Chapter Twelve
The nurses rolled Lizzy back into her room. Michael stood as they adjusted the cords and untangled IV lines. He scanned her from head to toe while she slept. Her face appeared pale, and her lips seemed dry when he knew she applied lip balm daily. Her body seemed small in the bed as wires leading to monitors beeped, giving her vitals. A cuff was placed on her right arm to monitor her blood pressure while a compression sleeve covered her left.
A cheerful charge nurse wrote her name on the board attached to the wall. “Hello, Dr. Harris. I’m Carrie, and I’ll be taking care of Elizabeth tonight. She’s dozing in and out, which is completely normal. My tech, Gloria, rounded up a recliner bed for you if you decide to spend the night,” she informed him. “I’ll be monitoring Lizzy’s pain and if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to use the call light.”
“Thank you,” he whispered. He wanted to get closer to Lizzy and waited impatiently as the team got her situated. As a doctor, he never thought to end up acting like one of those types of family members. The ones where the staff didn’t work fast enough to please them. He rubbed his forehead. Knock it off Harris. She’s right in front of you. You can’t let her wake up and see you falling apart. Pull your shit together, he chastised himself.
Lizzy’s eyes fluttered open. She smiled sleepily in his direction. Her face scrunched up in agony as she tried to move her arm.
“Hi Elizabeth, I’m Carrie. Can you tell me on a scale from one to ten what’s your pain level?”
Lizzy closed her eyes and licked her lips. “Maybe a six,” she hesitated. “My throat hurts,” she croaked.
“I’ll get a cup of ice chips to soothe your throat. Let me get you something for the discomfort and once you’re more alert we’ll give you a popsicle,” Carrie cheerfully told her.
“Banana,” she muttered.
The nurse chuckled. “I’m afraid I can’t give you a banana quite yet.”
“She only likes banana popsicles,” Michael explained.
“Oh, I didn’t know they even made that flavor. We only stock cherry, grape, or orange,” the nurse listed the flavors.
“I’ll take care of it. Go ahead and get her pain meds,” Michael told her as Lizzy dozed back off.
Taking out his phone, he dialed Chase’s number. He picked up on the first ring.
“Is everything alright?” Chase asked, concerned.
“Yeah, have you driven far from the hospital?” He asked. “Lizzy wants banana popsicles, and they don’t have them. I hate to inconvenience you, but I don’t want to leave her and her throat hurts.”
“Say no more; we’re not far. Kassie stopped and talked to one of the nurses who she previously worked with. We’ll stop and pick them up,” Chase assured him.
He hung up the phone, pulled the plastic chair closer to the bed and waited.
* * *
Lizzy openedher eyes and turned her head. Michael’s worried expression stared back at her.
“Hi,” he whispered. “How do you feel?”
“Sore, everywhere, I think they took me into the parking lot and hit me with a semi,” she joked.
“Chase dropped off banana popsicles. The nurse said you can have one when you’re ready. How about some ice chips or a sip of water? Are you warm enough?” He pulled the cover over her arm.
“In a minute. Did Dr. Brady come back yet? She talked to me briefly in recovery. I don’t remember everything she said,” she murmured.
“She said they biopsied the lymph nodes and we’ll hear back this week. She’s acting on the cautious side,” he reminded her. “Can I get you anything?”
“Michael, I’m fine. The pain meds started kicking in. I think I’ll take a popsicle now.” She didn’t want anything, but she knew Michael chomped at the bit to do anything for her.
“I’ll grab one for you.” He jumped from his seat and headed toward the nurse’s desk. A minute later, he proudly handed her the unwrapped icy treat. She must”ve seemed clumsy when she attempted to hold it because he placed his hand over hers and drew it toward her mouth. She sighed as the cold liquid coated the back of her throat.
“When can we go home?” she asked.
“Dr. Brady decided to keep you overnight. They want to get your pain under control. We’ll have to put off binge-watching until tomorrow evening,” he broke the news.
“Why don’t you go home and sleep in your own bed? Those chairs suck and I don’t care if they stamped the words ‘luxury recliner’ on it or not. It’s hard plastic. I tried talking them out of making the purchase, but they remained hell-bent on saving a few dollars. I’m all for cutting costs, but personally, I think they should’ve invested more money on the chairs for families than those ugly curtains,” she confessed. “At least at Chase’s hospital, Kassie picked everything out. She made it into a real home.”
“Yes, it’s spectacular. No matter how uncomfortable those cheap loungers turn out, I’m staying by your side,” his voice brooked no argument. She didn’t attempt to persuade him otherwise. She wanted him there with her.
“Did you eat dinner?” she asked.
“Yes, they sent Victoria in to enforce the food edict. Now I know why her ‘family’ of men listen to her. She’s downright terrifying. Don’t get me wrong, I like her. She’s freakishly good at her other job,” he told her.
Lizzy giggled and stopped abruptly. The pain shot through her chest, and she took a few deep breaths to regain control.
“Do you want me to call the nurse?” Michael asked, concerned.
“No. I can’t laugh. The pain’s already disappearing, don’t freak out. I accidentally walked in on the intervention between Kassie, Catherine, and Samantha. Victoria sat by the door to keep the women there. She meant business and she wanted them to make amends. I understand what you mean.”
A knock on the door stopped their conversation. Dr. Brady walked in and checked the drainage tubes and her vitals.
“Carrie says your pain remains managed. Your vitals appear great. If all goes well tonight, I’ll come by early in the morning to discharge you. Try to get some rest,” she advised before walking out.
Lizzy pouted. The disappointment of not going home weighed on her. As an administrator, she knew it happened. That didn’t mean she liked it as the patient.
As if reading her mind, Michael chuckled. “It’s only one night. We’ll get you settled at home first thing in the morning.”
She sighed. “I decided I like to run hospitals, not be in them.”
“I agree,” he told her. He threw away the stick from her popsicle and wiped her mouth and hands. He dug into her bag and pulled a lip moisturizer from the side. He helped to apply it and made his bed. When he finished, her eyes began to droop. He sat next to the bed and stroked her scalp. As the medication dragged her back under, she heard Michael as he leaned down and whispered, “I love you, Lizzy Bee.”