The Keith Caper (Part 4)
Not surprisingly, Mueller's Park was empty as Keith and Danny approached the basketball court, Danny dribbling the ball in front of him. The two-block walk had been quiet but for the sound of the ball hitting the sidewalk, and the excursion all but wore Keith out, but he couldn't let his brother see it.
Danny pushed the ball at him. "Go ahead. I'll give you a head start."
"Huh," Keith scoffed. "Like I need one."
Danny took his stance. "I promise I'll be gentle," he smirked.
Keith took off with the ball, heading for the basket with Danny right on his heels. They played a good game of one-on-one; both boys making more than half of the lay-ups they went for, with several slam dunks thrown in for good measure. After about five minutes, Keith called a time out, his chest heaving and his body aching.
"Oh, come on!" Danny protested. "I'm ahead, here!"
Reaching out, Keith pushed into Danny's shoulder. "Just two minutes, okay?" He wiped his wet forehead with his sleeve, gulping in air while Danny stood there with the ball, watching, his young face serious.
"You okay?" Danny was plenty worried, now.
Hugging his arms as if he were cold, Keith nodded, then cringed, bending over and putting his hands on his knees. Seeing Danny's concern, he took another big breath, looking back at him, his eyes hard. "This isn't your fault, you know."
Danny looked down, turning away and bouncing the ball. Keith stepped forward.
"Danny." He took the ball from him.
"Then whose fault is it?" Danny's back remained to him for a moment, then he whirled around. "I had to go into the store for that stupid- comic book and let you get kidnapped! We should have just gone home like you wanted to," he shouted, finally letting it all out.
"Danny," Keith shook his head. "Those guys wouldn't have cared if you had been there. They knew what they were after and they would have grabbed me anyway." He paused, sighing. "You're my brother, not my bodyguard."
"I know, but…"
"But nothing. What happened, happened. It's over and done with."
Danny hesitated. "Then you're not mad at me?"
Keith laughed gently. "Mad at you?" he tousled Danny's hair. "You saved my life. If you hadn't acted so fast, who knows what might have happened?"
Danny grinned, obviously relieved, as Keith held the ball up.
"Okay, let's go. You ain't seen nothin', yet." He turned, whipping the ball down the court as a surprised Danny trotted behind.
"Hey, no fair! You didn't call time in!"
The game was back on, and the two brothers played hard and fast. It was point after point, lay-up after lay-up.
Until Keith stopped again, bent over this time, his back to Danny.
"What's the matter?" Danny taunted. "Tired again so soon?" He bounced the ball, coming around to face his brother.
Keith looked up, his skin ashen, and Danny's eyes widened. Keith's hand trembled as he reached out to him and Danny went forward, tossing the ball aside.
"Oh, god…" Keith clutched Danny's shirtfront, falling into him. The younger boy grabbed him as Keith began to sink to the ground.
"Keith?" he cried, lowering him to the pavement.
"Oh, Danny…!" Keith's voice exuded pain.
"I'll go get Mom." Tearfully, Danny moved, but Keith's grip on his arm tightened.
"No, don't leave!" he pleaded, his breathing becoming harder; more rapid.
On his knees, Danny nodded as he held Keith against him, his brother's hair against his tear-stained cheek.
Keith jerked with pain and Danny held on tighter, his heart racing. Shakily, he touched Keith's damp forehead, moving the wet strands of hair aside. Inside, he was praying: "Please, God, let him be okay…"
"Danny," Keith swallowed hard, sounding a million miles away.
"I'm right here," Danny assured him, rubbing Keith's shoulder.
Keith groaned again, drawing his knees up.
Danny began to feel sick. "Keith, let me get somebody, please," he said in his ear.
Keith coughed violently, gripping Danny's arms that were around his chest. "Oh, god, it hurts!" he moaned, writhing in agony.
The sound of a car door shutting made Danny look up. To his utter surprise, Reuben was running across the parking lot toward them. Funny, but Danny didn't even know the manager could run.
"Danny! Keith!" Reuben was out of breath as he approached.
"We've gotta get him to the hospital, Mr. Kincaid!" Danny blurted, grateful not to be "in charge" any longer.
"I'll call an ambulance," Reuben started off, but Danny cried out.
"There's no time! Please, can't we use your car?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure." Reuben sounded bewildered. "Can you walk, kid?"
"How about it, Keith?" Danny asked.
Keith nodded, weary from the pain attacking every muscle, every bone.
Rueben reached down and he and Danny carefully pulled Keith up. Danny planted his shoulder under his brother's arm while Reuben took the other arm. They started slowly off, Keith gritting his teeth with every step.
"Come on, you can do it," Danny urged. "Only a little bit more."
Groaning, Keith felt his legs buckle. "I can't…"
Reuben caught him before he went down again. Scooping him up, Reuben started for the car. "Open the back door, Danny!" he ordered. Keith was lighter than he'd imagined and they were at the car in no time at all. As Reuben laid Keith on the back seat, Danny dashed around to the other side and climbed in with his brother.
"Hurry, Mr. Kincaid, hurry!" he hollered, taking his place on the floor.
As Reuben took off, Danny reached up, squeezing Keith's hand. "You're gonna be okay, Keith," he said bravely. Then, to himself, he whispered, "Please be okay…"
Shirley and Laurie burst through the emergency room doors, startling Reuben, who was pacing and smoking. He whirled around as the women approached, their pretty faces pale and drawn. Putting the cigarette out, he grabbed them both before they mowed him over.
"Where's Keith?" Shirley demanded.
"Upstairs in the Intensive Care Area. They let Danny go with him," Reuben said soothingly.
"Intensive care?" Laurie looked horrified. "Why?"
"I don't know. He was in a lot of pain. The doctor hasn't been down here to tell me anything. He did say for you to go on up as soon as you got here. It's on the fourth floor."
Laurie practically ran to the elevators as Shirley and Reuben followed.
