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Post by barbt on May 2, 2014 23:12:17 GMT -5
Neil and George arrived in the wee hours of the morning, Neil having waited at Belfast Airport to pick George up. They were directed to the ICU waiting room, where they found Keith asleep with his head on his sketch pad. Ordinarily that would have been the perfect fodder for a Twitter prank, but the thought barely crossed their minds. They were even gentle about waking him up. "Awwww," Keith gave a huge yawn (how do you type the sound a yawn makes, anyway???), then embraced both men at once. "Glad you're here. It's been kind of lonely out here. What time is it, anyway?" "Half three. How's Ryan?" Neil asked urgently. "Have you been able to see him yet?" George chimed in. "Raymond came out around 2 hours ago and I went down with him to get some tea for him and Colette," Keith said. "He said Ryan was holding his own, other than the bruise on his head spreading so he's got a black eye now. We're not allowed in yet, but the doctor said if he stays stable overnight, he'll let us in in the morning. I hope he does. It's awful sitting here and not knowing what's going on until somebody comes out to talk to you." "I can imagine," Neil said with a grimace. "So close, but we can't get to him..." "Raymond told him that Emmet and I were here, and that you were on the way," Keith said, "but he's got no way to know if Ryan can hear him or understand him at all. The only thing he's responding to is stuff that hurts; then he'll make a face or tense up." He saw the disturbed looks on their faces and hurriedly said, "They're not doing stuff to hurt him on purpose to see if he reacts, I didn't mean that. Just, if they have to draw blood, or if they jostle him a bit when they're moving him around or something, he's reacting to it, and they say that's a good sign, because the information is getting to his brain." "Rotten thing to have to be thankful for," Neil muttered. George put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "How are Mr. and Mrs. Kelly doing?" George asked. "Hanging in there," Keith said. "I hope they're sleeping. Emmet's at the hotel with them, Sharon got us two adjoining rooms. He'll come back with them in the morning, and then I'll go sleep - after they let us in to see Ryan. I'm not leaving until I see him." The three of them sat there, chatting occasionally, sometimes dozing off for a few minutes, until around 5:00 in the morning, when the dawn light was starting to come through the windows. Tim, Ryan's night nurse, came in to the waiting room to talk to Keith. "Oh, I see the other two got here," he said. He introduced himself, and found out who was who. Then he said, "Colette asked me to come out and see if you would get some tea and maybe something for breakfast for her and Raymond. Raymond's asleep at the moment, and she doesn't want to leave him there alone." "Sure," Keith said. "How's Ryan? Any change?" "None," Tim said, "but right now no news is relatively good news, really. I know it's hard to hear that, but it really is best for him if he stays at a good stable coma level for a while." George said, "Can we bring anything up for the staff? You lot have been up all night as well, can we do something for you?" "That's not necessary," Tim said, but George said, "Yes, it is. You're taking care of our brother for us, the least we can do is try to help you out if we can." Tim laughed. "Fiona told us you were like brothers, I can see it's true. It's been a quiet night, and while that's good for our patients, it makes it hard for us to stay alert sometimes. I really can't ask you to do this, it's not professional, but some coffee or tea and muffins or something would be grand. Nothing big." "For how many?" Neil asked. "There are 6 of us on duty right now," Tim said. "Done," George said. "We'll be back shortly." By the time they'd collected all the items and come back up, it was fully light outside. They'd gotten something for themselves as well and were eating in the waiting area when the Kellys and Emmet came in. Hugs were exchanged again, and then Mr. and Mrs. Kelly went in to Ryan's room and sent Raymond and Colette out. They were both exhausted, and it was agreed that Emmet would drive them back to the hotel in Raymond's car, with Neil following to bring him back to the hospital. By the time Emmet and Neil got back, the doctors were doing morning rounds, and the boys waited impatiently to see if they would be allowed in to see Ryan. Finally Dr. Reilly came to the waiting room, accompanied by Mr. Kelly. "Good morning, gentlemen," he said, introducing himself to Neil and George. "I'm happy to say that Ryan's come through the night with only some minor changes, nothing too terribly concerning at the moment. We've agreed that the four of you will be treated as brothers and allowed to be in Ryan's room with him, although we're still limiting the number of people in the room at any one time to two." "Thank you," George said. "Would it be all right if we all went in just for a minute to see him and let him know we're here? At least a couple of us are going to need to go and sleep then anyway, but I'm afraid we won't rest very well until we've seen him." "I'd already asked," said Mr. Kelly with a smile. "Dr. Reilly said we'd wait to see what you wanted to do, but I told him you'd want to go together. Mrs. Kelly is in there now and she'll stay in there with whoever else decides to stay for a bit. We can sort out who'll be where and when later." Dr. Reilly gave them a quick run-down of what to expect, much as the chaplain had given the Kellys when they first arrived, and then led them to the door to Ryan's room. The four men looked in, then looked at each other and, without a word needing to be said, clasped their four hands together in the middle of their circle as they did before a show, and went in.
