Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part VI.
By the time that Dani got back to the diner, noticing on her way back the extreme chill in the air for the first time, she realised that making all those calls herself was not going to be necessary. Finn was standing at the counter, and at his side, Sam's face was already grim, his expression one of disappointment and horror. He looked up as she walked in, and saw the same written on her face; he immediately walked over to her, and pulled her into a hug. She collapsed gratefully into it, not least because of the warmth that was radiating from Sam's body. "The boys have gone to the hospital with them. From what the cops told them, it is poor Beats that has come off worst in all of this. He would have been trying to shield and protect Elliott; if he hadn't been there…" Her voice trailed off as the full enormity of the situation hit her. If Elliott had been alone…
She felt another set of hands on her shoulders then. "Sam, she is frozen stiff! Go and get her a hot drink - or better yet, a bowl of soup." Sam nodded at Finn as he realised how cold the girl in his arms was, and he made his way quickly towards the kitchen to get her a bowl of chicken broth. Finn meanwhile gently guided Dani towards a seat in one of the quieter booths in the back, where he could press his body up against hers to try and transfer some warmth to her frozen frame. As he did so, he spoke. "Ok, so all you have to be concerned about just now is yourself. Wes has gone to see Flint, and let him know; Blaine has gone to tell Grace, so that she can go and take care of the boys; Kurt has gone to the hospital to keep watch over Beats and Elliott. Sam has made a quick phone call to Nick, and once he gets over the shock of what has happened, he will make all the other necessary calls. You just need to get yourself warmed up, and then, once Sam and I are satisfied that you are, the two of us will head up to the hospital" Dani smiled and nodded, just as Sam appeared and placed a generous bowl of soup in front of her. She thought once again how lucky she and Elliott were to have such good people around them. That chance meeting with Santana at the diner years ago it seemed; the band that they had formed, and then the trio with the much missed Kurt… All of that had created bonds, given her a support network that made her feel secure; given her a good job that she loved, and allowed her the rare privilege of being able to see and touch angels. She was truly blessed…
When Wes arrived at the apartment shared by three of his boys in Princeton, he found Flint and Izzy sitting together, watching a film. It was one of those romantic chick flicks, and he could tell that the only reason that Flint was sitting and watching it was that it made his girlfriend happy. It did pose Wes a problem. Izzy could not see him, and a sudden revelation on Flint's part that his best friend was hurt was a highly improbable situation. Wes was nothing if not ingenious however, and after a moment of thought, he saw the solution. The apartment was still fitted with a landline phone, and so he stepped into the hall, picked it up, and dialled the number for Flint's cellphone. As he did so, he prayed he had not switched it off for the sake of romance. He was rewarded by the sound of a phone buzzing as it vibrated on the coffee table in front of the sofa on which the two lovebirds were sitting. He heard Flint picking it up, and then heard his voice in a curt "Hello?" on the other end.
"Flint, it's me, Wes. I'm in the hall. I needed to talk to you urgently, and this was the only practical way of doing so seeing as you have company. It's about Beats…"
"Ok, what's happened?" came the response in a worried tone.
"Elliott's dad showed up…" Wes paused as he heard Flint jump up off the sofa, and then he was there, standing staring at him in the hallway.
"He did… Tell me…"
"Beats is on his way to the Beth Sinai Hospital in New York. He's unconscious, and they are worried that he has some kind of head injury."
Wes looked up, and saw Flint was now leaning up against the jamb of the door to the lounge, his face white as a sheet. "Oh my God! I need to get there! His parents? Do they need to be told?"
"Yes, someone will need to let them know. Do you feel up to it?"
"No, but… I'll do it on the way… Is he? Please tell me he's going to be…"
"He is going to be ok, but it is going to take time. He is going to need all the help you can give him for a little bit. I will be around too; we all will."
Flint nodded, and mouthed the words 'Thank you' to Wes, before he hung up his phone, and turned round to break the news to Izzy.
Izzy's response was immediate; she refused to listen to his talk of trains, and instead contacted one of her classmates, who lived a block away. She explained the situation, and asked if, in view of the emergency, she could borrow their car. This having been agreed, she made a call to Ethan, who was at the library studying, to fill him in on the situation.
Ten minutes later he was sat in the back of the car next to Flint as Izzy drove them into the city. He was able therefore to hold Flint's hand and give it a comforting squeeze, particularly as the news had finally sunk in, and the other young man was now in tears. Ethan felt an ache in his own heart for Flint; he knew full well that if something like this had happened to Drew, he would be in the same state, feeling as if his own heart had been ripped out and stamped upon. Eventually, have let his tears out, Flint called the number that he had in Zanesville, Ohio, for use in just such an emergency as this; a number he had never wanted to use. As the car sped along the highway, he heard the call answered, and he was glad that it was Mr Harper that had picked up. He told him what had happened, and although he could hear the note of horror in the older man's voice, he managed to stay calm, which was more than his wife might well have done in the situation. With a promise to Flint that they would be there as soon as they could, Mr Harper hung up, and went to go and break the news to his wife. As for Flint, his duty now done for the moment, he curled back into Ethan's side. He let his friend hold him as he mentally prepared himself for what he might find at the hospital. He could only pray that Beats was not too badly hurt - because if he was, then it would break him just as much as his friend.
