A West Village Tragedy Part IV.
The pain in his head was the first thing that struck him. It felt as if someone had been kicking it repeatedly for several hours, and whilst his skull had not been cracked, his brain had been bounced about as if it were a soccer ball, and so it ached. His neck hurt a lot too from something, but that could well be the way the he was lying… As things began to come into focus again, he began to grow concerned. There was something unfamiliar about all of the noises that he could hear; there were hushed voices in the distance, but there was no indication of the usual background hum of the city that never slept. The persistent ticking sound too was out of place… In his bleary state, he began to wonder exactly where he was; definitely not at home, that much was for certain…
He tried to open his eyes then, but it wasn't all that easy; they felt as if someone had literally gummed up the lids, and they were now stuck in the closed position. He persevered though, and in the end he managed to get them open just a fraction; he swiftly closed them again, as wherever he was, it was much too bright. His mind informed him even from that quick glimpse at the world around him that he was in a hospital, and that was certainly not a cause for celebration. He listened again, to the beeping of the machines and the steadily ticking clock and…the sound of someone snoring gently. That was certainly off; there was no way there should be somebody in the room with him snoring…
He forced his eyes back open for a second time, and allowed them to adjust to the light, then made a proper appraisal of the room. All of his logical deductions had been right, and he was in hospital. Then he saw the source of the snoring noise, and he shut his eyes again. The sight of Skylar made Seth horrified, wondering at once what on earth had happened that he was there at his side. It had to be something major, that much he knew, and that explained the hospital bed too. He tried to think back, but it was all too fuzzy, and it hurt so much to even try… He felt the pinpricks of tears starting to form in his eyes, and he sighed. He decided to let them flow for once, hoping that the salty tears might help lubricate his eyes and make them easier to open…
Skylar had fallen asleep at his post just after 3am; this they would later find out as the head nurse had popped in around 3.10am, to find him sat back in the chair, snoring gently. She had shaken her head, but smiled all the same. She had quietly completed all of the checks that she had come in to carry out, noting that there had been no change since the last set. She knew that it was over a week now, and the chances of the patient waking up decreased with every day they remained comatose. She also had to admit from a purely professional level that was not a bad thing; the longer the coma lasted, then in general, the worse the condition of the patient when they did awake. She doubted that Mr Willetts could handle it if Mr Kennedy woke up, but was unable to express himself, or worse yet, had lost years of his memory. She turned to go, but before she did, she placed a light cover over the sleeping Skylar, lest he catch a chill in the night…
That would puzzle Skylar as he stirred into wakefulness four hours later; the last thing he could recall was seeing that it was just after three on the clock, and there had been no blanket then. He realised that he had to have dozed off in spite of his very best intentions, and he was a little ashamed of that; anything could have happened, and he would never have known. Seeing that the chart by Seth's bed had been filled in not long after three made him feel even worse; if that had not stirred him back to life, then how would he have heard anything else? He stretched himself, stiff from his night in an uncomfortable chair, then suddenly he froze. There had been the tiniest of sounds, one that he had not heard in the room before. Then he heard it again, and he realised that it was the sound of someone trying to cry quietly so as not to disturb anyone else in the room…
Skylar's breath hitched, and he froze for a moment, before he threw the blanket aside, and leant forward. "Seth?" he whispered, hoping beyond hope that his prayers had finally been answered and he would receive a response.
There was an agonising silence then, far longer in Skylar's mind than it was in reality, and then in a tiny voice he heard the words, "I'm sorry, Sky…"
Skylar wanted to whoop in delight, to grab Seth and hug him too his chest, but he didn't. "You have nothing to be sorry for! You are here, and that is all that matters to anyone…"
"But I don't know why I am here, or what happened to get me here. My head hurts, and my neck, and…" Seth went quiet with a gulp for air, and then with panic clear in his voice he said, "Sky! I can't feel my good leg Sky! I can't feel either of them… Oh God! What's happened? Why can't I? Why… Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!" As the monitor at the side of his bed began to beep faster and faster, Skylar grabbed Seth's hand, and tried his best to soothe his best friend. The contact seemed to make a difference, and the monitor slowed again. "Why can't I feel my legs, Sky? What's happened? Please, I need to know…" begged Seth, tears streaming from his eyes.
