CHAPTER 2
PHIL'S POV
"NO!" I shouted as I watched my best friend, the man who knew me better than anyone, the man I love fall . I caught Dan in my arms as he fell, and I sank to the ground. He was unconcious and barely breathing. I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone, dialing 999. "Dan...please wake up. Please, I love you, just wake up." I murmered stroking his hair and trying not to panic. I held the phone with my shoulder and cradled his head in my lap. I told the 999 operator what happened, and an ambulance arrived soon after. I was trying so hard to hold it together, it wasn't until I was in the ambulance with Dan that I finally broke down. I clutched Dan's limp hand in my own until we got to A&E. Dan was rushed into surgery, and someone told me to wait in a waiting room. I'm not sure how much time passed, but a while later a doctor came up to me with a sad look on his face.
"Phil, right?" He asked. I nodded. He continued. "I'm Dr. Gregory. I just did surgery on your friend. He hit his head pretty hard, and the trauma caused some maior internal bleeding." I nodded. "He's comatose now, and we cant be sure how long it will take him to wake up. If he does wake up, he won't remember things. He may have to relearn simple tasks such as making tea, or opening a door. He may have to relearn how to speak. As we couldn't contact Daniel's parents, it will be up to you to decide if you want to keep him on life support and wait to see if he wakes up, or if you want to pull the plug." My world stopped. Why was that even a question? It there was even the smallest chance of Dan waking up-
"Of course I'll wait." I told the doctor. "I have to make some calls. But first...can I see him?"
"Of course. Right this way."
I followed Dr. Gregory down a long corner and into a room. I wasn't prepared for what I saw there. Dan, my Dan, hooked up to all those machines, surrounded by wires. He had a tube in his mouth, I assumed it went down his throat. There were wires coming off of his chest, and he had an iv in his arm. I felt a tear roll down my cheek, but I didn't bother wiping it away. I was calmed a bit by the rythmic beeping coming from a nearby machine that I knew meant his heart was still beating. A small voice in my head whispered, /How long will he look like this?/ The question caused my eyes to well up with even more tears and everything became blurry. I walked over to Dan, and sat in the chair next to his bed. I took his hand in mine, and prepared myself to stay here for a while. I took out my phone, and called PJ.
"Happy birthday, Phil!" He answered on the second ring. It was my birthday...I had forgotten. The thought sent me in to sobs.
"Phil! Phil, what's wrong?"
"D-Dan is at t-t-the hospital, P-Peej. I'm h-here with h-him." I got out in between sobs. I'm surprised PJ even understood what I said.
"What happened?" He asked frantically.
"H-he was singing, and-and being a total idiot so I just-I shoved him a little, and he tripped on something, and h-he's in a coma..." My words blended into tears.
"Chris an I will be there soon, Phil." I heard a click, and PJ was gone. I laid my head down next to Dan's chest, trying to hear his heartbeat, but I couldn't hear anything over the whirring and beeping of the machines. Again, I'm not sure exactly how much time passed, but after a while, I felt a hand on my back.
"Hey, Peej." I said, standing up. I saw Chris and PJ staring at me with worried expressions. Seeing them so concerned brought tears to my eyes. PJ pulled me into a hug, and I wrapped my arms around him. I felt Chris put his arms around me and PJ as well. We stood there, three grown men, hugging eachother as if our lives depended on it. Eventually though, we all took a step back, and I returned to my post next to Dan, holding his hand. Chris pulled up a chair and sat down next to me.
"What're you going to do?" He asked softly. I'm sure he already knew my answer, but I told him anyway.
"I'm going to wait." I whispered. "But I'm terrified. On the off chance that Dan does wake up, there is a high possibility that he will have memory loss. He might not remember any of us, or his other friends, or his career..." my voice broke, tears streaming down my face at this point. Chris and PJ were obviously lost for words, because they shared a look and PJ said, "Call us if anything happens, Phil. We better get going." They bothed hugged me one more time then left, leaving me alone with Dan and my morbid thoughts.
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Three weeks later.
(STILL IN PHIL'S POV)
He still wasn't awake. I hadn't left his side much in the past three weeks, just to run home for clothing. The nurses brought me food, and, I showered at the hospital. I couldn't believe that Dan, my Dan, who was always so full of life, had been in a coma, like a living death for three weeks. The doctor said he wasn't suffering, he didn't feel pain, he was just sleeping. He said Dan's vitals were looking good, and Dan could wake up. The chances were higher now. I knew I'd never give up. In these few weeks, Dan got a lot of visitors, PJ and Chris being the main people here, other than myself. I sighed, squeezed Dan's hand, which I rarely let go of, and settled into my chair for a nap.
