Chapter 45 #3
She raises her hand. “Fine Summer. He’s just fine,” she smiles.
She sits in the chair Leigh pulled over earlier with a small sigh before explaining what’s next.
Jake will return to his room after we talk, and he’s doing very well.
His brain waves are steady, but his incision area will be tender and delicate until it heals, and it’s vital that he doesn’t bump his head.
She doesn’t have a timeframe for him to wake.
The room will be dimmed, the door closed, and kept quiet.
It’s fine for us to stay here, but we should try to keep things calm for Jake.
“Do you know what movies and music he liked before the accident?” She asks.
“Yeah. I can give you a list,” I tell her.
“Excellent. Surrounding him with familiar things will help draw him out. Your voices will help too. Continue talking to him like you have been, Summer. Now, what questions can I answer?”
My first question is what to do when he wakes.
He should stir, mumbling and twitching before opening his eyes.
We need to get the nurse right away and leave the room.
Dr. Crosby will evaluate what he remembers and introduce him to his new reality slowly.
His acceptance will determine how fast or slow they give him information. We'll follow Jake's cues from then on.
When she has answered all of my questions, she leaves, promising Jake will be up in a few minutes. Leigh comes in, pulling the sheer curtains closed and dimming the tv screen. She leaves and comes back with a pen and paper. “Can you list the movies, tv shows, and music he likes for me, Summer?”
“Of course,” I reply, taking the pen and paper to jot down everything I can think of. “He'd be watching hockey and movies mostly,” I tell Leigh.
“Good. Why don’t you find something on the tv he would like? All the popular apps are on there,” she smiles before leaving the room.
I search through the apps to find his favorite movie and press play, turning the volume down a little.
Dr. Crosby comes in with Jake in tow a few minutes later, and I bolt over to his side.
Leigh comes back in, and they hook him up to all the monitors and IVs.
I notice a round-type pillow under his head when they raise his bed so he’s up at a 45-degree angle.
“What’s that pillow thing around his head? ” I ask.
“It’s a horseshoe pillow to keep the pressure off the back of his head,” Dr. Crosby replies. “It’s important to keep his head cradled in the pillow until fully healed.”
“Got it,” I nod. Once they leave, I grab the chair and pull it up beside Jake, taking his hand.
“Hey Jake. The procedure worked. Now, I just need you to open those blue eyes and smile at me. Your dad's here too. When you’re ready, wake up so we can talk.” I squeeze his hand and settle into my seat.
Looking behind, I see Ray still sitting on the couch, lost in his own mind.
Zander walks over and squeezes my shoulder. “What would you like for lunch, darling?”
“Maybe just the food truck across the road? I don’t want to leave Jake right now.”
“Sure. I’ll take Ray with me. Will you be okay here alone for a bit?”
“I’m good,” I smile. Zander talks to Ray, and then they leave the room.
Pulling out my phone, I see it’s after lunch for Seb, so I text him an update, then get comfortable to watch the rest of the movie.
I’d really like to crawl into bed beside Jake and snuggle, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea with his head.
I also don’t want to complain about Ray, so a movie it is.
Zander and Ray return after a short time, so I kiss Jake on the cheek, letting him know I’m having lunch just a few feet away.
Taking a seat in the armchair, Zander sets a bag and soda in front of me.
“Thanks,” I smile. My stomach growls when I unpack the burger.
I’m hungrier than I realized and devour the food quickly.
I sit back and rub my food baby as Zander chuckles at me.
“Better?” He smiles.
“Yup. I was hungry.” I look over at Ray, who's also finished eating. “Would you like to sit with Jake for a while?” I ask him.
He shakes his head no. I pull the cupcakes out of my bag, open the container, and offer them each one.
Zander smiles and takes one, but Ray declines.
Getting up, I retake my seat and hold Jake’s hand.
I tell him what I had for lunch, the cupcakes I made him for his birthday, and things we did as kids for about an hour, then watch another movie, rubbing my thumb across the back of his hand as I watch.
I can hear Ray and Zander talking behind me in low voices.
Seb calls after school, so I let Jake know I’ll just be in the hallway. “Hi Hurry.”
“Sunshine, I’ve got a few minutes before practice. How ya doing?”
“Fantastic. Tired. Sitting with Jake. No change yet. How is everybody?”
