Big Time Hero

Chapter 1

It was quiet. Dead quiet. The only noises that could be heard were the beeping sounds of machines and the nervous pacing of footsteps. The room was white and sterile with a typical smell to add to it. The atmosphere was tensed! Although several people were in that very room, nobody dared to even utter a word or even move an inch for that matter. They were all too worried or too hurt to start a conversation and their attention was focused onto one person lying deadly still and pale looking tucked in bed underneath white sheets that totally matched his pale complexion. Suddenly the deadly silence was interrupted by loud and hysterical crying coming from a girl with beautiful dark brown curly hair. She buried her face in her hands while crying. A woman with auburn hair tied in a neat ponytail hurried towards the girl and quickly and soothingly pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Oh sweetie. You have to stay positive. He is a very strong boy. You know that! We all just have to hang in there and hope and pray that he'll pull through. I know it's hard, but it's all we can do for the moment."

"I know, but it's so hard," the girl said crying. "I just can't lose him. Not now! Not ever! I don't know what I'll do without him. I love him more than I can ever explain to anyone."

The woman just pulled her closer desperately trying to comfort the upset girl. She couldn't help but to shed a few tears herself. Despite that she wasn't his mother she cared deeply about the young boy buried beneath the white sheets who was currently wired up to all kind of strange machines to monitor his condition. She had watched him grow up with his friends becoming part of their crazy antics and getting hurt in the process, but never ever had any of their lives been at stake before. She had known the boys as well as his friends since kindergarten and he had been a regular guest at her house when his mom had to leave for work for a couple of days. He had been in her care ever since the boys made their big move to L.A. a couple of years ago and she had grown to like him even more. She was very proud of what they had achieved all these years. She kept a close eye on the boy lying in bed while softly rocking the upset girl in her arms.

He didn't deserve any of this, she thought. If it wasn't for his heroic behavior, her son wouldn't be here anymore to tell them what had happened. He always had been the responsible one, but she couldn't imagine that he would risk his own life to help his best friend. Yet he did just that! She would be forever grateful for what he did and she didn't want to lose him at such a young age when he had his whole life ahead of him. She desperately tried to get a grip of herself as she was supposed to be the strong one now. She had to keep up their spirits. The boys and girls were all close to mental breakdowns and nothing she said or did seemed to help them. All they could do now was wait for some sort of miracle as the boy in the bed hadn't moved an inch since he had been brought into this very room.

All eyes were on said boy lying motionless in the small bed. His eyes were closed and his hair was matted down to his face. He had an oxygen tube up his nose and a needle was inserted into his pale, slender arm lying almost lifeless next to his body. Various drips were hanging next to his bed on a kind of rack. Sensors were taped onto his bare chest attached to various beeping machines keeping track of the boy's condition. The rest of his slender frame was hidden beneath a white blanket almost as white as the boy's pale complexion.

The only thing the doctors could tell them at the moment was that his condition was critical and that the next 48 hours would be crucial. They were, however, somewhat optimistic because the kid seemed to have a very strong heart and will-power to keep on living. That was exactly what kept everyone going and hoping.

The boys in the room remained silent and all felt guilty for what had happened to their friend. If they hadn't made fun of him for being a total wimp and a scaredy-cat, none of this would have ever happened. They were all guilty! And now they had to pay the price. Their best friend may just very well die. Why couldn't they have listened to him for once in their life. He was usually right, wasn't he? God only knew how many times he had prevented for any of them to end up in the hospital. Why had they been this stupid?

Suddenly a doctor came barging into the room with a clipboard in his hand. He didn't say anything, but merely walked up to the pale looking boy in the bed. He checked all of his parameters and noted them down on a piece of paper attached to the clipboard.

"How is he doing? Any changes what so ever?" The auburn haired lady asked the doctor.

"Nothing much," the doctor stated. "His blood pressure is still a little too high, but we're giving him medication for that. He is also running a fever at the moment, so we'll give him something for that as well. He is probably still out due to the painkiller we are giving him intravenously. We'll start to diminish the amount of that. Now, it's not going to be nice when he regains consciousness. He is going to be in an awful lot of pain, but we need him conscious to assess his injuries. I'm very sorry, but we have no choice. If his injuries turn out to be severe, he might also need surgery later on."

"I understand. Thank you, doctor," the auburn haired lady answered.

All they could do now was wait …