"Where are Chris and Tracy?" Reuben asked as they stepped into the car.
"I left them with Mrs. Monihan. Oh, Reuben, Christmas was so happy…" she said heavily, and he nodded, putting his arm around her sagging shoulders.
The elevator stopped and the doors were barely open before Laurie snaked her way through them, hurrying to the nurse's desk. "My brother, Keith, is here. We'd like to see him." Her voice was remarkably calm, but her insides shook horribly.
The blonde at the desk smiled up at the trio. "Yes, of course. He's in 418, right through those double doors."
Once again, Laurie led her mother and Reuben down the hall. Pushing the doors open, she made a beeline toward 418 as the adults followed.
They found Danny inside, sitting at the window, staring down at the world below. "Mom!" he bellowed, jumping up and running to her waiting arms.
"Danny," Shirley said gently.
Then Laurie cried out loud. "Oh, Mom!"
Shirley turned and what she saw nearly floored her. Keith lay in the bed, tubes coming from every orifice, machines softly humming and beeping around him. His eyes were closed as if in eternal sleep and an oxygen tube was taped to his nose. She cried out, muffling the sound with her hand as Danny swallowed.
"He's bad, Mom. I think he's gonna die."
Reuben cleared his throat. "We don't know that."
The door opened and Dr. Lewis, whom they'd seen only 24 hours before, entered. The look on his face told Shirley Danny could be right.
"Doctor?!" she turned to face him.
"Mrs. Partridge," the doctor nodded grimly. "We need to talk." He indicated some chairs. Shirley and Laurie sat down, while Reuben and Danny stood nearby, Danny practically clinging to Shirley.
"Doctor, is Keith…?" Laurie couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Keith is almost comatose. We have him heavily sedated. He's in a very serious state right now. Whatever was in the injections he received is attacking his muscles, his nervous system, his organs, everything. And we unless we find an antidote, he could die, Mrs. Partridge."
The doctor's words bore into Shirley and she stared at him, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, dear Lord…" she exhaled, trembling.
Reuben went to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Can't you do anything?"
Solemnly, the doctor went on. "We've got him monitored, he's on oxygen, and he's being intravenously fed painkillers to keep him as comfortable as possible. Now, I could be wrong, but there is a small chance he could pull out of this on his own. He's young, strong, healthy. He's got all that going for him. I just wanted you to know what we're dealing with."
"I see," Shirley said faintly. "Then all is not lost."
"Not yet, it's not." He looked over at Keith, so small and fragile in the bed. "It's pretty much up to him, now. I hope he's a fighter, Mrs. Partridge."
"I hope so, too," Shirley prayed. She could feel her heart pounding, and she did her best not to faint. Again.
Laurie and Danny played cards on the empty bed opposite Keith's while Reuben and Shirley occupied the two big chairs in the room. Reuben dozed as Shirley sat watching her son as he lay there so frail, so helpless.
Suddenly she sat up, a look of pure astonishment on her face. "How stupid we've been!" she cried.
Everyone but Keith, of course, jumped as Shirley turned to their manager.
"What…?" Reuben mumbled, still a little dazed.
"The police have one of the kidnappers, don't they?"
Nodding, Reuben rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, so…?"
"So!" Shirley was on her feet. "He'll know what was in the shot!"
Laurie and Danny exchanged joyful looks. "Oh, Mom, do you think so?" Laurie squealed.
"It's worth a try! Come on, Reuben, let's go call the detectives." Shirley nearly pulled him out of the chair.
As they headed for the door, Danny looked puzzled. "Why don't you use the phone in here?"
"They don't have phones in the ICU rooms, Danny. It's so they won't disturb the patients." Laurie explained. She slid off the bed, taking Shirley's place at Keith's side as her mother and Reuben left the room.
"But what if there was an emergency? Like…like his heart stopped or something?" Danny wanted to know.
"They have an intercom. And don't say things like that!" Laurie shuddered, looking closely at her older brother. He was still deep in limbo, his long lashes casting a shadow on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. The oxygen machine pumped in air with a regular beat and the heart monitor beeped steadily.
"Keith, can you hear me?" Laurie asked, leaning in close to him.
Danny watched anxiously slipping down off the bed to join them.
But Keith gave no response, just the machines, and Laurie reached up, touching his arm. It was cool and she stroked it, trying again. "Keith? Keith, wake up. Come on, honey, I know you can hear me."
The door opened and Dr. Lewis came in, smiling down at them. "How's he doing? Not awake yet?"
"No," Laurie sighed. "But I'm not giving up."
"That's the spirit," the doctor said, reaching over and removing the IV tube that was connected to Keith's left hand. "Maybe this will help."
"What's that?" Laurie watched curiously.
"This is full of Barbital, a sedative. If we take him off of it…"
"Then he wakes up!" Danny finished his sentence.
"Well, in due time. He's had so much of it, that it will take a while to wear off, but it will. Unfortunately, the sedative was also the painkiller, so when he does come to, he'll be hurting a bit. Not to worry, though. We will put him on another one. But first let's see if this wakes him up, shall we?"
Laurie nodded, biting her lower lip nervously as the doctor checked all of the tubing and wires, wrote on the chart at the foot of the bed, and exited the room.
"When do you think he'll come out of it?" Danny asked, staring at Keith's motionless form.
"I don't know." She rose, shaking her head. "You know, all of these…gadgets give me the creeps." She shivered involuntarily.
"Me, too, but you've gotta admit, they keep a great beat. I'll bet Keith could come up with a doozy of a song."
Laurie laughed as Shirley and Reuben returned, looking downtrodden. Laurie's heart fell. "No luck?"
"Well, the police questioned the kid, and he claims it was the other guy's idea to use the syringe. Apparently, he's a med school dropout and is a whiz with chemicals. And, unfortunately for us, he's still on the lam, but they're looking for him. Any change?" Reuben shoved his hands in his pockets.