Skylar took a deep breath, blinking back his own tears, then said, "I don't know all that much to be honest; what I do know is that you have been in a coma for just over a week. It's the 8th of April; Mason found you lying on the floor of your apartment about this time on the 1st of the month. You were just lying there, surrounded by salad, chicken, and broken crockery and glass. We all assume that you had an attack the night before, Easter Sunday, as you had been about to eat your dinner. That attack did damage to your left leg, and that is why you can no longer feel it. Ollie has more or less said that it is irreparable, and this time you are going to be wheelchair bound…"
There was silence for a moment, and then Seth began to sob; deep, heartrending sobs that broke Skylar almost completely. He knew that he was at least partly to blame for his best friend's current state; in hindsight, he could have broken the news to him in a better way. He decided that there were some rules that were meant to be broken, so he slipped off his shoes, and climbed up onto the bed with Seth, and pulled him into his arms, holding him close as he cried his eyes out. In his mind he realised that they had swapped roles; that he had been the one to lie crying quietly in Seth's arms on those dark nights at Dalton when Hunter had been on the worst of his rampages…
Then he heard the sound of the humming in the room, the strains of that old traditional tune to which Wes had set his own words back in the day, lyrics that began with the line Hush Little Warbler, don't you cry… He joined in with the humming, his own tones joining in with those that he knew to be angelic ones. Slowly he heard the sobs coming from his best friend dying away, his body shaking less in his arms. He pulled back a little, so that he could see Seth's face, and carefully brushed his hair back off his blotchy face.
"I'm sorry, Sky, I just…"
"Needed to let all of the pain out… I am sorry too, because I could have broken the news to you in a far gentler way than I did."
"Ollie really thinks that I am going to have to be in my chair full-time from now on?"
"Obviously he could not be 100% certain whilst you were in a coma, but he has conducted all of the usual scans, and all the indications in both legs are now the same I'm afraid…"
"Poor Mason, and Dex too… He will never forgive himself! I do seem to recall that I more or less forced him out of the apartment though and…" Seth paused, thinking hard, then said, "I did! He offered to make my meal for me, and I snapped at him, telling him I could manage, like a petulant child, and well, I guess karma came to visit me…"
"It wasn't just Mason that was there when they found you; Kitty and Mike got pulled in, and both of them ended up pretty devastated. Mike feels worse than the others, because he walked past your place on the Sunday night after he finished work, and he saw the lights were off, which was unusual, and he feels terrible that he never stopped to check up as to why…"
"He shouldn't feel that way; nobody should, as what happened to me could not have been predicted! The only thing I do not know is what happens to me now…"
"Well, I do know what happens now," said Skylar firmly. "You are coming home with me; I am not going back to Ohio without you this time. You know as well as I do that the time for this has come. The only alternative to that would be having a nurse in on a daily basis, because with the best will in the world, Jeff can't be there all the time, although I think that he would try…"
"That wouldn't be fair on him, or any of the others…"
"And it is not fair that I have to drag you back to Ohio either, but we both know that it is the only practical solution." Seth nodded, and felt his tears welling up again. Skylar saw that, and pulled him in close again, as his own tears began to flow…
It was the sound of someone clearing their throat that made them pull apart again, and they both saw the head nurse standing there, with Ollie at her side. "You do realise, Mr Willetts, that you should have buzzed for someone the exact moment that Mr Kennedy regained consciousness? And that you should not be lying on the bed with the patient?"
"At least he took his shoes off first," commented Ollie, which earned him a raised eyebrow and a disapproving stare.
"Dr Harwood! That is not the point, and you well know it! However, we should focus on the positives for now, which are that our patient is awake, and seems to have his full range of faculties. That means that we will no longer allow an overnight guest to stay in his room…"
"Wait, Skylar has been staying here?" exclaimed Seth, looking around. "Where on earth was he sleeping?
"He has been sleeping in that chair since he arrived; in fact, he has barely left your bedside. At least the older lady that arrived with him has been heading away every night…" said the head nurse.
Seth looked at Skylar with curiosity, and he replied, "The moment that she heard I was coming, Mrs Carmichael couldn't be stopped either. She has been living at your place - and I guess that I should call her and let her know the good news. Then we will need to call Thad and get the happiest news of the year out there for everyone else."
"I agree," said Seth, "but don't let anyone know what you insisted on happening to me now, apart from Thad and Mrs Carmichael. I want the chance to say thank you to Jeff for everything and say my goodbyes in person before I leave…"
Skylar left the room so that Ollie and the nurse could make the checks they had come in to carry out, and headed to sit on a seat that was close to the room. He bowed his head the moment he was there, and this time he let his tears flow in relief, thanking anyone that was listening that they had brought Seth back. He only stopped when he heard an anxious "Skylar?" and he realised that it was too late to call Mrs Carmichael… "Please tell me that he hasn't…"
"The exact opposite; he has woken up, and well, I have told him that he is coming home with us, no arguments. I don't think that there is really any other choice for any of us now. He is not going to be able to manage by himself for much longer, not with the speed at which things are progressing.
