Since the arrangements had already been set in motion, and there was no more sense in Joey’s pretending to be “fine,” the five made the solemn trip to the designated hospital—which, indeed, took a little less than thirty minutes to get there—and Joey soon found himself in his own little suite with his own sickbay apparel.
Aside from the unfriendly-looking machinery, this place could have easily passed off for a fancy hotel. The walls and floor of Joey’s room were made of dark, pristine wood. Beautiful paintings in ornate frames graced the walls. The furniture scattered about the room appeared thick, cozy, and tasteful. A small flat-screen TV faced the bed, and a massive window that ran almost the entire length of the wall provided an excellent view. There was even a series of little circular lights on the ceiling, kept at a level that was gentle on the eyes while saving the room from complete darkness.
Justin whistled through his teeth as he took in the milieu. “Not bad,” he remarked. “Not bad at all. Definitely a far cry from what I’d been expecting.”
“This is very nice,” JC said with an approving nod. “If this place wasn’t a hospital, I’d love to stick around for a while myself.”
Joey, who had already settled into the bed, said nothing. He rested in a semi-sitting position, surveying his hands in his lap, and the little band on his wrist that marked him as a “patient.” Despite his exhaustion, he doubted he’d be getting much sleep tonight. He still reeled from Dr. Richardson’s analysis, and he didn’t know whether to thank his friends for getting him into this, or to throttle them.
At length, Chris joined Joey’s side. Joey couldn’t help thinking about how quiet Chris had been all day. All the guys had been subdued, of course, but Chris’s silence especially stood out, given his reputation as the most active and most talkative member. Sitting cautiously on the edge of the crisp mattress, Chris regarded Joey with a strange expression; it was almost as if he were caught between wanting to hug Joey and wanting to maintain a safe distance. When the older man spoke, he asked softly, “Can we get you anything, Joe? Is there anything special you want?”
Joey replied flatly, “I just want to get this stupid business over with. I want to get out of here and get back to my life, in the least amount of time possible.”
Hearing this, JC made a beeline to the bed and gave Joey’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “You’ll be fine, man. They’ll run a couple of tests, figure out what’s up with you and how to fix it, and you’ll be home-free before you know it.”
Somehow, Joey sensed JC was saying that to convince himself as much as anyone else. “This isn’t how I’d planned my weekend to go,” Joey said, his head sagging to his chest.
“We could very well say the same, man,” said Lance softly as he sidled up next to JC. “But don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay, and we’ve got your back all the way.”
If this was meant to make Joey feel better, it didn’t work.
Another long, heavy silence followed. Then JC said, with his eyes on his digital watch, “I think at least one of us should stay here for the night, guys. No sense in all of us jamming up the place, but no sense in leaving Joey alone, either. What do you think?”
Justin shrugged, while Chris only said, “I suppose so.”
“Come on, guys,” Joey protested, “I’m not a little kid. I think I can live through one night in the hospital by myself.”
“That may be the case,” JC told him. “But even so, you shouldn’t have to go through something like this by yourself—and giving you a little company is the least we can do for you. The absolute least.” He turned back to the others. “So, who’ll volunteer the first watch?”
“I’ll do it,” said Lance quickly, raising his hand somewhat.
Neither Chris nor Justin raised any objection, so JC nodded and said, “All right, Lance. We’ll start with you and take turns throughout the week.”
Joey opened his mouth, as if to say something, but changed his mind.
Inwardly, he was glad that Lance would be with him. While he was a grown man and he could have survived that first night alone, that didn’t mean he relished the thought of actually being alone.
After promising to come back the next day, just as soon as they could (since there was a great deal to postpone or call off if Joey was going to stick around this place), JC, Chris, and Justin took turns embracing Joey. Each of them held on much longer and tighter than Joey would have expected, and their breathing sounded a little shaky. In fact, Joey would have sworn he caught a glint of moisture in all three men’s eyes as they turned toward the door. When he looked at Lance, Lance was already facing a different direction, one hand lifted to his face.
Joey imagined if they were in a movie, this would be one of those scenes where dismal music played in the background, and some of the viewers would be tearing up a bit.
