Mitch got news of the accident before he left Nevada. He got Katie’s mom’s cell number and called her while he was waiting to board his plane. He was equally glad and sad to be the one to break the news to them.
June cried, “I’m glad you called, Mitch. We’re in Washington, D.C. and will leave as soon as we can find a flight back.” She said something to Gary. “Do you know how she is?”
“No, but I’m about ready to board my plane and will let you know when I get there.”
“Thank you. I’ll save your number and let you know if we hear anything before you get to the hospital.” Not long after Mitch’s call, June and Gary received a call from the hospital and got an update on Katie’s condition. June texted Mitch—she was unconscious and had a few broken ribs.
***
“Katie’s in ICU, but not in critical condition,” the nurse, Peggy, said to Mitch. “Visitation is for family only.”
“Does almost family count, or a legal matter?” Mitch asked, and pulled out his badge
Peggy smiled, knowing who Mitch was and his job. “She’s in room three thirteen. Are her parents here?”
“Hope to be on a flight in from D.C. soon.”
“I hope so too. She’s still unconscious, but she may know you’re there.”
Mitch opened the white double doors and felt anxious to see his girl. He heard a nurse and doctor speaking quietly and hoped it wasn’t bad news about Katie.
The door to room 313 was ajar. He opened it and saw the lady he loved lying helpless with her hair spread out over the pillow. Her face was pale yet covered with bruises and there was a bump on the left side of her head.
Mitch pulled the chair beside the bed and straightened her hair around her head. “Kate, please be okay. Don’t get hurt on me. I love you, Kate, I love you.” He sat there for several minutes until the nurse came in to check on her.
“How is she?”
“She’s stable now. Through the night the heart monitor jumped all over the place. It got a little scary at first. Is this business or personal?” a nurse named Beth asked.
“Personal.”
Beth smiled and went on checking Katie’s vital signs. “Everything looks fine.” She jotted notes on her clipboard. “If you need anything, push this button on the side of her bed and we’ll be right in.”
Mitch gave Katie’s cheek a gentle touch with his finger. “Will do.” He sat for hours until he finally rested his head on a corner of Katie’s hospital bed.
***
“How’s she doing, Mitch?” Gary asked as he and Jane walked into the hospital room.
June stood on the opposite side of the bed and looked at her daughter. “Poor baby, she doesn’t deserve this.”
“No, she doesn’t.” Mitch looked back at Katie.
June walked over to Mitch and gave him a small hug. “You must be tired. Have they found the other driver?”
“Not yet. Surprised they drove away with no injuries. The cops are looking in the area and beyond in the hospitals or quick cares for anyone with auto accident injuries. Nothing yet.” He looked back to Katie. “She’s in stable condition.”
“What a relief. They were pretty scared during the night was the news I got,” Gary said.
Mitch put his hand on Katie’s. “I’ll leave you two alone with her.” He stood, but Gary placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Please stay. We came here right after we got off the plane, but need to take some important papers to my office. June needs to come with me, but we’ll be back within an hour.”
“Okay.”
“How long are you in town?” June asked.
“I leave Monday night.”
She touched his arm. “It means a lot to us. You have both our cell numbers?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll hurry back.”
Mitch nodded as they left and sat back. He picked up Katie’s hand and kissed it. “Don’t scare me, sweet pea.”
Melanie stopped by for ten minutes to check on Katie. She talked to Mitch and thought it was strange Katie’s parents came and left with their daughter in the condition she was in. “Did they seem worried at all?”
Mitch shrugged. “Not much they can do at the moment here.”
He listened to her talk about how Katie was the best person at work ever and hoped she pulled through with no mishaps. She also told Mitch she would take care of Ivy Muffin. Gary and June were back in an hour and Mitch went home to shower and eat.
***
A couple hours later, Mitch went back to the hospital to give Katie’s parents time to go eat some dinner. He closed his eyes for a moment but was awakened when Katie jerked in her sleep. She was dreaming.
Mitch was troubled as he watched Katie mumble and thrash her arms. He tried to hold them in place while he pushed the nurse call button.
Peggy answered. “What can I do for you, Mitch?”
“Her monitor is beeping and she’s flapping her arms around.”
“We’re on our way.” Peggy trotted into the room with another nurse named Liz and checked Katie’s pulse and pressure. “She must be dreaming. It’s common when you’re unconscious and it can really get the heart rate up. It looks like it’s time for some more pain meds. It will calm her.”
“How long do you think she’ll be out?”
“Don’t know. It depends on the injury and the person themselves.” She wrote notes on Katie’s chart. “She’ll pull through. She’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.”
Gary and Jane came back a few minutes later and were happy Katie’s vitals were normal. They bid their goodbyes and all but Jane, who stayed in Katie’s room, went to their separate homes.
***
Throbbing pain woke Katie. She hurt badly and had a dry mouth. Half dazed and eyes closed, she whispered, “Drink, drink. Need a drink.” A straw was put between her lips. She sucked some water and it made her cough. A hand wiped the drool from her chin.
“My head hurts.” She put her hand on the side of her head and felt a bump. “What happened?” She tried to open her heavy eyes as the nurse put more pain meds in her IV, but Katie went back to sleep.
June and Gary were at the hospital off and on Sunday as Mitch sat there from ten in the morning until the early afternoon. After hearing the news of Katie waking up and talking for a moment, they watched her closely, but there hadn’t been anything new since.
***
Katie moved her head some and saw light in front of her eyelids. She opened them and saw light from the ceiling. A movement on her right side caught her attention. Mitch had rested his head on the bed’s side bar on top of a pillow.
She touched his arm. “Mitch?”
He jerked and looked at her in surprise. “You’re awake. You had us all scared.” He leaned over and pushed the nurses’ button.
“Peggy here.”
“She’s awake.”
“I’m on my way.”
“What’s wrong with sleeping? Why do I hurt? Why am I in the hospital?”
“Sweetie, you were hit by a car Friday night. It’s now Sunday. You have a concussion and broken ribs.”
“I dreamed of a car chasing me. I was with Kevin and Autumn and a car kept crashing into us as we were driving.”
“It was yesterday. You were yelling in your sleep, calling for Kevin and Autumn.”
“It felt real. The car was hitting me.”
“I’m sure it did.”
Peggy came in then.
“I’ll be back in a few.” Mitch stood and left. He called Katie’s parents and told them the news. They thanked him and said they would be there soon.
***
Mitch went back to Nevada on Monday morning and Katie was released from the hospital on Tuesday. She stayed at her parents’ house until the end of the week, and Melanie continued to go by Katie’s apartment to feed Ivy.
With the insurance money Katie received, she got a newer car and wanted to spend some of the rest of it to fly to Nevada and spend time with Mitch. It didn’t work out because he took double the course load in order to finish sooner and come home by August instead of October.
Katie went back to work two weeks after the accident but only worked two to three hours a day. Her ribs were healing fine and she was only on a low dose of pain medication. Her head still had a small bump and the bruises on her face were darker as they faded away. The doctor ordered her to not push it.