“How ya feeling, Joe?” Lance sat the end of the bed as he watched the nurse fix the dressing on his wound. He curled his nose at the sight of it.
The cut was deep but luckily it wasn’t anything too serious. No major organs were hit and that was definitely something Joey could be happy about. With everything that’s been happening between him and JC, he was glad that nothing serious happened to him. Despite what went down the other day, he was still worried about his friend.
“Never better.” Joey grinned as the nurse finished up. He thanked her as he sat back on the bed. He and Lance watched the nurse leave before starting up conversation.
“How did Kelly take it?”
“I told her we got mugged.” Joey wiggled his eyebrows.
Lance’s eyes widened right before he covered his eyes with one of his hands. “So Kelly doesn’t know that Josh nearly killed you?”
Joey laughed. “I didn’t die, did I? Besides, I don’t want her thinking Josh is some deranged murderer.”
“How could you be laughing at I time like this?” At this point, Lance was pacing around the room, replaying the events of the other day in his head. He shuddered as he remembered trying to stop Joey from bleeding out.
“Josh needs us more than ever. He’s a pain in the ass but we can’t give up on him.”
Lance stopped to look at his friend. Joey was always the one in the group who always had a smile on his face. He was amazed at how Joey still managed to keep a good mood after being stabbed in the stomach. “I guess you’re right,” he shrugged.
“Lighten up, will ya? I saw your face, acted like you saw a ghost.” Joey laughed as he tried to calm Lance down, ignoring the glare he got.
“That’s not funny.” Lance crossed his arms.
Joey adjusted himself in the hospital bed, mistakenly making an uncomfortable turn that caused him to flinch. Lance was at his side within a second. When he realized that it wasn’t a big deal and that Joey was laughing at him again, he had to refrain himself from punching Joey in the gut.
***
JC’s home was a mess. After waking up on the floor, he remembered what he had done to Joey and he rampaged around his house. He threw glass, pillows, books, memorabilia, even his song notes. He didn’t understand what was happening to him. The pain in his side was hurting more than ever.
“Fuck,” he said to himself, “What the hell did I do?”
His brain wracked at the thought of how Joey was doing. Two days have passed since the incident and each time he grabbed his car keys to go see Joey, his feet remained planted. The guilt was eating him alive. He would never have forgiven himself if something happened to Joey as the result of what he did.
He was angry at the fact that neither Chris nor Lance had called him to let him know how Joey was doing. But at the same time, he couldn’t blame them. They were probably terrified of him, he would be too. Suddenly his thoughts focused on Justin and he wondered if Justin had heard about what happened or if he was too busy with his career to even give a rat’s ass about his friends.
JC played with his phone, flipping it open then shut. He toyed with the idea of calling Joey but nothing good in terms of a nice apology came out right. He was sorry. Joey was just being a good friend even if he was getting annoying. JC tried to remember how he got the glass in his hand the first place. After the bottle shattered, he remembered Joey coming after him and then all of a sudden, Joey was crying out in pain, blood everywhere.
The pool of blood Joey left was cleaned up. Somehow JC found the energy to clean the kitchen. Almost all of the blood was wiped up, minus the few drops that stained the carpet as Chris and Lance lugged Joey out the door.
“Chris…” he muttered after remember the look Chris gave him right before they left, “What a guy.”
Even after witnessing him stab Joey, Chris still had a sliver of hope that he would help them carry Joey out. JC smiled at the fact that at least in that moment, Chris wasn’t afraid of him like he thought he was. He probably couldn’t say the same about him now. JC wanted to call an ambulance, hell, he wanted to turn himself in but it was as if all the nerve in his body had shut off and ignored all the signals telling his legs to run over and help Joey out.
JC went back to the kitchen and searched his cabinets for something to drink, ignoring the pain in his side. Beer wasn’t good enough. He stopped for a moment to notice bruises on his arms, thinking he probably got it from his confrontation with Joey. But he didn’t remember hitting those particular spots on anything. He shook off the thought when he found what he was looking for.
“Ah, the Green Fairy.” He smiled before grabbing the bottle and opening it.
He took a long drain as he enjoyed the slightly bitter taste of the absinthe. The bottle was nearly half way finished when the pain in his side throbbed violently, causing him to flinch and nearly drop the bottle. “Damn it.”
JC made his way to the medicine cabinet in his bathroom to look for some pain killers. He downed two pills using sink water to help him swallow. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and noticed that the whites in his eyes had little hints of yellow in them. The pain wasn’t going away and JC had wished that the pain killers took their effect soon.
***
“Come in,” Joey said, responding to the knock on his hospital door.
