This story is mine. Completely, truly and utterly of my own imagination. It is not true in ANY way shape or form and any resemblence to persons living or dead is purley coincidental. I reserve any and all Copyrights to this piece of fiction.
This story will depict relationships of a homosexual nature and between high school students. If this bothers you, go away, don't come back. Also if you're not legally able to view this material, go away. Come back when you are either old enough, or live somewhere that isn't too narrow minded to allow it.
Breaking the Surface Chapter 1
Pain.
A bright light. Voices. No, just one voice. Screaming. Someone was screaming. Someone was screaming at him.
Cort opened his eyes and reality hit him like punch to the gut.
He was hanging upside down from the seatbelt. His memory started to kick in. He had been in a car, riding along the back roads. The curve. The semi. The sound of breaking glass and tearing metal. Daniel's terrified scream...
DANIEL!
Where was Daniel. Cort turned his head. The driver's seat was empty, flattened airbags hanging limply from the steering wheel and door jams. Blood stained the seat and dripped down the side of the door to the now crushed window, the top of which was only inches above the what used to be the main body of the door. But there was no sign of Daniel.
"SON! CAN YOU HEAR ME??" The shouting finally got his attention. He turned to right to see a man on the ground looking in the window at him. "Jim." , Cort thought to himself. "Jimmy Burnridge. Rescue Squad. Uncle Jimmy."
"Jim."
"Cort? Is that you in there?" Jim froze for just moment. He hoped to god that mangled piece of person in there was not his nephew.
"Where's Dan..." Cort started, but Jim cut him off.
"Don't you worry none about Danny right now Cort. Don't talk. Save your strength while we try to get you outta there, you hear me?" Jim said, trying to keep his voice as even and calm as he could. He looked back over his shoulder and shouted that he needed help, seeing the sheet being laid over a body a few feet away.
"No, Jim tell me. Where's Daniel??" Cort's voice started to take on a panicked tone and Jim just knew that wasn't going to be good. Cort had lost too much blood to get agitated.
"He's fine Cort. Just fine. Volunteer squad already gathered him up and took him in to get checked out." Not a complete lie Jim told himself. The Volunteer Rescue Squad had seen to Daniel first and had rushed him off to the hospital. It was just the fine part that wasn't exactly true.
Cort seemed to relax at hearing the affirmation from Jim. He nodded his head slowly. "Good. Goo..." He never finished the thought as darkness enveloped him once again.
He was deep underwater.
It was peaceful. Warm. Dark. Comfortable.
Something new. A buzzing sound. Pulling him closer. Up to the surface
"...have to tell him." Someone was talking, far away, getting closer.
"It waits. When he's ready and not a moment sooner." High pitched whisper. Almost a hiss.
"He's going to ask as soon as he wakes up." Strong but quiet male voice.
"Dammit Jeffrey, I'm not going to crush him after just getting him back. We don't have any idea of how or who he'll even be when he wakes up." Mom.
Mom. Dad.
He breaks the surface and swims to consciousness. Along with consciousness comes the pain. His head throbs, feeling like his brain is trying to burst free of the skull that confines it. And he's THIRSTY! He tries to swallow and can't. That's when the panic hits.
Heather Devereaux turned when she heard the increased noise from the heart monitor and saw that Cort's eyes were open, and full of terror. In two steps she was at his side, her hand clasping his. "It's okay baby. Calm down, Mom's here." She reached up and pressed the call button while Jeffrey quickly moved around the bed to Cort's other side and also took Cort's hand in his own.
"Hey sport! You gave us quite a scare there son. " He put a big hand in the middle of Cort's chest and held him gently down as Cort tried to sit up, fear still welling in his brilliant green eyes. "Shhh. Stay still son. You've got a breathing tube in, that's why you can't talk. Mom's sent for the nurse and doctor. We'll have it out of you in no time... just relax."
His father's low, quiet voice calmed Cort as it always had, ever since infancy. For most kids it's their mom's voice that soothes and comforts, but for Cort it's always been his dad. Nights that he couldn't sleep or wasn't feeling well it was always is dad he wanted, always his dad's chest he would curl up against. That low rumble would soothe him, calm him, lull him to sleep. Listening to his father read him a bedtime story had always been one of his most favorite things as a child. Now, as it had in the past, it helped Cort relax and bear the discomfort that was the breathing tube. The heart monitor's frantic beeping began to slow as Cort calmed.
