December 28, 2009
Huntington Beach, California

The sound of my phone ringing woke me from my slumber. I picked it up to see Leana's name and face on the screen, swiping the screen, I answered.

"Leana, it's the middle of the night." I groaned.
"Brian?" she sounded absolutely hysterical. "Brian, can you please come to the Hospital?"
"Why? Is everything okay?"
"It's Jimmy, I came downstairs to get a glass of water and he was passed out on the kitchen floor." she was speaking rapidly. "He wasn't breathing." she croaked. "I called an ambulance and gave him CPR until it arrived. They got a weak pulse, but it doesn't look good, please, just get here."
I sat bolt upright. "I'll be right there."

***

My boots clacked loudly against the floor as I dashed down the hallway of the ward Leana had told me to go to. I skidded to a stop at the open doorway of Jimmy's room, panting as I leaned against the doorframe.

"Is he okay?"
Leana's face was streaked with tears, her eyeliner running down her cheeks as she sat beside Jimmy's bed, holding his hand. "I don't know. He's on life support."
"What happened?" I asked, looking at all the tubes and needles hanging out of Jimmy's body.
"They say it was a heart attack, they're not sure when he'll wake up, we're waiting to see what happens." she sniffed. "They're not sure how it happened, they're running tests now." she continued. "But he lost the oxygen flow to his brain for almost ten minutes, so it doesn't look good."
I closed my eyes, swallowing hard. "God..."

I walked to the other side of Jimmy's bed, closest to the door, taking a seat beside him. I grabbed his hand, gently stroking it. My mind began to race with a million thoughts. What were any of us supposed to do if he didn't wake up? How would Leana cope? She was already distraught. What about his parents?

And the band... he'd just handed us a rough demo for an amazing song he had been working on for weeks. How could we finish the album, heck, how could we even go on without him? Jimmy was Avenged Sevenfold. Michelle and I were also in the middle of planning our Wedding, which was set for March. I don't know if I'd be able to go through with it if his condition didn't improve.

"Come on, you asshole." I whispered. "You promised you'd be my Best Man..."

***

Six Hours Later

Leana had left a few hours ago with Michelle, who had urged her to go home and get some sleep. I'd stayed, not wanting to leave his side any more than Leana did, and not wanting him to be alone in case he did wake up. My knee bounced restlessly from the result of too much caffeine from all the coffee I'd had, but there was no way I was moving.

Jimmy's body was all too still. It wasn't right seeing him like this, not after how happy he had been just a couple of months ago. I sighed, burying my face in my hands. His heart monitor beeped away and the ventilator in his life support compressed and retracted as it pumped oxygen into his system, but the room was otherwise silent. I reached for his hand, grasping it tightly as I fought back the tears threatening to overtake my body.

"Come on, Jimmy..." I croaked. "Don't you dare fuckin' bounce on me, you're my best friend..."
Michelle entered the room, carrying a couple of cups of Coffee. "Brian, I'm back." she cooed, handing one to me. "I got you coffee, but you really need to go home and sleep, Baby."
"No, no fucking way, I'm not leaving him." I said, a little more harshly than I had intended. "I'm sorry." I sighed. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, I just-
"It's okay." she smiled, rubbing my back. "I understand."
"How did this happen?" I frowned. "It just came out of nowhere."
"I don't know..." she replied, taking the seat beside me and leaning on my shoulder. "Life is so unpredictable..."
I sniffled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Thank you for being here, and thank you for the coffee."
"Of course." she smiled, looking up at me. "Jimmy is family."
I kissed her softly. "I love you."
"And I love you." she whispered, playing with a strand of hair behind my ear.

We heard someone clear their throat, and looked up to see Jimmy's Doctor standing in the doorway.

"May I come in?" he asked.
"Sure." I nodded.
"So James's test results have come back."
"And?"
"And it seems he overdosed on a cocktail of Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Diazepam/Nordiazepam and Alcohol." he informed me.
"Oh my god..." Michelle breathed from beside me.
"Do you think he tried to kill himself?" I asked.
"Did he display any signs?" Dr. Lawson asked. "Anything that would make you think he was considering suicide?"
"No." I shook my head. "He was full of life." I winced; not liking the sound of the past tense.
"Then that's unlikely, although, I do have to be honest with you..." he said "A condition like his, it's very unlikely he'll wake up."
My heart sank. "What are you saying?"
"He suffered a severe heart attack and lost the oxygen flow to his brain for a considerable amount of time. He's alive, but barely." he swallowed. "If he does wake up, in the very unlikely scenario, he could very well lose all physical ability in his arms, maybe his legs too. He won't be able to breathe on his own, and he'll require a ventilator to help pump oxygen through his system for the rest of his life."
"So he'll never be able to drum again?" I asked, feeling a tear gather in the corner of my eye.
"Unfortunately, no." he confirmed. "It's not a life I would choose for someone I loved, but that choice, is entirely yours."
"If he wakes up." I stated, feeling the tear roll down my cheek.
"If he wakes up, yes." he replied. "I'll give you and his family some time to process everything, but if you want my honest advice... it may be time to let him go."
"He's my best friend..." I sniffed. "I can't lose him."
"As I said, speak with his family." he nodded. "I'll be back in a couple of hours, and you can inform me of your decision, then."

Dr. Lawson left the room and I immediately broke down. Michelle hugged me tightly, rubbing my back. It was rare that I broke down like this, I barely cried. But Jimmy had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. How the fuck was I supposed to cope with life without him? He was my Soul Mate. There was no way I could let him go.

"I have to go." I said suddenly. "Sit tight, don't call anyone until I get back." I pulled away from Michelle and wiped my eyes.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I have to do something, just..." I sighed. "Just wait for me, I'll be back as soon as possible."
"Okay..." Michelle said, puzzled. "Be safe."
"I will." I said, turning on my heel and leaving.

I wasn't going to let Jimmy die, not on my fucking watch.
And I knew exactly what I had to do to ensure that didn't happen...

Notes

Sorry to drag up old feels, but it was necessary for the storyline.

I realize that realistically, Jimmy's test results would not have come back that quickly. I'm no doctor, but I did try and do my research. However, this is a work of Fiction (see what I did there?) and I'm bending the facts to work better with my plot.

Basically, I woke up at 3:30 this morning and hammered out the rough plans for Chapters 7-11, so hopefully, updates are gonna be a little more frequent from here on. Shit's about to get real.

Until next time xx