This is amazing grace
This is unfailing love
- Phil Wickham "Amazing Grace"
In the Emergency Room, the two men had already been waiting an hour. The expected wait time to be seen by a triage nurse was another 30 minutes. As they sat, Rossi fiddled around on his laptop browsing case files while Aaron huddled himself over a small sick bag and rested his head on Rossi's shoulder. His neck was sore and his head was pounding now. His whole body was stiff and sore, and he was just plain exhausted. It was amazing how tired someone could feel, even if they'd done nothing but sleep for nearly 24 hours.
"Aaron Hotchner." Called a woman in pink scrubs from the corner of the waiting room. Dave closed his laptop and slid it into his bag, standing slowly.
"Do you want me to come back with you?" he asked, helping his friend up out of his chair. Aaron just looked at him pitifully, and Dave could see in his eyes that he didn't want to have to answer that question. "I'm coming back." Aaron nodded slightly in silent agreement. He was a very private person, and this went against everything he usually wanted, but at the moment he couldn't bear the thought of being alone.
"Not feeling too hot tonight, huh?" the nurse asked in a sweet, slightly coy tone as she lead them back to the triage room. She and Dave helped Aaron up onto the bed and removed his jacket for him. Dave stood beside his friend and watched as the nurse took his temperature, blood pressure and all the other barrage of silent examinations. Aaron struggled to stay awake as he lay back on the bed, he was just so tired. He closed his eyes and tried to follow her requests as best he could.
"Mr. Hotchner, are you experiencing any stiffness in your neck or sensitivity to light?" she asked cautiously, listening to his labored breathing through her stethoscope.
"Yes." He replied softly.
"Alright, I'm going to send in an order for a lumbar puncture. Do you know what that is, Mr. Hotchner?"
"Yes. Spinal Tap. Goes to 11." He replied again, opening his eyes and mustering the best smirk he could. This was not going where he thought it would, and humor felt like the only way to hide his fear. "Why?"
"You're exhibiting all of the symptoms of meningitis, and we need to do a spinal tap in order to diagnose. It is also necessary to see whether the meningitis is bacterial or viral, should you turn up positive. Stay here and I'll send in the anesthesiologist on call to get you going. Can I get you anything – a glass of water, ice chips?" The nurse was so kind, Aaron couldn't help but feel he was in good hands. He shook his head at her offer and watched as she swept out of the room.
"Meningitis, huh?" Rossi asked, glancing over at Aaron. "You sure don't do anything halfway. Go big or go home, I suppose."
"Sorry for ruining your Saturday, Dave." Aaron muttered, shutting his eyes again. "But thank you for everything."
"My Saturday is not ruined, Aaron. Just relax, you're in good hands here. And I'm not going anywhere."
A few minutes passed in silence, Aaron dipping in and out of sleep. Finally, the anesthesiologist walked into the curtained area and looked at the man lying pitifully on the triage bed.
"Aaron Hotchner?" he asked, looking down at his chart. He verified Aaron's information and began telling him exactly what he would be doing, step by step. Aaron felt queasy just thinking about it, especially when he saw the equipment.
"I need you to be extremely still when I do this, ok?" Aaron nodded. The man got him into position and helped him steady his breathing, asking Rossi to stand in front of his friend for support. "You're going to feel a poke and then cold first, can you tell me when you do?" Aaron nodded again and swallowed hard.
"Breathe, Aaron, "Rossi whispered, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder gently. "Just breathe."
It wasn't long before the anesthesiologist was putting everything away and telling Aaron he'd done great. They laid him back down on his bed and covered him up with the paper thin hospital blanket.
"They should have results within the next half hour or so. I hope you feel better soon, sir." With that, the man exited the curtained room, and Aaron and Dave once again were left in silence.
Aaron let out a sharp cough and a groan of pain.
"Should I call Jack's friend's mom?" Dave asked, looking down at his friend. Aaron nodded silently, his eyes shut tight against the world. He was in no condition to do it, and she needed to know that Jack had nowhere to come home to right now. He was staying another night with them already, but Aaron wasn't holding his breath that he'd be leaving the hospital anytime soon. He could feel his anxiety rising as his body felt worse and worse. "Alright. I'm going to step into the hall for a moment with your phone, I'll be right here if you need me. Try to get a few minutes of sleep while we wait."