“Hallo, I come bearing gifts.” Chris walked in with a basket of food and drinks. He stopped to look at Joey and the bandages that were wrapped around his stomach. “Geez, maybe you really are Superman.”
Joey put a finger to his lips. “Shh, no one else knows.”
The two men laughed as they high fived each other. Chris took a seat in the recliner and propped his feet up on the bed. “So how are you two? When will I get the invitation to the wedding?”
Lance raised an eyebrow at Chris. “Excuse me?”
“You looked like you were going to die before Joey even got to the hospital. I wouldn’t be surprised if you professed your hidden love for him by now.” Chris smirked.
“Har, har, Christopher. Har, har.” Lance rolled his eyes.
Joey enjoyed watching Chris make fun of Lance but he couldn’t shake the fact that no one has checked on JC in a while. He was pretty sure that he’s probably shaken up by the whole thing. If he was in JC’s position, he wouldn’t know what to do.
Chris and Lance quit exchanging banters when the nurse came back into the room. “Oh wow, you have a full house in here.” She glanced at Chris and Lance but kept her eyes on Joey. There was a light blush flushing her cheeks as Joey grinned at her. Chris gave Joey a wink and mouthed the words ‘still got it,’ causing Lance to nudge Chris’ arm telling him quietly to cut it out.
“Is there anything wrong, ma’am?” Lance asked, startling the nurse.
“Oh um, no. I’m sorry about that. I just came in to tell you that the discharge papers are completed. Mr. Fatone can go home now.” She frowned as she turned towards Joey. “I really hope you enjoyed your stay here, sir. Please get better, a wheelchair will be set outside for you.” She placed a hand on his arm and gave him a small smile before leaving.
“That’s unprofessional.” Lance made sure the door shut before passing judgment. “She wasn’t like that at all when Kelly was here, yesterday.”
“That’s because Kelly would’ve clawed her eyes out.” Chris pretended to claw out his own eyes much like he thought Kelly would’ve done to the nurse.
Chris stopped midway through clawing when Joey caught his attention. “What’s up, Joe?”
Joey got up and started changing into his regular clothes, Lance handing him a clean shirt that Kelly brought in the night before. “I need a favor.”
Chris pouted. “What kind of favor?”
Joey laughed at his friend’s reaction. “I haven’t even told you what the favor was yet and you’re already grumpy.”
“Because you never ask me to do anything unless you know for sure that the other guys would be too scared to do it.” Chris retorted.
“Ahem, I’m not scared of anything.” Lance gloated.
“Oh yeah? What about the whole ride to the hospital? ‘Oh Joey, don’t be like this. Oh Joey, please don’t leave me. Oh Joey, what am I gonna tell Kelly and the children?’” Chris put his hands on his face, imitating how Lance was when they were driving Joey to the hospital.
“You’re funny, Chris. Can you promise me to keep the same level of humor when you check on Josh for me?” Joey had a sly smile on his face as he struggled to pull his jeans up. “I’d do it myself but you know… I’d rather not get stabbed again.”
“So you’re going to send the lion some fresh meat. I see how it is.” Chris crossed his arms. “What am I supposed to do over there? What if he goes crazy, again?”
“You don’t have to tell him to stop drinking. Just let him know you have no hard feelings against him, he’s dealing with a lot.”
“What if I do have hard feelings against him? He could’ve killed you, man!”
Joey grabbed a few of his things while handing Lance the heavier items and walked over to face Chris. “Thanks, man. I knew you’d do it. Let me know how it goes.” He patted Chris on the shoulder, winking at him before he and Lance stepped out the door.
Chris watched as Lance helped Joey sit in the wheelchair that was left by the nurse just outside the door. Before wheeling Joey away, Lance looked at Chris and waved goodbye. “See you, honey. I love you.”
When the disappeared down the hallway, Chris threw his hands in the air. “Damn, why is it always me?”
***
Chris thought about all the different ice breakers he could think of on the way to JC’s home. He purposely kept his speed at 65, being in no rush to see JC. It wasn’t that he was angry at JC but he was more upset at what he was feeling about the whole situation. He knew JC had been on edge lately, but witnessing what had happened the other day really threw him for a bone. He just hoped that JC had calmed down by now.
He let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding as he pulled up next to JC’s car in the driveway. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered before stepping out of his car, taking his time to reach the doorstep.
He raised a fist and knocked on the door. No one answered after a few seconds and he thought hard about turning around and driving back to see Lance and Joey. “I’ll try one more time,” he said to himself.
After another while with no one coming to the door, he took out his phone and hit call on JC’s number. “Hey Josh, I’m outside. You home?” It went straight to voicemail.
Chris leaned back to glance around the corner to make sure that he wasn’t hallucinating when he saw JC’s car in the driveway. He checked his watch to check the time. “There’s no way you could be asleep at three in the afternoon.” Knowing how much JC loved to sleep, it was rare for him to be napping at this time.
