Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 20:54:09 -0600
From: Danni Bailey <dannibailey@hotmail.com>
Subject: Decisions - Chapter 26

Disclaimer - If you are under 18 read no further.  If you think this story
has any truth to it you havent read the other disclaimers.

Chapter 26

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation.  Wade opened the door
to see Chris and Danni and he could tell by their expressions that
something was wrong.  Looking closer, he could see that Danni had been
crying.

Chris' voice waivered as he spoke.  "Is Justin still here?"

Wade opened the door wider and ushered both Chris and Danni inside.
Whatever was bothering them did not need to be discussed in the hall.

Justin took one look at Chris and he felt his heart pounding in his chest.
"What's wrong, Chris?"

Danni began to sob and rushed into Justin's arms as Chris tried to speak.

"Justin, we just got a call from the police.  There's been an accident."

Justin ran his hand along Danni's back, in an effort to comfort her while
at the same time trying to comprehend what Chris had just said.

"They said we can meet them at the hospital," Chris continued. "They are
taking him to St. Luke's.

"Chris, be honest with me," Justin pleaded.  "How bad is it?"

"They don't have the whole story, Justin.  Just bits and pieces. Evidently,
some guy ran a red light and hit them, hard enough to flip the car. Lonnie
is already on his way to the hospital.  They said his injuries were
minor. Gary's still in car.  They're working now to get him out."

The visualization was more that Justin could take and he could feel his
knees buckle beneath him.

Chris grabbed his young friend and held him tightly.  He could feel the
dampness of Justin's tears on his neck, and Chris himself could feel the
tears welling up in his eyes.  Justin was like his kid brother and to see
him this upset, bothered Chris deeply.

"I have a car" Wade interjected.  "I'll have them pull it around front and
we can leave right now if you want to."

Justin took a deep breath trying to regain his composure.  "Yeah, I want
leave now.  I want to be there when the ambulance gets there."  He looked
anxiously at Chris. "What about Mark?"

Chris nodded knowing exactly what Justin was thinking.  "He's been paged.
He'll meet us at the hospital."

While the hospital was only a short distance away, and Wade did his best to
negotiate the Manhattan traffic, the trip to the hospital was painfully
long for Justin.  A million thought ran though his mind.  'How bad was
Gary, hurt?'  'Would he be conscience when he got there?'  'Would they even
let him see Gary?'  He had no answers only the agony of waiting and
wondering.

A New York City emergency room is never quiet and today was not exception.
A city of this size had more that it's fair share of emergencies.  Some
critical and some minor, but none the less, enough of them to keep a full
time staff running non stop.

Justin was out of breath when he reached the nurses station.  "I want to
check on a patient, please.  He was just brought in.  His name is Gary
Martin."

The nurse never looked up.  "If you'll have a seat in the waiting area sir,
I'll check on that patient in a minute for you.

"No, you don't understand," Justin said emphatically, "I need you to check
on him now!"

"No, YOU don't understand.  I'll check on him when I have some time.  Right
now I don't.  You'll need to take a seat.

Justin was furious.  "Listen, I don't give a shit......." Mark grabbed his
arm before he could finish.

"Justin, calm down.  Yelling at the staff is not gonna help matters.  Gary
isn't here yet."

"What do you mean he isn't fucking here yet?"  He looked at his watch.  "We
got the call almost half and hour ago.  What the fuck is the problem?"

"He's on his way now.  We just got the call from the paramedics on the
scene.  They had to cut him out of the car and it took longer than they
thought it would."

He looked at Justin and found himself wanting to lie instead of telling him
what the paramedics had relayed to him.  He had become extremely close to
all of the guys over the past few months, but there was that quality about
Justin that had endeared him to the boy even more than the others.

"Justin, his condition is critical."

The words exploded inside Justin's head.  'This can't be happening.  I was
with Gary a just few hours ago in the hotel room.  Everything was fine.  He
told me he loved me.'

Tears were streaming down his face.  "Mark, don't let him die.  Please
don't let him die."

"Justin, don't think like that.  He's gonna pull through."

Mark knew the ambulance would be arriving any second and wanted to spare
Justin any more torment.

"Listen, you guys have a seat in the waiting room and as soon as I know
anything I'll fill you in."

It was too late.  As Mark spoke, the paramedics rushed though the emergency
room doors.  Apparently, the situation had taken a further turn for the
worse.  While two paramedics maneuvered the stretcher quickly towards one
of the vacant emergency rooms, two others worked feverishly to find a
pulse.  It was a nightmare Justin didn't need to see.

