Chapter 5: Keeping Faith
Nina burst through the automatic doors of Everwood General and hollered "Help!! Emergency!!" as Andy rushed behind her carrying Ephram, who barely had a pulse, in his arms like a ragged doll. Upon seeing Andy and his son covered in blood, the nurses sped into animation. They brought a gurney and Andy placed Ephram carefully on it.
"He slashed his wrists." Andy mumbled as he walked with the nurses, who were busy attaching the oxygen mask and sticking needles into the boy.
A hospital doctor appeared from one of the hallways and gave instructions to the nurses as they wheeled the gurney into the operating room. "What can I do? I want to help him. I'm a doctor." Andy cried frantically in tears. The doctor held Andy back. Andy tried to struggle free. "Let me go! I have to help my son. Please.."
"This is as far as you go, we need you to stay out here." The doctor said calmly. Andy looked up and recognized the doctor.
"Harv, he's dying. I need to help him. It's my son in there!"
"I'm aware of that, which is all the more reason for you to wait out here. I've known you for a long time now Andy and you know the procedure. You are in too much shock to stay focused. Have a seat and let me handle this. OK?" Harv replied. Andy nodded reluctantly and watched Harv quickly disappear thru the operating room doors.
Andy went to the restroom to clean up. He watched the blood swirl down the drain as he rinsed his blood drenched hands at the sink. He tried the best he could to wash the sopping blood off his plaid shirt. It was hard to take in everything that happened in the past 3 hours. It felt like it was all just a bad dream. Andy have seen dozens of similar cases but it never occurred to him that it could happen in his own family. He splashed cold water on his face.
He eventually made his way back to the waiting area where Nina was sitting. He took the seat next to her. Andy felt sick to the stomach. He buried his face in his hands.
"It's really bad, Nina." He mumbled. "This can't be happening."
"It'll be OK. Dr. Reynolds is a great doctor. Ephram is in good hands." Nina said rubbing his shoulder softly.
"I should've paid more attention to him. Nobody to blame but myself. We never discussed Julia's death. How stupid of me to think it wouldn't affect him. I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't want to rehash the past and breakdown again. I was only thinking of my pain. But he was hurting so terribly that he wanted to end his life. There wouldn't be this day if only I talked to him. Am I a bad father?"
"It's not your fault. Don't do this to yourself. You couldn't have known."
"I yelled at him last night. I drove him to it. I know I did. He snapped."
"Andy.."
"Nina, what if he dies? How can I go on knowing my son killed himself?" Andy cried in his hands. "I can't go thru this again. It was enough with Julia. Ephram and Delia are all I have. I can't lose him. What am I going to tell Delia?" He sobbed.
"Ephram's not going to die. Things will be ok. He's a fighter. I'm sure he'll pull thru." Nina whispered. It was a bit frightening for her to see Andy, who usually appeared so stern and always in control, to break down in tears. She just held him in her arms and tried to comfort him as he wept.
"It's almost recess. I'll pick up Delia and Sam from school and bring them here. Are you going to be OK until then?" Nina said when Andy started to calm down. Andy nodded as Nina got up to leave.
Andy asked the nurses at the station for an update on his son's condition ten times within the next hour. But they had no answer for him. He paced the room impatiently. Tears rolled down his face as he looked out the window. But he told himself he had to be strong for Delia's sake. It was hard to control his feelings since they were so fragile. He was heartbroken and scared. He couldn't imagine life without Ephram. The three of them were a team.
"Daddy, daddy!" Delia called as she ran into her father's arms. Andy hugged her ever so tightly. He felt a hot tear slide down his cheek. All the emotion touched Nina so much that she started crying too. "What are we doing here? Where's Ephram? Why do you have blood on your shirt?" Delia asked drawing her attention to the faded blood stain on Andy's shirt.
"Sweetheart, Ephram had a very bad accident." Andy adjusted Delia's baseball cap.
"Is he gonna be ok? Can I see him?" Delia said worriedly.
"The doctor and nurses are with him right now. They are going to make him better. We have to wait here." His voice shook and he could feel the tears coming again. The lump in his throat wasn't going away. Nina had to pull Delia away and took the kids to get a candy bar from the vending machine. She came back with a cup of hot coffee for Andy.
"What's taking them so long?" Andy questioned in frustration.
"They're doing everything they can." Nina replied tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
It was another four hours before Harv came down the hall. By then, the Abbott's and the Hart's had joined Andy and Nina at the hospital. After all, it was a small town and news travelled at the speed of light. Everyone got up from their seats. Andy felt a rush of anticipation and fear. Oh God, please let him be alright, Andy prayed.
"He was touch and go for a minute but we managed to stabilize him. The kid lost a lot of blood. We moved him to I.C.U. where he'll get around the clock care." Dr. Reynolds said as he wiped the beads of sweat off his brow. Andy breathed a sigh of momentary relief.
"I want to see him." Andy pressed. "We all do."