"No. Except that the doctor came in and took away the sedative so that he'll wake up sooner." Laurie answered.
Shirley frowned. "Is that wise? I mean, he's so peaceful…"
Laurie shrugged. "He would know best."
"Maybe I should have a little talk with Dr. Lewis," Shirley looked up at Reuben.
"Now, Shirley, Laurie's right. Besides, we can always have them put it back if he wakes up too miserable."
Shirley sighed. "I suppose you're right. It's just that he's been through so much, I hate to see him suffer one little bit."
Danny nodded. It was a good thing Mom wasn't at the park, he thought. He'd never seen Keith - or anyone - in so much pain before. And it would suit him just fine if he never lived to see it again. He could almost hear Keith's cries, and feel the rigidness of his body as Danny held him. It was the longest five minutes of his life.
Shaking off the memory, he stared at Keith, wanting to run to him, take him by the shoulders and make him wake up. Darn it, Keith, come out of it, will you? He cried inside. Big brothers aren't supposed to be sick, not like this! They aren't allowed to die on you, either! Heroes never die; just read any comic book, watch any TV show. Heroes are supposed to be invincible!
Without realizing it, Danny was sobbing now, and Laurie turned to him, looking worried.
"Danny?"
Shirley grabbed her arm, hushing her, letting Danny go.
He went to the bed, massaging Keith's arm between his hands, still sobbing and ranting. "Come on, Keith! You can't do this to me! I need you!"
He wanted to slap him or something, anything to make him listen. Gripping the bedcovers, Danny buried his face in them and cried as the others watched, touched and a little surprised.
Shirley moved to him, her hand on his back. "Honey…"
He went into her arms. "Oh, Mom, I'm so scared…"
"Scared of what?" she sat down, pulling him onto her lap.
"What if…what if he dies? What'll I do without him? What will we do?"
His question took her aback and she looked up at Laurie, who was wiping her own tears. "Well, honey, I don't know. Right now we need to have faith that Keith's going to be all right. The doctor said there's a good chance he'll make it, and we've got to believe that."
The words were barely out of her mouth, when Keith moaned, moving his head on the pillow. Everyone jerked around to look at him.
Danny swallowed, frozen. "Keith?" he whispered.
Another moan, and the bed was surrounded. Keith's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at them, his eyes trying to focus. "Mom…"
Shirley grabbed his hand, her heart in her throat. "I'm right here, honey. "
Keith swallowed, trying to lift his head off the pillow. The effort failed and he dropped it back down as Shirley put a cool hand on his forehead.
"Are you in pain, honey?" Shirley asked.
After a second, he nodded. "Yeah, a little. What…what's going on? Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital, brother," Laurie indicated the equipment surrounding them. "I think you're on radar by now."
His eyes followed her hand, trying to let it all sink in. His gaze settled on Danny, whose worried features wavered above him.
Danny wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, forcing a smile. "You'll do anything to win a game, won't you?"
Keith smiled back, then moved in the bed, wincing, as pain tore through him.
Shirley looked up at her daughter. "Laurie, go get the nurse."
"No! No, I'm okay, really," Keith breathed. He pressed a hand to his chest. "Have they found what was in the shot?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.
"They're working on it," Reuben said to the others' uneasy looks.
Keith exhaled loudly. "I'm scared," he confessed quietly.
"I know you are, darling, but -" Shirley began.
"But you've gotta have faith, right, Mom?" Danny interjected.
She nodded through her tears. "Right." She tried to be brave, looking down at that pale, drawn face. She began to wonder if he really was going to make it through all of this. He didn't look strong enough, not anymore. The effects of the shot were so apparent. In his eyes alone, she saw the change. Where once a young, carefree child lived, now was a very frightened young man; one that had grown up all too suddenly, overnight. It saddened her to see him this way, especially since she could do nothing about it.
The door behind them opened and everyone looked to see Dr. Lewis come in.
"I see our star patient has awakened." He picked up the chart, glanced it over, then sat on the corner of the bed. "Keith, I have some good news."
Keith felt his heart leap in his chest. "You do?" He was fully alert, now.
"Yes, but it all depends on what I find in some tests I need to run. I want to see just how this is effecting your organs; your liver, heart, kidneys, and so forth. If everything proves to be normal, I think we'd be safe in sending you home."
Everyone looked surprised. "Home?" Laurie asked.
The doctor nodded. "You see, from what I do get from the blood test is that the chemicals you were given, though we don't know exactly what they were, begin to dissipate after a certain amount of time. We've been checking the sample on and off for a couple of hours and we're finding that the blood is slowly returning to normal without our having to do anything."
Keith swallowed. "Does that mean it's curing itself?"
"In a roundabout way, yes. However, I still need to make sure it hasn't done anything to you first, because, even if it is disappearing, but it's left some irreparable damage in its wake, then we'll be in for a lot of trouble."
"What do you mean, 'we?'" Danny mumbled.
"No offense, Doctor, but this all sounds a little good to be true. Wouldn't he be better off here?" Shirley asked.
"Not necessarily. I don't see why Keith couldn't wait this out at home. Your holidays are already topsy-turvy. You don't need a hospital stay on top of everything, do you?"
"What about the pain?" Laurie asked. "Is that going to ease, too? I mean, my brother's pretty strong, but there's only so much he can take."
"We'd control the pain with some fairly powerful drugs." The doctor answered. "And, yes, the pain would slack off more as the chemicals lost their power."
"What about side effects?" Reuben joined in. "What could happen if the chemicals interfered with the painkillers?"
This time the doctor was hesitant. "That we have no guarantee on. If something odd did happen, the simple solution would be for him not to take anymore and we'd have to find a replacement."
"And, how long would we wait? Just because the chemicals disappeared from a vial of blood in a few hours…" Shirley said.