Seconds later the door to Cort's room opened and the female floor nurse bustled in, followed quickly by another nurse, male this time, and then, finally, the doctor. "Mr. & Mrs. Devereaux," said the floor nurse, " I'll need you both to step back from the bed so the doctor can work. We should only be a few moments and you can stay in the room as long as you can remain out of the way." Reluctantly, Cort's parents both stepped away from the bed and over to the chairs where they had been talking when Cort first awakened. The nurses quickly checked his vitals and relayed the pertinent information to the doctor while he checked Cort's heartbeat, lung sounds and pupillary reflexes. Seeing they all appeared to be normal, the doctor looked at Cort and introduced himself.
"Mr. Devereaux, I'm Dr. Kyle Griswold. As I'm sure you're aware you've had a tube inserted to help you breathe while you were unconscious. We're going to remove that tube for you now but I need you to stay calm and follow my instructions exactly ok?" Cort nodded slowly in response. "Ok, " said the doctor as he disconnected the machine that was artificially inflating Cort's lungs. "Can you take a deep breath for me Cort?"
There was a moment's hesitation while Cort remembered how to breathe on his own without the machine doing it for him. He hadn't even realized he'd actually been relying on the machine for the few minutes he'd been awake. Cort pulled a big breath and let it out.
"Good Cort, " said Dr. Griswold. "Now when I tell you to, take another big breath and hold it." He started unfastening the tape that was holding the tube in pace on Cort's face. Cort moaned slightly at the sting of the adhesive peeling off. " I know that smarts. Sorry buddy," the doc replied in a low, laid back voice. "After you take that big breath I'm going to start removing the tube. Now as I do, you need to push the air out of your lungs are hard as you can, ok? I'm gonna be honest with you buddy, this is going to be uncomfortable, but you'll feel much better when it's over." The doc looked Cort directly in the eye to make sure he understood what he was being told. Cort nodded again and the doc joined him this time. "Ok buddy. Big deep breath!"
Cort inhaled as deeply as he could and it seemed that just as he got his lungs inflated the doc grabbed the tube nearl his mouth and started pulling.
"Ok Cort, blow out for me!"
Cort exhaled as hard as he could and then started to cough violently as the tube passed through this windpipe, into his throat and out his mouth. The doc discarded the tube after pulling it out, moving to the head of the bed to put one arm across the front of Cort's shoulders, and using the other to gently rub Cort's back until the cough fit passed. Once Cort stopped coughing the doc gently laid him back down as the teen was expectedly weak after so much time in the coma.
"How ya feeling buddy, " the doc asked.
"Thirsty, " Cort rasped. Talking hurt and he winced after doing so.
"Perfectly normal. Now I don't want you talking too much for the next couple of days. Your throat is going to be pretty raw from the tube. Also you're very weak right now, so I'm going to keep you lightly sedated so you can rest. I'll give you 15-20 minutes with your folks here and then it's light's out, got me?" The doc flashed Cort a smile and then looked up to Cort's folks, rising from his perch on the side of Cort's bed and moving close to them so he could speak quietly.. "Don't tax him too much and don't let him talk much. He needs all the rest he can get right now. He's going to be curious about what happened but you cannot let him get too upset right now. He's been down a long time and his body can't take the stress. With a little time and some rest he'll be right as rain though. There doesn't appear to be and permanent damage at this point." He smiled at them and then turned to head back out into the hallway. "I'll be back in 20 minutes max. Nurses, let's let the family have a little time."
With that Dr. Griswold stepped out into the hall, after holding the door open for the nurses. The ladies headed down the hall toward the floor station, and Kyle leaned against the wall closing his eyes and saying a silent prayer of thanks that such a beautiful boy appeared to have pulled through.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Ok all, please be gentle. This is my first story, and I hope y'all like it. All comments, concerns, questions, praise (mostly praise please! :-D ) to breakingthesurfacestory@gmail.com