Valerie was outside Adam's room at five to six. The nurse walked by, "He's awake. You can go in if you like."
"Thank you!" Her heart was beating at a thousand miles a minute. She pushed through the door and saw Adam trying to fuss with the remote on the bed. "Hey there. How are you feeling?"
"The drugs help with the pain a bit, but this damn remote won't WORK!" he yelled throwing it on the bed. He was still trying so hard to stay mad, but with her around all he could do was smile.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Make the TV turn on, but the freakin' remote …grrr!"
"Here, let me see it." In seconds she had the TV on, the breakfast he really didn't want ordered, and him sitting more comfortably than any nurse who had come in to help that whole night. One thing he was quickly discovering, she was a fantastic nurse.
"I don't know why you ordered breakfast, I'm not hungry."
"You need to eat. Keep up your strength," she sat her hip on the side of the bed, "and you can't ingest any of your pain medications without something in your stomach, so would you rather get something to eat or deal with the pain. Obviously he had no choice but to eat. "Your hair is everywhere," she laughed, "do you want me to put it back into a ponytail?"
"Thanks, it is driving me absolutely crazy!" he smiled. He was trying to sty mad, but he was smiling. This was going to be the biggest backfire of his life. She called the nurse and got a brush that was delivered alongside both his breakfast and the Hardy brothers carrying a vase of flowers and a card.
"Thanks guys," he said reading the card while Val brushed his hair back. "Just for clarification, you guys aren't just trying to soften me up before disemboweling me, are you?"
"Hell naw," Jeff scoffed, "I wouldn't do that in a hospital with operating rooms and resuscitating equipment." Adam was a little scared, but then Jeff laughed and said he was just kidding, but there was definitely something in his eyes that said something dark, but Adam tried to blow it off.
Val went to say something, but was cut off by a knock on the door. It flung open to a man in a white lab coat. "Hi Adam, I am Dr. Youngston."
"Hi."
"Um, I am sorry to break up the party, but can Mr. Copeland and I have some time to discuss his prognoses. You can wait in the waiting room, or you can come back later."
"We'll just talk to you later." The boys walked out leaving Adam and Val.
"Miss, if you could wait."
Adam cut him off, "She is here with me, and she'll understand more of what you are saying then I will so I would like it if she stayed."
"Fine then. Adam, with the severity of your injury you are going to need to undergo surgery and rehab. We have talked to the company and they are going to have you flown to Alabama to have the surgery preformed by an expert out there. From there you will be taken home where we are currently trying to find a rehab center where you would be able to continue your treatment." He paused to take a breath, "and you will also need to look into hiring an at-home nurse for medication administration and to check up on you. Also you may want to find someone to assist you. You will not be able to drive, or walk on your left leg."
"How long is the recovery?"
"A man in your line of work? At least a year." He said it with such a sober look he thought the doctor was kidding, but he knew that he wasn't. Valerie squeezed his hand a look of understanding and sadness on her face. In that moment he realized two things. He loved her, and he was going to lose her. She dealt with people like him eight hours a day, she wasn't going to take care of a cripple like him for twenty four hours a day seven days a week for a year. She was going to get out while the getting is good, and she was going to take his heart with her.
She broke their gaze and turned to the doctor. "Is that all?"
"Yes."
"Okay, can we have a minute then. I think we need to discuss this."
"By all means." He started to walk out, then turned around, "One more thing. I am writing up your discharge papers and they said your car will be here to pick you up within the next ninety minutes."
"Thank you, doctor," Val growled. After he left, "God I thought he would never leave. I can't believe he treated you like that."
"Like what, he was only doing his job."
"No, he was acting like an uncaring troll who just told you awful news without even a kind word. No facial expression; he was like a zombie running on auto pilot." She squeezed his hand again.
"So what are you going to do?"
"Well obviously I am going to go Alabama with you."
"You are?" Adam asked surprised.
"Babe, if I don't go how am I going to know that you are being taken care of?"
"Thanks," he said disheartened.
She leaned up and gave him a kiss on his forehead, "Hey," she started her hand on his cheek. "We'll make it through this." Her words stung as Adam thought about how much it was going to hurt when she left.
Again there was a quick knock and a woman in a suit walked in. "Mr. Copeland. Your company wants us to give them nursing facility names so they can interview and choose one for you before you arrive home, but they won't give us your address for privacy, and I need to know what you live closer to in order to find such a facility."
He opened his mouth to speak, but Val started talking first. "That won't be necessary. He already has a nurse. Thank you for your help however." She turned on her heel and left.
"I have a nurse?"
"What do you think MSN stands for? The search engine?" she laughed.
"No, but you have work. And I'd have to find somewhere to live in North Carolina?"
"No, I figured I'd come live in Tampa for awhile. I wouldn't want some little nurse in a short skirt to com in thinking she can take you away from me."
"What about your job?"
"I'll take a sabbatical. They already have brought in the on-call and we have temps out the butt. They'll live without me for awhile. Right now you need me more." Adam was speechless.