"That depends on how much he was given, his body weight, bone structure, everything. I am making a guess not more than a week before the full effects of the shot are completely gone."
"Wow," Keith murmured. "I…just don't know."
Dr. Lewis smiled, patting Keith's leg. "It's a big decision, I know, but right now it's the only thing I can come up with. If it were me, I would at least consider it. It's either that, or we wait until we find out every last ingredient in that syringe." He looked hard at Shirley. "And that may never happen." Finished with his dramatics, he rose. "You go ahead and talk it over. I'll be back in half an hour. If you do decide to go through with it, we'll need to start the tests right away."
"Thank you, doctor," Shirley's eyes stayed on Keith and she barely noticed when the doctor had gone.
"Well." Reuben folded his arm across his chest. "Let's hear it."
"I vote yes," Laurie piped up. "I mean, what really do you have to lose?"
"But, all that pain again…" Danny shook his head.
"He did say it would ease. And that's really a big pro, when you think about it." Laurie reminded them, glancing down at Keith. "What do you say, brother?"
His dark eyes scanned Shirley's face. "Mom?"
Shirley stroked his forehead. "Honey, this is up to you."
"Well, if there's nothing else they can do for me here…I might as well be home, huh?" He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "I guess we go for it," he said softly.
Laurie smiled, as the others looked more than apprehensive.
Keith sat in one of the big chairs in his bathrobe that Laurie had retrieved from home, nervously biting a thumbnail. For the last five hours, he'd been poked and prodded, and frankly, he was sick of everything hospital; he just wanted to go home. Dr. Lewis had done every test known to the medical profession on him, and now it was just time to wait. So, it was just he and Shirley for now playing the famous waiting game. The others had gone to get something to eat, for which he was grateful, because five people worrying was just a little too much.
Shirley tried to concentrate on reading a magazine, but the waiting was getting to her, as well, and she finally had to put the periodical down, watching Keith out of the corner of her eye. He looked exhausted, and well he should be, from what he'd told her about the tests. She rose, crossing to him. "Keith, I really wish you'd get back into bed. You look as if you're ready to keel over."
Keith shook his head. "I'm okay. Jeez, Mom, how long can this take?"
She sighed, the fingers of her right hand wriggling through his hair. "I don't know. Five hours worth of tests…they probably have a lot to go over."
He looked up at her, that fearful look back in his eyes again. "You don't think they found anything serious, do you? I mean, they would have said something by now, right?"
Shirley tried an encouraging smile, but it didn't work. "Keith, please don't start thinking like that. You're not helping yourself get better." She pulled the other chair around to face him, sitting down. "Let's talk about something else. Like your new song." She reached out and took both of his hands in hers.
He stared down at his lap. After a moment, he shook his head, exhaling. "I'm sorry, but I can't…" His eyes came up to meet hers.
"Okay, then, how about a game of cards? I think Laurie and Danny left theirs here - " She looked around the room, but Keith pulled his hands away.
"Mom, please. No cards, no song…" He eased out of the chair, moving to the window.
Sadly, she watched as he leaned on the sill, staring out into oblivion, the afternoon light adding some color to his peaked face. Pushing his forehead against the glass, he appeared unsteady and Shirley swallowed.
"Keith," she got up from the chair, joining him at the window, putting her hands on his shoulders.
Suddenly he turned to her and went into her arms, burying his face in her collarbone. "Oh, Mom, I'm scared. It hurts…" he wept.
She pulled him close, holding him as tightly as she could. "I know, honey, I know." She fought tears herself as she just stood there, holding him.
The moment was interrupted by Reuben, Laurie and Danny returning from their lunch. What had been obviously a talkative time in the hallway was suddenly silenced when they saw Keith in his mother's embrace. Laurie looked panicked. "What is it? Did you get the test results?"
Shirley shook her head as Keith pulled away from her, dropping onto the bed. "No, not yet. It's just the wait. It's making Keith - and me - nervous," she managed a tiny smile, lifting Keith's chin in her hand. Looking directly into his eyes, she said, "We're trying not to let it get the best of us."
Laurie looked relieved as Keith pulled the robe tighter around him, still obviously antsy. "Mom, I tell you, if that doctor doesn't come in here soon, I'm gonna go nuts," he howled.
"All right," Shirley said. "I suppose I can go look for him."
Danny was peering out the door. Pulling his head back in, he announced, "Don't have to, Mom. Here he comes."
There was a collective holding of breaths as Dr. Lewis came in, trying to remain expressionless. Keith couldn't stand it. He stood up, demanding, "Well? Did I pass?"
The doctor held out a sheet of paper. "Here's your release form. Your mother signs it and you're out of here."
The breaths being held now let loose at once as Keith looked first stunned, then completely alleviated. He had to sit back down as Shirley took the paper from the doctor.
"So you didn't find anything wrong?" Keith asked quietly.
"Everything seems to be functioning normally. That's not to say it will remain that way, but at this moment in time, you're in the clear. I've prescribed a couple of different painkillers. They're very potent, so please only use them when -if - the pain gets unbearable. And, of course, if bad comes to worse, then I want you back here, ASAP, got that?"
Keith nodded. "Thanks. And, uh, sorry to be so much trouble."
The doctor winked at him as the nurse brought in a wheelchair and Reuben retrieved Keith's clothing from the closet.
Looking down at the wheelchair, Keith looked a little sheepish. "I really don't need that thing…"
"Sorry, hospital policy," the nurse patted the seat. "In you go."
He eased down into it as Shirley signed the papers and gave them back to the doctor. "No offense, but I hope we don't see you again."
"No offense taken, and," he leaned forward. "Same to you," he said lowly.
She smiled, watching as the nurse wheeled Keith out the door, with Laurie and Danny following eagerly. Then she sighed, and Reuben put a hand on her back as they, too, started out.
"Something wrong?"
"I don't know…I just hope we're doing the right thing."
Reuben nodded, agreeing.