As Flint, Ethan and Izzy made their way through the growing traffic as they approached the city, in Bushwick Nick was making his final call of the day. He had contacted Jeff first, obviously, disturbing his husband as he was working on his project at school once more. He had been prepared to drop everything and run to the hospital the minute that he was told, but Nick had stopped him, pointing out that from what Sam had told him, Grace was likely to already be on her way to take care of Josh, and Flint would doubtless be on his way there too for Beats. There was no point therefore in them going and overcrowding a hospital waiting room. Jeff had still wanted to go, just to pop in, until Nick reminded him that they actually had somewhere else that they needed to be that evening; a duty they had promised to undertake, and he was sure that if they had the opportunity to make comment, both Elliott and Beats would rather that they attended to that instead of rushing to sit and wait for news of them. Jeff had reluctantly agreed he was right - and also start to pack up, as until Nick's call, he had clean forgotten where he was meant to be going…
Nick's next call had been to Sebastian, but that turned out to be very short. He had been coming home when he had seen Grace running out of the house and looking for a cab. She had told him what was going on, and after throwing his bags into the hallway of his apartment, he had joined her on her mission. He promised that he would let Nick know what was going on as soon as he had any news, for which Nick was thankful.
His next call had been to Thad; he was not sure if Wes would already have informed the current Head Warbler, but he decided to make sure. Thad knew nothing, and sounded horrified as Nick relayed the scant details that he knew of what had unfolded that day to his friend. "Well, that explains why Wessie left me so suddenly," said Thad quietly as Nick finished. "Look, I will let David know, and Mitch; I'll also call up Jasper and Brad, maybe even do a partial group Skype…"
"Ok," said Nick, "but I will call Trent myself. He and Beats were always fairly close, and he deserves to hear it from me, one on one."
"Yes, that would probably be best. Trent can get a little emotional about this sort of thing; heck, we all can. Just promise me that the minute you hear anything, day or night, you will let all of us know." Nick promised, and rang off to call Trent. The moment he did, Thad sent a text to his brother before anyone else. Ollie had the day off from the E.R., and was on a date with Michelle, but he would still potentially have contacts at the hospital who could give them the information they all would crave a lot quicker than it would be communicated to those in the waiting room.
Nick's last call was to Trent, and as both he and Thad had surmised, it was more than a little emotional. On hearing what little Nick knew, Trent had begun to sob his heart out, immediately thinking the worst; his certainty that it was all over for poor Beats had almost been enough to start Nick off in the same vein, as images of a group of mourning Warblers gathered around a coffin all over again filled his mind. Then he shook himself, and scolded himself internally for his own pessimism. "Look, Beats is not going to die, Trent. He will be his old self again, given time. You just need to stay calm, and keep your mind busy whilst we all wait to be told that he has woken up, and that he and Elliott are ok. Beats has always known how to handle himself in a fight…"
"This was very different from a meeting of the Dalton Fight Club. This would not have been played by the Queensbury rules, Nick. This was a madman lashing out at his son and his boyfriend. As far as I am aware, no-one was ever knocked unconscious in a bout at the Fight Club…"
"True, but plenty of people ended up with a mild concussion and felt bad for days afterwards," countered Nick, recalling his own experience. "Beats has probably just got a much more severe concussion, and that is why he is out for the count. He is not going to die, and if he was seriously hurt, then don't you think that some amongst us would know? One of our angels would have revealed something to us if it was bad…" As he said those last words, Nick knew that he was not telling the truth; that they would not have been allowed to tell them. But those thoughts were all they had to cling to, and at either end of the conversation, prayers were said in the hope that the supposition that he had just made was the correct one.
Grace Duval had reached the E.R. at the Beth Sinai Hospital, with Sebastian at her side, just minutes after the two ambulances had offloaded their patients. They hurried in, and found an upset Josh and an unnerved Scott sitting in the reception, trying to fill in the necessary paperwork as best as they could. There was no trace of Blaine or Kurt, and the two new arrivals guessed they would be in the actual Emergency Room itself, keeping an eye on their friends. Scott looked up, saw them, and for a moment a smile flicked across his face, in gratitude that someone had arrived to help him deal with a situation he was not prepared for. Grace walked over, and the minute that Josh looked up and saw her, the forms were flung to one side, and he was up and into her arms, his face etched with pain and tears.
