Zeke sat in the waiting room picking his nails nervously. He'd taken Gavin Black Friday shopping and they'd even bought a Christmas tree. They'd had plans to put it up Monday night when he got home from work. It would be fully decorated before Gavin had to go back to the clinic for another series of chemo. They both agreed it would bring some cheer to them during these next three weeks. Zeke had never had a Christmas tree in his adult life so he was just as excited.
They'd gone to bed a little after midnight. Gavin had all but passed out as soon as his head had hit the pillow. Zeke had taken a little extra time to fall asleep, but when he did, he was out. He'd woken up several hours later to go to the bathroom. Gavin's side of the bed had been empty. He thought the younger man had been in the bathroom so he'd waited.
When Gavin didn't come out, he knocked on the door and went in when there was no answer. The bathroom was empty but the light was on. Confused, he used the facilities then came out to go find his wayward lover. Find him he did. Gavin was passed out on the floor beside the bed. There was blood pooling around his head.
Zeke had called for an ambulance and had stabilized the young man's head until the emergency services arrived. They'd put a C collar on him and had lifted him onto the gurney before they'd taken him down the stairs. Zeke had put clothes on and grabbed his wallet and phone as well as Gavin's. He'd called Anderson Reed on his way to the hospital.
They made him wait. He filled out paperwork as they did what they had to do. Anderson breezed in. He was the secondary on-call doctor. Even though he worked at the clinic across town, he helped at the hospital. Since Gavin was his patient, Zeke hadn't any qualms calling him.
The doctor didn't pause to talk to him, and Zeke held no grudges. He wasn't the focus of this visit. That lay with the man being tended in a now closed room.
Zeke leaned his head against the wall. He knew he needed to call Gavin's friends, but he didn't have any answers for them. They didn't need to come to the hospital for nothing. If he had just fallen and busted his head, he could deal with that. He would wait for them to patch him up then take him home. He'd call the other afterwards.
He tried to keep his mind from going bonkers. Every possible scenario ran through his head. His first inclination was to think the worst. That's why he had called the ambulance. He hadn't wanted to move Gavin for fear of a head injury. Not only would his friends kill him, but Anderson would force him to watch hours upon hours of emergency training again. Then give him a quiz.
Anderson came from behind the curtain. He tugged his gloves off, tossed them in the trash, and walked Zeke's way. The older man stood and watched him. He didn't want to get his hopes up, especially not with the look on Anderson's face.
"You found him after you went to the bathroom?" he asked.
Zeke nodded. "He wasn't in bed when I got up, so I thought he was in the bathroom since the light was on. I knocked and got no reply so I went to pee. I found him when I came out."
"The blood is caked on his head. He'd been there a while." Zeke stared at his friend as he spoke, heart dropping with each word. "He needs a transfusion, but I'm more afraid of what will happen after that."
"What's going on?"
"He's on the list for a bone marrow transplant. From what I can tell - and I'll ask Angela to confirm it - it looks like the chemo helped. If they can get a donor, it would help him tremendously. But I have to stop the head bleeding first. Do you know his blood type?"
"O negative."
"Shit! We literally just transfused our last bag to the patient in the next room. I'm going to have to call the county to see if they have any."
The more Anderson spoke, the more Zeke wanted to go into the room. He knew the doctor was doing his best, but things had just gotten a lot worse. Gavin had bled enough he needed a transfusion, but they didn't have the blood he needed. Now Anderson was telling him it would be a good time for a bone marrow transplant as well.
"Didn't Dr. Wright say they were going to do three more rounds of chemo before they looked to do the transplant?" he asked.
"I think so. It's why I said I'll have to ask. I'm a general surgeon. I don't have extensive knowledge of hematology or oncology. I just know what I see. I'll call Dr. Wright first thing in the morning and give you an answer tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" He frowned at his closest friend. "You're not discharging him?"
Anderson shook his head. "He's lost too much blood to discharge him right now. With his diagnosis, he could easily bleed to death if we don't stop it. He is anemic and that's just as dangerous. Right now, I sedated him. I'll make the call to county and the blood bank. Do you know anyone who has the same blood type?"
"No, but I haven't called his friends yet. I wanted to know he was stable before I unleashed that hell on you."
His friend nodded. "Okay. I'll go make some calls and send a message to Angela. She'll call me back when she gets it. He's in room three if you want to go in. They'll move him to a room shortly."
Zeke shook his friend's hand and went to the designated room. Gavin was asleep, oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. There was a white bandage on the left side of his head. It was stained red directly in the center. His bald head had been cleaned and covered in a beanie. They'd somehow gotten a hospital gown on him and he was wearing thick socks.
