All the Things I Didn't See by Cindy Sutherland

thought made him smile.
The last thing he thought as he drifted off was that he would know when Sam woke up, because he wasn’t letting go of his hand until he did.
Nicole and Sam’s parents watched from the doorway as Josh drifted off, head pillowed on Sam’s hand.
By silent agreement, they left the two men alone. They both needed this, and they had a couple of hours before Sam had to be checked on. The door closed behind them, and they stood guard outside, protecting Sam and Josh from the world as best they could.

Chapter 6
    T
IME passed by in a blur. The doctors and nurses came and went, checking monitors, hanging fresh IV bags, and caring for the wound on Sam’s chest.
    After the first day it was decided that Sam would be moved to a private room on the surgical ward. That way it would be okay for someone to stay with him at all times.
    At a post-op conference between Josh, the Petersons, and the doctors, they discussed Sam’s fears of being alone and how there had been studies that indicated having loved ones around helped patients recover quicker. As long as he continued to improve and showed no signs of infection, they could stay.
    Every time Josh asked how Sam was doing, he got the same answer. It was all about cautious optimism without letting him get his hopes up too high.
    “He’s doing fine. His vitals are good and there is no fever, so that hopefully means no infection. He just needs time to heal, Josh.”
    Nicole was the last one to answer him. She spent a lot of time in Sam’s room, having been assigned by the hospital to his care with the blessing of Josh and Sam’s family. She made sure they left the room on a regular basis so they could eat and take care of themselves.
    A few days later, the doctor overseeing Sam’s case had agreed it was time to cut back on the dosage of some of the medications that were not only keeping Sam’s pain in check, but also keeping him unconscious. They were all anxious as the process of waking him up began.
    It was an unspoken agreement that Sam was never left alone. Either his parents or Josh were with Sam at all times, with Nicole staying close for support.
    The other nurses on the ward had taken a liking to the young man and his caregivers as they were never demanding and obviously devoted to their patient. The favor of the nurses brought them advantages such as comfortable chairs and access to the drink dispensers in the doctors’ lounge.
    They all had their ways of keeping themselves occupied as they kept Sam company.
Mary read to Sam, having found The Catcher in the Rye among the books on the hospital’s library cart. He had always loved having his mother read to him, and it helped her to feel connected to him.
Kenneth would sit and listen to her, enjoying it as much as possible given the circumstances. He’d brought his iPod with him, and he’d listen to music with Sam, talking about his favorite pieces. He favored classical composers and hoped that Sam would like them, and if not? What better excuse for him to wake up than to tell his dad to turn that crap off?
As for Josh, he just talked. He talked about his childhood, sharing with Sam almost every deep, dark secret he’d ever had.
He talked about the show, and how their fans were horribly outraged that something like this had happened.
Josh’s fan mail had increased exponentially, but it was nothing compared to the avalanche of cards, letters, and gifts that were coming in for Sam at the studio. Additional staff had been added to the mail room to help go through it all.
    Both actors’ Facebook pages, along with all the websites affiliated with the show, were constantly overwhelmed by good wishes and prayers for Sam’s speedy recovery.
Jared kept Josh updated with the happenings at the studio, and they checked in with each other often.
    A few of their costars had been by to visit, but they hadn’t been allowed to see Sam. Josh had reluctantly left the room to go and speak to them in the lobby, but he