Mark turned to Chris and Wade, "Get him out of here NOW!"

He rushed to join them in the emergency room and could hear Justin
screaming as Chris and Wade pulled him toward the waiting room.  His heart
broke knowing what Justin must have been going through.

It was nearly 20 minutes before Mark returned to the waiting room.  By this
time, JC, Lance, Joey and Johnny had all arrived and were doing there best
to console Justin.  Fortunately, he had calmed down some by this point and
sat on the waiting room sofa with his head lung low.  Mark was grateful
that he had a chance to catch Johnny's eye and motioned for him to join him
in the hall without Justin noticing.

"How bad is it?" Johnny asked cautiously.

"It's bad.  They're gonna take him down to surgery in a few minutes.  I'm
gonna let Justin see him before he goes."  Mark found himself choking back
tears.  "This could be it Johnny.  I'm not sure he's gonna make it through
the surgery.  He lost a lot a blood and really isn't stable enough for the
surgery, but we don't have a choice.  If we don't relieve some of the
pressure surrounding his brain, he won't make it for sure."

"Is there anything we can do?" Johnny asked sincerely.

"Well, he needs blood.  I was gonna see if any of the guys match his type.
He's B negative and he is gonna need more than we have on hand.  Other than
that, I would suggest a lot of prayers."

Johnny shook his head in agreement and the two men walked slowly into the
waiting room.

Justin immediately was on his feet.  "How is he Mark?  Can I see him now?"

"Yes, you can see him, but only briefly.  They are getting an operating
room ready for him now.

Mark inhaled deeply.  "Justin, if there is anything you need to say to
Gary, you need to do it now.  He's not conscious, but I'm a firm believer
that having a loved one close by helps.  Somehow they know you are there."

Justin's red eyes filled with tears again.  "What are you saying Mark?"

Mark took Justin in his arms and held him close as he stroked his soft
curls.

"What I'm saying Justin, is that you may not have another chance."

Justin sank slowly back onto the sofa.  He was starting to feel more numb
than anything else.  Unconsciously, he twisted the ring on his finger that
you had given him that night several months ago atop the Empire State
Building.  It has started out as a nervous habit, but now whenever he was
having a bad day, the ring reminded him of all the good that was in his
life.  He slowly slipped the ring off of his finger and read the
inscription.  It touched him every time he read it, but somehow today it
gave him strength.  You had been there for him, always.  Now it was his
turn.

He rose and reached for Danni's hand.  "I'm ready to see him, but I want
Danni there too.  She was Gary's before I was ever in the picture.  I want
her with me."

"Thank you," she said in an almost inaudible voice.  "I love him too."

"I know" Justin concurred understanding the depth of her love.

He held her hand tightly as they walked down the hall towards the emergency
room as he tried to mentally prepare himself for the next few minutes. Mark
had warned both of them of your condition, but seeing it first hand was
still a shock and Justin could hear Danni's quiet gasp as they entered the
room.

As if the site of your lifeless body was not distressing enough, the sounds
of the heart monitor and ventilator only added the intensity of the moment.

Danni ran her fingers though your hair as she always did while Justin
gently massaged her shoulders hoping his touch would give her the strength
she needed.

"Hey sweetheart," she whispered.  "Since daddy's not around to walk me down
the aisle I was kinda hoping that you would take care of that for me.
You've always been my big brother and I can't think of anyone else that I
would rather have with me when I marry Chris.

A slight smile came over her face as she continued.

"You know you better hurry up and get well.  I have a hard enough time
keeping Chris under control.  I don't think I can handle the two of them
alone for long."

She turned and buried her head in Justin's chest, sobbing.  He held her
close as he sat on the edge of the bed and took your hand in his.

"Gary, I guess that island vacation we were planning is gonna have to be
put on hold for a while, but you're worth the wait.  I'll be here, for
however long it takes.  You're more than my lover, you're my best friend
and my lifeline.  Without you, I'm nothing.  I love you, and not a day goes
by that I don't thank God for bringing you into my life.

His voice was cracking, but he continued.  "You know every time I sing it
on tour I think of you, but I'm gonna say it one more time.  God must have
spent a little more time on you."  He leaned down and gently kissed your
lips and as he did Mark entered saying the operating room was ready.

"I'll let you guys know something as soon as I can.  I'm guessing we'll be
in surgery for about 3 hours.  If its gonna be longer than that, I have
someone notify you."

Justin nodded, still clutching Danni when he noticed your hand.

"Where's his ring?" Justin demanded.

