Chapter 6
“He’s in V-fib. Prepare the defibrillator for two hundred joules,” Dr. Peters ordered the Code Blue team.
Ashley closed her eyes and kept praying. The defibrillator chirped as soon as the charge was ready.
The RN responsible for administering the electric shock readied the machine and placed the protective pads on Noah’s chest. “All Clear! All Clear!”
Everyone stepped back, hands raised in the air.
“Administering shock.” She depressed the paddles.
Ashley opened her eyes and tensed as Noah’s body jerked. God...please!
Dr. Peters stared at the monitor. “Still V-fib pattern. Shock again, this time increase it to three hundred and sixty joules.”
“Preparing to shock with three sixty joules,” the RN called out as the machine charged. “Ready to shock. All clear. All clear.”
Ashley bowed her head and lifted her hands to her lips.
The team stepped clear as the nurse dispersed the shock again. Noah’s body jumped. The cardiac monitor showed one blue blip followed by a regular wave pattern...and another...and another. Finally, a regular sinus rhythm pattern appeared. Everyone sighed in relief, and a few cheers rang out.
“Let’s repeat the labs, including a blood gas, a CBC with differential, and blood cultures ASAP,” Dr. Peters said. “Excellent work, everyone.”
As the team dispersed to clean up and refresh supplies, he motioned for Ashley to step outside the room.
Her legs were as limp as noodles, and she had difficulty pushing herself up out of the chair. Pausing at Noah’s bedside, his rhythmic breathing reassured her on the ventilator and the steady blip on the monitor screen. She shuffled out of the room and down the hallway where the doctor waited.
“It’s still tenuous, Ashley, now more than ever.” Dr. Peters removed his glasses, polishing them on his lab coat.
“I realize that. But I also believe that God is in control.”
He stared at her as he replaced his glasses, unanswered questions in his eyes. His cell beeped. “Got to go. I’ll stay in touch.”
An hour later, Dr. Peters returned to the room with the post code blue lab results, astonishment on his face.
“Unbelievable! All his labs are almost within normal limits. Even his white blood cell count is decreasing. I’ve never seen this before.”
Ashley’s face glowed and spoke aloud. “Thank you, God, for sending a miracle.”
Dr. Peters fidgeted, face flushing. “I wasn’t raised in the church, but this is making me rethink some things.”
Ashley smiled. Maybe God was at work doing something even greater than she could imagine. “Thank you for everything.”
“Glad I could help.” A sheepish grin spread across his face. “Guess I’m not in charge as much as I thought I was, huh?” Turning to the door, he waved. “Get some rest.”
Ashley curled up again in the recliner next to Noah, placed his hand in hers, and slept like a rock.
The next morning, Ashley woke up to the feeling of being watched. She sat up in the chair to find Noah’s warm brown eyes staring at her. He raised a hand and wiggled his fingers.
“You’re awake!” She rushed over to his bedside and hugged him, tears of joy sliding down her cheeks. “I love you.”
She brushed her lips across the corner of his mouth, still intubated, but she could see he was taking breaths on his own. She pressed the call button, and a voice spoke from the transmitter.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes. This is Ashley Smith in room seven. Wonderful news! Noah is awake!”
“The RN will be in right away.”
Seconds later, a flurry of medical personnel, including the day shift RN and RT, flooded the room. Dr. Fisher strode into the packed room next, followed by Sabrina.
The crowd parted as Dr. Fisher approached the bedside. He whipped off his stethoscope and listened to Noah’s lungs and heart while looking at the monitors.
Smiling broadly, he placed a hand on Noah’s shoulder. “Welcome back, Mr. Smith. I’m Dr. Fisher, the intensivist. Are you ready to get that tube out of your throat?”
Noah nodded eagerly.
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
The RT stepped forward. “Hi, Mr. Smith. My name is Trevor, and I’m a respiratory therapist. The plan is to take the tape from your mouth and remove the endotracheal tube. I’ll be here with you if you need help breathing after the tube is removed.”
Noah nodded.
