Long road ahead.

Day 12

Four Days Later

Over the past five days, we've become great friends with the entire medical staff that's been caring for Justin.

"Usher called me. He said Jazzy's been crying for Justin a lot," Scooter said. I frowned.

"I have to go back there tonight to get some more clothes for you and me, so I'll talk to her then," I said. Scooter nodded. Suddenly Justin began to cough, something he hasn't done since they put the trach in. His eyes opened slowly, and he immediately burst into tears.

"Shh, baby, it's alright, you're okay," I said, wiping his tears while Scooter went and got a nurse. The doctor and a nurse came in and quickly removed Justin's tracheostomy tube, then sewed up his windpipe and his skin. Justin was sobbing hysterically. The nurse gave him some pain medicine through his IV, and it started to kick in and he calmed down. She then pulled the pile of blankets he's buried in down to his waist. Goosebumps appeared on his skin and he started crying again.

"I know, Hon, I'm so sorry. This is gonna make you feel a whole lot better, though," the nurse said, then another nurse came in with a tray. She changed Justin's dressings, then grabbed a roll of stretchy gauze of the tray. She pushed the button and lowered Justin's bed so he was laying flat. The other nurse came and lifted him up a little, then held his tubes and his broken ribcage into place while the other nurse wrapped the gauze tightly around his torso.

"Honey, I need you to stop crying, you're stressing the fractures," the nurse said. Justin nodded and held his breath a little until he calmed down. The nurse wrapped the whole roll around him until the bandage was thick. She then took a metal plate off the tray.

"Alright, this is gonna keep your ribcage straight and together and lined up while it heals, okay?" she said. Justin nodded. She fitted two plates to his back and his chest, then wrapped more gauze around them until they were held tight. She then wrapped an Ace bandage around his torso and pinned it right on his chest.

"There you go, hon, it shouldn't hurt at all now. We're gonna fit you with a brace that you're gonna go home with that will make sure it heals in the right position," the nurse said. Justin nodded and wiped his tears. The plates were shaped to the curvature of his back, so he could lie down and sit up comfortably. He pressed the button on the side of the bed and sat up slightly, then laid back against the pillow. He had holes cut in the Ace bandage and the gauze and gaps in the plates for the tubes to fit through, even though his lungs weren't draining much anymore.

"They're maybe gonna take the tubes out tonight," I said softly, stroking his blazing cheek. He nodded, still crying a little.

"Jazzy's been crying for you," I said softly. He smiled a little bit.

"How are you feeling, baby?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Horrible," he answered quietly.

"What hurts?" I asked. He pointed to his head, his sinuses, his throat, and his entire chest. I stroked his cheek a little more.

"Your fever's 103.8," I said. He nodded.

"You're getting there," Scooter said.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You had an Immune Lapse, Sweetheart. Your Immune System shut down," I said. He nodded.

"They're gonna fix it, though, don't worry," Scooter said as Justin started to cry again.

"When can I go home?" he asked.

"Well, Sweetheart, we had to cancel the tour. You're not gonna be able to do it. But you'll hopefully be able to go back to Atlanta in a couple days. They said they're gonna airlift you since it's only from Tennessee to Georgia," I told him. He nodded.