Madeline led them from the cafeteria and up towards the ICU in complete silence.
The only sound between the three of them was the scuffing and squeaking of their shoes on the floor of the hospital.
Cailen didn't know how to feel about this. It could simply mean that Madeline hadn't spoken to the doctor yet and therefore did not know any more than he did and had nothing to say.
That's what Cailen was hoping was making her so quiet. He hoped it wasn't that she had spoken to the doctor about Asher and now she just didn't know how to tell him the bad news and was leaving it up to the doctor.
Cailen's stomach twisted unpleasantly at the thought as he followed behind her quietly, Noah by his side looking just as distressed.
If Cailen had eaten anything today, he was positive it would be on the floor of the hospital by now.
Cailen actually started to feel a bit faint the farther they walked.
All this worrying he's done all day, all the scenarios he's played out in his mind and all the not knowing which of his worries was about to be true made him feel exhausted even though he's done basically nothing but lay in a bed and sit at a table.
He thinks it might have something to do with not eating all day, he hadn't even had time for breakfast this morning because Ezekiel took a little longer than usual to get ready, so he hadn't technically eaten since last night.
Even still, finding out what was going to happen to Asher was more important than stopping for a granola bar- it could wait. He did, however, reach out to grab Noah's arm, hooking his own arm around it for a little extra support, just in case.
Noah probably thought it was more of a comfort thing because he reached over with his other hand and covered Cailen's hand that held onto his arm, probably trying to tell him it'd be okay even though it didn't look like he believed that with how stiff he was.
Maybe it was sort of a comfort thing for him.
When they drew near, he saw Dr. Landon standing outside of the ICU door, his greying hair slicked back with gel, his bright white coat making it easy to spot him.
Cailen's stomach gave another unpleasant twist, making his grip on Noah tighten but the blonde didn't seem to notice.
The doctor didn't look too alarmed about anything and again, that could be nothing.
It could mean Asher was just fine, that yeah, it had looked bad but he'll pull through.
Or, it could mean that there wasn't anything to be alarmed about because, well... There was nothing to be alarmed about.
It could mean Asher was already... gone, so he was in no rush to get back in there, that there was no reason to hurry through this.
Cailen also thought that maybe he should know better than to try and read a doctor because he swears they spend two hours infront of the mirror everyday, practicing schooling their emotions.
Really, that face could mean anything and Cailen knew that so he didn't understand why his stomach was churning the way it was.
Dr. Landon had been reading over a clipboard in his hands, flipping through a couple pages but looked up when the three of them came to a stop infront of him, standing in a line and taking up a good portion of the hallway.
Cailen hadn't worked with Dr. Landon very often, only a couple of times over the years, but he talked to him enough to know that he was a kind hearted man with a soft spot for children.
They weren't the best of friends, but he could see the flash of sympathy in his green eyes before it vanished because he had to be a professional here.
"Cailen," The doctor greeted with a nod of his head and Cailen knew he should be polite and greet him back- he was a doctor after all and could probably have his job with a snap of his finger, but he couldn't make his lips move or his voice work.
Cailen tried to read him again, probably futilely but it was worth a shot.
He tried to look into his eyes, maybe Dr. Landon would slip up like he normally does whenever Cailen looked up at them, but he didn't.
Cailen had been looking for any sign of relief or even dread, just something to give him a clue as to how dire the situation was, but Dr. Landon was a blank slate. It really wasn't surprising, he's probably been through this a million and one times.
Even Cailen has had to do this and has learned to school his expression, not only that, but to turn off his emotions completely because otherwise, this job would be too hard to do.
If you allowed yourself to sympathize with the patients and grieve with their relatives, your heart would give up before you even made a month.
So Cailen understood the doctor’s solitude, but he was hoping that maybe, since he knew Cailen, it would be harder for him to do.
"Doctor Landon." Madeline greeted for them all.
Cailen figured she was trying hard and that she was really only upset because she was Cailen’s friend.
Doctor Landon nodded her way, sending her a small smile before sighing.
"Okay, I don't really know where to start. These situations are never... Good." The doctor began, tucking his clipboard under his arm.
"Mr. Hale has suffered from a moderate closed-traumatic head injury, which means there was no penetration to the cranium or brain, which is good." The doctor explained and normally, Cailen would have been offended that he felt the need to explain that to him but right now, he only felt grateful for it.
He should know this, he should know the terminology and he does know it, he just couldn't seem to process any of it at the moment. But Cailen assumed the doctor was probably aware of this, that or the explanation was for Noah's sake.
"Now, this does mean Asher's ability to regain consciousness is lessened. I'm not saying he won't be able to, but it could take a couple days. Some wake up within the day... Some take a little longer."
Cailen took this as a good sign even though it sounded horrible. The doctor was implying that Asher would be waking up at some point, that he wasn't dead.
"This knocked him unconscious and was probably the reason he went into respiratory arrest. Thankfully, the firemen got him out of there fairly quickly because as you know, three minutes in respiratory arrest can result in permanent brain damage, but he was only under for about a minute- minute and a half. We have him on artificial ventilation right now and he seems to be accepting it well enough." The doctor went on, his eyes shifting from person to person.
"His lungs are very fragile at the moment, we've also got him on humidified oxygen and will proceed to use bronchodilators. He will most definitely need to go through chest physiotherapy. Of course when he wakes up, we will be able to tell you more but for now, that's all we know on that.”
"His burns are pretty severe and fairly sizable. The ones on his hip and left arm are second degree. They will be pretty painful when he wakes up but they will heal with minimal scarring. There is a third degree burn on his left leg around the shin and calf area. He won't feel any pain from this and will have to go through physiotherapy for that as well. The burn will most likely have affected the bone and muscle and it will be difficult for him to walk for a while. He has a fractured rib from fallen debris, a few scrapes and bruises, a couple of bumps but... He's pulling through." The doctor said, nodding his head with a tired smile.
"With time- a lot of time- and a lot of patience, I'm sure he'll be fine." He finished, looking to Cailen and offering him a genuine smile.
At that point, Cailen didn't know what to do with himself. Relief washed over him like a wave, calming his nerves and easing the pain in his chest, like that squeezing hand was finally letting go of his heart.
He choked on a breath but after that, breathing was easy again.
It didn't feel like a heavy weight was sitting on his chest or like there was metal wrapped around his bones, weighing him down and exhausting him with every move.
He felt lighter, he felt normal again and he was so relieved he could feel tears coming to his eyes.
He wasn't the only one, even Noah seemed relieved as he turned to Cailen and pulled him into a hug.
Cailen was kind of glad for this because his legs were beginning to shake with the relief and he wasn't sure he could stand on his own anymore.
"You really should start with that, Doctor, because that's the only part I really understood." Noah mumbled into Cailen's shoulder, squeezing him a bit tighter.
Cailen let out a small breathy chuckle, the sound seeming a bit strangled to his own ears as he held onto Noah tighter, needing the support.
"I'm sorry to have worried you," Doctor Landon apologized, smiling knowingly.
His smile faded, though not entirely. "You won't be able to see him for a while, and even so, he will probably be unconscious. They're in there now treating his burns and such. We'll have to talk about surgery on his leg, see what we can do about the skin there but we need his consent for that so that won't be until after he wakes up, but we'll talk about all of that later. I've got to get back in there." The doctor said, nodding his head towards the door behind him.
"Thank you, Doctor." Cailen finally spoke, smiling at the doctor who sent him a nod before retreating into the ICU.
Noah was still holding onto him, or maybe Cailen was holding onto Noah, he wasn't entirely sure, but he didn't let go until he felt a hand on his shoulder.