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Post by HburgEagle44 on May 2, 2014 23:48:03 GMT -5
This story is so raw. Love the emotions and all~
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Post by celticbear on May 3, 2014 19:41:03 GMT -5
What George and Neil did for the staff is spot on! So happy that they all go to see Ryan! Also happy that Neil did not pull the twitter prank! Now the icing on the cake would be for Paul and Damian to show up!
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Post by barbt on May 4, 2014 17:53:29 GMT -5
What George and Neil did for the staff is spot on! So happy that they all go to see Ryan! Also happy that Neil did not pull the twitter prank! Now the icing on the cake would be for Paul and Damian to show up! CB, I know Damian was there in real life - did Paul make it as well? I don't think I ever heard.
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Post by barbt on May 9, 2014 22:19:46 GMT -5
It was heartbreaking to see Ryan lying there so still, his face badly bruised and all the tubes and wires attached to him. Mrs. Kelly was holding his left hand, and they vaguely noticed that Ryan's right hand was in an odd position, his elbow bent, hand palm up, but with the wrist bent and the hand in a loose fist. Mrs. Kelly got up to give Neil and George hugs, and when they looked back at Ryan, they saw his left hand had moved into the same position as his right. "Why are his hands like that?" Keith wondered, not realizing he'd spoken aloud. Mrs. Kelly looked at Ryan sadly. "It's because of the brain injury, they tell us. Somehow the pressure in his brain is telling some muscles to pull tighter than others, and it moves his hands into that position. His toes are pointing down, too, like he's standing on his tiptoes. It's a little more obvious than it was when we left last night, and a little harder to pull his hands out of it. Dr. Reilly said that therapists will be up today to make splints for his hands and feet to keep them stretched out - apparently they could get stuck like this if they don't." Neil shook his head. "I hope it doesn't hurt him," he said. "But getting his hands and feet stuck like that and not being able to move them when he wakes up would be worse, I guess." The boys were realizing that this injury was more than just Ryan being unconscious; it was affecting his whole body. "We're not going to be able to stay long," George said. "Emmet, you've had the most sleep, and I got some before I got on the plane. Why don't you stay in here for now, and I'll stay in the waiting room; then Neil and Keith can go back to the hotel and get some sleep, and take over later." They all agreed that this sounded like a good plan. Then George suggested they pray for Ryan. Joining hands, Keith holding one of Ryan's hands and Mrs. Kelly the other, George said a brief prayer. Somehow the "Amen" at the end turned into a sung chord. Mrs. Kelly was watching Ryan's face, and she was sure she saw his face shift slightly, and felt his hand relax just a bit as the familiar harmony surrounded them. "I think he heard you," she whispered, tears slowly running down her face. "He seemed to relax just a bit when you were singing." This prompted sad smiles from the boys, all hoping she was right and not seeing what she wanted to see. Nadine, Ryan's day nurse, came in then. "That chord was beautiful," she said. "Everyone in the ICU just stopped and listened to it. Unfortunately I have to ask most of you to go out now." With the exception of Emmet, the boys filed out, George going back to the waiting room to stay with Mr. Kelly, while Neil and Keith headed to the hotel. On the way back to the hotel, Neil said, "Do you really think he heard us? I hope so, but it seems so unlikely from what they've told us before." His voice sounded very depressed, almost hopeless. "I don't know," Keith said slowly. "I didn't feel anything change, but Mrs. Kelly's been holding his hand longer, she'd be more likely to notice a change. To me his hand just felt stiff, I had to pull a little to get his fingers open." _____________________________________________________________________________________