Zeke realized how pale Gavin really was. Under the green mask, his lips were blue as were his eyelids. Anemia had set in due to the blood loss, and the pretty pink flush of his skin had turned purplish blue. He fumbled with the cooling blanket, pulling it up around his shoulders to keep his body warm.
Satisfied he was covered sufficiently, he picked up Gavin's phone and unlocked it. He found Emily's phone number and pushed her name. He stuck it to his ear and listened to it ring several times before it finally connected.
"Hello?" He pulled the phone away from his ear at the husky voice on the other end. It was definitely Davis. "Gavin, it's four in the morning. What's wrong?"
"Davis, this is Zeke," the older man said.
He heard shuffling on the other end. Davis spoke in hushed tones, and Zeke heard a female voice sleepily speak. There was more movement in the background, and he heard Davis doing something. It sounded like he was on the other side of the room now.
"Zeke? What's wrong?" Emily asked. Her voice was full of concern.
"Gavin fell and busted his head open. He's in the hospital. Do you know anyone who is O negative? He needs a blood transfusion, but they're out of O negative."
"Jetson is O negative I think. Davis, call Jetson and Katie. See what blood type they are. We'll be there shortly."
"Wait a minute. He's in the ER right now. They'll be moving him to a room soon. Don't do anything hasty right now. I'll let you know what room he's in. But if you can find someone who's O negative and send them up here I'd be appreciative."
"We'll do what we can. Let me know when you know something. If we don't hear from you by nine, we're coming up there."
Zeke didn't argue with them. He didn't have the energy. Emily cut the call, and he looked around the room. Except the dull his of the oxygen and the periodical beeping of the monitor, it was quiet.
Sighing, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He knew it would be futile, but he had to try. Other than him and Gavin's friends, he needed his family. He swore he'd never call them again, but this was more serious than the medical diagnosis. He needed more information to make the best decision for the young man in the bed.
He dialed the number he had all but memorized. They were an hour behind so it was three am in New Orleans. He didn't care.
"Hello?" the sleepy voice answered.
"Olivia, it's Zeke. Don't you dare hang up," he ordered.
~~~~~~~
Gavin's eyes fluttered. Zeke watched him intently, wondering if the sedation had worn off. They had been moved to a room on the third floor. He wasn't out of the woods, but his color had come back.
Anderson had found a couple of bags of O negative blood and had rushed it to Gavin. It had taken a couple of hours, but the pink flush had returned to his cheeks and neck. Jetson and Katie both were O negative blood type so they'd come in to donate. Emily and Davis had been tested to see if they were a compatible match to be a bone marrow donor for Gavin. They were waiting on the results.
Emily had brought Zeke something to eat when they'd shown up after nine. Gavin had still been asleep, and the second bag had been slowly emptying as it flowed into his veins. When Anderson had come to do a follow-up, he'd thanked them for donating bloodm but asked them politely to leave. He didn't want Gavin overwhelmed despite being sedated. They had understood and told Zeke to call them when he was awake or if something changed.
Martin and Sampson arrived to bring him some files and paperwork he needed to have ready by Monday. Sampson had brought a thicker blanket and draped it over Gavin before he'd left. He'd whispered to the young man and stroked his head gently. They asked if he needed anything before discreetly walking out.
Gavin groaned and his feet moved. Zeke looked up from his work to see him shuffling. His eyes fluttered open, looking at the ceiling before turning to look at his side. The crinkled at the edges as he smiled slightly. Zeke closed his laptop and set it aside. He scooted his chair closer and reached for his hand.
"Where am I?" Gavin asked.
"You fell and busted your head open. You're in the hospital," Zeke answered. Gavin pulled the oxygen mask from his face, but Zeke put it back. "Keep it on until Anderson comes to check on you. He may put a nasal cannula on you instead."
Gavin didn't argue. He turned his head and rested it on the back of Zeke's hand. "How long have I been here?"
"Almost fifteen hours. The ambulance brought you here at about four-thirty this morning. You've had about a liter of blood transfused." He ran his hand over his cloth-clad head. "Are you warm enough?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. I need to pee though."
Zeke got up and rounded the bed. He dropped the guard rail and held Gavin's hand as he swiveled around to get up. He steadied him then helped him to the bathroom. Gavin needed help holding his gown up, but Zeke didn't mind. He held him up as long as he stood. Gavin dried himself then washed his hands. Zeke took the stand pole and maneuvered it out the door as Gavin followed him.
Gavin got back in the bed and lay back down. Zeke raised the head of the bed so he could sit up more then covered him again. He shuttered once then settled under the heavy blankets. He blinked sleepily and pulled the edges of the blanket around his shoulders. He was half asleep when the door opened.
Expecting Anderson, the young man turned his head to the door. It took a minute for him to realize who had come in. He looked at Zeke whose face had completely turned to stone as he stared at the person.
"Mom," he whispered.