“Happy for you, obviously. Any change in Ray?”
“No, not even after the doctor talked to us. He won’t even sit with Jake.”
“Shit. Sorry Sunshine. Listen, I’ve gotta run. Call me later?”
“I will. Have a good practice. Love you.”
“Love you. Bye.”
I hang up and take a deep breath. As I turn to go back into the room, a woman approaches me. “Hello. Are you with the other patient?”
“Sorry?”
“I’m two doors down with the newest patient. My name is Debra.”
“Oh, hi. Yes, I’m with Jake. I’m Summer. Nice to meet you.”
“I heard you had success this morning?”
“We did,” I smile. “He’s conscious after the second round.”
“So there really is hope. Thank goodness. I’ve heard the statistics, but to know it works, to have proof—well, it’s more real. Thank you.”
“I wish you the best of luck. Stay hopeful. It really can happen. I’ll be here all week, but I should get back inside. It was nice to meet you, Debra.”
“You too, Summer,” she smiles before returning to her room.
I open Jake’s door to find Zander talking to him. He smiles when he hears me enter and gets up from the seat. He offers to put some hockey on the tv for Jake, so I thank him and take my seat again.
Ray leaves promptly at 5pm with a quick goodbye. I look over at Zander as he shakes his head. “What do we do with him?” I ask. “He didn’t even wish Jake a happy birthday.”
“Have patience. Be kind. I’m hoping when Jake opens his eyes and talks, that will force Ray to confront this. Until then, keep talking to Jake. We’ll keep him company.”
Leigh comes in close to 6pm to check on Jake.
“The night nurse will be on shortly. I don’t think you’ve met her.
She switches off with Sandra. I already talked to her about the information you gave me, so she’ll keep playing something from the list overnight.
He won’t have a bath tomorrow because of the procedure, and I’ll be back in the morning. Do you have any questions?”
“Yeah. With the door closed, will she be able to tell if Jake stirs?”
“Yes, come with me and I’ll show you.”
Getting up, I follow her to the nurse's desk. There are monitors I never noticed hidden behind the counter. They show Jake’s vitals, and she switches on a camera so you can see Jake.
She zooms in on his face and then out. “We can see everything from here. If the other family leaves, she will open Jake’s door, since we turn down the lights with the sun setting. ”
“Thanks for showing me. Will someone call if he wakes?”
“Absolutely. The first call is to Dr. Crosby. The second call is yours.”
I go back into the room as she packs up. “Do you mind if we wait to see the night nurse? I’d like to talk to her before we leave,” I ask Dad.
“Of course, darling,” Zander replies.
Sitting with Jake again, I tell him his dad went home for the night and I'll be leaving soon, but I'll be back in the morning to spend the day with him.
A new nurse knocks and enters a few minutes later. “Hello, you must be Summer. I’m Faith,” she smiles.
“Hi. Yes, I am.”
“Nice to meet you.” She looks over at Zander. “Hello, you're Zander, then?”
“Yes,” he smiles.
“Evening Jake. I heard you had a very busy day today. We’ll all be able to talk to you soon.
I bet Summer can’t wait for you to open those eyes.
” She changes his IV bag and checks him over.
“I have the list from Leigh. I usually read a book at night. Do you think he’d be interested in my reading to him? ”
“He wasn’t a prodigious reader before the accident, but his nurse, Mal, in Virginia, read to him all the time.”
“I might try it then. Call and check on him if you’re worried, but I expect him to be fine.”
“Thank you.” Once she leaves, I watch Jake for a few minutes before getting up. “Ready to go?” I ask Zander.
“Ready, darling.”
I gently kiss Jake’s cheek before we leave for the night, waving goodbye to Faith as we pass. Traffic isn’t too bad since rush hour is over. When we arrive at the hotel, Zander offers to order pizza, so I grab a shower.
We eat on the couch, then I crawl into bed. “So, I was initially thinking I could stay with Ray this week if the procedure worked, but I’m not comfortable doing that now.”
“Neither am I, darling. I’ll stay here with you. We can take our work with us to the hospital and keep up to date there, like we did before.”
“Thank you. Really. That’s a load off my shoulders.”
“Of course. I’m going to hop in the shower.”
Giving him a smile, I turn on the tv and call Seb. We talk for over an hour before hanging up. Zander starts a movie, but I fall asleep before it’s over.