"Sorry, can't allow all of you to go in. Just members of the immediate family. The next 48 hours is critical." Dr. Reynolds reasoned and everyone obeyed given the circumstances. "I'll bring you up in half hour."
***
Dr. Reynolds had advised him not to expect much. The room was motionless except for the occasional soft beep coming from the heart monitor seated neatly next to Ephram's bed. He approached Ephram slowly. Andy noticed heavy white bandages on both of Ephram's wrists. Oxygen tubes were plugged up his nose and an I.V. inserted into his left arm. Skinny wires attached to his chest snaked it's way out of his white hospital gown and hooked up to a heart monitor.
Andy couldn't believe it was his son lying in that bed. It didn't look like the Ephram he knew. Ephram appeared to have lost a great deal of weight. He had shrunk in size, his face was whiter than the pillow he rested his head on, his thin dry lips were a shade of lavender, and unusually dark circles formed under his eyes. He was awfully still and looked almost dead except for his chest moving as he breathed.
Andy pulled a chair over. He wanted to hold Ephram's hand, but that was pretty much out of the question. Ephram looked helpless. Andy wished he could do something to take away his son's pain.
"Ephram, buddy, I know you can hear me. Sometimes, we can't explain things that happen. Don't take it out on yourself for your mother's death. She would've highly disapproved of your actions today. It wasn't your fault. You have to pull thru. I can't handle things without you." Andy spoke as he fixed Ephram's tousled hair. "I love you."
He wanted to tell him so much. But he was so low in spirits that he just sat there staring at Ephram's scrawny face for over an hour until Dr. Reynolds came for him.
"Go home and get some rest." Dr. Reynolds said softly.
"I want to stay. I want to be here when he wakes up." Andy refused.
"I know you do, but it's getting late and don't you think you should take Delia home? She's been asking for you. Andy, I honestly don't think he's going to wake up tonight. He's been thru hell. There isn't anything you can do for him right now. But I'll call you if there are any changes thru the night. Big or small." Dr. Reynolds promised.
Believing him, Andy reluctantly said to Ephram "See ya tomorrow." And left the room. He went back to the waiting area, where his and Ephram's friends sat anxiously. Delia and Sam were stretched out on the couch softly sleeping. Andy told them about Ephram's current condition and persuaded everyone to go home.
Andy and Nina brought the sleepy kids home. After setting Delia to bed, Andy cleaned up the blood on the bathroom floor. He started crying as he scrubbed the tiles. It was going to be a long sleepless night.
* end of chapter 5 *
Nina burst through the automatic doors of Everwood General and hollered "Help!! Emergency!!" as Andy rushed behind her carrying Ephram, who barely had a pulse, in his arms like a ragged doll. Upon seeing Andy and his son covered in blood, the nurses sped into animation. They brought a gurney and Andy placed Ephram carefully on it.
"He slashed his wrists." Andy mumbled as he walked with the nurses, who were busy attaching the oxygen mask and sticking needles into the boy.
A hospital doctor appeared from one of the hallways and gave instructions to the nurses as they wheeled the gurney into the operating room. "What can I do? I want to help him. I'm a doctor." Andy cried frantically in tears. The doctor held Andy back. Andy tried to struggle free. "Let me go! I have to help my son. Please.."
"This is as far as you go, we need you to stay out here." The doctor said calmly. Andy looked up and recognized the doctor.
"Harv, he's dying. I need to help him. It's my son in there!"
"I'm aware of that, which is all the more reason for you to wait out here. I've known you for a long time now Andy and you know the procedure. You are in too much shock to stay focused. Have a seat and let me handle this. OK?" Harv replied. Andy nodded reluctantly and watched Harv quickly disappear thru the operating room doors.
Andy went to the restroom to clean up. He watched the blood swirl down the drain as he rinsed his blood drenched hands at the sink. He tried the best he could to wash the sopping blood off his plaid shirt. It was hard to take in everything that happened in the past 3 hours. It felt like it was all just a bad dream. Andy have seen dozens of similar cases but it never occurred to him that it could happen in his own family. He splashed cold water on his face.
He eventually made his way back to the waiting area where Nina was sitting. He took the seat next to her. Andy felt sick to the stomach. He buried his face in his hands.
"It's really bad, Nina." He mumbled. "This can't be happening."
"It'll be OK. Dr. Reynolds is a great doctor. Ephram is in good hands." Nina said rubbing his shoulder softly.
"I should've paid more attention to him. Nobody to blame but myself. We never discussed Julia's death. How stupid of me to think it wouldn't affect him. I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't want to rehash the past and breakdown again. I was only thinking of my pain. But he was hurting so terribly that he wanted to end his life. There wouldn't be this day if only I talked to him. Am I a bad father?"
"It's not your fault. Don't do this to yourself. You couldn't have known."
"I yelled at him last night. I drove him to it. I know I did. He snapped."
"Andy.."