Continued...
Not surprisingly, Mueller's Park was empty as Keith and Danny approached the basketball court, Danny dribbling the ball in front of him. The two-block walk had been quiet but for the sound of the ball hitting the sidewalk, and the excursion all but wore Keith out, but he couldn't let his brother see it.
Danny pushed the ball at him. "Go ahead. I'll give you a head start."
"Huh," Keith scoffed. "Like I need one."
Danny took his stance. "I promise I'll be gentle," he smirked.
Keith took off with the ball, heading for the basket with Danny right on his heels. They played a good game of one-on-one; both boys making more than half of the lay-ups they went for, with several slam dunks thrown in for good measure. After about five minutes, Keith called a time out, his chest heaving and his body aching.
"Oh, come on!" Danny protested. "I'm ahead, here!"
Reaching out, Keith pushed into Danny's shoulder. "Just two minutes, okay?" He wiped his wet forehead with his sleeve, gulping in air while Danny stood there with the ball, watching, his young face serious.
"You okay?" Danny was plenty worried, now.
Hugging his arms as if he were cold, Keith nodded, then cringed, bending over and putting his hands on his knees. Seeing Danny's concern, he took another big breath, looking back at him, his eyes hard. "This isn't your fault, you know."
Danny looked down, turning away and bouncing the ball. Keith stepped forward.
"Danny." He took the ball from him.
"Then whose fault is it?" Danny's back remained to him for a moment, then he whirled around. "I had to go into the store for that stupid- comic book and let you get kidnapped! We should have just gone home like you wanted to," he shouted, finally letting it all out.
"Danny," Keith shook his head. "Those guys wouldn't have cared if you had been there. They knew what they were after and they would have grabbed me anyway." He paused, sighing. "You're my brother, not my bodyguard."
"I know, but…"
"But nothing. What happened, happened. It's over and done with."
Danny hesitated. "Then you're not mad at me?"
Keith laughed gently. "Mad at you?" he tousled Danny's hair. "You saved my life. If you hadn't acted so fast, who knows what might have happened?"
Danny grinned, obviously relieved, as Keith held the ball up.
"Okay, let's go. You ain't seen nothin', yet." He turned, whipping the ball down the court as a surprised Danny trotted behind.
"Hey, no fair! You didn't call time in!"
The game was back on, and the two brothers played hard and fast. It was point after point, lay-up after lay-up.
Until Keith stopped again, bent over this time, his back to Danny.
"What's the matter?" Danny taunted. "Tired again so soon?" He bounced the ball, coming around to face his brother.
Keith looked up, his skin ashen, and Danny's eyes widened. Keith's hand trembled as he reached out to him and Danny went forward, tossing the ball aside.
"Oh, god…" Keith clutched Danny's shirtfront, falling into him. The younger boy grabbed him as Keith began to sink to the ground.
"Keith?" he cried, lowering him to the pavement.
"Oh, Danny…!" Keith's voice exuded pain.
"I'll go get Mom." Tearfully, Danny moved, but Keith's grip on his arm tightened.
"No, don't leave!" he pleaded, his breathing becoming harder; more rapid.
On his knees, Danny nodded as he held Keith against him, his brother's hair against his tear-stained cheek.
Keith jerked with pain and Danny held on tighter, his heart racing. Shakily, he touched Keith's damp forehead, moving the wet strands of hair aside. Inside, he was praying: "Please, God, let him be okay…"
"Danny," Keith swallowed hard, sounding a million miles away.
"I'm right here," Danny assured him, rubbing Keith's shoulder.
Keith groaned again, drawing his knees up.
Danny began to feel sick. "Keith, let me get somebody, please," he said in his ear.
Keith coughed violently, gripping Danny's arms that were around his chest. "Oh, god, it hurts!" he moaned, writhing in agony.
The sound of a car door shutting made Danny look up. To his utter surprise, Reuben was running across the parking lot toward them. Funny, but Danny didn't even know the manager could run.
"Danny! Keith!" Reuben was out of breath as he approached.
"We've gotta get him to the hospital, Mr. Kincaid!" Danny blurted, grateful not to be "in charge" any longer.
"I'll call an ambulance," Reuben started off, but Danny cried out.
"There's no time! Please, can't we use your car?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure." Reuben sounded bewildered. "Can you walk, kid?"
"How about it, Keith?" Danny asked.
Keith nodded, weary from the pain attacking every muscle, every bone.
Rueben reached down and he and Danny carefully pulled Keith up. Danny planted his shoulder under his brother's arm while Reuben took the other arm. They started slowly off, Keith gritting his teeth with every step.
"Come on, you can do it," Danny urged. "Only a little bit more."
Groaning, Keith felt his legs buckle. "I can't…"
Reuben caught him before he went down again. Scooping him up, Reuben started for the car. "Open the back door, Danny!" he ordered. Keith was lighter than he'd imagined and they were at the car in no time at all. As Reuben laid Keith on the back seat, Danny dashed around to the other side and climbed in with his brother.
"Hurry, Mr. Kincaid, hurry!" he hollered, taking his place on the floor.
As Reuben took off, Danny reached up, squeezing Keith's hand. "You're gonna be okay, Keith," he said bravely. Then, to himself, he whispered, "Please be okay…"
Shirley and Laurie burst through the emergency room doors, startling Reuben, who was pacing and smoking. He whirled around as the women approached, their pretty faces pale and drawn. Putting the cigarette out, he grabbed them both before they mowed him over.
"Where's Keith?" Shirley demanded.
"Upstairs in the Intensive Care Area. They let Danny go with him," Reuben said soothingly.
"Intensive care?" Laurie looked horrified. "Why?"
"I don't know. He was in a lot of pain. The doctor hasn't been down here to tell me anything. He did say for you to go on up as soon as you got here. It's on the fourth floor."
Laurie practically ran to the elevators as Shirley and Reuben followed.
