Chapter 45 #2
As the lights turn on and Dr. Crosby, Leigh, and Matt, the PhD candidate working with Dr. Crosby, get prepped, the room quickly fills up.
Zander places his arm across the back of my chair since there are strangers standing behind me against the wall.
Everybody seems to be respectful of us, though, talking in inaudible whispers or remaining quiet.
The two monitors blare to life, causing my stomach to do somersaults.
My hands are clammy, and a rapid, insistent drumming in my ears is all I can hear above the rising anticipation.
Zander takes my right hand in his, his grip firm and reassuring.
My left hand closes around Ray’s. He remains silent, but the barely perceptible tightening of his jaw betrays his stress.
Dr. Crosby starts her explanation of the brain waves and what she’s about to do. When she makes her incision, I hold my breath. Zander whispers in my ear, “breathe darling.”
I release my breath, realizing this part is taking longer than last time since she’s going deeper. My eyes stay glued to the closest monitor as she works. Once she’s ready, she nods at Matt and the countdown starts.
I stare at his brainwaves, willing them to change with all my heart and soul.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Ray is staring at the floor, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the screen.
At 45 seconds, the waves change. They change!
Then they go back. Dr. Crosby makes a slight adjustment, and his brain waves change again. Oh my god! It’s working!
A grin breaks across my face as I squeeze both hands in mine.
Ray looks up from the floor. “It’s working,” I whisper.
The countdown goes over the minute mark, but Dr. Crosby continues the stimulation.
She makes another slight adjustment, and the wave pattern increases.
The clock stops, and I can tell she’s smiling behind her mask. “She did it,” I breathe.
Those in attendance file out, some offering congratulations as they pass.
The moment we’re alone, a torrent of tears falls as I shakily stand and quietly shuffle over to approach the mirrored glass.
I feel such reverence for Dr. Crosby and her staff that silence is the only thing that feels appropriate.
This is a breathtaking, mind-blowing moment that I will never forget.
I reach out my trembling hand to touch the cold glass.
He’s back. He’s really back. Wonder fills my soul, a kaleidoscope of colors and emotions.
There’s no discernible difference in Jake. He's still pale and seemingly unconscious, but his coma is over. I notice the monitors turn off in my periphery as Dr. Crosby tends to Jake. She cleans the site and stitches up the incision as her assistant unhooks Jake from the monitors.
I’m unsure how much time passes before Zander steps up beside me. “Congratulations darling. I’m so thrilled for you,” he whispers.
I turn and beam up at him as tears continue to fall.
“This was possible because of you, Dad.” I wrap my arms around him, squeezing him as tight as I can.
His inquiry got Jake back. Zander hugs me back just as tightly.
We stay wrapped together for a few minutes before I pull back and look over at Ray.
He doesn’t look like a dad who just got his son back. He looks confused.
Zander steps back and sits beside Ray. “It worked. The procedure was successful, Ray. Jake is out of the coma.”
“How are you so sure? He looks the same. I don’t believe it,” he says, shaking his head back and forth.
Oh Ray. He really needs to start therapy, and soon. Jake will need his strength on the long road ahead. “Let’s go back upstairs and wait to talk to Leigh and Dr. Crosby,” Zander suggests.
He pulls Ray up, and I follow behind them out to the hallway and up the elevator to Jake’s room.
We settle onto the couch and armchair, and Zander turns on the tv.
I want to text everyone right away, but decide to wait until after we talk to Dr. Crosby, in case there are any complications.
She was definitely smiling under her mask though, and people were congratulating us.
Ray is sitting with his elbows on his knees, hands covering his face. “Ray. Jake's conscious. It was successful.”
He doesn’t even lift his head or acknowledge me. Turning to Zander, I raise my eyebrows. He shakes his head, a silent but firm stop to any further words from me. Can’t he even be happy about this? It’s why we’re here, after all.
Leigh pops in a few minutes later and pulls a chair up near us.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, Dr. Crosby was successful.
Jake is conscious, just not awake yet, so congratulations to you all,” she smiles.
“Dr. Crosby will stay with Jake for a few hours to monitor him and ensure he’s stable, but the worst is over.
