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“Mrs. Henderson, your husband suffered a laceration to one of his carotid arteries last night. That’s a major artery that provides the blood supply between your heart and brain. He lost a lot of blood quickly. When he got here, he didn’t have a pulse. The survival rate for this type of injury is very low.”
I choke on air. Tears fill my bloodshot eyes, and snot drips from my nose. I think of our daughter. I think of how she’ll never know the man her father was. The good man he was.
I think of my mom and how she must have experienced a moment just like this one. God, is this what she felt like? This complete and utter sense of helplessness. I can’t help but feel like history is repeating itself. It’s like I’m stuck on a merry-go-round of hell and I can’t get off.
I bend at the waist and stare at the floor. I ball my sweating palms into fists. I brace for the words I know are coming next.
“He’s alive, Mrs. Henderson.”
I cry out when his words register. I release some of the pain through my screams. Lyla wraps her arms around me and when I look at her face it’s stained with tears of her own.
Why didn’t he lead with that? Jesus. My heart thuds back to life. It’s a slow thud, but I feel it all the same.
The doctor continues to speak, as my lungs slowly begin to work on their own again. “We got him back, but he’s still unconscious. He’s in a medically induced coma. We need his body to heal. He’s not out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot. He had to have a blood transfusion. We won’t know if the blood loss caused any permanent damage to his brain until we’re able to wake him up. And even if he’s fine, it’s a minimum of three to six months of recovery time. There’s a risk of stroke. He’s got a long road ahead of him.”
“He’s alive,” I say, my voice wobbly.
I grasp onto those words and hold on to them with all of the strength that’s left in me.
“He is, and as soon as we get him situated in the unit, we’ll let you see him, okay?”
My body is flooded with relief. Damien is a fighter.
He’s alive.
Chapter Fifteen
Damien
“Just checking in. He’s sleeping like a champ. Everything looks normal, Gia.”
Who’s sleeping? Am I dreaming? It’s like I can hear this unfamiliar voice, but I’m in a dark room without any light.
“Thanks, Lyla. You have no idea what it means to me that you’re here.”
Lyla? I don’t know a Lyla. Do I? Geez, I’m so tired. Sleep feels good. Maybe I’m the one sleeping like a champ. Naps are good…I’ll just sleep for a little bit longer.
∞∞∞
“Gia, good to see you. You’re looking better this morning. Get some rest last night?” I hear a man’s voice.
Fucking hell, my head hurts. Who is this man and why is he looking at my wife?
I try to move, but can’t. I try to open my eyes, but nothing happens.
“Thanks, Doc. Damien and I had a riveting conversation last night. He nearly kept me up all night. Honestly, I can’t believe I look so refreshed.” She laughs lightly, and the sound soothes me.
We did? She said my name, take that motherfucker. But…I don’t remember any of that. Did she call him Doc? I must have gotten my dome rocked at practice or something. Shit, my head. Maybe if I fall asleep, I’ll wake up and feel better.
∞∞∞
“Mom, she doesn’t need cookies before bed! Absolutely not. Put the cookies down, woman. You’re a menace.” Am I dreaming? That voice. It’s familiar. It sounds like Gia.
Why is Mama Patterson here? She hates flying. Is it Christmas already? Panic ensues. I don’t remember buying anything for Gia recently. Did I forget Christmas?
“He’s okay, still resting. When he wakes up, we’ll have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.” What are we dealing with? Who is resting? Did something happen to Jeff?
“Listen, Mom, I appreciate you staying with Astria. You don’t know what it means to me. Can I see her? Hold on, let me Facetime you guys back.” Astria. My baby.