"Nina, what if he dies? How can I go on knowing my son killed himself?" Andy cried in his hands. "I can't go thru this again. It was enough with Julia. Ephram and Delia are all I have. I can't lose him. What am I going to tell Delia?" He sobbed.
"Ephram's not going to die. Things will be ok. He's a fighter. I'm sure he'll pull thru." Nina whispered. It was a bit frightening for her to see Andy, who usually appeared so stern and always in control, to break down in tears. She just held him in her arms and tried to comfort him as he wept.
"It's almost recess. I'll pick up Delia and Sam from school and bring them here. Are you going to be OK until then?" Nina said when Andy started to calm down. Andy nodded as Nina got up to leave.
Andy asked the nurses at the station for an update on his son's condition ten times within the next hour. But they had no answer for him. He paced the room impatiently. Tears rolled down his face as he looked out the window. But he told himself he had to be strong for Delia's sake. It was hard to control his feelings since they were so fragile. He was heartbroken and scared. He couldn't imagine life without Ephram. The three of them were a team.
"Daddy, daddy!" Delia called as she ran into her father's arms. Andy hugged her ever so tightly. He felt a hot tear slide down his cheek. All the emotion touched Nina so much that she started crying too. "What are we doing here? Where's Ephram? Why do you have blood on your shirt?" Delia asked drawing her attention to the faded blood stain on Andy's shirt.
"Sweetheart, Ephram had a very bad accident." Andy adjusted Delia's baseball cap.
"Is he gonna be ok? Can I see him?" Delia said worriedly.
"The doctor and nurses are with him right now. They are going to make him better. We have to wait here." His voice shook and he could feel the tears coming again. The lump in his throat wasn't going away. Nina had to pull Delia away and took the kids to get a candy bar from the vending machine. She came back with a cup of hot coffee for Andy.
"What's taking them so long?" Andy questioned in frustration.
"They're doing everything they can." Nina replied tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
It was another four hours before Harv came down the hall. By then, the Abbott's and the Hart's had joined Andy and Nina at the hospital. After all, it was a small town and news travelled at the speed of light. Everyone got up from their seats. Andy felt a rush of anticipation and fear. Oh God, please let him be alright, Andy prayed.
"He was touch and go for a minute but we managed to stabilize him. The kid lost a lot of blood. We moved him to I.C.U. where he'll get around the clock care." Dr. Reynolds said as he wiped the beads of sweat off his brow. Andy breathed a sigh of momentary relief.
"I want to see him." Andy pressed. "We all do."
"Sorry, can't allow all of you to go in. Just members of the immediate family. The next 48 hours is critical." Dr. Reynolds reasoned and everyone obeyed given the circumstances. "I'll bring you up in half hour."
***
Dr. Reynolds had advised him not to expect much. The room was motionless except for the occasional soft beep coming from the heart monitor seated neatly next to Ephram's bed. He approached Ephram slowly. Andy noticed heavy white bandages on both of Ephram's wrists. Oxygen tubes were plugged up his nose and an I.V. inserted into his left arm. Skinny wires attached to his chest snaked it's way out of his white hospital gown and hooked up to a heart monitor.
Andy couldn't believe it was his son lying in that bed. It didn't look like the Ephram he knew. Ephram appeared to have lost a great deal of weight. He had shrunk in size, his face was whiter than the pillow he rested his head on, his thin dry lips were a shade of lavender, and unusually dark circles formed under his eyes. He was awfully still and looked almost dead except for his chest moving as he breathed.
Andy pulled a chair over. He wanted to hold Ephram's hand, but that was pretty much out of the question. Ephram looked helpless. Andy wished he could do something to take away his son's pain.
"Ephram, buddy, I know you can hear me. Sometimes, we can't explain things that happen. Don't take it out on yourself for your mother's death. She would've highly disapproved of your actions today. It wasn't your fault. You have to pull thru. I can't handle things without you." Andy spoke as he fixed Ephram's tousled hair. "I love you."
He wanted to tell him so much. But he was so low in spirits that he just sat there staring at Ephram's scrawny face for over an hour until Dr. Reynolds came for him.
"Go home and get some rest." Dr. Reynolds said softly.
"I want to stay. I want to be here when he wakes up." Andy refused.
"I know you do, but it's getting late and don't you think you should take Delia home? She's been asking for you. Andy, I honestly don't think he's going to wake up tonight. He's been thru hell. There isn't anything you can do for him right now. But I'll call you if there are any changes thru the night. Big or small." Dr. Reynolds promised.
Believing him, Andy reluctantly said to Ephram "See ya tomorrow." And left the room. He went back to the waiting area, where his and Ephram's friends sat anxiously. Delia and Sam were stretched out on the couch softly sleeping. Andy told them about Ephram's current condition and persuaded everyone to go home.
Andy and Nina brought the sleepy kids home. After setting Delia to bed, Andy cleaned up the blood on the bathroom floor. He started crying as he scrubbed the tiles. It was going to be a long sleepless night.
* end of chapter 5 *
