Chapter Twenty-Three

Jess - "Gram are you here?"

Gram - "Yeah I'm in the back sweetheart." She comes out of the kitchen drying her hands on a towel. "Thanks for coming over."

Jess - "Not a problem. I still have some shopping to do to so maybe we can both finish up today."

Gram - "Okay let me just go upstairs and get my coat." She goes up the stairs and pauses at the top.

Jess - "Gram are you okay?" She starts tapping on her chest lightly like she can't breathe. Then she turns around looks at Jessica and falls down the stairs. Jess runs to the bottom to try to catch her but doesn't make it in time. "Grandma Shirley? Oh my God." She had hit her head and is now bleeding. "Come on Gram open your eyes." She tries to wake her but can't. Jess goes to the phone and calls 911.

911 - "911, what's your emergency?"

Jess - "My grandma fell down the stairs she's bleeding and I can't get her to wake up."

911 - "Outside or inside?"

Jess - "Inside."

911 - "Okay miss we have your address and have dispatched an ambulance what you need to do is try to get something to stop the blood. Find a large towel and wrap carefully around her head. Try not to move her too much, if she wakes up make her lay still."

Jess - "Okay." She hangs up and does what the operator told her to. She then calls her mom. As usual all control a child might have over a situation is gone the moment they have to talk to their mom about it.

Goldie - "Season's Greetings."

Jess - "Mom." She starts crying.

Goldie - "Honey what's wrong?"

Jess - "Gram fell down the stairs and I can't get her to wake up."

Goldie - "Oh god. Did you call the hospital?"

Jess - "I call 911 and ambulance is coming. She's bleeding so much and I can't get her to wake up." She can hear the sirens in the distance. "I think I hear the ambulance now."

Goldie - "Okay you tell them to take her to St. Jude's. They'll have some records on her there. I'll call her doctor and your dad. Just stay calm honey your grandma is going to be fine."

Jess - "Okay."

The paramedics come in and they get her on their little gurney thing and are asking Jess questions the whole time. She's not much help, she just doesn't know anything about her grandmother's medical history. On the way to the hospital she codes once and they have to use those paddles on her. Jess can't stop crying. All she can think about is that her grandma might die right here, right now. They are able to bring her back and once they get to the hospital they take her in to a room and Jess has to wait in the lounge. Some nurse brings her a cup of coffee that she doesn't drink, she can only stare at the bottom of. Finally Goldie and Kurt get there. Goldie comes over and gives her daughter a huge hug.

Goldie - "Oh sweetie are you okay?"

Jess - "I'm fine Gram's the one that's in there."

Kurt - "Have they told you anything yet?"

Jess - "No. I have just been sitting here."

Kurt - "I'll fine out what's going on." He walks away to find some one in charge. Goldie just sits there with Jess. Kurt comes back not even five minutes later with a doctor. "Honey this is Dr. Browning. He needs to ask you a few questions."

Dr. B - "Hi Jessica now did your grandmother complain of anything before she fell."

Jess - "No, she said she was going to go upstairs and get her coat. We were supposed to go Christmas shopping. She got to the top of the steps and then put her hand on her chest and fell. I tried to catch her but I didn't get there in time. What's wrong with her?"

Dr. B - "We think she might have had a stroke. We won't know for sure until we run some more tests right now she's in a coma." Goldie puts her hand to her mouth trying not to start crying. "We're getting ready to move her up to ICU. There are some papers I need you to fill out."

Goldie clears her throat, "Sure." She leaves with the doctor.

Jess - "Dad go see about mom. I'm okay for now."

Kurt - "Are you sure honey."

Jess - "Yeah. Go on mom needs you."

Kurt - "Okay why don't you go get a snack or something?"

He gets up and follows Goldie over to the counter. Jess walks to the phone with every intention of calling Loren but she ended up dialing Brian's Cell. He answers in a slightly groggy voice.

Brian - "Hello?"

Jess - "Did I wake you?"

Brian - "Yeah I guess I fell asleep watching Nick play games. It's okay what's up?"

Jess - "Um, I'm at the hospital." She starts crying again.