"Where are Chris and Tracy?" Reuben asked as they stepped into the car.
"I left them with Mrs. Monihan. Oh, Reuben, Christmas was so happy…" she said heavily, and he nodded, putting his arm around her sagging shoulders.
The elevator stopped and the doors were barely open before Laurie snaked her way through them, hurrying to the nurse's desk. "My brother, Keith, is here. We'd like to see him." Her voice was remarkably calm, but her insides shook horribly.
The blonde at the desk smiled up at the trio. "Yes, of course. He's in 418, right through those double doors."
Once again, Laurie led her mother and Reuben down the hall. Pushing the doors open, she made a beeline toward 418 as the adults followed.
They found Danny inside, sitting at the window, staring down at the world below. "Mom!" he bellowed, jumping up and running to her waiting arms.
"Danny," Shirley said gently.
Then Laurie cried out loud. "Oh, Mom!"
Shirley turned and what she saw nearly floored her. Keith lay in the bed, tubes coming from every orifice, machines softly humming and beeping around him. His eyes were closed as if in eternal sleep and an oxygen tube was taped to his nose. She cried out, muffling the sound with her hand as Danny swallowed.
"He's bad, Mom. I think he's gonna die."
Reuben cleared his throat. "We don't know that."
The door opened and Dr. Lewis, whom they'd seen only 24 hours before, entered. The look on his face told Shirley Danny could be right.
"Doctor?!" she turned to face him.
"Mrs. Partridge," the doctor nodded grimly. "We need to talk." He indicated some chairs. Shirley and Laurie sat down, while Reuben and Danny stood nearby, Danny practically clinging to Shirley.
"Doctor, is Keith…?" Laurie couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Keith is almost comatose. We have him heavily sedated. He's in a very serious state right now. Whatever was in the injections he received is attacking his muscles, his nervous system, his organs, everything. And we unless we find an antidote, he could die, Mrs. Partridge."
The doctor's words bore into Shirley and she stared at him, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, dear Lord…" she exhaled, trembling.
Reuben went to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Can't you do anything?"
Solemnly, the doctor went on. "We've got him monitored, he's on oxygen, and he's being intravenously fed painkillers to keep him as comfortable as possible. Now, I could be wrong, but there is a small chance he could pull out of this on his own. He's young, strong, healthy. He's got all that going for him. I just wanted you to know what we're dealing with."
"I see," Shirley said faintly. "Then all is not lost."
"Not yet, it's not." He looked over at Keith, so small and fragile in the bed. "It's pretty much up to him, now. I hope he's a fighter, Mrs. Partridge."
"I hope so, too," Shirley prayed. She could feel her heart pounding, and she did her best not to faint. Again.
Laurie and Danny played cards on the empty bed opposite Keith's while Reuben and Shirley occupied the two big chairs in the room. Reuben dozed as Shirley sat watching her son as he lay there so frail, so helpless.
Suddenly she sat up, a look of pure astonishment on her face. "How stupid we've been!" she cried.
Everyone but Keith, of course, jumped as Shirley turned to their manager.
"What…?" Reuben mumbled, still a little dazed.
"The police have one of the kidnappers, don't they?"
Nodding, Reuben rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, so…?"
"So!" Shirley was on her feet. "He'll know what was in the shot!"
Laurie and Danny exchanged joyful looks. "Oh, Mom, do you think so?" Laurie squealed.
"It's worth a try! Come on, Reuben, let's go call the detectives." Shirley nearly pulled him out of the chair.
As they headed for the door, Danny looked puzzled. "Why don't you use the phone in here?"
"They don't have phones in the ICU rooms, Danny. It's so they won't disturb the patients." Laurie explained. She slid off the bed, taking Shirley's place at Keith's side as her mother and Reuben left the room.
"But what if there was an emergency? Like…like his heart stopped or something?" Danny wanted to know.
"They have an intercom. And don't say things like that!" Laurie shuddered, looking closely at her older brother. He was still deep in limbo, his long lashes casting a shadow on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. The oxygen machine pumped in air with a regular beat and the heart monitor beeped steadily.
"Keith, can you hear me?" Laurie asked, leaning in close to him.
Danny watched anxiously slipping down off the bed to join them.
But Keith gave no response, just the machines, and Laurie reached up, touching his arm. It was cool and she stroked it, trying again. "Keith? Keith, wake up. Come on, honey, I know you can hear me."
The door opened and Dr. Lewis came in, smiling down at them. "How's he doing? Not awake yet?"
"No," Laurie sighed. "But I'm not giving up."
"That's the spirit," the doctor said, reaching over and removing the IV tube that was connected to Keith's left hand. "Maybe this will help."
"What's that?" Laurie watched curiously.
"This is full of Barbital, a sedative. If we take him off of it…"
"Then he wakes up!" Danny finished his sentence.
"Well, in due time. He's had so much of it, that it will take a while to wear off, but it will. Unfortunately, the sedative was also the painkiller, so when he does come to, he'll be hurting a bit. Not to worry, though. We will put him on another one. But first let's see if this wakes him up, shall we?"
Laurie nodded, biting her lower lip nervously as the doctor checked all of the tubing and wires, wrote on the chart at the foot of the bed, and exited the room.
"When do you think he'll come out of it?" Danny asked, staring at Keith's motionless form.
"I don't know." She rose, shaking her head. "You know, all of these…gadgets give me the creeps." She shivered involuntarily.
"Me, too, but you've gotta admit, they keep a great beat. I'll bet Keith could come up with a doozy of a song."
Laurie laughed as Shirley and Reuben returned, looking downtrodden. Laurie's heart fell. "No luck?"
"Well, the police questioned the kid, and he claims it was the other guy's idea to use the syringe. Apparently, he's a med school dropout and is a whiz with chemicals. And, unfortunately for us, he's still on the lam, but they're looking for him. Any change?" Reuben shoved his hands in his pockets.
