The harsh, sterile scent of disinfectant was the first thing to pierce the fog. It was a smell I knew, one that spoke of hospitals and hushed urgency. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, but a faint, insistent beeping cut through the haze, a rhythmic pulse accompanying the dull ache blooming behind my temples. A dry rasp caught in my throat when I tried to speak, and my tongue felt like sandpaper.
Where am I? What happened?
Slowly, painstakingly, I managed to pry my eyes open. The
fluorescent lights overhead were blindingly bright, a harsh white against a
pale ceiling. My vision swam for a moment, then gradually focused on the
indistinct shapes of a hospital room: beige walls, a metal IV stand beside the
bed, a monitor displaying an erratic green line. My arm, where the IV dripped,
felt oddly stiff.
A nurse, a woman with kind eyes noticed my stirring. She
moved swiftly to my bedside, her uniform rustling softly.
"Ms. Smith? You're awake. That's wonderful," she
said, her voice professional as she adjusted something on the IV stand.
"You're at Evergreen Medical Center in Arlingham. You've been here for a
couple of days."
A couple of days? The words echoed in my foggy mind,
bringing with them a surge of confusion and a prickle of alarm. What could have
possibly kept me here for days?
"What... what happened?" I managed to croak, my
voice barely a whisper, my throat burning.
She gave me a sympathetic look. "You sustained a head
injury – a nasty fall. We've been monitoring you closely. You're stable now,
but it'll take some time to recover."
A fall - that didn't sound right. Fragments of a memory
flickered at the edges of my consciousness: it all hit me. My ex-husband’s
sentencing hearing. I remembered that I went outside to get some air and then
everything went black.
My eyes darted around the room, searching. "Darnell?
Where's Officer Daniels?" A fresh wave of panic threatened to overwhelm
me. He was there. He had to be.
The nurse paused, her expression softening with concern.
"Officer Daniels is fine, but he's been visiting you often. He’s one of
the officers that responded to the courthouse when you passed out." She
smiled gently. "He's very dedicated to his job and your friendship. And he
asked us to tell you not to worry about him."
A wave of relief washed over me. Darnell was okay – he was
safe. For now, all that mattered was that he was alright.
Just then, the door to my room opened, and Vince walked in.
His eyes, initially scanning the room with a worried frown, instantly lit up
when they landed on me. A wide, relieved smile broke across his face as he
rushed to my bedside.
"Deppgrl! You're awake!" he exclaimed. He reached
for my hand, his grip gentle but firm. "Thank God. I've been so
worried."
"What happened?" I managed to ask, my voice still
weak.
Vince sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not
entirely sure, to be honest. One minute you were in the courtroom then you
bolted to get air. Your brother followed you outside, said you passed out and
that emergency services were called right away." Vince paused, his brow
furrowing slightly. "Within minutes of them being called, Darnell came
running over. He checked your vitals and was about to put you in his patrol car
to get you here himself, but the EMTs showed up right then and took over. They
brought you here." He squeezed my hand.
“God, the room is spinning. Has a physician been by?” I
groaned. “Make the room stop spinning!”
Vince leaned over and pushed the call button. A nurse came
rushing in. Vince quickly explained that I was dizzy and nauseous and wanted to
see the doctor. He nodded, assuring him she'd get the doctor right away. I
tried to close my eyes to help stop the room from spinning, but it only made it
worse. A few minutes later, the physician arrived, followed by the nurse who
had summoned her. The nurse was carrying vials and a few syringes.
"Ms. Smith, welcome back," the physician said with
a kind smile. "I'm Dr. Maddie Jones. Max told me what's going on. We
brought something for the dizziness and nausea, as well as something for the
pain. Max will give you the one for dizziness and nausea now, but we'll wait on
the pain medication. I'm sure you have many questions."
I felt at ease with this physician, her calm demeanor a
stark contrast to my swirling head.
"Dr. Jones, what happened? Vince said that I passed
out, but he wasn't there to see it, though my brother was. I'm guessing my
brother would say it was from exhaustion and stress. I wouldn't be surprised if
it were both."
"Both Bob and Vince told me what you've had going on
the last many weeks. It certainly does have to do with what’s going on. And your
brother is right – it’s a combination of stress and exhaustion " she
confirmed gently. "But you also haven't been eating nor taking care of
yourself – you’re running yourself ragged. Due to your fall, you have quite the
concussion; it's a little worse than your last one, but not significantly. The
game plan is to keep you here for another day or so. I want to make sure you're
rested, hydrated, you're eating, and that the next few images of your brain
don't show anything more concerning."
"How many more days do you think I'll be here, Dr.
Jones?" I asked. "I can easily eat, hydrate, and sleep at home."
"Deppgrl, behave!" Vince hushed me. "The
doctor wants to make sure your head doesn't get any worse."
"Ms. Smith, your boyfriend is right," the
physician said, a faint smile touching her lips. "I know you have a
history of concussions, and you know what to expect. However, I am that kind of
doctor that is cautious and thorough. I won't discharge you until I see that
there's no brain bleed or anything concerning in the next few images."
"Okay," I groaned, reluctantly accepting her
decision.