Brian - "The hospital! What happened?" AJ is hovering Brian shoos him away. "Calm down baby, just tell me what happened."

Jess "I have no idea. I went to pick my grandma up to go do a little Christmas shopping. She went upstairs to get her coat then she fell. Now we're at the hospital and they think she had a stroke. She's in a coma. Brian I can't lose my Grandma. I need her too much." How he understood her through all her tears is unknown but he did he listens to every word and heard what she didn't say.

Brian - "Do you need me there?"

Jess - "Yes. I need you."

Brian - "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Jess - "Are you sure?"

Brian - "Yeah, I'll get off the bus at the next stop. I'll be there by tonight. What hospital?"

Jess - "St. Jude's. Thank you Brian."

Brian - "Just hang on until I get there." he hangs up and goes and talks to AJ. "Hey man. How much money you got?"

AJ - "Um, let me see 257."

Brian - "Can I borrow it, I've got to go see Jessica."

AJ - "Sure what's up is she okay?" Brian explains. "Shit, she going to be okay?"

Brian - "I don't know. Jess is not doing so good. I think she's blaming herself. But she said she needed me so I'm going to make sure she's okay."

AJ - "She wants to see you or you want to see her." Brian looks at the table. "Look man we all like her, granted not as much as you do but you two need to figure this out."

Brian - "I've got it figured out, she doesn't. She doesn't want to hurt me. You remember that story a couple years ago about Donnie Walhberg getting left at the altar."

AJ - "Yeah."

Brian - "That was her."

AJ - "Naw, no shit."

Brian - "She's scared of relationships. So I'm trying not to push her."

AJ - "But dude if you're pursuing Jessica, what are you doing with Christine?"

Brian - "I have no idea. She's really nice too, don't make that face you guys don't know her. Haven't you ever been torn between two women?" AJ makes a face. "Okay maybe I'm talking to the wrong person."

AJ - "Okay besides all that stuff, how are you getting to New York? We are in the middle of a tour."

Brian - "I'll be back in time for the show tomorrow. I just have to make sure she's okay. She was really upset, she's always been really close to her Grandma Shirley."

Next time the bus stops Brian sneaks off. When they are ready to roll out AJ says he's sleeping in his bunk. After the bus leaves Brian hitched a ride back to the nearest town. Kevin who had been on the bus with the band trying to work out a new arrangement came back on the BSB bus and went looking for Brian.

Kevin - "Hey AJ did you see Brian?"

AJ - "Ummm, yeah."

Kevin - "Where this bus is only so big and he couldn't be hiding anywhere."

AJ looks around quick to make sure that no one is listening. "He's not here."

Kevin - "Is he on one of the other buses."

AJ - "Um, no. Jess called her grandma had a stroke he went to see her."

Kevin - "He what! Which Grandma? Was it Loren's mom?"

AJ - "No her other grandma. If it would have been Loren's mom we would have told you."

Kevin - "He can't just take off we have a show to do tomorrow."

AJ - "He'll be back."

Kevin - "I better call Loren." He dials her number and she answers on the fifth ring.

Loren - "Hello."

Kevin - "Hey I heard what happened are you alright?"

Loren - "yeah I was getting ready to go to the hospital. How did you know?"

Kevin - "Jess called here and talked to Brian. If I know my cousin he'll be there in a couple hours."

Loren - "Brian's coming here?"

Kevin - "Yeah I guess. If you need me I'll come too."

Loren - "No that's okay. Not that I wouldn't love to see you because I would. I just would rather wait until it's for a happier occasion."

Kevin - "are you sure? Brian's not the only one who knows how to sneak off the tour bus."

Loren - "If you were to come here now to comfort me that would be going against the rules we had set up."

Kevin - "I've been meaning to talk to you about those rules."

Loren - "Are you having trouble following them too?"

Kevin - "Yeah. Especially the one where I'm not suppose to miss you as much as I do."

Loren - "I miss you too. I better get going. I have to drop off Tristen with Berg and then get over to see if anyone needs anything."

Kevin - "Okay if you need anything call me."

Loren - "I won't hesitate." She hangs up then and glances at his picture as she leaves. "Rules certainly do suck."