We Will Get Through This Chapter I
Emily Fields was loading up her SUV with suitcases . Her mountain bike was on a rack behind the vehicle. She was happy to get away for the weekend with her friends Toby and Spencer. They were going to Spencer's family cabin in the Poconos. As she finished loading up she looked back at her wife Alison on the porch.
Alison smiled and Emily said, "Are you sure you don't want to go?"
"I have to cover at the office tomorrow until noon. You go ahead. You love mountain biking and you deserve to have some fun." Alison replied as she walked off the porch and towards Emily.
Emily got close to her and kissed her.
The brunette said, "I'll give you a call tomorrow morning"
"Sure." Alison said.
It was Saturday morning and Alison was at the real estate office doing a monthly record archiving. She took occasional sips of coffee in between the tasks. The office's radio system was on at a low level. It was around 11 am when her phone rang.
"DiLaurentis Real Estate, this is Alison speaking." She said into the receiver.
"Ali it's me Toby" A male voice said.
"Toby, what is it?" She asked.
"It's about Emily there's been an accident."
Her heart sank and she responded, "What happened? Is she ok?"
"We were mountain biking and she hit a bad patch of rocks and tumbled down. She's being airlifted to Philadelphia. We'll met you there."
She was shaking and after hanging up with Toby called her brother Jason to drive her to Philadelphia.
The blonde was crying during the car ride. Flashes of Emily filled her mind. They finally arrived at one of the large hospitals. They were directed to a waiting room.
After twenty minutes a female doctor came out.
"Are you the wife of Emily Fields? I'm Dr. Victoria Hamilton" She said.
"Yes. How is she?"
The doctor looked Ali in the eyes, "There are multiple injuries. Her left leg is broken in two places, three broken ribs, left wrist is broken, broken nose, various cuts on her body. The most serious injury is that her neck is broken and we are prepping her for surgery to stabilize her spinal cord and put her in a halo brace."
Alison almost dropped to the ground, but Jason held her up.
Dr. Hamilton said, "Usually with injuries to the spinal cord, there is paralysis. When the surgeons go in they will see which cervical vertebrae was damaged and they can determine how the quadriplegic level. Your wife is in for a long recovery. She will need surgery later on for the broken nose. We are setting the broken leg right now and getting in a cast. We need you to sign the forms for surgery. You won't be able to see her before."
Alison then reached for the clipboard and signed the forms. She sat down with Jason holding her.
It was later when Toby and Spencer arrived.
Both were visibly upset and comforted Alison.
It was seven hours later when two surgeons, one male and female came out.
The female surgeon identified herself as Dr. Susan Parker and the male as Dr. Evan Michaels.
Dr. Parker said, "The spinal cord was severed at the c6 and c7 levels which means the sixth and seventh vertebrae in Emily's neck were impacted. She will be paralyzed from the armpits down. She will have use of her arms but they will be weakened a bit in the tricep area. The wrists will be weakened and she won't have finger use. She will have to undergo extensive rehab to learn to use a wheelchair and do daily living tasks. Although, she might need help in her day to day life. We had to do a tracheotomy to assist with breathing because neck injuries take a toll on the diaphragm and lungs. We will get her off the tracheotomy and ventilator in a few weeks. She won't be able to communicate with a full voice during that time. She will be in a halo brace for the next 12 weeks.
Dr. Evans spoke, "I repaired her broken wrist. Luckily there was no need for plates or pins. She will be in casts for a few months. The broken leg didn't require surgery, but we will be monitoring the injury and doing weekly cast changes for awhile. An ENT doctor will be monitoring the broken nose and then will advise on when to get it repaired.
Alison stood in shock trying to take in all the details. After moments she asked, "When can I see her?"
Dr. Parker smiled thoughtfully and said, "In about two hours. The ICU staff is getting her set up. She will be heavily sedated for the couple of days."
The blonde just nodded.
It was two hours later when a nurse guided her into the ICU room. She started to weep at the sight of Emily. The first thing she noticed was the halo brace. A black metal ring was around Emily's head and secured with pins and screws and a plastic light tan vest was attached and secured around Emily's chest and torso. A hospital gown had been threaded underneath. In Emily's neck, a hole was cut for the tracheotomy and the ventilator was attached. There were IVs in the right arm and beeping monitors were making sounds in the room. The brunette's broken leg was in a baby blue cast from hip to toes and was propped up on pillows. The wrist was in a splint and placed ontop of a pillow. Emily's broken nose was swollen and misshapen a bit.
The nurse left the room after several minutes.
Ali didn't say anything at first. She said, "I'm here Emily. I'm so sorry this happened."
Author's Note: This story touches a personal note for me. I've written other spinal cord injury related stories because I have a spinal cord injury and I'm in wheelchair. I'm a C7 quadriplegic so my injury is similar to what I've written for Emily. I was injured in a diving accident three years ago. Writing stories about lesbians with spinal cord injuries is therapeutic for me because I'm struggling to find love from another woman.