While Emmet was sitting with Mrs. Kelly, two physical therapists came in holding a box of what looked like supplies for making casts. They introduced themselves, and explained that they were going to make the splints for Ryan's feet. "It looks like you're putting casts on him," Mrs. Kelly said, puzzled. "We are, but then we'll take them right off, cover the rough edges, and put straps on them, so they can be taken on and off easily. By doing them this way, we know they will fit him exactly and not cause pressure sores. We'll just need one of the nurse's aides to help hold his leg up, this is a multi-hand process to get everything in the right position." "Can I help?" Emmet asked. "That way you won't have to tie up one of the aides." "Certainly, if you'd like. Just be careful not to let the casting material touch your clothes, it'll stick and the fiberglass will never come out. You'll need gloves to make sure it doesn't get on your skin, either." The two therapists showed Emmet how to support Ryan's leg, with his knee bent. Then one therapist held his foot in position, as if it were flat on the floor. Over a piece of fabric tubing, they wrapped layers of cotton padding, then several layers of fiberglass. Once the fiberglass had dried hard, they used a special saw to cut the cast off, then repeated the process with Ryan's other leg. Once that one was off, one therapist left. The other began pulling the fabric liner in each cast piece tight and taping it down overlapping the edges of the cast, making a smooth edge, then added velcro straps and marked each set for right and left leg. In about an hour, they had made two custom fitted splints. Placing them on Ryan's feet, the therapist smiled and said, "Thanks, that was a huge help. You did a great job. These will be on for two hours and off for two hours throughout the day and night. The nurses will let us know if he gets any red areas from them, then we might have to add more padding or redo them, but I think we got good molds. We'll be coming up every day to stretch his muscles, too." Emmet said gratefully, "I'm glad I could help, it feels like I can do something for Ryan. That was fascinating, watching you do that." The therapist smiled and left. Nadine was in regularly to check on Ryan's machines and to shift his position, sometimes on his back, or partially on one side or the other, using pillows to prop him in position and to keep his elbows and knees in the positions they wanted. Since he couldn't move himself, they needed to keep changing his position so he didn't always have pressure on the same areas of his body, which would cause bedsores. Around lunchtime, George and Mr. Kelly switched places with them, and Emmet took Mrs. Kelly down to eat lunch. They were there when two occupational therapists came in to make hand splints. Rather than the casting material, they used a special plastic which they could soften in a hot water bath and mold around Ryan's arms and hands. George was able to help this time by supporting Ryan's arms. These splints too would be used two hours on and two hours off, alternating with the foot splints, and these therapists, too, would be coming every day to keep Ryan's muscles stretched out.
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Post by HburgEagle44 on May 9, 2014 22:29:46 GMT -5
The singing <3 ahh. Beautiful moment.
