Home » The Archives » Chapter 9 » Regrouping and Recouperation
| Re: Regrouping and Recouperation [message #218 is a reply to message #217] |
Mon, 23 July 2012 15:20   |
artisticrainey
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Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
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Saturday, August 11, 10:30 AM; Denver General Hospital (6:30 AM Sunday on Tracy Island)
Joy got out of the taxi, followed by her twins. They got their luggage from the trunk, and Matthew finished paying the driver, thanking him for his advice about nearby hotels. He joined the others as they walked into the hospital together, carrying their bags. At the front desk, they got Lena's room number (412), and the name of the doctor taking care of her, learning that he was currently on that floor.
They took the elevator up to the fourth floor and as the emerged, Joy took her brother's arm. He felt her shaking and looked at her, patting her hand. "Hang in there, sis. You know how tough Mom is. She'll be okay; I know it, and so do you."
"I do, Matthew," she replied quietly, "but we've rarely seen her when she's weak. In fact, I can only think of two times: when Dad died, and when she finally came home after being kidnapped. It tore me up to see her like that. I don't know if I can handle it, seeing her in the hospital bed."
"Of course you can; you have to. Besides, you're a lot like her; tough when it counts. And your kids are going to take their cue from you, so you have to buck up for them, if not for Mom."
Joy sighed. "I know. But I don't have to like it."
"That's the sister I know and love."
"Mom! Uncle Matthew! Here's her room!" Naomi exclaimed in urgent, but hushed tones.
"Well go ahead and knock," Joy replied.
Naomi did so, and heard a muffled "Come in", then pushed open the door. She went in and saw her grandmother with her left arm in a sling, and a bandage on her head. "Oh, Nyanya!" she exclaimed, bursting into tears and dropping her bag just inside the door. She rushed over to the bed.
"Be careful, Naomi," her uncle said sternly as he and the others put their bags with Naomi's. "Don't hurt her any worse than she already is."
Naomi stopped just in time, and took her grandmother's right hand which had been extended toward her. She held onto it tightly, and kissed it. "I was so afraid when I heard you'd been in a plane crash, Nyanya. We all were."
"I know, child. It's natural to be." Lena smiled as her son, then daughter leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, followed by her grandson. "But find some chairs and sit down. Naomi, please loosen your grip, before de nurses come in to find out why de heart monitor isn't working."
Naomi giggled, partly at her grandmother's words, but mostly from relief. She released the hand, and Lena reached out and drew her close, kissing her on the forehead. The girl reciprocated with a kiss on the cheek, then sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Mother, how do you feel?" Joy asked.
"Not bad, considering. Dis is a good hospital, wit a very caring staff. I am on pain medication, but don't feel too drowsy. De doctor says I can leave in two or tree days, if I continue to improve."
There was a sigh of relief all around, and Kevin asked, "What did he say were your worst injuries?"
"Dis broken collarbone, and a concussion, honey. I was knocked out for a little while, about ten minutes." She chuckled. "After de rescue teams got to de site, dere was one who, whenever I closed my eyes, would tell me not to go to sleep, to stay wit him. I finally told him I wasn't losing consciousness; I was trying to pray."
"So you were unconscious for only a short time?" asked Matthew. Lena nodded. "Then the concussion, though serious, isn't as bad as it could have been, thankfully," he continued. "Remember the time I fell off my bike and hit my head on the sidewalk? That doctor gave me more information about head injuries than I wanted or needed to know, including a scolding almost as bad as yours for not wearing my helmet. Has your doctor seen you yet today?"
"Yes; he left about half an hour before you all arrived."
Her son stood up. "I'm going go see if I can find him. I want to let him know that you now have family here with you." He headed for the door and opened it, then turned. "I won't be long."
Lena turned back to her daughter. "You look exhausted, and de twins don't look much better. Didn't you get any sleep last night?"
"Not really; I was worried about you. Once we leave here, we'll go to a hotel, and I'll sack out for a couple of hours. Then we'll come back for another visit."
Meanwhile, Matthew was successful in his search. "Doctor Sloan? I'm Matthew Matumbo, Lena's son."
"Ah, good," the other man replied. He was in his mid fifties, slightly taller than Matthew, with dark blond hair. "I expect you want to know her condition. Well, I haven't kept anything from her, so what she told you is pretty much it. The worst injuries were a broken collarbone and a grade four concussion. She was in obvious pain when they brought her in, but didn't complain. In fact, she kept trying to get us to take others before we checked her out. We finally told her no one else had worse injuries than she did, and it was her turn. She finally allowed us to look her over. Once we took care of her collarbone and head injuries, we gave her medication for the pain. It made her drowsy, and she said some interesting things -- about you and someone named 'Scott'."
"Really? What did she say?"
The doctor grinned at him. "Did you really convince your sister that it was okay to go trick-or-treating as Eve, before she ate the forbidden fruit?"
Matthew looked ruefully at the doctor. "Oh man! I thought I'd lived that down. It was when we were both eight years old. That's a lifetime ago." He paused, remembering, then said, "Scott is the son of the man who owns the company Mom works for. What did she say about him?"
"Nothing much. She just told him he had to get some sleep so he wouldn't land them in the ocean. Said it a couple of times. Also something about him being too sick to go anywhere."
"And she's better now?"
"Pretty much. We changed her pain medication, so the sleep she gets will be natural. I want to keep her another two or three days for observation, and to satisfy myself that she is well enough to travel. I understand you all live in Maryland."
"That's right."
"Well, she may have some qualms about flying again, so soon after being in a crash, even though she might not show it or say anything. Giving her a few days to rest up and heal is a good idea, but the emotional and psychological aftereffects will still be there for some time to come. I suggest you keep an eye on her."
"Thank you, doctor. We will."
Matthew headed back to his mother's room and opened the door just in time to see Lena suppress a yawn. "It looks to me like you need some rest, Mom. And I know we all do, as well as a meal. I suggest that we go get something to eat and rooms where we can sack out for a few hours. We'll be back later to visit again."
"Dat's a good idea, Mattew. You all look like you need rest more dan I do. And Joy told me dat you came straight here from de airport. You should have gotten rooms first."
"No, we wanted to see you first, as I already told you," replied Joy. "But I could use a meal, a hot bath and a long nap. And so could these two. I won't speak for my brother, though."
He grinned at his sister, the doctor's words still fresh in his mind. "We'll be back when we're more refreshed. You get some rest, too." He leaned over Lena and gave her another kiss on the cheek. "We're all glad to see you here instead of the morgue."
"Silly boy! Go on wit you. Get your sleep and food, and I'll see you again later." Lena winked and smiled at him, as he joined the others at the door. They picked up their bags and with calls of "Bye, Mom", "See you later", and "Bye, Nyanya", they left the room.
Post by Hobbeth On 1/11/2007 8:58 PM
  
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