"Well, I am glad that you were there when he came round, and yes, I agree, he does need to be looked after much more now. So, have you spoken to Julia about all of this? After all, she does deserve to know first that her life is about to be turned upside down. Whilst you call her, I can call Thad and my husband, let them know that he is awake…"
"Yes, you are right, I do need to speak to Julia first… Can you also tell Thad to let everyone know that he is awake, but leave it at that. Seth wants to tell the people here that he is going in person, and given how much control over his life he has lost recently, we owe him that at least…" Skylar said no more, but he knew that Mrs Carmichael would be thinking exactly what he was. Seth wanted to speak to the others in the city because he needed to say what might be his final farewell in person…
Before either of them could dial a number, however, Ollie emerged from the room. His face was less grim that it had been for over a week, but he was far from happy either. "Right, so the good news is that we have him back with us, with no immediate indications of long term brain damage, although we have so far only checked his memory and vocal functions properly. For that reason, we will need to run through a series of tests, although in many cases, we will not call them a test as far as he is concerned."
"What kind of things do you mean?" asked Mrs Carmichael, although the way that she looked at Ollie told him that she had a fair idea, and she was really just wanting him to explain for Skylar's benefit.
"Well, for a start, we need to see if his hands are as functional as they were before this happened; whether he is still able to grip and handle a pen, cutlery, that sort of thing. If he can hold a cup or glass, and manage to take a drink without spilling its contents. I also want to check his vision, and his reading skills. On top of that, we need to check if all of the normal 'bodily functions' are still as they were before too. There have been cases where even such basic things have to be relearned after such a lengthy period in a coma, and such a severe attack."
He stopped then, and was aware of the look of absolute fear and horror on Skylar's face at the prospect of such things being forgotten. "It is highly unusual that something of that nature would have happened though, isn't it?" asked Mrs Carmichael, calm as always.
"Oh, definitely. I doubt very much from what I have just seen that Seth has been afflicted in that way, but we owe it to him to be thorough. Now that he is awake, I can also check his left leg again, to see if it is irreparably damaged. That I think is the case, and I suspect that he will have no sensation in it when I run through my tests." Ollie then turned directly to Seth, and said, "So, he tells me that you gave him an ultimatum? I am in agreement with you on that; it is the best course of action for him in his condition now. He could, at a push, remain here but he would need a high level of support on a daily basis, and I doubt he would like that at all. He would have someone that is a stranger to him coming in and out several times a day, and we would also need to get him one of the alarms that they have for frail elderly people living alone. The sort where they push a button on a chain round their neck, and help is summoned. Admittedly, that would be of little use for him, as when he is stricken by an attack, he is knocked out, and he wouldn't even have a chance to push the button before he passed out…"
He paused, letting his words sink in, then said, "I am going to call my colleague in Columbus and see if he can come here for a face to face meeting with Seth before we transfer him over to their care. It is vital that he is able to trust his new physician, and that those that will be caring for him on a day to day basis are able to do so too."
"How long do you think that it will be before he is ready to leave? We are ready for him at any time, but obviously Julia needs to know when to expect him, and get the final things done," asked Skylar.
"I would suggest that we are looking at a week to ten days. He needs to take it easy for a little while, we have tests to run, and I would like to observe him too, make sure that I haven't missed a little indicator which might help us to predict what is going to happen in the future."
"Okay, so the middle of next week at the latest? That gives me time to get things organised and clear all of the unnecessary events from my diary," said Mrs Carmichael. Skylar looked at her, and was about to tell her that such things would not be required when she took his hand, and said firmly, "Much as you and your dear wife would like to do it all by yourselves, you can't. Julia is pregnant after all, and she will not be able to do as much as you would both like. I can make myself available to help out, and I will not brook any argument on the topic. Plus, do not forget that I have been in this situation before. It breaks my heart to have to go through it all again, but I know what needs to be done…"
In the end, it was Ollie that made the phone call to Thad, leaving Skylar to call his wife, and Mrs Carmichael to phone her husband, and then Mason. The young man had after all given her his number, and had begged her to call him the moment that there was any change. As he was not on Thad's texting list, she would oblige without problem.