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Post by barbt on May 10, 2014 15:25:21 GMT -5
Over the next few days a schedule was established - two of the boys were at the hospital at all times, cycling through the waiting area and Ryan's room. Emmet continued to take the morning shifts in Ryan's room, with George following him. Neil took the evening shifts, and Keith the overnights. Whoever was next to go into to Ryan's room was in the waiting area for the shift before. Updates were given to Sharon at the end of each shift, although there was little to say. The staff grew fond of the boys very quickly - they helped wherever they could, with moving Ryan, opening doors for someone with full hands, bringing things back from the cafeteria, and even helping other families when needed. The staff never needed to worry about the Kellys, and if another family was not getting support, a quick word to the boys would make sure that that family got food and support as well. Even Dr. Reilly had to admit that there was not a spoiled or temperamental bone in any of the boys' bodies and was heard to say on one occasion that the unit was functioning very smoothly indeed with them there. The boys were accepted as Ryan's brothers and even included in medical updates. The boys found it good to have something to do, as all they could do for Ryan was watch his muscles grow gradually tighter each day. They all felt very helpless to do anything for him, and so they concentrated on anyone else they could help as well. Two days after the boys had been let in, George and Raymond were in Ryan's room and Neil in the waiting area when one of Ryan's alarms sounded, harsh and urgent. They'd grown used to the gentler sounds indicating that a feeding bag or IV bag was empty. George and Raymond backed against the wall as Nadine hurried in. She silenced the alarm, reading the blinking number on the monitor with dismay. She turned hurriedly to them. "I'm going to need to ask you to leave the room, we need to do some urgent assessment. The pressure in Ryan's brain has suddenly jumped too high. I'll come out to update you as soon as I can." Raymond and George stumbled into the waiting room, almost in shock. As bad as the days of minimal change had been, they suddenly realized they'd take them back in a heartbeat. The rest of the Kellys and Neil surrounded them. "What's wrong?" Mr. Kelly asked urgently. "The alarm on Ryan's brain pressure monitor went off," Raymond said. "It's been increasing slowly, but Nadine said it suddenly increased, and they need to do some assessments, and she'd let us know what was happening as soon as she could." Texts were immediately sent to Keith and Emmet, and to Sharon as well, and the boys and the Kellys huddled together, praying as they waited for news. Keith and Emmet arrived as soon as possible. After an hour and a half of agonized waiting, Nadine called them all into the conference room, where Dr. Reilly was waiting for them. "We need to take Ryan in for immediate surgery," he said gravely. "He's already being prepped. As you know, the blood clot in his brain has been growing slowly larger and increasing the pressure in his skull. The emergency scan we just did shows a new area of fresh blood - the pressure has broken another blood vessel that was probably weakened by the initial injury. We need to go in, suction out the old blood clot, and find the new bleeder and get it stopped, or his chances of recovery are virtually nil. In another several hours, the increase in pressure will most likely kill him. I'm sorry, I wish I had better news for you." "Will you actually need to go into his brain?" Mrs. Kelly asked fearfully. "Probably not," Dr. Reilly assured her. "We'll need to open his skull on the right side, and peel back the membranes that cover his brain, but it appears that the broken blood vessels are all on the surface of his brain - all the blood that we can see is between his brain and his skull, rather than deeper in his brain." "How risky is this?" Mr. Kelly asked. "There's always the risk that his heart could stop during the surgery, but we're prepared for that in the operating room. The risks are far higher if we don't operate." There was no option, everyone knew that. Mr. Kelly gave the permission for the surgery, signing the necessary papers, and they all returned to the waiting room, staring at each other or the floor in fear and despair. An update was sent to Sharon, who hurried to join them as fast as she could. Knowing it would be several hours before they heard anything, everyone took turns going down to the cafeteria and forcing themselves to eat something. Someone was always in the waiting room; they weren't about to risk no one being there when news was brought. Nadine brought them periodic updates, but it was little help to know that each stage of the process was happening, although it was good to hear that Ryan's heart was strong and was maintaining a good rhythm. Finally, Nadine brought them word that the surgery was complete, blood clot removed, and several bleeding vessels had been fixed, and that the pressure in Ryan's skull had decreased to a safer level. He was in the recovery room and would be brought back up to his room shortly - but no visitors at all would be allowed until morning, as they needed to monitor his reaction to the surgery. Sighs of relief were heard, and then Sharon sent all the boys back to the hotel to rest, saying that she would stay with the Kellys through the night. It didn't quite work that way; Keith was unable to sleep for more than a few hours, and came back to the hospital around midnight, Emmet arriving a few hours later for the same reason.
