Ethan leaned over Jay, hand on his forehead trying to get Jay to look at him and respond to his questions, but he was too out of it, a mixture of pain, fever and concussion.
Will and Erin were kindred spirits in their quest to stay in Jay's ER room, a brief meeting of eyes, conveying silent support as they both internally freaked out and hid in plain sight.
After riding in the ambulance with Jay, Erin now stood in the corner quiet as a mouse in hope they wouldn't notice her and kick her out. Easier said than done, she was a hair away from sobbing but so far so good. She let the tears roll down her cheeks unchecked, afraid any movement would draw attention to her.
She watched everything that was happening but her eyes were drawn to Jay's wrist over and over where the blood was soaking through the bandages. She knew they were probably ignoring it because there were more pressing matters but the amount of blood was scaring her to death.
As much as she wanted to stay quiet so she wouldn't have to leave, she was unable to let it go. About to say something, she was saved by Maggie when the nurse turned her attention to the source of her worry, quickly unwrapping his bloody wrist and rewrapping it in another pressure bandage. But in the brief moment the gashes on her boyfriend's wrist saw the light of day, blood flowed freely from the gruesome cuts causing her to gasp in distress.
Either it wasn't as loud as it felt or they all just chose to ignore it, she didn't know, but was grateful to keep her little spot in the corner where she could quietly freak out by herself.
Will, emotions aswirl, watched what was happening on that gurney from a few feet away. He wanted to jump in and help, make it better, but he couldn't. All he could do was keep his fists imprisoned in his pits to keep himself from reaching out to help, and watch Ethan, Maggie and April take care of his baby brother.
The information they were tossing back and forth to each other penetrated his skull, but didn't seem to register until moments later, 'pupils reactive but uneven' ...'temp 104' ... 'breath sounds ... 'X-ray'... 'pneumonia' ... all this registered and worried him but not as much as Jay's erratic heart beat.
He looked at his brother's naked chest, bloody and bruised, sporadically heaving as he struggled for oxygen. Tucked in between the blood and bruises were dark red welts, some sporting blisters. By the number of electrical burns on his body, Jay was shocked multiple times, 10 times at least by his third anxious count. No wonder his heart beat erratic.
Will saw the blur of hands and instruments as his friends took care of Jay; scissors cutting off his jeans, sheet draped over his groin, blood pressure cuffs, oxygen masks...he saw all that, but through the haze of medical intervention he really saw his brother and what was done to him and tears flooded his eyes. He absentmindedly wiped them away before they could spill as he took in the big picture that was his injured baby brother.
On top of the injuries, pneumonia was likely. A fever raged, coating him with a glaze of sweat and the chills that occasionally rippled through Jay would hold his pain at an intolerable level.
A groan barely muffled by the oxygen mask broke him out of his thoughts and he was drawn to Ethan walking his fingers over the joint of Jay's bruised shoulder. When he hit a particularly sore spot, Jay jerked causing himself more pain. He drove his head into the pillow and belted out a hoarse scream into the mask.
"Ahhhhh..."
"Sorry Jay...sorry bud...pain meds are coming..."
That exclamation of pain brought Jay's facial injuries into focus like a neon sign. Smeared blood on his chin from a split lip barely visible through the oxygen mask, blood smeared on his eyelid, temple and cheek from a cut brow, and the blood from a cut above his ear has colored his ear, jaw and neck red.
His bruised left eye, cheek, and jaw are evidence of the number of hits to his face. Ethan had already established Jay had a concussion and if those blows to his face didn't cause it, the bruise on his forehead, left without a doubt by a kick to his head, definitely sealed the deal.
Another tortured groan rang out and Jay's body shuddered as he weakly tried to get away from Ethan as he palpated his chest, ribs and belly.
The exam elicited a breathy 'No' from Jay when Ethan ran his gloved hands over a particularly dark spot on Jay's ribs causing him to bend his leg and push his heel into the mattress.
"Sorry man...sorry...two ribs definitely broken...no rigidity in his belly...lets roll him..."
Putting a hand on Jay's head and leaning closer, Erhan looked into eyes dulled by pain and fever, "Gotta roll ya Jay..."
No matter how gently you roll someone with Jay's injuries, if they are awake, it would be excruciating...Jay's distorted scream into the mask confirmed that.
Erin, who forgot she was trying to stand still and not be noticed, covered her mouth to unsuccessfully hold in a sob at Jay's scream.
Disregarding the protocols that as Jay's brother, he was banished from his side, Will ran to him, brushing his fingers through his hair.
"It's okay bud...just breath...almost over...just hold on..."
"W...wi...llll..."
The raspy groan of his name released his dammed tears without abandon. He caught Ethan's eyes, begging his colleague to make his brother better.
"I got him Will...I promise..."
Acknowledging Ethan's promise with a swallow and jerky nod, he focused on Jay again, combing through his hair, he moved his face closer to him.
He gently wiped Jay's face with a gauze pad, salty tears watering down the blood on his cheek as it flowed along the oxygen mask and under his chin.
Another anguished scream escaped, not muted in the least by the mask as Jay was rolled onto his back again, changing the direction of his tears.
His brother's quest for air caused Will's heart to seize. He kissed his forehead, desperate to comfort him, rested his hand on Jay's head and lied to him, telling him it would be over soon.
Panting breaths turned into sobs as he tried to withstand the pain the exam was heightening. Will petted his brother's hair again, scanned his co-workers and whispered more lies in his brother's ear, hoping the 'I love you' at the end of them would undo the sin of his dishonesty.
"W...ill... ...Will..."
An uptick in Jay's already turbulent heart rhythm alerted his co-workers and the universe that the things that were already going down hill, had hit the bottom.
"No, no no no...Ethan!"
The sobbing stopped with a tapered groan as Jay went silent and passed out, head tilting to the side into Will's hand just a moment before he flat lined.
