"Why are we here doctor? And why aren't we allowed to see Nick?" Brian asked he, Howie, and Kevin, settled down at Doctor Monroe's office. All three of them had been progressing well and were let off the IV needle.

"Calm down Bri, you're gonna get that head swollen again." Howie joked.

"You've got something to say Doc?" Kevin asked again.

"Yes. Gentlemen, I've heard from your doctors that you've been bugging them about your friends AJ and Nick. And I believe you've not been told about your condition too, is that right?" Dr. Monroe asked from behind his desk. He looked to be around his fifties and very wise. Kevin thought that he had been very patient considering their somewhat hostile behavior towards him.

"We don't need to know about how we're doing because we felt it. We feel fine. We need to know about AJ and Nick." Brian said sarcastically. He knew he was being mean but he was getting fed up from being kept in the dark.

"Do you, Mr. Littrell? Did you really know what happened to you when you were brought in five days ago unconscious?" Dr. Monroe asked, as if challenging Brian.

"Bri, I think it's better if we let Dr. Monroe have the chance to speak his mind. He is the doctor you know." Kevin said. Brian nodded as he massaged his temple.

"How's your headache Brian?" Dr. Monroe asked.

"It's killing me." Brian muttered.

"Well, it almost did."

Brian had a shocked look on his face. Howie and Kevin were staring at him, as if expecting an explanation.

"You mean... almost died?" Brian whispered.

"You had multiple head injuries Brian. Your head was practically swollen when the blood in your open wound was frozen. It blocked the only way for blood to escape. The swelling had practically nowhere to go. This cause raised intracranial pressure-"

"Intra what?" Howie cut in.

"Intracranial pressure. You see, the blow that he received caused a rupture in a blood vessel. Look, I don't want to go through all the scientific procedures because it will only confuse and bore you, what I'm trying to say is, if you were brought in any minute later, you might have suffered brain damage. You're lucky Brian because that didn't happen."

"Then why did I almost die?" Brian asked.

"You had a seizure seconds after you were brought in. We weren't exactly clear about your condition and obviously, we didn't know that you used to have a heart condition."

"That's right, I used to, not anymore." Brian said.

"That's true, but that day in the O.R. your heart couldn't take it. We took care of the swelling but your heart just gradually dropped."

"Did I stop breathing?" Brian asked.

"Yes. But your heart, fortunately, never stopped beating. It just slowed down and we managed to take care of that"

Brian sank deeper into his chair. He never knew how close he had been to death and it frightened him. He was on the brink of death and he didn't even know it. Didn't even see it coming.

"So you see now Brian that even though you're walking around right now, that your health is still not a hundred percent?" Brian nodded.

"Your headache will stay with you for a few more weeks to come. And you may not notice it now, but your vision might get affected and it comes without warning, that's why we don't need you walking around unattended. Do you understand?" Brian nodded again.

"You will have to take medication to help you with the pain. Don't worry, so far as I can tell, you will not suffer any side effects from the injuries. In fact, in my professional opinion, you're one strong man to survive something like this."

"Thank you Doctor, for saving my life." Brian whispered. He forced the tears in, not wanting his brothers to see him cry.

"Brian, I wasn’t the one in the O.R. when they took care of you. Your doctor did. I believe it was Doctor Hemmingway. I am just here to study all of your cases. You'll be under his care for as long as you're in this hospital so I'm sure you have plenty of time to thank him."

"Yes, I will." Brian said.

"Okay then, let's go to you Mr. Dorough."

"Me?" Howie squirmed.

"Yes, you."

"I didn't stop breathing right?" Howie asked.

"No, fortunately, you didn't. But you lost a lot of blood from the gunshot. If you remember, the paramedics put you on oxygen on the way to the hospital right?"

"Yes. It was funny though, I didn't get shot in the chest or anything. I was breathing fine." Howie recalled.

"Ah, but that's where you were wrong. Blood carries oxygen. Loss of blood means lesser oxygen was transported to other parts of your body. If it hadn't been for the oxygen mask, you wouldn't have survived." Dr. Monroe revealed.

"Oh my God." Howie whispered as he too, began to sink deeper into his chair.

"Yes. We also had you on blood transfusions since you lost a lot of it. The paramedics said that you were blacking out on the way here. It shows that you were indeed not getting enough oxygen. But if it's any help, you were never in any life threatening situation. Thanks to the quick thinking minds of the paramedics."

"I never knew all that. We just slept all the way through it." Howie mumbled.

"Mr. Richardson, would you like to hear yours?"

"After what I've just heard? No, I don't." Kevin replied.

"But you need to, right?" Dr. Monroe asked. Kevin nodded.

"Kevin, they said you've been running around after the rescue just to make sure that Nick received all the attention and help he could get. There was a blizzard and you didn't get into the ambulance to warm yourselves like Brian and Howie did. Is this right?"

"Yeah...just wanted to make sure that Nick was all right." Kevin replied.

"I understand. I bet you didn't know that your body was just too weak to handle anything else when you tried to get out of bed on the first day you were admitted here right?"

"That was silly of me." Kevin smiled.

"Your burnt arm was infected and it spread to the rest of your body. You were getting sick but you didn't know it. Even the paramedics couldn't detect that when they first attended to you. That's why you were unconscious for three days. Your body was tired."

"How about us? We slept for three days too, thinking it had only been a day." Brian asked.

"Because your bodies were tired too. We injected heavy sedatives just to help you sleep. Especially you Kevin. You may not remember it but you had problems sleeping."

"I did?" Kevin asked. "I thought I slept like a baby all the way."

"There's a lot you tend to forget after what you've been through. It's normal." Dr. Monroe explained.

"Is that what’s happening to AJ too?" Brian asked. "Is his body tired too?"

"Yes. It's going to take longer for him because of the high fever he has. It's difficult to control it since it was developed from the infected wound on his shoulder. His infection was worse than Kevin's so he needs more time to recover."

"He's breathing is kinda heavy, is that normal?" Brian asked.

"Yes. AJ also suffered from the first stage of Hypothermia. That made it a lot worse. In his case, he was burning up from the fever and at the same time, the cold was eating on him. Everything inside is just unbalanced. But you don't have to worry. AJ is a fighter. His doctor said he's been doing well. He will wake up very soon." Dr. Moroe smiled.

"What about Nick? Is he okay? When can we see him?" Kevin asked.

"Ah, Nick. He is the worst of the lot." Dr. Moroe shook his head. "He broke three ribs and suffered internal bleeding. But that's taken care of. They suspected a collapsed lung but fortunately, that turned out not to be true. But he did however suffer from the second stage of Hypothermia. He lost feeling to his arms and his whole body was about to shut down. We also found out that he had the flu prior to the crash and that caused the pneumonia."

"Oh my God. How did he even survive three days out there?" Brian cried.

"He didn't even complain much of his pain...we should have known." Kevin sobbed.

"We had him on the respirator to help him breath." Dr. Monroe added.

“The poor kid.” Howie sighed. "A very strong kid, Howie. He is full of determination that as of this morning, we have removed the respirator. He is breathing independently." Dr. Monroe smiled.

"He is? Is he gonna be okay? Can we see him?" Brian exclaimed.

"He is still very, very weak Brian. So far, we've only let his family in for visits. His condition is still unstable; he could just go back to the first stage without warning. That's why we didn't tell you about his condition. We're afraid you might be too weak to accept it."

"So, we cannot see him now?" Howie asked.

"Not now. I'm sorry."