by J. Bengtsson
“Yep. Only ‘cuz I was scared of you,” he responded in a hoarse voice.
The relief that swept through my body was immense. An entire day passed and Jake was awake and alert. Things looked great. Doctors were pleased. We were all so relieved. But twenty-two hours after the operation, tragedy struck. Keith and his dad and I were in the room when it happened. Jake was talking like everything was fine then stopped abruptly and said with fear etched across his face; “something’s wrong.” He then convulsed in pain and started gasping for air.
Kyle ran from the room screaming for help. A doctor I’d seen before but who wasn’t one of Jake’s came rushing in. Behind him two nurses pushing a cart.
“We’ve got to protect his airway before it closes. Hold his arms,” the doctor said to Scott and Kyle. I watched in horror as the doctor shoved a tube down Jake’s throat as his father and brother held down his thrashing body. Once he was intubated, the doctor, who had been calling out orders during the entire shocking ordeal, pushed Jake’s bed out of the room and ran with him down the hall. Scott, Kyle and I followed after until the doctor finally pushed Jake through some double doors. We were blocked from entering by a nurse in surgical clothes.
“That’s my son,” Scott demanded.
“He’s being taken to surgery. You can’t go in. I’m sorry.”
“THAT’S MY SON!” Scott screamed. I could clearly see the panic on his face.
“Sir, you need to keep your voice down. Go to the waiting room and I’ll have someone come out and talk to you as soon as possible.”
Scott looked ready to explode.
“Dad,” Kyle said, grabbing Scott’s arm. Scott ripped it away. “Dad, come on.”
“Your mom. You need to get your mom, Kyle,” Scott looked frantic now.
“I will. Come sit down. Your blood pressure, dad. Come and sit down. I’ll get mom. Okay?”
Scott looked at the doors and then at Kyle and then at the doors again. Then he started crying. I stood there helplessly.
“Casey, I need your help,” Kyle said to me.
I nodded. He grabbed Scott from one side and I from the other. He was almost limp in our arms as we led him to the waiting room. When we got there it was filled with people. I looked at Kyle for direction.
“Let’s take him back to Jake’s room,” Kyle grunted with effort. We continued on down the hall with Jake’s distraught dad.
“I don’t understand,” he was mumbling. “He was fine a minute ago. I don’t understand.”
Kyle looked at me with dread in his eyes. I looked back in dismay. We got to Jake’s room and sat Scott down onto a chair. A nurse appeared in the doorway.
“What happened?” Kyle asked her.
“It’s possible he threw a clot,” she replied.
“Will he need surgery?”
“Yes.”
“God,” Kyle said dropping his head. He swayed a little to the right. I grabbed his arm. Kyle stood there quietly a second then shook his head and looked up at the nurse, “My dad. He has high blood pressure and he isn’t doing good. Can someone check him?”
“I will. Let me get a cuff,” the nurse said then hurried out.
“I’m going to go outside the door and call my mom. I don’t want my dad to hear, okay?” Kyle whispered. “Can you keep an eye on him?”
“Yeah, of course. Are you okay, Kyle?” I asked.
“Yeah. I…I’m just,” tears filled his eyes. “I’m okay.”
I let go of his arm and he walked out to call his mom. The nurse came in to check Scott’s blood pressure. It was high but not dangerously so.
“I want you to rest here. Don’t get up. I’ll check you again in 20 minutes to make sure the number is coming down,” the nurse said then left.
I stepped up to Scott and rubbed his arm.
“Why?” He questioned. “I just don’t understand. Why can’t he ever just catch a break? Hasn’t he been through enough?”
I didn’t know how to respond so I stayed silent and let Scott vent. Kyle stood in the doorway. He looked worn.
“Did you talk to your mom?”
“She’s on her way.”
“She just wanted to take a shower. She was counting on me to keep him safe.”
“It’s not your fault dad. It’s better you were there and not her. She wouldn’t have been able to hold him down.”
“They just shoved the tube down his throat. Jake was gagging.”