He tried to peak through the windows to try and see if he could spot any sign of movement within the house but the blinds were closed. “Hmph, if you don’t want to see me, then fine. I have no problem with that.”
Chris jumped back into the driver’s seat of his car and searched his pockets for his keys but didn’t start the ignition once he found them. He fiddled with the keys as he sat in the car, trying to figure out the odd feeling he was having. For some reason he felt that something wasn’t right. After much time taken with arguing with himself, he got out of the car and stomped back to JC’s doorstep.
He pounded on the door as he called out, “Open up! I know you’re in there!”
Still, there was no answer. He pounded harder and harder until his wrist started to hurt. “Shit, there’s no way you could’ve slept through that.” He muttered while rubbing his wrist.
“Josh!” He yelled out one more time before kicking the door. The impact of his foot on the door caused a small object to fall from the top of the door frame.
He picked up the key and grinned. “Guess I’m breaking and entering.”
The inside of JC’s home was dark just like he remembered it being the last time he was there. Chris’ face scrunched up in disgust as he noticed some of Joey’s blood still stained the carpet. He went to the kitchen first. Cabinet doors were wide open and a few drinks were set out on counters.
“Josh?” he called out. The odd feeling he had earlier was growing quicker with each second he received no answer.
He made his way through the halls and checked each room for any sign of JC before he finally reached the master bedroom which had the door creaked open. He stepped in and took notice of the unmade bed and different articles of clothing laid out randomly throughout the room. The light coming from the bathroom caught his attention and he slowly made his way towards it.
He tapped lightly on the door. “Josh, you in there?”
After not hearing anything, he pushed the door until it was abruptly stopped by something that was blocking it. “What the hell?”
He looked down and saw JC’s foot. “Shit!” He squeezed through and frantically tried to wake JC. “Josh, holy shit, Josh! Wake up, man!”
Chris got back up with the intention of turning on the sink to splash water on JC’s face when he spotted the half drunk bottle of absinthe that was set on the sink counter. His eyes widened as he quickly dug around his pockets for his phone to call 911. The operator informed him that an ambulance would be sent as soon as possible so he continued to try to wake up JC to buy time until the ambulance arrived.
He positioned JC so that he was laying flat on the ground with Chris on the side of his head. “Damn, where’s Lance when you need him? Sorry dude, gotta kiss ya.” Chris propped up JC’s head and opened his mouth slightly as he tried to give him CPR. Chris’ heart raced faster when he saw it wasn’t working. “Damn it, why is it every time I’m here, someone has to go to the hospital?! Wake up, wake up, wake up!”
***
“Is he going to be alright?”
JC’s eyes were shut but he could hear Chris conversing with someone whose voice he didn’t recognize. It sounded like an older man. JC felt around with his finger tips, sensing wires coming from his body and falling off the edge of the bed. His head and side were throbbing, causing him to groan.
“It seems that he is waking up. Good, I can explain to the both of you what the results were.”
JC opened his to see Chris and a man who looked to be in his late 50’s. He was balding and sported a goatee. The red and yellow pinstripe shirt he was wearing underneath his lab coat irritated JC’s eyes, making him lift a hand to cover his face. The hand he used had his patient wristband. Great, a hospital. He thought.
“How’re you feeling buddy?” Chris said softly as he took a seat on the recliner next to the bed.
“Get me out of here.” JC mumbled, ignoring Chris’ question. He figured that Chris was smart enough to see that he was clearly not doing well. “What happened?”
“I’ll be the one to explain that.” The doctor cut in as Chris opened his mouth to explain, causing him to shut it again. “My name is Dr. Connelly and I came to read you your results. I was hoping you’d wake up.”
JC leaned back and closed his eyes. He knew that what he was going to hear next couldn’t be anything good. “Sure.”
“I’m afraid that your drinking habits are what brought you here, Mr. Chasez. The excessive amounts of alcohol that you’ve consumed have caused your liver to deteriorate. It is very close to not being able to filter your system correctly. Your liver is supposed to absorb and process what you consume and convert it into energy and other useful things for your body, in layman’s terms. If you want your liver to function correctly, you have to reconsider your drinking habits. It may be fatal.” The doctor explained, not pausing in between sentences.
Chris’ mouth was gaped open as he stared at the doctor while JC was busy trying to process what he was just told.
Dr. Connelly adjusted his glasses before he spoke again, “May I ask if you have been feeling anything out of the ordinary?”
JC shifted in the bed, not sure if he wanted to tell the doctor about the pain in his side with Chris there. He looked to Chris before he addressed the doctor. “You sure you want to be here for this? You’re starting to get pale.”