“Your throat will be sore, and you may not be able to talk for a little while.” He unwound the tape securing the tube and positioned his hands to remove it. “Are you ready?”
Noah gave him a thumbs-up.
Trevor peeled back the tape and held the endotracheal tube in place. “On the count of three. One...two...three...”
Noah choked and sputtered as the tube was withdrawn.
Trevor quickly placed a mask with humidified oxygen over his nose and mouth. “Take some breaths slowly; in and out. You’re doing fantastic.”
Ashley clasped her hands and watched as Noah took his first breaths off the respirator.
Noah concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was bone dry, and his throat was like sandpaper.
Simone, the day shift RN, introduced herself as she took his vital signs. “Oxygen saturation is 98%,” she said. “Blood pressure is 110/60 and steady.”
Dr. Fisher spoke up. “Excellent! Let’s start weaning off the vasopressors. Maintain his blood pressure at its current reading, no lower. There’s no rush. Give his body time to adjust.”
The nurse wet a pink sponge on a white stick and placed it in his mouth. “Try to suck on the sponge.”
Noah did. It gave him some relief, but he motioned with his hand for more.
Simone dipped the sponge in the water again. “One more, and then we have to wait for a bit. Don’t want you to feel nauseated or throw up.”
Noah took another suck on the sponge, then reached out for Ashley’s hand. “I love you,” he rasped, gazing into her brilliant turquoise eyes.
She leaned forward and put her arms around his neck, careful of the tubes that remained. “I love you too. More than I could ever express.”
They held each other and soaked in the moment, each of them thankful for a second chance.
Later, Dr. Fisher approached the bed where Ashley was holding Noah’s hand. “Ashley and Noah, I want to tell you what an experience of a lifetime this has been for me. In my almost fifteen years of practicing medicine, I’ve never witnessed anything like this.”
A faint smile crossed her pink-glossed lips. Noah looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“Many of us in the medical profession act like we can control life and death. But you’ve shown me otherwise. I’m humbled.”
Noah and Ashley exchanged a glance.
Dr. Fisher continued. “While I was in the chapel, I picked up a Bible, something new for me. Like I mentioned before, I wasn’t raised in a church-going family.
” A serious expression furrowed his brow.
“Actually, my parents were atheists and thought science held all the answers. That’s the reason I went into medicine. ”
I don’t have all the answers to my questions, but I’m ready to learn.”
Sabrina spoke up. Her dimples indented as she flashed a smile at Dr. Fisher. “I’d love to invite you to my church if you’d like. Check it out and see if it’s a fit for you.”
Dr. Fisher grinned. “Only if I can take you to brunch afterward.” Sabrina blushed.
As they exited the room, Sabrina turned and gave Ashley a wink.
Ashley turned to Noah. Her mouth twisted with emotion. She pressed her head into the crook of his neck. “Oh, Noah. Noah. I thought you were dead...and I didn’t know how I could go on without you.”
Noah caressed her face and pulled her in for a kiss. With a contented sigh, she relaxed in his arms and savored the feel of his chest rising and falling on its own.
Noah cleared his throat and mouthed the words, “I... want...to...see...my...girls.”
“Dad! You’re awake...and there’s no tube in your mouth.” Katie jumped up and down.
Emma laid her head on his chest and sobbed. “I didn’t think you would still be alive, and I didn’t know what I... we...would do without you.”
Noah patted her head and brushed her hair with his hand, still attached to several IVs. He whispered hoarsely in her ear, “I’m here, baby girl.”
Looking around the room at his parents, wife, and daughters, he tried to speak. The words came out raspy and rough. He cleared his throat and pointed to the pink sponge. Ashley dipped it in the water and placed it in his mouth.
He wet his lips and tried again in a ragged, breathy tone. “I love you all. Thank God for giving me a second chance at life.”
Ashley kissed him on the lips. “Amen to that.”
Their celebration was interrupted by a brisk knock on the door.
Two uniformed police officers entered the room, accompanied by a nurse.
“Noah, these gentlemen are detectives from the county sheriff’s department. Now that you’re conscious, they’d like to ask you some questions about the accident.”