"No. Except that the doctor came in and took away the sedative so that he'll wake up sooner." Laurie answered.
Shirley frowned. "Is that wise? I mean, he's so peaceful…"
Laurie shrugged. "He would know best."
"Maybe I should have a little talk with Dr. Lewis," Shirley looked up at Reuben.
"Now, Shirley, Laurie's right. Besides, we can always have them put it back if he wakes up too miserable."
Shirley sighed. "I suppose you're right. It's just that he's been through so much, I hate to see him suffer one little bit."
Danny nodded. It was a good thing Mom wasn't at the park, he thought. He'd never seen Keith - or anyone - in so much pain before. And it would suit him just fine if he never lived to see it again. He could almost hear Keith's cries, and feel the rigidness of his body as Danny held him. It was the longest five minutes of his life.
Shaking off the memory, he stared at Keith, wanting to run to him, take him by the shoulders and make him wake up. Darn it, Keith, come out of it, will you? He cried inside. Big brothers aren't supposed to be sick, not like this! They aren't allowed to die on you, either! Heroes never die; just read any comic book, watch any TV show. Heroes are supposed to be invincible!
Without realizing it, Danny was sobbing now, and Laurie turned to him, looking worried.
"Danny?"
Shirley grabbed her arm, hushing her, letting Danny go.
He went to the bed, massaging Keith's arm between his hands, still sobbing and ranting. "Come on, Keith! You can't do this to me! I need you!"
He wanted to slap him or something, anything to make him listen. Gripping the bedcovers, Danny buried his face in them and cried as the others watched, touched and a little surprised.
Shirley moved to him, her hand on his back. "Honey…"
He went into her arms. "Oh, Mom, I'm so scared…"
"Scared of what?" she sat down, pulling him onto her lap.
"What if…what if he dies? What'll I do without him? What will we do?"
His question took her aback and she looked up at Laurie, who was wiping her own tears. "Well, honey, I don't know. Right now we need to have faith that Keith's going to be all right. The doctor said there's a good chance he'll make it, and we've got to believe that."
The words were barely out of her mouth, when Keith moaned, moving his head on the pillow. Everyone jerked around to look at him.
Danny swallowed, frozen. "Keith?" he whispered.
Another moan, and the bed was surrounded. Keith's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at them, his eyes trying to focus. "Mom…"
Shirley grabbed his hand, her heart in her throat. "I'm right here, honey. "
Keith swallowed, trying to lift his head off the pillow. The effort failed and he dropped it back down as Shirley put a cool hand on his forehead.
"Are you in pain, honey?" Shirley asked.
After a second, he nodded. "Yeah, a little. What…what's going on? Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital, brother," Laurie indicated the equipment surrounding them. "I think you're on radar by now."
His eyes followed her hand, trying to let it all sink in. His gaze settled on Danny, whose worried features wavered above him.
Danny wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, forcing a smile. "You'll do anything to win a game, won't you?"
Keith smiled back, then moved in the bed, wincing, as pain tore through him.
Shirley looked up at her daughter. "Laurie, go get the nurse."
"No! No, I'm okay, really," Keith breathed. He pressed a hand to his chest. "Have they found what was in the shot?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.
"They're working on it," Reuben said to the others' uneasy looks.
Keith exhaled loudly. "I'm scared," he confessed quietly.
"I know you are, darling, but -" Shirley began.
"But you've gotta have faith, right, Mom?" Danny interjected.
She nodded through her tears. "Right." She tried to be brave, looking down at that pale, drawn face. She began to wonder if he really was going to make it through all of this. He didn't look strong enough, not anymore. The effects of the shot were so apparent. In his eyes alone, she saw the change. Where once a young, carefree child lived, now was a very frightened young man; one that had grown up all too suddenly, overnight. It saddened her to see him this way, especially since she could do nothing about it.
The door behind them opened and everyone looked to see Dr. Lewis come in.
"I see our star patient has awakened." He picked up the chart, glanced it over, then sat on the corner of the bed. "Keith, I have some good news."
Keith felt his heart leap in his chest. "You do?" He was fully alert, now.
"Yes, but it all depends on what I find in some tests I need to run. I want to see just how this is effecting your organs; your liver, heart, kidneys, and so forth. If everything proves to be normal, I think we'd be safe in sending you home."
Everyone looked surprised. "Home?" Laurie asked.
The doctor nodded. "You see, from what I do get from the blood test is that the chemicals you were given, though we don't know exactly what they were, begin to dissipate after a certain amount of time. We've been checking the sample on and off for a couple of hours and we're finding that the blood is slowly returning to normal without our having to do anything."
Keith swallowed. "Does that mean it's curing itself?"
"In a roundabout way, yes. However, I still need to make sure it hasn't done anything to you first, because, even if it is disappearing, but it's left some irreparable damage in its wake, then we'll be in for a lot of trouble."
"What do you mean, 'we?'" Danny mumbled.
"No offense, Doctor, but this all sounds a little good to be true. Wouldn't he be better off here?" Shirley asked.
"Not necessarily. I don't see why Keith couldn't wait this out at home. Your holidays are already topsy-turvy. You don't need a hospital stay on top of everything, do you?"
"What about the pain?" Laurie asked. "Is that going to ease, too? I mean, my brother's pretty strong, but there's only so much he can take."
"We'd control the pain with some fairly powerful drugs." The doctor answered. "And, yes, the pain would slack off more as the chemicals lost their power."
"What about side effects?" Reuben joined in. "What could happen if the chemicals interfered with the painkillers?"
This time the doctor was hesitant. "That we have no guarantee on. If something odd did happen, the simple solution would be for him not to take anymore and we'd have to find a replacement."
"And, how long would we wait? Just because the chemicals disappeared from a vial of blood in a few hours…" Shirley said.
