Emmet and Keith arrived almost simultaneously. Fiona had alerted the reception desk that there would be men coming for this patient, and they were directed to the ICU waiting room, where they found Ryan's parents. There were traces of tears on their cheeks, but the hugs they shared with the Kellys were strong and supportive.
"Emmet, we figured you'd be here first, since you're closest, but Keith, you must have broken every speed limit between here and Donegal!" Mrs. Kelly said.
"I did break a few," said Keith, "but I was actually in Derry when I got the call, so it wasn't as far. Have you seen him? How is he?"
"We have, and Raymond and Colette are with him now. He's not very good, I'm afraid," said Mr. Kelly. "They expect him to be in the coma for a long time, they actually are going to keep him unconscious on purpose, as they say it will help him heal. His nurse says he did respond to some of the more uncomfortable procedures getting him settled, and she said that was a good sign, it meant that some information was getting through to his brain. She said talking to him and letting him know who is here, and that we won't leave him, is important."
"Can we see him?" asked Emmet.
"Not yet," said Mrs. Kelly gently. "Normally they only allow family members in, but we've asked if they will allow you boys in as well as a special request, given how close you all are. It may be some time before the doctors decide if you can, though."
"That's all right," Keith said. "We're here, and we're not leaving anytime soon. Neil and George are on the way. We're not sure yet if Damian or Paul will be able to get here, but they both send their love and prayers."
"Bless you," said Mrs. Kelly. "It'll be a comfort to us to have you here as well."
They settled down to wait, but it wasn't long before Keith was prowling around the room. He never could sit still for long unless he had a guitar or drawing supplies with him, and while he had a guitar in his car, he didn't think it would be appreciated here. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Have either of you eaten dinner?" he asked the Kellys.
They turned confused eyes on each other. "No, now that I think of it, we didn't" said Mr. Kelly "Ryan was supposed to come to dinner and didn't show up, that's how we found him."
"Well, that's something we can do to help, then," Keith said decisively. "Mrs. Kelly, you come down to the cafeteria with me and get something to eat, and Emmet can stay here; then when we come back, we'll switch."
"You can always count on Keith to remember food," Emmet laughed. "He'll make sure you take care of yourselves. And another thing - have you any place to stay around here? If Ryan's going to be here a long time, you're going to need a place to sleep and get cleaned up and such."
"I never even thought of that!" said Mrs. Kelly. "We packed some things to bring with us, but never thought about where we'd be."
"Your mum would be proud of you, thinking about that," Keith said to Emmet, grinning. He ushered Mrs. Kelly out of the waiting room. She had a slight smile on her face, thinking that even in a situation like this, the boys couldn't resist slagging each other. They really were just like brothers. Then she thought of how much Ryan would have enjoyed that exchange, and she suddenly broke down into tears. Keith immediately wrapped his strong arms around her again, letting her cry on his shoulder. He didn't say anything; there was no point in telling her everything would be OK, because they didn't know if it would be. Fiona found them like that as she came down the hallway.
"Mrs. Kelly, are you all right?' she said worriedly.
"Yes, dear, it just hit me how much Ryan would have enjoyed something Keith and Emmet just did." Mrs. Kelly wiped her eyes. "Oh, Keith, this is Fiona, Ryan's nurse this shift. Fiona, this is Keith, one of the other singers. Emmet is with my husband in the waiting room."
"It's nice to meet you," Fiona said to Keith. "I've heard you all sing, you're wonderful. It's good of you to come."
"Couldn't have done anything else," Keith said. "The Kellys are family, and we take care of each other. We're just heading down to get something to eat, they never had dinner tonight."
"I won't keep you, then," Fiona replied. "It's going to be important for them to take care of themselves and if you can help with that, it will be a godsend." She watched as they headed down the hall, Keith's arm still supportively around Mrs. Kelly's shoulders. If she hadn't know better, she would have thought Keith was another of Mrs. Kelly's sons, from the way he was treating her. If all of the other singers were like that, then the Kellys were blessed indeed.