Sebastian walked over and took a seat next to Scott, and put an arm around him. His first priority was to check that the young man was holding up ok, and when he had received an answer, he told him that he had best call his folks to let them know what was going on. Time was moving on, and Sebastian was aware that Scott should really be on his way back to the Port Authority for his bus home. Scott glanced at his watch, then nodded, and went to make the call, handing the clipboard with the form for Beats on it to him as he went. After all, Sebastian could fill it in far more accurately than he could have done. His call was answered by his mom; her initial reaction to the news that he told her was shock, disgust and revulsion; then, as she calmed down, she told him to stay where he was, and that she would drive over to the city to pick him up. The call ended, he passed this information on to Sebastian, who was making short work of the form, who agreed that the arrangement was no bad thing. Scott then took a seat by Josh, and as his boyfriend wrote with his right hand, he clutched on to his left. Grace settled down next to Sebastian, and they did all they could in the situation. They just had to wait patiently for news of the injured friends that lay just beyond those doors, for however long it took…
They were still waiting patiently when the doors opened and Flint ran in, looking stressed out of his mind, with Ethan right behind him; Izzy had gone to find somewhere to park the car. Josh looked up and on seeing Flint, jumped out of his seat, ran over to him and let Flint engulf him in his arms and hold him tight; the two of them both truly understood the pain that the other had to be suffering from. After all, Beats was as good as a brother to Flint. That was the moment that a doctor finally appeared at the door to the E.R. and asked for the family of Elliott Gilbert. Josh left Flint's arms and darted across, explaining that he was his brother. The doctor told him that he could come through to see him, but that he could only bring one person into the E.R. with him. Josh turned round, and saw that Flint was right behind him, and nodded to him. The others had known instinctively that he would be Josh's choice. Scott was secretly relieved, if he was honest, that Flint would be heading in with him. It had been a stressful day already, and the prospect of seeing a bruised and battered Elliott close up was not one that he had relished…
"I am pleased to say that your brother's injuries, although they look awful, are relatively minor," the doctor said as she walked with Josh and Flint down the hallway. "The paramedics reset his shoulder, but he will have a lot of pain and bruising in that area for a while. He has three cracked ribs, about which we can do nothing but allow them to heal - again, this will give him some discomfort and pain for a few weeks. He also has extensive bruising to his neck and face. He is conscious, anxious to see you, but don't let him talk for too long, as his larynx is giving him a lot of pain." By now, they were at the door to a small side room, and she turned to smile at them.
"What about his boyfriend? How is he?"
The doctor looked at Flint, then turned back towards Josh, as he had asked the question. "He is still out cold, I'm afraid, but we have been able to run a few basic tests and make checks. We were initially concerned that he might have suffered a skull fracture, but although there is extensive bruising, there is not even a hairline crack. He also has a badly sprained wrist with some ligament damage, but again, no broken bones. He is tough, I'll give him that."
"Given all that, doctor, why has he not come round?" said Flint.
"My guess would be that he has suffered a severe concussion; you may be aware that he was thrown against a wall with such force that he damaged the plaster. That his skull is undamaged is a miracle, but his brain would have been thrown hard into it, and that is the issue. He will wake up, given time, but we might have a wait. The signs are good in that his brain is functioning well, but we cannot be sure if he has suffered any lasting damage to his brain until he wakes up. I'm sorry that I can't tell you anything more reassuring; all we can do is wait and see, I'm afraid."
Josh nodded at the doctor, and reached out to take Flint's hand, giving it a squeeze. He had seen how his face had paled at the mention of a brain injury, and how treacherous tears were starting to form in his eyes, despite his best efforts. "Come on then Flint, lets go and see Ell. I'm counting on you to be strong for me, and make sure that I don't embarrass myself by starting to cry like a girl." Flint nodded, and blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears that had began to form as he thought of his poor Beats. He had to stay strong; after all, he couldn't let Josh down…
The moment that he stepped into the room and saw his brother, all of Josh's good intentions failed, and he lost his composure. His face was swollen, and covered in livid marks, bruises that were starting to turn black, blue and purple already. He had his eyes shut, and his lips were frozen in an expression of pain, most probably coming from his ribs; after all, they could not be bandaged or splinted in any way, they just had to be endured until they healed. Flint let the boy stand there and cry for a moment, then he gently nudged him in the direction of his brother's bed. Josh moved forward, sat down, and carefully took one of Elliott's hands. His brother's eyes popped open, and for a fraction of a second a smile formed on his lips, before another burst of pain from his ribs made him hiss again in pain.
"This is all my fault, Ell," Josh whispered. "He would never have found you if it wasn't for me. I brought all of this on you and Beats. I am so, so sorry." Josh began to sob as his guilty feelings began to overwhelm him.