"That depends on how much he was given, his body weight, bone structure, everything. I am making a guess not more than a week before the full effects of the shot are completely gone."
"Wow," Keith murmured. "I…just don't know."
Dr. Lewis smiled, patting Keith's leg. "It's a big decision, I know, but right now it's the only thing I can come up with. If it were me, I would at least consider it. It's either that, or we wait until we find out every last ingredient in that syringe." He looked hard at Shirley. "And that may never happen." Finished with his dramatics, he rose. "You go ahead and talk it over. I'll be back in half an hour. If you do decide to go through with it, we'll need to start the tests right away."
"Thank you, doctor," Shirley's eyes stayed on Keith and she barely noticed when the doctor had gone.
"Well." Reuben folded his arm across his chest. "Let's hear it."
"I vote yes," Laurie piped up. "I mean, what really do you have to lose?"
"But, all that pain again…" Danny shook his head.
"He did say it would ease. And that's really a big pro, when you think about it." Laurie reminded them, glancing down at Keith. "What do you say, brother?"
His dark eyes scanned Shirley's face. "Mom?"
Shirley stroked his forehead. "Honey, this is up to you."
"Well, if there's nothing else they can do for me here…I might as well be home, huh?" He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "I guess we go for it," he said softly.
Laurie smiled, as the others looked more than apprehensive.
Keith sat in one of the big chairs in his bathrobe that Laurie had retrieved from home, nervously biting a thumbnail. For the last five hours, he'd been poked and prodded, and frankly, he was sick of everything hospital; he just wanted to go home. Dr. Lewis had done every test known to the medical profession on him, and now it was just time to wait. So, it was just he and Shirley for now playing the famous waiting game. The others had gone to get something to eat, for which he was grateful, because five people worrying was just a little too much.
Shirley tried to concentrate on reading a magazine, but the waiting was getting to her, as well, and she finally had to put the periodical down, watching Keith out of the corner of her eye. He looked exhausted, and well he should be, from what he'd told her about the tests. She rose, crossing to him. "Keith, I really wish you'd get back into bed. You look as if you're ready to keel over."
Keith shook his head. "I'm okay. Jeez, Mom, how long can this take?"
She sighed, the fingers of her right hand wriggling through his hair. "I don't know. Five hours worth of tests…they probably have a lot to go over."
He looked up at her, that fearful look back in his eyes again. "You don't think they found anything serious, do you? I mean, they would have said something by now, right?"
Shirley tried an encouraging smile, but it didn't work. "Keith, please don't start thinking like that. You're not helping yourself get better." She pulled the other chair around to face him, sitting down. "Let's talk about something else. Like your new song." She reached out and took both of his hands in hers.
He stared down at his lap. After a moment, he shook his head, exhaling. "I'm sorry, but I can't…" His eyes came up to meet hers.
"Okay, then, how about a game of cards? I think Laurie and Danny left theirs here - " She looked around the room, but Keith pulled his hands away.
"Mom, please. No cards, no song…" He eased out of the chair, moving to the window.
Sadly, she watched as he leaned on the sill, staring out into oblivion, the afternoon light adding some color to his peaked face. Pushing his forehead against the glass, he appeared unsteady and Shirley swallowed.
"Keith," she got up from the chair, joining him at the window, putting her hands on his shoulders.
Suddenly he turned to her and went into her arms, burying his face in her collarbone. "Oh, Mom, I'm scared. It hurts…" he wept.
She pulled him close, holding him as tightly as she could. "I know, honey, I know." She fought tears herself as she just stood there, holding him.
The moment was interrupted by Reuben, Laurie and Danny returning from their lunch. What had been obviously a talkative time in the hallway was suddenly silenced when they saw Keith in his mother's embrace. Laurie looked panicked. "What is it? Did you get the test results?"
Shirley shook her head as Keith pulled away from her, dropping onto the bed. "No, not yet. It's just the wait. It's making Keith - and me - nervous," she managed a tiny smile, lifting Keith's chin in her hand. Looking directly into his eyes, she said, "We're trying not to let it get the best of us."
Laurie looked relieved as Keith pulled the robe tighter around him, still obviously antsy. "Mom, I tell you, if that doctor doesn't come in here soon, I'm gonna go nuts," he howled.
"All right," Shirley said. "I suppose I can go look for him."
Danny was peering out the door. Pulling his head back in, he announced, "Don't have to, Mom. Here he comes."
There was a collective holding of breaths as Dr. Lewis came in, trying to remain expressionless. Keith couldn't stand it. He stood up, demanding, "Well? Did I pass?"
The doctor held out a sheet of paper. "Here's your release form. Your mother signs it and you're out of here."
The breaths being held now let loose at once as Keith looked first stunned, then completely alleviated. He had to sit back down as Shirley took the paper from the doctor.
"So you didn't find anything wrong?" Keith asked quietly.
"Everything seems to be functioning normally. That's not to say it will remain that way, but at this moment in time, you're in the clear. I've prescribed a couple of different painkillers. They're very potent, so please only use them when -if - the pain gets unbearable. And, of course, if bad comes to worse, then I want you back here, ASAP, got that?"
Keith nodded. "Thanks. And, uh, sorry to be so much trouble."
The doctor winked at him as the nurse brought in a wheelchair and Reuben retrieved Keith's clothing from the closet.
Looking down at the wheelchair, Keith looked a little sheepish. "I really don't need that thing…"
"Sorry, hospital policy," the nurse patted the seat. "In you go."
He eased down into it as Shirley signed the papers and gave them back to the doctor. "No offense, but I hope we don't see you again."
"No offense taken, and," he leaned forward. "Same to you," he said lowly.
She smiled, watching as the nurse wheeled Keith out the door, with Laurie and Danny following eagerly. Then she sighed, and Reuben put a hand on her back as they, too, started out.
"Something wrong?"
"I don't know…I just hope we're doing the right thing."
Reuben nodded, agreeing.
Continued...