"We have to take all the jewelry off before surgery, Justin." Mark
explained.  "I'm sure it's at the nurses station.

"I want it on him!  I don't want him to go to surgery without it!"

"Justin, I'm sorry but that is just not possible."

Overhearing the conversation, a young nurse tapped Mark on the shoulder.
"Excuse me Dr. Waters, I don't mean to interrupt, but we have this request
all the time.  If it's ok, we'll just tape the ring down towards the end of
his finger.  That way it's still on, but if there is any swelling, the ring
isn't a problem."

Justin said nothing, but his eyes were pleading.

"Will that work for you, Justin?" Mark asked.

"It's perfect, as long as he has it on."

The nurse quickly retrieved the ring and once it was taped on your finger
Justin and Danni made their way back to the waiting room to join the others
for what they both knew would be an agonizing next few hours.

Walking down the eerie corridor, Justin heard a voice calling his name.  He
turned to see a young police officer hurrying toward him.

"Excuse me, your Justin Timberlake, right?  I mean I guess I should
recognize you, but to be honest, I'm not really into pop music."

Justin smiled slightly.  "Yeah, I'm him.  And don't worry about not
recognizing me, in fact it's kind of a welcomed change.  What can I do for
you?"

"I need to talk to you for a minute.  It's about your friend Gary."

He glanced over at Danni, not knowing if he should continue while she was
present.  Justin picked up on his nervousness immediately.

"This is Danni.  She and Gary are very close.  In fact, they grew up
together."

He extended his hand to Danni.  "Nice to meet you ma'am."  He then turned
his attention back to Justin.

"I was the first person on the scene, and Gary was conscience when I got
there.  I just tried to keep him calm until the paramedics arrived.  To be
honest I think he was calmer than I was.  I've only been on the force a
couple of weeks.  Anyway, we talked for a few minutes and he wanted me to
give you a message."

He looked at Danni and swallowed hard, still not entirely comfortable with
the situation.

"He said to tell you that he loved you and that he would never give up."

Unconsciously, Justin twisted the ring the ring on his finger.  "I really
appreciate you finding me and telling me," Justin said softly.  "You have
no idea how much that means right now."

"Well, I promised him I'd find you.  I had every intention of keeping that
promise."

The young officer extended his hand to Justin saying, "Best of luck.  I'm
sure Gary is gonna be fine.  He seemed like a pretty determined guy."

Justin bypassed the handshake and gave him a hug instead.  "Thanks, for
being there with him.  You may not think you did much, but I'm sure just
having someone to talk to helped a lot.  And you're right, Gary is very
determined.  He'll never quit."

Danni and Justin finished their walk to the waiting room in silence, both
deep in their own thoughts.  As if on cue, they both stopped suddenly when
they saw Chris in the waiting room.  Wade's head was resting in his lap and
Chris was gently rubbing his back.

Chris never gave them a chance to speak.

"Yeah, yeah, I know exactly what you're thinking.  Never in a million years
did you expect to see this.  Well, trust me, I didn't expect it either, but
the kid got to me."

Justin and Danni were totally confused as they often were.  Chris had a
remarkable knack for talking in circles, assuming everyone could read his
mind.  Danni had become quite proficient at if over the years, but the
events of today had not allowed her the ability to interpret this
particular conversation.

"Honey, what are you talking about? You've even lost me this time," she
pointed out.

Chris grinned slightly understanding their confusion.

"Guess, which one of us ended up being B negative?" he said staring at
Wade.  "Since Gary really needed the blood, Mark asked Wade permission to
take a bit more than they normally do. He said it wouldn't hurt him, but he
would be tired and weak afterwards. He drank the Sprite that Mark gave him
and was falling asleep in the chair.  I figured he'd be more comfortable on
the sofa, so I told him to come over and sit with me.

Throwing his hand up in mock disgust he continued. "Well, here is the
result.  I didn't expect him to fall asleep in my lap, but he did, and now
he's kinda growing on me.  Once you get rid of that smart mouth of his,
he's really not too bad."

"Aahhh, that was sweet of him," Danni whispered as she kissed Chris on the
cheek.

"Shit, here we go," Chris said.  "I can tell by her voice.  The mother bear
has just added another cub to the den.  I swear you get attached to any
stray that comes along.

"Oh quit Chris," she scolded.  "Exactly, where would you be if I hadn't
picked up a certain stray?"

"Yeah, but I was cute and cuddly."

Justin smiled at their banter.  The distraction was welcome change.

TBC Comments to dannibailey@hotmail.com