Chapter Fifteen
I fell asleep again not long after the nurse left, and woke the next morning when an orderly came in to deliver a breakfast tray.
He adjusted my bed so I could sit up and rolled the tray table across my lap. I took one look at the cup of broth and the tiny bowl of green Jell-O.
“This is all I get? I haven’t eaten in five days. I’m starved.”
“The doctor wrote DAT in your chart,” he informed me, “which means ‘diet as tolerated.’ They’ll see how you do sipping on this, then they’ll advance you to something more.”
“So lunch will be better?”
“Maybe. As long as you can keep this down.”
“Great.” I reached for the cup of broth and hoped for the best.
* * *
A half hour later, my mother, stepdad and sister, Marie, walked into the room. Mom burst into tears at the sight of me.
“Thank God!” she said, bending over the bed rail to hug me. “I’m so sorry we weren’t here when you woke up. I’ll never forgive myself.”
“No worries, Mom. You’re here now.”
Marie moved to the other side of the bed and hugged me as well. “You are one tough cop,” she said with a grin. “Too bad you missed all the hoopla. You were all over the news.”
“Yeah?” I replied, shaking Eric’s hand. “So I’m a celebrity now?”
“Pretty much,” Marie replied. “The reporters were outside for the first few days, but they’re gone now. I’m sure they’ll be back when they hear you’re awake.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m not really up for talking to reporters. I haven’t even tried to walk yet. And I could use a shower.”
“Don’t worry about any of that press stuff,” Marie said. “We’ll handle everything and tell them how you’re doing. There are a lot of concerned people out there, you know. All kinds of flowers were left out front. People were lighting candles and praying for you constantly.”
I thought about my strange experience in the operating room and couldn’t help but wonder if it was all those prayers that had brought me back. I probably should have said something to my family about what occurred, but for some reason that morning, it seemed less real than it had when I first woke up to the bright pen light shining in my eyes.
Maybe it was just a dream. Maybe that was the light I saw…
“Have you talked to anyone yet?” Marie asked.
I laced my fingers together on my lap. “About what?”
“About what happened when you were shot. Did you know the carjacker’s in custody?”
“He’s alive?” I was relieved to hear it.
“Yeah, he’s fine. You shot him in the leg and he was released from the hospital after a day or two.”
“What about Scott?”
“He’s fine, too,” Marie replied. “He was lucky the guy had such terrible aim. It was just a surface wound on his arm. The woman is okay and feeling very grateful for what you and Scott did for her. She said the carjacker stole her van while she was pumping gas. He forced her inside, then got behind the wheel and kept the gun on her. Turns out he was running from some drug dealers he owed money to. The woman came to visit you a few days ago. Those are the flowers she left.”
Marie pointed toward the window.
“That was thoughtful,” I said.
Mom leaned over the bed to kiss me on the cheek. “We’re just glad you’re all right. We’ve all been so worried.”
She stepped back when two nurses entered the room with towels and a pan of water. “Good morning, Officer Wallace,” one of them said cheerfully. “I’m Terri. Are you ready for a bath?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” I replied.
My family went for coffee.
* * *
After a light lunch of vegetable soup and more Jell-O, which I kept down without any trouble, the two young nurses returned to coax me out of bed and take me for a walk down the hall.
“The sooner we get you moving the better,” Nurse Becky said as she lowered the bedrail. “It’s been five days since your surgery, so we don’t want to hear any excuses. No more lying around.”
“Believe me,” I said, tossing the covers aside, “no one wants to be out of this place more than I do. No offense to you and Terri.”
“None taken,” Terri replied with a grin.
I had no intention of complaining, but it seemed a gargantuan effort just to swing my legs off the bed and set my feet on the floor. All my muscles felt rubbery.
“It’s perfectly normal to feel a bit weak at first,” Terri said, “but you’ll be fine once you start moving.”
“No problem,” I said. “I got this.”
Nevertheless, it took me a minute or two to take the first step and walk fully upright, and I didn’t enjoy having to shuffle down the hall like a senior citizen, but I was determined to get back on my feet so I could be discharged as soon as possible.
“You did great,” Nurse Terri said when we returned to my room. “I hope we didn’t wear you out too much.”
“Nope,” I replied as she helped me back onto the bed. “So tell me, Terri. What are the odds of a tasty steak dinner tonight? Maybe some mashed potatoes and gravy? A little red wine would be nice.”
She glanced up at me flirtatiously as if I’d just asked her out on a date, when all I was referring to was the supper tray that would be delivered later.
“Odds aren’t great,” she replied. She covered my legs with the blanket.
Another visitor walked in just then, and I felt a rush of adrenalin as I looked up.
“Hi Josh,” she said.
Nurse Terri patted me on the shoulder and turned to go. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“Carla…” I replied.
Slowly and cautiously—as if she had no idea what sort of reception she would get from me—Carla approached the bed.