The physician and Max were about to leave when Dr. Jones
paused, turning back to me.
"How's the pain?" she asked, her expression
softening.
"It feels like a million jackhammers are at work,"
I admitted, the throbbing behind my eyes intensifying.
"Look, Ms. Smith…Deppgrl," Dr. Jones whispered,
her voice lowering, a hint of genuine understanding in her eyes. "It's a
little hard to trust any medical professionals here at the moment with meds and
syringes. I know you were given something you never consented to having during
a previous visit. Max is the only one I trust, and he's the only one I trust
with my patients. We promise to talk to you first before we give you anything,
okay?"
Vince, who'd been listening intently, reached for the vial
Max held, reading the label. "It’s a pain med." Max nodded
confirmation, and a sense of calm finally settled over me. Max deftly
administered the medication through my IV. Dr. Jones and Max then excused
themselves, leaving Vince alone with me.
A few minutes later, the dull ache in my head began to
recede, replaced by a growing drowsiness. I was mostly asleep when Vince leaned
close, his voice a soft, almost imperceptible murmur. "Deppgrl," he
whispered, "marry me. We could get a tiny apartment. Just us, and a tiny
dog. Or a cat. Whatever you want." It was so incredibly lame, so sweet in
its utter lack of grandeur, that a ghost of a smile touched my lips even as I
drifted further.
My eyes fluttered open, just enough to see his hopeful face.
"Vince," I slurred, the words barely audible, "you propose to me
one more time like that, I swear on all things holy and unholy that I will
leave you forever." The effort of speaking was too much, and I promptly
fell into a deeper, much-needed sleep.
Hours later, I woke to a startled rush of chatter - my room
was full. Dr. Jones, Max, Vince, Darnell, my brother, my parents, Aditi,
Sheila, and Pastor Dan. My eyes widened, a bit shocked to see how many people
had gathered.
"Oh, good, she's awake!" someone exclaimed.
"We were so worried!" another voice chimed in.
Dr. Jones stepped forward, a reassuring presence amidst the
clamor. "Alright, everyone, one at a time!" She then turned to me
with a wry smile. "Ms. Smith, don't worry, Sheila and Pastor Dan don't
count as visitors; they're merely pastoring to your soul. Three of them are
family, and the others are 'like' family, so we made an exception."
"Everyone needs to speak one at a time," I said,
my voice firmer now, though still a little scratchy, "or I'm kicking you
all out." The threat, even from a hospital bed, seemed to have the desired
effect, and the room quieted considerably.
Dr. Jones then addressed me. "Is it okay if I share the
results of your last scan, the one we did while you were asleep?"
"Yes, please," I replied, a fresh wave of anxiety
prickling at me.
"Everything is looking good in the scan," she
said, relief evident in her tone. "However, the goose egg on your head is
indeed a hematoma, and it's quite substantial. It's not immediately critical,
but it's not looking great. If it doesn't come down in size in the next few
hours, we will need to drain it."
She and Max then excused themselves, giving me privacy with
my visitors. They were all beaming, expressing their happiness that I was awake
and alert, telling me I had given them a scare, and that I really needed to
sleep and take care of myself better. I just shrugged them off, a familiar
weariness washing over me.
"And while we're on the subject of me taking care of
myself," I began, looking pointedly at Vince, then at the rest of them.
"All of you, stop pressuring Vince to propose to me. After what I've just
been through, the absolute last thing I want to do is get married. I'd be
better off as a nun instead!" My tone, though exasperated, conveyed my
seriousness, and they all exchanged glances, nodding in understanding.
I then started discussing who would be staying with me when
I eventually got released. "I want Bob and Darnell to take turns the first
few days. They don't tolerate my bullshit, and they know I'm an awful
patient." Bob gave a knowing smirk, and Darnell nodded in agreement.
"After that," I continued, "my parents. At that point, I should
be okay during the day but just check in on me a few times a night."
Vince, looking slightly chastened but still trying,
ventured, "What about me looking after you?"
"Vince," I said, giving him a flat look that
contained both affection and exasperation, "with how much you annoyed me
when I was falling asleep earlier, you're lucky you're even in the room."
He chuckled softly, a slight blush creeping up his neck, and wisely dropped the
subject.
Eventually, everyone but Darnell left, their well wishes
echoing in the now quieter room. Darnell pulled a chair closer and sat down.
"So," he began, his voice low, "if it doesn't
work out with Vince, you know I'm available."
I raised an eyebrow. "What about your girlfriend,
Officer Daniels?"
He laughed, a genuine, easy sound. "Oh, she's always
known how in love with you I am."
I chuckled but had to stop abruptly. The room was spinning
again, and my head felt like it was splitting in two. I pressed a hand to my
forehead.
"Should I call for a nurse?" Darnell asked, his
playfulness instantly replaced by concern.
"Give it a few minutes," I muttered, trying to
ride out the sudden wave of nausea and pain.
Seconds later, I was fast asleep….thankful to see Darnell in
one piece. I promised his mom I’d keep him alive for as long as I could – even if
it meant putting myself at risk.
No comments:
Post a Comment