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Post by HburgEagle44 on May 10, 2014 19:52:04 GMT -5
You do such a great job at really bringing out the personalities of each lad... And the hospital staff, too. Loved this update.
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Post by barbt on May 10, 2014 21:18:23 GMT -5
You do such a great job at really bringing out the personalities of each lad... And the hospital staff, too. Loved this update. Tim and Nadine, the night and day nurses, are based on two of the nurses who worked in the brain injury unit of the rehab hospital I worked in. Amazing nurses and people. Dr. Reilly and Fiona are straight out of my imagination, though.
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Post by celticbear on May 10, 2014 22:27:43 GMT -5
Both updates where intense but great! Glad the lads made them selfs useful to other families and the staff! Also happy that Sharon arrived! And Keith returning after not being able to sleep, is spot on!
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Post by barbt on May 11, 2014 21:32:21 GMT -5
Tim had brought them periodic updates throughout the night, and Ryan had done well enough that the usual visiting schedule was resumed in the morning. It seemed as though little had changed except for the fact that half of Ryan's head had been shaved and was covered in bandages. Things continued smoothly until the evening hours. Neil had been in Ryan's room with Mrs. Kelly, and Keith in the waiting room with the rest of the family. Fiona had been in with the usual periodic updates until around 10 pm, when she suddenly stopped coming out. At first, everyone assumed that things had simply gotten busy; this had happened before, and she'd eventually come out. But now it was midnight, time for Keith and Raymond to take over in the room, and no one was coming out. Keith, getting restless again, walked into the ICU to see if Neil and Mrs. Kelly were ready to leave and was startled to find Neil standing outside Ryan's door, his head buried in his hands. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, wrapping an arm around Neil, and was surprised to find the older man shaking. Tightening his grip, he pulled him close. "Come on, Neil, talk to me. What's going on?" Neil looked up at him, and Keith could see the intense stress in his eyes. "I had to get out," he said. "Just for a minute. I've been freaking out, and not letting Mrs. Kelly see it, for the last hour." "Why?" "Ryan's alarms have been going off every few minutes for the last hour and a half," Neil explained shakily. "Either it's the ventilator alarm, because it seems like he's trying to fight the ventilator and breathe on his own rhythm, or he tenses up and his heart rate goes sky high. They've tried everything - pain medicine, changing his position, taking his splints off. They even shut down the ventilator for a few minutes to see if he could breathe on his own. He did, but not enough to keep his oxygen levels up, so they had to put it back on again. They said if it doesn't stop they're going to have to give him more medicine to deliberately paralyze his breathing muscles so he stops fighting." "I'm surprised they haven't made you leave," Keith said. "I know," Neil said heavily. "Nobody's said, it, but honestly, I think they're afraid he's going to die and they want someone here with him." "Don't say that," Keith burst out. "He's not! They'd at least have called the rest of the family in if they thought that was the case!" "I guess so," Neil said tiredly. "I just know that neither one of us can take any more, but I can't get Mrs. Kelly to leave." "OK," said Keith. "It's time to switch anyway. Let me get Mr. Kelly in here, and then Raymond and I will take over." He went back out to the waiting room and spoke to the rest of the family, explaining what was going on. Mr. Kelly went in and convinced his wife to leave, and then Keith and Raymond went in to let Neil go. "It looks like we're in for a rough night", Raymond said. They could see that Ryan's color wasn't good and he was sweating even though the room wasn't hot. Tim, who had just come on, came in to check on Ryan just then. "Hi, guys," he said. "It's not been an easy time the last hour or so. I wish we could figure out what the problem is and fix it, for right now we're just