“They had to secure his airway,” I said. “There was no other choice.”
We all waited in the room until Michelle came in with Emma. She looked at Scott in concern.
“Is he alright?” She asked Kyle.
“Yeah, I had a nurse check him out. His blood pressure was high but she checked again a few minutes ago and it was down.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m not the problem,” he mumbled. “They’ve got Jake back in surgery.”
“I know. I spoke to a doctor. He’s going to try to find out what’s happening and give us an update.”
“Okay. Yeah. I should have thought of that,” Scott said sounding a little disoriented.
“They also have a private waiting room they are going to open for us. Emma can you get dad a candy bar from the vending machine? Kyle I need you to call Keith.”
Michelle took over. Thank God. We just wandered around following her orders. She stayed calm and cool the entire time. The rest of the family followed her lead. She was definitely the glue that kept them all together. I looked at Michelle in a whole new light. I now understood how Jake had made it through those early years. Michelle would never have allowed him to give up. She was my new hero.
It wasn’t until hours later that we learned what had happened to Jake. Despite all the precautions the doctors had taken with Jake as well as the anticoagulant medication he was on, he still developed a pulmonary embolism…a clot from the knee that traveled up his body and entered his heart, causing his heart to arrest and blocking the flow of oxygen to his lungs. Jake was rushed into surgery to remove the clot and afterwards was placed in a medically induced coma and attached to a life support machine. It was unknown whether Jake had suffered any drain damage from the lack of oxygen. We would have to wait until he was removed from the coma and the machines to see what damage had been done.
Within hours of the pulmonary embolism, rumors began circulating that Jake was brain dead and that he was about to be taken off life support. Media descended on the hospital and the streets outside filled up with thousands of crying fans. Police were brought in to control the crowds. After his public statement, Jake’s incredible story of survival filled the airways once again but this time his courage and perseverance was revered, not questioned, and his struggles touched the hearts of millions.
Things spiraled so completely out of control as Jake lay sedated and on the ventilator that the hospital administration begged his parents to consent to a news conference. At first they were adamant about protecting Jake’s privacy but when the worried crowd outside began to unintentionally block ambulances and disrupt the normal functioning of the hospital, Jake’s parents consented to allow Jake’s doctor to give a press conference.
They did a good job easing the fears of the crowds but Jake’s condition was anything but stable. Three days after being placed in the coma, Jake was weaned from the drugs. We all gathered as Jake was removed from the machines. We were warned that if his heart did not start beating on his own that he might need defibrillation and that if he didn’t breath on his own, he might need more time on the ventilators.
I few tense minutes followed when it looked like Jake’s heart might not start beating on its own. The doctors prepared the paddles. Then suddenly the lines on the monitor started moving. Jake heart was beating and he was breathing on his own. The relief was overwhelming. All that was left now was for Jake to wake up. He didn’t. Doctors performed a variety of tests on him. An EEG was given to measure his brain activity and it appeared that he had normal function yet st
ill he didn’t wake up making doctors fear his brain was damaged more than they had originally suspected. It appeared that he had slipped into a coma. Nothing they tried, or we tried, could wake him up. This was not what Jake predicted. Hovering between life and death. This was no way for a man like Jake to live.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jake
I was awake but everything was dark. I tried to open my eyes but they remained shut. I felt nothing. No pain. I didn’t know where I was. I faded in and out for what seemed like forever until I started hearing voices…Casey, my mom, my dad, Kyle…they were all calling to me. I could hear their stress and fear. I struggled to wake up. Why couldn’t I wake up? Was I dead?
I could feel Casey touch my face. I could taste her tears on my lips. What was happening? ‘Wake up’ she kept telling me. ‘You promised. Wake up.’ I was trying. I really was, but I was stuck. Not alive. Not dead.
Chapter Thirty
Casey
Four days after he’d been removed from the ventilators, I sat in the private waiting room with Kyle waiting for word on another test that was being performed on Jake. Kyle and I had become close since this all began. There was an unspoken understanding between us. Both our lives revolved around Jake. Neither of us really knew what to do without him. I saw Kyle’s head dip and he buried his eyes in his hands. He’d barely slept in days. I got up and walked over to him.
