Chapter Thirty-six
Morgan
I hear a consistent beep of a machine. I try to focus on the noise and where it's coming from, but my brain is so foggy. As quickly as I hear the beeping, it starts to fade into the background, and I hear nothing more.
~~~
I don't know how long it's been since I heard the beep of a machine, but in addition to the beeps, quiet fans, and machine motors, I hear voices. Several, actually. I try to move my head in the direction of the voices, but it’s too heavy. I can't make out whom the voices belong to, but I know they are starting to sound familiar. It sounds like two men and a female voice, maybe more. If only I could hear what they were saying, but all too soon the voices fade, and I fall back into silence.
~~~
Once again, I'm startled by the damn beeping. Where the heck am I? I hear a familiar voice again. It's one of the several voices I heard from before. His voice is close, like right beside me, and while his words are fuzzy, I recognize the voice. I've heard it before, and it makes me feel safe. He sounds like he's pleading with someone. He sounds so sad.
Who is he talking to? I'm so close to figuring it out when the voice starts to fade again. No! I want to scream. I want to hear his voice; I need to hear his is voice.
~~~
My brain feels funny, but my eyes flutter open, and I take in the white walls and rows of lights on the ceiling. It smells like cleaning supplies. I hear a machine consistently beeping next to me, and I listen to the perfectly timed interval of a click from another machine. I focus on myself and realize I'm in a bed. It’s an uncomfortable bed, but I'm warm, so I must be covered up.
I move my head just slightly and see Gia and Ruby sitting on a small couch that looks just as uncomfortable as the bed I'm in. I try to move, but it hurts. Oh my God. My whole body hurts. I let out a gasp, and I hear movement from the couch.
"You're awake!" I hear Ruby squeal. I turn my head and see Gia and Ruby rush to my bed. They both look exhausted, and tears trickle down Ruby’s face, and Gia looks like she is fighting to keep hers at bay.
I open my mouth to speak, but it feels like it's full of cotton. I lick my lips as I try to wet my mouth. Gia turns slightly and picks up a cup of water and brings it towards my lips. She holds the straw still as she puts it to my lips, and I take a drink. Oh, that tastes so amazing.
Ruby squeezes my hand, says, "I'll be right back," and leaves the hospital room.
Gia places the cup back on the tray and says, "It's about time, slow poke," with a small smile. "You've had us all on our toes."
I clear my throat before trying again, "What's going on?"
Her face turns remorseful, as she grabs my hand and says, "You were in an accident. Do you remember that?"
I just stare at her, because I don't remember.
Gia continues. "Well the cab you were in tried to beat the train, and didn’t. You were badly injured. You're going to be fine, but we didn’t know for sure at first. The doctor said you'd wake up when your body was ready, and now you’re awake." She squeezes my hand. I take my eyes off her and turn to look out the window. It looks like its early evening.
I try to sit up, and a jolt of pain shoots through my body. “Ouch!" I say, but I continue to push through it.
Gia pushes the pillows up behind me for support and says, "Yeah, try not to move much. I think they are going to have to give you more painkillers."
"How long have I been here?" I ask.
Gia worries her bottom lip as if she doesn't want to answer my question. "Gia?"
"Three days. Your last surgery was two days ago, so we've all been waiting for you to wake up since then."
"Was I in a coma?"
"No, but your body went into shock with the extent of your injuries and surgeries. The doctors have been monitoring you around the clock, but for the past twenty-four hours or so, you've been fine, just in a deep sleep. The doctor said you'd wake up at any time."
I'm taking this all in, and honestly, I'm overwhelmed. I'm about to ask Gia something more when the door opens, and a doctor and nurse come in the room. The doctor is an attractive, older woman, probably in her forties. She looks a bit harried like she hasn't had much sleep. She takes in my state and smiles warmly at me.
"Hello, Morgan. I'm Doctor Davis. I've been tending to you since you were admitted to the hospital a few days ago. Has…" she looks to Gia for a second like she is trying to recall her name, "Gia. Has Gia had a chance to talk to you about what's going on at all?" She asks me but looks toward Gia.
Again, with a dry throat, I say "Umm, kind of. The cab I was in was hit by a train, and then I went into shock after my last surgery." My answer sounded more like a question than a statement.
"Yes, that is correct. You suffered some severe injuries. We had to perform two different surgeries to stop internal bleeding. When you came out of your last surgery, your body went into what we call, hypovolemic shock. This happens when your body loses too much blood. We had to give you a blood transfusion. After that, you came out of shock, but you haven't fully woken up until now. We've been motoring your vitals so we could tell if your body was healing, and it is. This kind of thing happens when your body goes through lots of trauma."
Internal bleeding, shock, blood transfusion. Oh my God. My eyes fill with tears as the memories of seeing the train and feeling the impact rush back to me.
"I remember. The cab driver was driving really fast."
Gia winces and sorrow fills her eyes.
I look back at the doctor as she continues to speak, "Yes. Since the car was traveling at a high speed, it made the impact worse. Fortunately, the train was not going the normal speed. You are very, very lucky to be alive, Morgan."
I gulp down the acid in my sandpaper throat.