trying to ease things as much as we can. If either of you has a brain wave about something that might help, don't be afraid to suggest it. It certainly can't hurt." Ryan suddenly tensed and grimaced, his heart rate monitor alarming as his pulse skyrocketed. Tim hurried over, removing splints and shifting Ryan's position until he relaxed and his heart rate went down again. "That's been happening about every 10 minutes," Tim said. "That, or the ventilator alarm goes off. I don't suppose I need to tell you that this kind of stress isn't good for him. Sending people out of the room doesn't change anything, so we didn't see the need to exclude visitors, but if it gets to be too much for you, let us know, OK?" Raymond and Keith nodded. Keith understood now why Neil had been in such bad shape after going through this for the last hour and a half. Neil was strong, despite his gentle nature, but this would wear anybody down. He looked at Raymond. "If this keeps up, we might need to trade off more frequently," he said. "Good thing there's always somebody in the waiting room." Raymond nodded. Things were quiet for a few more minutes, and then the ventilator alarm went off, and Tim came in again, trying to adjust the ventilator to match the rhythm Ryan seemed to be trying to use. After a few minutes, things calmed down again. The cycle repeated itself, as Tim had said, about every 10 minutes. By the fourth or fifth cycle, Keith and Raymond were both feeling the strain. Then Ryan tensed again, making an awful face and setting the heart rate monitor off - but just as Tim reached the door, he seemed to relax on his own. "Well," Tim said, "that's different. I'd just made up my mind to call Dr. Reilly in, but if he's going to settle down on his own, maybe we're turning the corner." He stepped out again, and Raymond suddenly realized that he was hearing an odd, random humming coming from next to him. He turned to look at Keith. "Is that you?" he said. The humming stopped as Keith turned to look at him and said, "Is what me?" "You were humming or sort of singing something," Raymond said. Keith looked away, embarrassed. "I guess I was. The other guys tell me I do that when I'm upset or worried. I don't even know I'm doing it most of the time. I'll try not to if it's bugging you. There's enough stress in here as it is." "I was just surprised, it wasn't bothering me," said Raymond. "If it helps you, don't try to fight it." Suddenly the ventilator alarm went off, and Tim hurried in, silenced the alarm and prepared to adjust the ventilator again, then stopped in surprise. "He's stopped fighting it on his own," Tim said. "Maybe things are really going to settle down." He stepped out of the room again. Raymond noticed that Keith was singing again, but didn't say anything. Things were calm for more than 15 minutes this time, and then Raymond noticed that Keith had stopped singing - and suddenly the ventilator alarm went off again. He made a sudden connection. "Keith!" he cried out over the alarm as Tim appeared in the doorway. "Come over here and start singing again!" "What?" Keith said loudly, confused. "Just do it," Raymond said. "I think I know what's going on." Keith stepped over next to Ryan and started singing, a random song pulled out of his memory at the moment, and the ventilator alarm immediately stopped. He stopped singing in surprise, and the alarm started going off again almost immediately. He started singing again, and the alarm stopped. "I knew it!" Raymond exclaimed. "It's you singing that's settling him down! He must be recognizing your voice!" "Well, that's a new one," said Tim. "I'll take it, though." He looked at Keith. "Can you keep singing until morning, though?" Keith nodded, then with a grin inserted the phrase "I will if I have to" into the song. The other two laughed, finally relaxing.
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Post by HburgEagle44 on May 11, 2014 23:34:36 GMT -5
Funny, but even though I know how the story ends, it's rough reading these... I can get tense haha. I loved the ending of this update... It was great.
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Post by celticbear on May 12, 2014 19:32:55 GMT -5
That was close! Love the fact that Keith's singing has a calming affect on Ryan! And that Raymond figured it out in such a funny fashion!