“Can I get you anything?” I asked.
He shook his head and didn’t look up.
“He’s going to wake up,” I said.
Kyle nodded then glanced at me. His eyes were red.
“It’s his fault,” Kyle whispered.
“Whose fault?” I asked, upset that he would blame Jake for this.
“Ray. If it weren’t for him Jake wouldn’t be in a fucking coma,” he emoted angrily.
“Oh,” I said, not knowing how to respond. We sat silently for another minute.
“I was there. Did you know that?”
“Where?”
“With Jake when it happened.”
I sat down. “I…I guess I knew that. I mean I remember hearing in the news years ago something about his brother witnessing the kidnapping.”
“Ray came up to us with a gun in his hand. He had a mask on. He forced us to lie down on our stomachs. He threatened to kill us if we didn’t do what he demanded. If I did something wrong he would kill Jake. If Jake did something wrong he would kill me. I can’t tell you how terrifying it was. It messed me up Casey. I still have nightmares about that day. And I only spent 5 minutes with him.”
I rested my hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”
“I mean can you even imagine what it must have been like for Jake? I used to obsess about it…try to imagine that it was me who was taken and not Jake. The things he had to do to survive…I wouldn’t have lasted a day in there.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Oh I know that. I’m a follower, Casey. I’ve never desired to lead. I’ve always had Jake for that. He was always the coolest kid and the bravest kid, and the most talented kid. I was none of that and you’d think I’d resent him but I didn’t. I was just happy to bask in his greatness. Hell, I’m still doing that!”
“Who can blame you? He’s pretty great,” I smiled.
Kyle glanced at me. He smiled weakly. “You aren’t kidding! Jake fought a serial killer for 36 days and lived. I mean what kind of mental toughness does it take to do something like that?” Kyle said shaking his head in awe. “No. I wouldn’t have lasted a day.”
“You never know how strong you are until you’re put to the test.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Kyle agreed, looking worn. “Sometimes…,”
Kyle stopped himself.
“What?”
“Sometimes I wonder if this is just all ‘Final Destination’ stuff. What if Jake cheated death all those years ago? What if everything since that day has been leading up to this?”
“I don’t believe in superstitions?” I said firmly. “Jake survived because he was stronger than Ray. It was his fate to survive, not the other way around. He will wake up, Kyle.”
“When? I just want him to be okay,” Kyle said, his voice breaking. “I just want him to give me that look.”
“What look?”
“The annoyed one. It’s how I get him to acknowledge me. I just annoy the hell out of him until he’s forced to pay attention,” Kyle smiled.
I laughed. Then a thought occurred to me. “That’s not a bad idea, actually.”
“What?”
“Annoying him. Maybe it will wake him up,” I brightened.
“Are you serious?” Kyle asked, looking at me skeptically.
“Is it going to hurt?”
“I guess not.”
“Let’s go then. Let’s annoy the shit out of him until he’s forced to pay attention!”
Kyle and I went into Jake’s room and sent Emma and Scott away, telling them to get some food. We then proceeded to do all the things that normally irritated the hell out of Jake. Kyle was telling stupid jokes and giving him wet willy’s and poking him. I was singing right in his ear. At one point, while Kyle was playing typewriter on Jake’s chest, Michelle walked in.
“What are you doing?” She asked, looking horrified.
“Annoying him,” Kyle responded with a grin.
“You’re doing what?”
“We are doing things to annoy him,” I backed Kyle up. “He hates all these things. We figure at some point he’s going to wake up and punch Kyle in the face.”
Michelle looked on in shock. “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Kyle and I peered at her, uncertain if we should continue.
“Well, go on,” she said as a smile spread across her face. “Don’t let me stop you.”
So we spent the rest of the day being the most annoying people on the planet. Michelle even got in on the action questioning Jake about sex and tickling his toes. Jake didn’t wake up but it was a stress reliever for all of us.
