Five boyhood buddies who were injured as they watched another pal run in the Boston Marathon are now helping each other recover from the life-changing blasts.
After the first bomb went off near the finish line of the April 15 race, brothers Paul and J.P. Norden huddled with long-time pals Jarrod Clowery, Marc Fucarile and James 'Bim' Costello not realizing they were inches away from the second device.
When it blew, both brothers and Fucarile lost a leg, while Clowery suffered burns and shrapnel wounds and Costello was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Facing it together: J.P. Norden, right, and long-time pal Jarrod Clowery, left, are recovering from their injuries
Two weeks and numerous surgeries later, the friends' health is improving but the tight bond, cemented through years of fishing trips and poker games - and just hanging out like they were that Monday - is what is helping them pull through.
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'What's up, kid?' Clowery, 35, asked Paul Norden, 31, who is in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center recovering from having his right left amputated.
Clowery is being treated for burns at Brigham and Women's Hospital, but another friend pushed him, still dressed in his hospital gown, the two blocks so he could visit his pal, The Boston Globe reported.
Friends: Paul Norden, pictured center, is visited by pals including Mike Jefferson, far right, who was running in the marathon
Life-changing: J.P., 33, pictured left, is at Brigham and Women's recovering from his amputation while Paul, picture right with Jarrod Clowery, is at Beth Israel
'Yeah, dude, I escaped,' he said. 'I had to see you. I had to come.'
Paul's older brother, J.P., 33, is just two doors down from Clowery at Brigham and Women's recovering from his own amputation while Fucarile is at Massachusetts General hospital.
Mike Jefferson, the school buddy they came to cheer on at the marathon, was the only one spared.
Feeling guilty he dragged his pals along that fateful day, he now keeps watch over them, sleeping outside Paul Norden's hospital room in case he needs anything.
'He blames himself,' Norden told the Boston Globe. 'But I told him: It's not your fault. That bridge has passed. We have to get to a new place.'
Lost legs: Both J.P. Norden and Marc Fucarile, pictured left and center, lost legs in the blasts while James 'Bim' Costello, right, suffered burns and shrapnel injuries
Fundraiser: The Nordens' mom Liz, pictured center, is trying to raise funds for her boys' treatment
The men, who met at elementary school or youth clubs in the small Massachusetts town of Stoneham, grew up at each others' houses, though the Norden brothers' mom, Liz, who they all called 'Ma,' tended to play host.
They all found jobs in the construction industry, but the past winter had a been a brutal one with work slowing and paychecks stretching thin, according to the Globe.
Now they face months of rehabilitation and the Norden brothers and Fucarile must learn to walk again using prosthetic legs. And it's likely the laborers will need to find new careers.
Bombing: Jarrod Clowery, center, was pictured in the aftermath of the blasts
Close: Clowery, left, and the brothers including Paul, right, are very close
Old time: J.P. Norden, left, Marc Fucarile, right, and the other men have been friends for years
Paul Norden is set to be transferred to a rehabilitation hospital this week but his main concern is that his brother, who is not yet ready to leave the Brigham, ends up at the same one.
'I have to go to rehab with my brother,' he told The Globe.
Emotional, Paul Norden recalled the first phone call the brothers, who still haven't seen each other, shared after the tragedy, when they each learned the other had lost a leg.
It ended: 'I love you. We'll get through this no matter what.'
The Stoneham community and others are fundraising to help the friends pay for their treatment.
Click on the hyperlink to donate to the Norden brothers, Marc Fucarile, Jarrod Clowery and James 'Bim' Costello.