We can’t predict how long each patient will take to wake, as recovery times vary.
She will come talk to you later and answer any questions you have. Okay?”
“Yeah. Thank you so much, Leigh. I can’t believe we have Jake back,” I smile.
“It’s a tremendous day, Summer.” She squeezes my arm, then gets up to leave.
Ray is still sitting with his hands covering his face. I look at Zander and nod towards Ray. “Ray,” Zander starts, “did you hear what Leigh said?”
He doesn’t respond, so Zander squeezes his shoulder. “Why don’t you and I grab a coffee, Ray?” Zander stands, and Ray follows. I nod at Zander as they leave the room.
Wow, just wow. Does he refuse to accept reality?
Is he so broken that he can’t believe Jake is back?
He’s behaving as though a disaster's struck, even though this is one of the greatest days of our lives. Shaking my head, I pull out my phone and swiftly send out the news via text. A few minutes later, Seb calls. “Sunshine. This is the best news ever. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks Hurry. Shouldn’t you be in class?”
“Yeah, I suddenly needed to pee.” I can picture him wiggling his eyebrows.
I start giggling. “I needed a laugh. Thanks Hurry.”
“Why aren’t you bouncing off the walls ecstatic?”
“Ray. He doesn’t believe Jake's back and is acting like he died. It’s putting a damper on my happiness.”
“Screw him, Sunshine. You got your best friend and boyfriend back. Enjoy it. I can’t wait to talk to him. How long are you staying up there? When can I visit? How long before he wakes up? Where does he go after this?”
“Until he’s stable. Not sure. Unknown. Don’t know,” I chuckle.
“There’s no way of knowing when he’ll wake, Hurry.
His progress will determine when he can leave.
I need to talk to Ray about where he’s going after, but he’s difficult to talk to because he’s so broken.
Zander agreed he could move in with us if Ray approved.
I don’t want him to move all the way to Michigan, Hurry.
I don’t think I could bear that after him just waking. ”
“You’ll convince him to stay nearby, Sunshine. I know you will. The guys and I will help, you know that. When he sees how much support Jake has, he’d be a fool to move far away.”
“If only he was rational, but he’s not. Anyway, I don’t want to worry about negative things today. That stuff can wait. You need to get back to class, but I love you for calling me. Thank you.”
“Love you too, Sunshine. Call during lunch. I’m sure everyone will want to talk to you.”
“I will unless the doctor is here. Bye Hurry.” After I hang up, I check my texts. Sue, Mal, and Sarah all replied with congratulations. Since I have time, I call Sue and talk for a few minutes before calling Sarah. “Hello Summer. What an incredible day!” she greets.
“It is Sarah. Thanks. Do you have time to talk?”
“Of course. What’s on your mind?”
“Ray. He doesn’t believe Jake has regained consciousness. We saw it work, and the nurse confirmed it. He’s lost in his own mind, I think. He’s so broken. Instead of this being the best day, he’s acting like it’s the worst. I’m worried about his ability to make decisions about Jake. He’s a mess.”
“From what you’ve told me, he hasn’t dealt with his emotions from the accident.”
“Yeah. Zander said it was a trauma response, possibly PTSD. While he's had some success communicating with him, he can’t get through about Jake being back.”
“Let Zander work with him, then. I’m sure he has lots of experience with this from the army. You have a say in Jake's care as well. Remember that and focus on yourself. Don’t let him distract from the miraculous day today. Against all odds, Jake has returned. Enjoy this moment.”
“Thanks Sarah. I'll try to do that.”
“Good. The rest can wait. When you are ready, I’ll have a list of therapists for Ray. Call if you need to talk again.”
“Bye, and thanks again.” Leaning my head back against the chair, I let out a big breath. I’m tired, as if I’ve just completed a marathon, and it isn’t even lunchtime.
Zander and Ray return with drinks. Zander hands me a tea with a smile as they take seats on the couch. Ray is at least looking upward now, though he seems unhappy.
I waste two hours doing SAT prep on my laptop while the news plays on tv before Dr. Crosby joins us. “Hello all. Sorry to leave you here all morning, but I wanted to stay with Jake to make sure he was well.”
I stand up anxiously. “Is he okay?”