“Do you want me here? I can leave.” Chris stood up to make his way for the door before JC interrupted him.
“I don’t care.”
Chris swallowed hard as he awkwardly sat down, deciding that it was best if he heard what else the doctor had to say. He was sure that if he left, JC wouldn’t tell him, much more the guys, what his condition was.
The doctor cleared his throat, still waiting for JC’s answer. “Have you been feeling any pain or discomfort?”
“My left side’s been hurting.” JC placed his hand on his side to show the doctor exactly where the pain was.
“I see. How long have you been feeling this?”
Chris started playing with his thumbs. He tried his best to not rock back and forth in his seat. The anxiety was killing him. JC hasn’t been feeling right and he never knew about it. He was starting to feel guilty for judging his behaviors lately.
“A few weeks… maybe a month or two.” JC avoided eye contact with the doctor, not sure if he wanted to read his expression when he told him.
“Did you seek medical attention for this?” The doctor continued.
“Did you feel this while we were rehearsing? During the performance?” Chris was standing up now. His worry was through the roof at this point. JC only glared at him but he ignored it. “Damn it, why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you listen to Joey when he told you to cut down on that stuff?”
Dr. Connelly cleared his throat once again but Chris held his ground, not wanting to sit anymore. “The pain that you’re feeling is due to your swollen spleen, another effect of your alcoholic behaviors. That only justifies our findings. By choosing to ignore your pain for that long, you’ve put yourself at an increased risk for related disease. That yellowing in your eyes, that’s a sign of early jaundice. Yet another consequence of your actions.”
Chris groaned as he buried his face in his hands, not sure how much more of this he could take. The way he was reacting made it seem like he was the one who had been diagnosed with this stuff. He mentally kicked himself for not being more concerned about JC before.
JC didn’t speak. More so because he didn’t know what to say but a part of him also regretted not taking care of himself the way he should’ve been. He hated himself for being so careless. Now here he was, sitting in a hospital bed and finding out that his liver was basically crap. “What do I have to do to fix this?” He asked the doctor.
“First things, first: you have to quit drinking. The hospital has various sources you can turn to if you need help with quitting. There are different seminars and support groups that are offered that can also educate and instruct you on how to do so. Another thing is to eat a balanced diet. This will help your body get used to taking in the proper nutrients it needs. Keep yourself hydrated and rest as much as you can. Exercising comes as soon as your body feels less fatigued. We don’t want you to overwork yourself. Lastly, take your medication at the proper times indicated. All this information will be written out along with the discharge papers we give you.”
Chris listened intently, determined to do whatever he could to help JC’s recovery process. Dr. Connelly turned to Chris and gave him a soft smile, “I trust that you will help your friend through this.”
“You got it, doc.” Chris nodded.
JC rolled his eyes and thanked the doctor before he left the room. He chose not look at Chris, ashamed of how he’d not taken care of himself as well as the huge burden he’s put on his friends.
“What’s happening to you, dude?” Chris asked.
“You can leave now. Thanks for taking me to the hospital.” JC wasn’t prepared to have this talk just yet. Joey was also on his mind but he knew this time wouldn’t have been a good moment to ask about him.
“Are you seriously kicking me out? I’m not leaving you, man. You heard what I told the doc, I’m helping you with this.” Chris covered his eyes with his hand, in disbelief that JC would still push him away after hearing about his condition. “You’re unbelievable sometimes.”
JC struggled to get up. If he was going to ignore Chris, he was going to do it on his way to the bathroom. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out too well for him since he could barely stand up and Chris was immediately at his side before he could stumble over. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Let me help you, your highness.” Chris helped JC to the bathroom and waited for him to shut the door before pulling out his phone.
“Howdy, Christopher.” Lance nearly dropped his phone as he tried to hold it in between his ear and shoulder while he was carrying Joey’s bags into the house. They had just parked in Joey’s driveway when Chris called since they had to stop and get Joey some food.
Joey motioned for Lance to drop his stuff on the ground, more concerned with what Chris had to say. The whole trip home, he was thinking of what Chris and JC had been up to. He limped closer to Lance when he raised his voice, trying to make sure that he didn’t put any strain on his stomach.
“He’s what?!” Lance’s voice was like a megaphone when it came back to Chris’ phone, making him hold the phone a little bit away from his ear.
“Just get over here before I kick Josh’s ass.” Chris said before ending the call just before JC came back out of the bathroom.
Joey looked at Lance, confused. “What is it?”
“You ready to head back to the hospital?” Lance shrugged as he helped Joey back into the car.
These past few days have been a real ball buster for everyone and Lance had hoped that after they saw JC in the hospital, things would start to turn around.