As the days passed with no change in Jake’s condition, sadness consumed me. I’d never been much for prayer but I prayed now. Grief overwhelmed me. My mom showed up at the hospital at some point. I didn’t even know she was coming. I spent my days at his bedside talking to him, pleading with him, threatening him. All he had to do was wake up but he didn’t. He just didn’t. Wake up, Jake!
Epilogue
Casey
I looked out over the crowd where my family was gathered. The cap on my head kept slipping down and the oversized gown dwarfed me. I’d waited a long time for this day to come. Everybody I loved was in the stands supporting me, well, almost everyone. My thoughts turned to Jake. I wished he could be here with me on a day like this. I shook my head. No, I would not let his absence bring me down today.
I plastered a smile on my face and, when my name was called, I proudly walked across the stage to accept my diploma. Afterward, I made my way through the crowds until I found the people I was looking for. I was smothered in hugs and congratulations. Not only was my family there to support me but so was Jake’s. What we had all gone through together…they had become as close to me as my blood family. Michelle came up and enveloped me in a warm hug.
“Congratulation, sweetie,” she said then kissed my cheek. “I’m so proud of you. Honors and everything.”
“Thanks Michelle,” I exhaled loudly.
“Hey, none of that,” she instructed. “This is your day. Don’t let anything ruin it.”
“I won’t. I just wish he was here with us,” I replied.
“I know,” she nodded. “He should be here, but there is nothing we can do about it so just enjoy this moment.”
“I am,” I smiled. God how I loved this woman!
Kyle came up and wrapped me in a gigantic bear hug. He had a big smile on his face as he lifted me off the ground and shook me.
“Stop it, you dork!” I laughed and smacked him.
“Yeah, get your h
ands off my girl!”
I looked out over the crowd for the source of that voice I knew so well. My eyes focused on a man with glasses and a full, shaggy beard. I didn’t even recognize him at first but then he smiled that adorable lop-sided grin of his and I ran over to him and flung myself into his arms.
“Casey!” my mom admonished. “His knee. Careful!”
I ignored her. Jake’s knee was fine. She just liked to baby him because she adored him so much.
“Have you been here the whole time?” I asked.
“Uh-huh, but I had to sit with Lassen in the nosebleed seats. Man, those things suck. I have a whole new appreciation for my fans,” he grinned.
“Who did this for you?” I pulled on his beard.
“A makeup artist I hired. She did so good I didn’t even recognize myself.”
“Well if you looked like this why didn’t you sit with everyone else?”
“Because…imagine Duck Dynasty sitting down in the middle of our families. It would have been totally obvious that it was me in disguise. But with my man Lassen here, no one would suspect a thing.”
“Hey, are you calling me a redneck?” Lassen huffed, but there was an amused look on his face.
“I’m just saying you and I are way more compatible now that I look like I just walked out of the backwoods,” Jake teased.
“Did the university know you were coming in disguise?”
“Nope,” Jake said and put a finger to his lips. “They’re probably still wondering why I didn’t show up in the designated viewing room.”
I smiled up at my wonderfully hairy boyfriend. Even looking like a mountain man, he was still the most beautiful man I’d ever known. Jake had kept his promise. He came back to me. It happened suddenly. Gracie was the only one with him at the time. She’d been talking about the kittens and had taken her phone out to show him a picture when, all of the sudden, after spending two weeks in a coma, Jake just opened his eyes.
What followed was not some miraculous recovery. It took time. Although Jake could remember everything and seemed to have normal cognitive abilities, his motor skills needed work. Because he’d been lying unresponsive for so long, his body was slow to respond and his knee needed the movement it had been lacking while he was in the coma. A team of physical therapists worked with him around the clock. Jake took his first tentative steps on his new knee three days after waking up. Within a week, he was walking short distances. He was released from the hospital after that and went home to his parent’s house. His physical therapy continued uninterrupted. Jake wanted to recover more than anyone. It frustrated him to not be able to do things that he was used to being able to do.