"I'm going to be ok?" I immediately do a mental check of my body. Obviously, I had control of my upper body since I was able to sit up. I could move my fingers, my legs, I tried to wiggle my toes, and while it was painful, the test was successful.
"Yes. Surprisingly, yes. Your left femur is broken, plus you have a sprained wrist, and you have several cracked ribs. You have a deep gash on your forehead, but it was a clean cut, so you shouldn’t have a horrible scar. The internal bleeding, which we've discussed, and lots of cuts and bruises, but all of that will heal in time."
No wonder I hurt. I sigh, "I feel like I've had the crap beaten out of me," and Gia lets out a laugh through unshed tears. I smile at her because this must have been hard for her to see me like this. "And I bet I look as good as I feel," I add.
"You sitting up and awake and talking looks a thousand times better than what you looked like twenty minutes ago." She smiles and wipes at her eyes.
Doctor Davis looks up from my chart and adds, "Your friend called your father after she found me. Once he is here, we will discuss what needs to be done for you to heal at home. I'd like to keep you here for a couple more days. If we don't have any more issues, then you can go home." She smiles. "I'll have the nurses notify me when he arrives."
She gives me a kind smile, turns, and leaves my room. The nurse that came in with her was quiet, busying herself with the machines and updating my charts. She finally speaks. "If you have any pain, push this red button, and an appropriate amount of pain medication will be released through your IV. We will be able to monitor how often you push it, and that will help us know the extent of your pain. And don't worry. You can't give yourself too much. Now that you are awake and moving around, you're probably going to need this." She hands me a small pump-like device with a red button on the top. I say thanks and set it in my lap. Then she leaves the room with a nod to Gia, leaving us alone in the quiet room.
~~~
Shortly after the nurse leaves, Ruby returns. Ruby looks relieved but tired as she comes to stand beside the bed. Gia walks back over to the couch, pushes it a little closer, as it seems to be on wheels, and sits down. Ruby takes her place next to me.
"So, my dad is here?"
"Yes, I've just talked to him. He is finishing up a conference call at his hotel. He will be here as soon as he can," Ruby replies.
"I see that work is still more important." I try not to sound too disappointed, but it hurts to know that he wasn't here waiting for me to wake up.
From the couch, Gia says, "He's been here since the day you were admitted, and he has been a mess worrying about you. We overheard him trying to cancel his call when we both urged him to go back to the hotel to get some rest than to go ahead and take it. We promised him we would call if anything changed and we did. It just happens to be at the exact same time as his call."
Ok, well now I feel like a shrew. Of course, my dad cares about me. Have I become that jaded?
I try to smile, hoping it doesn't look as forced as it feels. "So, about that train," I try.
"Morgan, what the hell were you doing in that cab?" Ruby's brow is furrowed.
Heat flushes my face, “I was going to see Dex.” Thinking of Dex makes my heart hurt.
Quietly, I ask, “Does he know what happened?”
"Yes. I called him when we found out about the accident from your dad. The hospital called him from your phone once you were admitted," Gia says from Ruby's side.
I close my eyes in relief. He knows, and he’s been here. Is he here now?
Gia continues, "Dex, Bernie, and Simon were still in New Orleans. He and Simon took the first flight back to Chicago. He's been here in the hospital ever since."
"He slept there, on the couch last night. They wouldn't let him stay the first night, but he wouldn’t leave the waiting room. Finally, they let him stay here in your room. Your dad had to tell the nurses it was alright since he isn’t family," Ruby adds, brightly.
Again, I find myself overwhelmed with information to process. Dex has been here the whole time, by my side.
"So…so where is he now?" I ask, realizing that if he'd been here the whole time, why haven't I seen him yet? What if he was only here because he wanted to make sure I was ok but didn't really want to talk to me? Now that I was ok, he could go home. Move on.
Nerves start to build in my stomach, and I try to adjust my body, but all I can feel is pain and nausea. I push the red button. Within seconds, I start to feel the pain fade away into more numbness.
"He's eating," Ruby happily says. Like the thought of him enjoying a meal excites her.
Gia can read the confusion on my face, rolls her eyes at Ruby and adds "She means that he isn't here right now because we forced him to leave the hospital to get a real meal. I don't think he has slept or eaten since we've been here. It took several of us, but we were finally able to force him to go home, take a shower, because, oh my God, he smelled bad. Then, the guys and Bernie took him to get something to eat. The only way he agreed to do it was if we promised to stay by your side until he got back." She says this with a hint of annoyance.
"After I called your dad, I texted Bernie. They had just sat down to eat. She was going to wait till he ate before she told him. If he had found out you were awake, there is no way he would have eaten, and he probably wouldn’t have left your side again," Ruby adds with a chuckle.
"He has been a major pain in the ass. I bet you anything Bernie gets her head chewed off when he finds out she waited to tell him you woke up,” Gia offers bluntly.
But then, with all trace of annoyance gone from her voice, "That boy loves you, Morgan."
Ruby, with a slight bounce in her posture, nods enthusiastically.
Warmth floods my body, and not from the pain meds this time. Does this mean that after all of this heartbreak, confusion and pain, I might get what I've always wanted…a happy ending?