At Dalton, Thad's heart had missed a beat on seeing his brother's name on his phone, as he feared the worst possible news. He was mentally planning how he could arrange cover for his classes for the rest of the week so that he could go to New York and help with arrangements, and getting Skylar back to Ohio, as he said hello to his sibling. "He is awake, and so far, so good," said Ollie, and he smiled as he heard the audible sigh of relief on the other end of the call. "I still have a lot of tests that I need to do, admittedly, but we are in a much lighter place than we were yesterday. You will also be glad to know that Skylar was there when he woke up, and so they had a proper chat. The upshot of that is that Skylar will be leaving here with Seth at his side, and the latter's return to Ohio will be a permanent one. Now, that bit of news is for your ears only at the moment; Seth does not want anyone else to know that; my guess is that he wants to break the news to those here in person, so he can say a proper goodbye to each of them."
"I understand," said Thad, relieved that Seth was going to be getting the proper care that he now needed. Then, in a darker tone, he continued, "So, in the style of our dear father, hit me with it; how long will he have left? The last time we spoke about this, you said that he should see his birthday in August…"
The silence that followed his words was lengthy, and Thad knew exactly what it indicated. "Well, if he carries on like this; if he continues to have the attacks, the dry mouth problem, his body continues to weaken under the onslaught, and he loses the power and strength he once had, then I think that date might now be an optimistic one. He might rally and prove me wrong, but…"
Thad nodded, then said, "Don't say anything like that to Skylar; he could not deal with that information."
"I won't, trust me, although I think that your Mrs Carmichael could handle it. She has already started to clear her diary so that she can assist with his care, given that Skylar's wife is pregnant…"
"Julia is what?" exclaimed Thad, this being news to him.
"Oh, Lord, so none of you had been told yet? Okay, forget that I mentioned that, although the fact she is expecting was news to me too, and does change the plans we had a little."
"It also makes the whole thing a lot worse," said Thad grimly. "Skylar always said that he could not wait for the day that he got to introduce his kids to their Uncle Seth, and now…"
"He might make it, he might not; I have no idea when she is due to give birth," Ollie replied quietly.
"I think that the key thing here is that we don't let Seth know exactly how short his time is. He knows that his life expectancy isn't all that great, and he is dealing with that, but I am not sure how he would cope with knowing the details like this. It won't help him to know these things, so we don't tell him; we just ensure that he is comfortable and as happy as he can be in this situation. That isn't just for his sake, but for the rest of us too."
"What you also have to be aware of little brother is that he could pass away at any moment, with little or no warning; his next attack could easily be the last one. I would advise that you treat each time that you see him from now on as the last time. I know that has to be hard for you to hear, but those are the circumstances that we are in right now."
Thad sighed, then said, "You are right, and I do have to explain that to the others, but that news is not going to go down well. I mean, we all know that he has a terminal illness, but his decline in the last year or so has been breathtakingly fast. We all assumed I think that he would have much longer. I think that there will be many people that will struggle with all of this when he is gone. I need to start planning what action I need to take to hold them all together in a post Seth world…"
"That might not be a bad thing, especially where a certain someone is considered. I had expected that Skylar would end up being in the city when this happened, but keeping a constant vigil at his bedside as he did showed me that the connection between the two of them is far deeper than I thought. They are brothers in all but name… I can see what level of specialist bereavement counselling is available in the Columbus area if you like…"
"I don't think that Skylar would thank any of us for setting him up with a shrink, but he might agree to a support group filled with people that had been in a similar position to him, but are not too closely involved, like Mrs Carmichael… To be honest, if such a group exists, then maybe I should sign up to it too. This whole situation is far tougher for me than I ever imagined it would be…"
Later, when Thad was sending out his group text to tell the others that Seth was now awake, he found choosing the right words harder than usual. The fact was that the slip by Ollie which had informed him that Skylar was going to become a father this year too had filled him with anguish and despair. He was struggling to shake it off, the fact that he wasn't supposed to know what was happening making it all the harder. He guessed that there would be an official announcement in due course if Mrs Carmichael and his brother already knew. He wondered if he should hint to the former Principal's wife that he knew, as then she could suggest to Skylar that he should share his news with the others, a bright light in the darkness…
In the end, he said very little in his text, just stating the basics; that he was awake and out of his coma. He could almost hear audible sighs of relief echoing as he pressed the send button. He was certain that all of the recipients of that message now accepted that Seth was going to die, that no miracle would occur. He was sure most of them would also have concluded that the end was not going to be in years time, and would realise they needed to think about saying their goodbyes. He knew that although nobody had said it out loud, they had all feared that he might not wake up; that another attack would claim him as he lay in a coma, and that would be that. Looking at his desk calendar with those thoughts in mind, Thad decided to send out a reminder text with the date of this year's graduation ceremony highlighted. He would urge a full attendance. After all, if Seth was still with them, and he hated himself for even having doubts about that, then it would be a good chance for them all to see him. If Ollie was right, it would probably also be his last time at Dalton Academy…
The news breaking did indeed trigger widespread sighs of relief, and also a few tears. Having talked to Mrs Carmichael, Mason had headed for the hospital himself, anxious to catch up with his friend before he was pulled away into a melee of rehearsals and readthroughs at the end of the week. When he arrived, Skylar acknowledged that Mason deserved to have a few moments alone with Seth. He thus left the hospital of his own free will with Seth's apartment keys, with strict instructions from Mrs Carmichael to have a nap, shower, and change into the clean clothes she had laid out for him in anticipation.