"This is definitely not your fault," Elliott croaked out in a low voice. "I am just grateful that I saved you from this; any pain I am in now is worth it to have prevented you lying here. I just wish that Nate…"
"He would not have wanted you to face him on your own," said Flint, and Elliott now noticed him for the first time as he stepped towards the bed. "He would defend you and Josh until the end of time, because he loves the pair of you."
Elliott sighed, and tried to nod, but found it too painful. "My dad was like an animal; he just kept attacking. If the police hadn't come when they did… Was it Dani that called them?" He looked up, and Flint nodded. "I owe her, we both do… Ok, so how bad is it with Nate? He took more of the blows than me. They won't tell me anything… If he is seriously hurt, then I will never forgive myself… Please, tell me that he isn't… that his back…"
"Relax. He is battered and bruised like you, from what little I have been told. Apart from that, he isn't too badly hurt. His back is ok; I know what you were thinking, and that hasn't happened. The only thing at the moment is that he is still out of it. They are just waiting for him to come round. I guess it is a natural defence mechanism to just shut down for a while," said Flint, trying not to let his own worries come out in his voice.
"Can you tell him, when he does come round, that I am sorry, that I owe him, and that I love him so much for all that he did for me. He didn't have to, but I am so grateful he intervened…" said Elliott, before starting to cough. Josh immediately went for the jug of water on the side table, and poured a little in a glass, then held it to his brother's lips to let him drink.
"Ok, I am going to go for just now and let someone else come in and see you. I will tell Beats what you said, I promise. Meanwhile, you two should enjoy a brotherly catch up, ok?" Without waiting for an answer, Flint walked over to the door, and let himself back out into the hall, where he took a gulping breath and stopped himself from sobbing. He closed his eyes, and reminded himself that Beats was tough, and a fighter. He would be alright. He opened them again, and started to make his way down the deserted corridor in the direction of the reception area again. As he did so, he suddenly saw a door which he had not noticed earlier as they had walked in with the doctor. A door with a whiteboard next to it, like all the others, but on this one was written 'Nate ?' Flint trembled, but knew what he had to do. He peaked through the window in the door, and sure enough, there lay his Beats, eyes shut, connected up to a machine. 'Oh, Beats!' Flint thought. 'I know that you had to intervene, you had to help Elliott, but I wish that you hadn't! Please, you have to be ok! I need you. I need my best friend, my brother. Please, God, let him be ok. Don't let him be broken. He has to be ok…"
"Excuse me sir, are you a relative?"
The voice came from nowhere, disturbing Flint's contemplation and his silent heartfelt prayers. He turned and saw a nurse standing there; an older woman with a motherly expression who reminded him ever so slightly of Carole… "No. He's my best friend from school, and his parents are on their way from Ohio; they know that he is here, but it will be hours before they get here potentially, and he just looks so alone in there. I was just saying a quick prayer for him… I'm sorry if I've caused any trouble. I'll go and let…"
"No need, young man. I'm pretty certain that long time friend and I'm guessing, roommate, counts just as much as a relative as anything else, at least to me. If nothing else, you can give me a few more details about him, like a surname for that sign instead of that awful question mark. We didn't like to ask Mr Gilbert."
"It's Harper. His full name is Nathaniel Harper, but he prefers to be known as Beats, at least to his friends. Only Elliott has the privilege of being allowed to call him Nate." He looked at the quizzical expression on the nurse's face, and smiled. "We were in glee club together at school, and he is an absolutely amazing beatboxer, hence the name Beats."
"Well, I think that you are right, he does look lonely. So maybe you could go in and keep him company; although if a doctor comes in and asks, you're his stepbrother or a cousin."
Flint smiled broadly, and had to resist the temptation to pull the nurse into a hug. "Thanks, that would be great. I just need to pop back out to reception to fetch another friend to go and take care of Elliott's brother. I don't like leaving him alone with him right now. He blames himself…"
"Don't worry about that. I can go and fetch them for you. And whilst I'm there, would you like some company too?"
"If you could fetch Grace Duval for me, and tell her that Josh needs her, that would be great. As for me, if Sebastian or Ethan are there, tell them to come and look for me…" The nurse nodded, and walked off, leaving Flint to open the door and walk into the quiet room. He sat down in the chair by the bed, and gently took hold of Beats' hand. "It's ok, I'm here now. Elliott is ok, he's safe. You can relax now, until your ready. I will be here when you wake up, however long it takes - and that's a promise…"
The door opened again, and Ethan walked in and took the seat beside Flint. He instinctively knew to place a supportive arm around Flint's shoulder, then just sit there at his side in silence until he was ready to talk again. All that mattered to either of them was the man in the bed beside him; their lives were on hold until the moment he opened his eyes and was restored to them.