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Post by barbt on May 12, 2014 21:37:28 GMT -5
After half an hour of Keith singing continuously and Ryan remaining calm, Tim figured that they really had found the right treatment, unconventional or not. Keith was singing very quietly, so some of the other staff hadn't noticed right away, although they did notice the lack of alarms from that room. Dan, one of the other night nurses, came over to Tim and said, "Finally got your rock star settled down, huh? What ended up working?" Tim grinned. "Alternative medicine," he said impishly. Dan looked confused. "Come here," Tim said, leading Dan over to the door of the room. As they approached, Dan heard a soft, sweet voice coming from the room. "Music, really?" he said. "Not just any music. Look in." Dan did, and saw Keith sitting by Ryan's bed, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, singing an old Irish melody softly. He couldn't help but smile. "I thought that was a recording," he said. "He's really good. So Ryan's brother sings, too?" "Keith isn't really Ryan's brother by blood," Tim whispered. "Raymond's the real brother. The other 'brothers' are the other singers from Ryan's group, and now I'm really glad Dr. Reilly agreed to let them in. Ryan's parents requested it, they said the guys spend so much time together that they're as close as brothers. If Keith hadn't subconsciously started singing when he got really worried, we might have lost Ryan tonight." "That's amazing," Dan said, shaking his head. Then he started laughing, because Keith had finished that song and started on a Beach Boys tune. "Seriously? That's a switch." "I know," Tim agreed with a smile. "So far he's done everything from hymns to trad to Glen Campbell, it just seems to be whatever song he thinks of. I'm really going to have to check this group out." "He's really going to be able to keep singing all night?" "He says he can," Tim shrugged. "More accurately, he SANG 'I will if I have to' instead of the regular line of what he was singing when I asked him. Those guys would do anything for each other, I think." Tim made a detour out to the waiting room to let Colette and Emmet know that things had settled down. Emmet started laughing himself when Tim told him what the "treatment" was. "God," he said. "Who would have thought that that annoying habit of Keith's would have a use other than calming himself down while he drives the rest of us batty? Is he at least singing real songs rather than that weird random crooning that he does most of the time?" Tim laughed, too. "It started out as the random stuff, but so far he's been doing real songs since we figured out that it was him singing that was helping. It's kind of amusing, though, because I never know what he's going to come up with next." "That's Keith," Emmet said. "That man's got more styles of music wrapped up inside his head than any one person has a right to." He shook his head. "And to think he's got no formal training at all, it's all natural gift. For all my training, I get jealous of how easy it is for him sometimes." Tim gaped at him. "No training? Seriously? That's just...I don't know." Emmet grinned. "It sounds like you're going to get used to hearing all of us," he said. "George and Neil don't have any formal voice training either, nor does Ryan himself for that matter. Oddest group of professional singers you've ever met." Changing the subject, he said," I'll bring some tea up for Keith. He drinks gallons of it when we're singing all day, and I know how he likes it. It's the newest singer's job to get it ready for after a show, and that's me right now." _____________________________________________________________________________________ Keith was as good as his word and kept singing until morning. They did discover that Ryan would stay calm for a few minutes if Raymond was talking to him and rubbing his arms when Keith had to take the inevitable break to deal with the result of drinking that much tea. Ryan did tense up and set his heart rate monitor off again as Emmet and Keith were changing places, but fortunately as soon as Emmet started his warm-up exercises, Ryan settled down again. The night staff, who were just getting ready to leave, as well as the morning staff, weren't expecting either the voice or the style that was now coming from Ryan's room. Emmet's classical tenor-baritone was a massive switch from Keith's eclectic style. Several of the night staff were lamenting the fact that they wouldn't get to hear George, and were planning on coming in early enough to see what Neil's voice was like. Dr. Reilly almost lost his temper when he came in to find someone singing continuously in Ryan's room, but after Nadine convinced him to read the night nursing notes, he settled down and accepted the situation, saying that it was probably inevitable given their patient's occupation. Sharon, however, was another matter. She wasn't too keen on her performers singing for hours on end so soon before a gig; she was afraid they would strain their voices, although she didn't have the heart to forbid them to continue, especially after Neil broke down explaining what that hour and a half had been like when they couldn't do anything. She did, however, insist that they try the Celtic Thunder recordings at least as a way to give the singers a break, also thinking ahead that these could be used once she had to drag the rest of the boys off to Atlantic City - a task she wasn't looking forward to, especially if Ryan was still in such serious condition.
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Post by HburgEagle44 on May 12, 2014 21:40:27 GMT -5
Beautiful update. Beautiful.
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