Mrs Carmichael herself had been busily knitting at Seth's bedside when Mason appeared, but she now put that away and once Skylar had gone, said, "I am just going to go out and get some fresh air, then take a stroll to somewhere nice for a spot of lunch. I assume that you have no issue with staying here until I get back? Skylar does not want him left alone today…" Mason nodded, and as Mrs Carmichael walked out, he settled into the seat that she had just vacated. He took his friend's hand gently, as he had done a week ago, but this time it caused his friend to stir. His eyes opened slowly, and then a smile appeared on his lips…
"Mason! I was hoping that you would drop by; I am informed that I owe you a thank you…"
"No you don't, not really. I was just the first person there is all…"
"And you stayed with me afterwards. You took my hand that day, as you are doing now. I did feel it, even then. I could hear you all too, even though I couldn't respond. A coma is a strange thing… Anyway, I am sorry to have marred your homecoming with all of my dramas…"
"You didn't… So, Jane sends her love, and points out that she may be joining you as an inpatient here very soon…"
"Of course; you are due to be a dad in just a few days time! That child could not wish for a better set of parents… Right, now tell me all about London, and fill me in with all of the Mary Poppins gossip. I probably won't be in a position to attend, so I demand that you supply me with spoilers…."
Mason sat and talked happily about the show to Seth, as he could see how enthusiastic he was to hear everything. He knew deep down that it was a good way for Seth to keep his mind off his own problems. He was listening so intently that Mason couldn't help himself, and moved seamlessly into his cockney accent, which made Seth laugh at once. He had to admit that had he not known that Mason hailed from Ohio, then he could quiet easily have believed that he was born and raised within the sound of Bow Bells. Then Mason's tone changed, as he moved onto a more thorny area of the show… "There is just one issue, and that alas is our female lead…"
Seth looked at Mason expectantly, and when he said nothing, couldn't help but quip, "So, There's Something About Mary?"
That made Mason chuckle, his face lightening, and then he went on, "To be frank, there most certainly is! I mean, don't get me wrong, the lady in question is very talented, excellent, award-winning…"
"…but she makes Rachel Berry seem like a saint, doesn't she?" said Seth.
"Exactly! She has a rider that is so long that it looks like an old fashioned telephone directory. She has been rude and demeaning to all of us in the cast, and if she had her way, then we would all be fired and replaced with the cast that she worked with in the West End, the people she calls the 'real cast'. The truth is, however, that each and every one of the people that starred with her when the show opened in London refused to have anything to do with the Broadway production if she was involved, as she drove them all insane with her demands and attitude. The original Bert actually contacted me when the news came out that I had the part to wish me luck, and to ask whether I wanted a rosary, garlic, or a silver bullet as a gift, and honestly, I am not certain that he was joking! Then there is the fact that we have our first full cast meeting tomorrow, and she hasn't even arrived in New York yet. She was supposed to fly in on Friday last week. The director calls her agent every day, and every day he is told that she will arrive almost immediately. Between us, Seth, I am beginning to think that she won't show at all…"
"And of course, without Mary, there is no show," said Seth.
"We would have to find a new Mary in record time, that's for sure. If she doesn't come, they might just cancel the whole thing, and that wouldn't be good for my career.." admitted Mason. Seth could do little else but cross his fingers quietly, and hope that his friend would get the news he needed soon…