever you boys want. We might wait a month or so after Stanley is better but yes, we'll doit. We'll be there for him and his mom. Kyle, you're such a good boy. I love you, bubbe. And I love Stanley like he's my own as well."
Kyle hugs his mom tightly. "I love you too Mom." Glances at Sharon. She has her head down on the table with an arm wrapped around it.
Sheila sighs. "Graduation. Kyle, sweetie it's almost 2am. Get some sleep and I'll call you out of school tomorrow. Just one day, you need to keep up with your studies and graduate. But go brush your teeth and sleep. I'm going to put Sharon to bed."
Kyle slowly gets to his feet. "I'm tired but I don't know if I can sleep. Stan's just... there. Hooked up to so much it's hard to tell it's him."
"Kyle...well help me put Sharon to bed and try to at least relax yourself. We'll all go visit tomorrow. Would you like that, Sharon?" She looks to her.
Sharon shakes her head. "No. No…"
Kyle puts a gentle hand on her arm. "Mrs. Marsh, I kind of told Stan you'd be there. He's expecting you to show."
Sharon shakes her head furiously. "No. I can't. I can't."
Sheila hugs Sharon. "You do what feels best. We might have to call your own doctor tomorrow, Sharon. But let's put you to bed, okay?"
Sharon nods and shakily gets to her feet. Kyle helps her and puts an arm around his back.
Sheila follows behind. Her hand on Sharon's shoulder the whole time as they lead Sharon up to the guest room.