Chapter 12 #2
“It’s okay. I’m jumpy anyway.” I pull the door closed and make sure it’s locked. “Can we go to the hospital? I need to make sure my friend is doing better.”
“Of course.” He leads me out to the parking lot and guides me into his car.
For once, I’m grateful he’s driving me around. My nerves have me practically ripping off my skin. I’d probably wreck my car if I were to drive myself.
Once I’m at the hospital, Trey and the other two men who are watching over Jami gather outside his room. The nurse assigned to him doesn’t appear pleased I’m visiting so early, but she doesn’t stop me.
I pull up a chair and take his hand in mine. “You need to fight and get better. I’m not sure I can take watching you hanging on by a thread much longer.”
He stirs and moans. He seems to be in a ton of pain just from moving slightly. I release his hand and adjust his covers.
The monitors he’s attached to are silenced, so the only sound in his room is his labored breathing. I get settled in my chair and watch him as he continues to fight for his life .
Occasionally, a nurse or doctor walks by his room, but other than that, it’s quiet and sterile. I’ve never had an opinion on the way a hospital smells, but now I’m grateful for its medicinal cleanliness.
Which reminds me. I stand and go to the hallway where the nurse is stationed between the two ICU rooms. From what I can tell, there’s one nurse assigned to two patients, and they always sit outside between the two rooms working on a movable computer station.
I approach her as I leave Jami’s room. “Hi, I’m Dori, Jamison’s girlfriend. He had a fever, and I was wondering if it’s gone away.”
“Hi, Dori. He’s fighting off an infection, so he still has a mild fever.”
“What does that mean for his prognosis?”
“We started him on a stronger antibiotic, and we’ll watch to make sure it clears up the infection.”
“How long does that take?”
“We should know relatively quickly if he’s responding well to it.”
I glance back at him. He’s pale and weak looking. It’s enough to have my mood plummet lower than it already was.
I turn back to her. “Is he doing okay other than his fever?”
“He’s had more pain, but we’re adjusting his medication as needed.”
“Is there anything else I should know?”
“Nothing as of right now. He just needs to rest and let us take care of him.”
I nod and lower my head. “Thanks.”
I start to go back to Jami’s bedside, but the security guards stop me. They ask if two of them can be excused to get some food. I agree with it, even giving them the choice to take off for a couple of hours so they can get some sleep.
I’m not leaving Jami’s side, so one guard is plenty. They’re grateful for my suggestion and leave as soon as I’m planted in my chair by Jami’s bed.
He wakes around 6:30 am. “What are you doing here so early?”
My muscles relax with his words. I like it when he’s awake and responsive. It makes me believe he’ll be healthy with time.
I sit straight and smile. “I just needed to see you.”
“How long have you been here?”
“A couple of hours?”
“Why?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” I glance at a table near his bed. “Do you need some water and something to drink?”
“No, but I wouldn’t mind if you snuggled up next to me.”
“Jami, I’m bound to hurt you if I climb into bed with you.”
“It would be worth it.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Your nurse already keeps looking at me like I’m bothering you. I’m not going to push my luck and get myself kicked out of here.”
“If she kicks you out, I’ll complain and get her fired.”
“I see your pain medication has kicked in.”
His nose crinkles up. “Why do you say that?”
“I’ve known you for a long time, and I’ve never heard you threaten to get someone fired.”
He stares up at the ceiling for a moment. “Maybe not, but there’s always a first.”
“Settle down. We don’t need to be firing anyone. You need all the help you can get.”
Right as I say it, a doctor comes into Jami’s room. “It looks like I came in at a good time.”
Jami and I face his way. Jami flashes him a lazy, lopsided grin. “Hey, Doc. You wouldn’t mind if my girlfriend got into bed with me, would you?”
He chuckles. “You must be feeling better if you’re willing to share your bed. ”
Jami pats the mattress. “See, you can climb in if you want.”
“Hold up, there. I didn’t say yes. I just made a comment about how you’re feeling.” The doctor joins us on the other side of Jami’s bed. He assessed the monitors for a second. “How’s your pain level?”
Jami peeks up at his IV bag. “Tolerable.”
“That’s good. We’ve managed to get you on the correct dose. Now all we need is for your fever to come down. Once that happens, I’ll make the decision to move you out of the ICU and to the medical floor.” The doctor peeks at Jami’s heart monitor.
I run a concerned eye over the doctor. “Is Jami out of danger?”
The doctor slides his hands into the pockets of his white medical jacket as he considers my question. “He’s doing much better than we expected. We’ll keep an eye on him and take precautions. We’ll make necessary adjustments when needed.”
My stomach and jaw tighten. His vague answer does little to relieve my worry. I purposely relax and glance at Jami. He is becoming drowsy once more, his eyelids beginning to droop in the familiar sign that sleep is taking hold.
The doctor notices and finishes tending to Jami. As he’s leaving the room, he gestures for me to follow. The concern in his eyes causes my heart to skip a beat. I jump to my feet and rush out behind him.
Once we’re in the hallway out of Jami’s earshot, the doctor peers down at me.
“Now that he’s resting, I’d like to discuss his situation with you.” His stern tone has my breathing pick up.
A deep intuition tells me that things aren’t progressing smoothly with Jami, and I fear something is amiss. “What’s wrong with him?”