After returning to her seat, Sian had filled Sophie in properly regarding the injuries that she'd sustained from her fall. She had told her about every fracture and operative procedure that she'd had as much and as well as she could remember with her limited medical knowledge. She was just about to move on and explain about her craniotomy when Denise had returned to Sophie's room accompanied by Dr Trevelyan, who was wearing the blue scrubs that Sian had become so accustomed to seeing on him. Together, they crossed the room towards Sophie's bed, Denise trailing closely behind the doctor, the door closing quietly in their wake.
"Hi Sian," Dr Trevelyan greeted the blonde as he came to a halt on the opposite side of the bed to where she was seated. Her left hand was still wrapped loosely around Sophie's as it lay in the bed beside her, and the smile that had spread across her face only moments ago remained firmly in place.
"Hi," she replied brightly, watching Dr Trevelyan as he leant over the bed rail on Sophie's right hand side slightly.
"Hello Sophie," he said kindly, meeting her blue eyes with his own. "I'm Dr Trevelyan," he introduced himself. "I've been in charge of your care since you were admitted to the hospital. It's nice to see you're finally awake."
He paused for a minute, the corners of his mouth turning up in an encouraging smile.
"You gave everybody quite a scare," he informed her, glancing up at the monitor above Sophie's bed to check her observations. "How are you feeling?"
"Ok, I guess," Sophie replied shrugging in response, a grimace contorting her face in pain as she elevated her right shoulder.
"A bit sore huh?" Dr Trevelyan noted sympathetically.
"Not all the time," Sophie said honestly. "Just…when I move too much, that's all."
Dr Trevelyan turned towards Denise who was waiting expectantly for his instruction.
"Can we up her morphine infusion to 1.25 milligrams per hour?" Dr Trevelyan asked the nurse.
"Sure," Denise replied, stepping around the bed to adjust the settings on the syringe driver controlling Sophie's pain relief.
"That should help manage your pain a little better," Dr Trevelyan offered kindly as he turned back to face the youngster.
"Thanks," Sophie acknowledged gratefully.
"You're welcome." Dr Trevelyan acknowledged. "If it's alright with you Sophie," he began sensitively. "I'd like to ask you a few questions about yourself, are you happy for me to do that?"
Sophie nodded her agreement.
"Ok," the older man said. "Are you able to tell me your date of birth?"
"My date of birth?" Sophie questioned.
"Yes," Dr Trevelyan responded. "When were you born?"
Sophie glanced at Sian who was watching her girlfriend intently, eager to hear her answer.
"The fourth of November," Sophie replied uncertainly, "right?"
"That's right," he conformed. "Can you tell me which year?"
Sophie threw a look in Sian's direction once again before saying, "Nineteen ninety four."
"Great," Dr Trevelyan encouraged. "What about your sisters name, can you remember that?"
"Yeah," Sophie replied, "its Rosie."
"Is she older or younger than yourself?" he continued quickly.
"Older," Sophie responded.
"Is Rosie your only sibling?" Dr Trevelyan asked her.
"Yes," Sophie said reflexively. "No….wait…I've got a little brother now. Well, half-brother technically but, he's still my brother."
"Can you remember what happened to you?" the older man asked, changing tact slightly. "Why you're in hospital?"
"No, not really," Sophie admitted. "Sian told me that I fell off a roof," she almost questioned.
"That's right," Dr Trevelyan confirmed.
"I don't remember that," Sophie reiterated. "Should I though? Does it mean something's wrong because I can't remember?" Sophie asked anxiously.
"Not necessarily," Dr Trevelyan reassured her. "Your blood alcohol level was elevated when you came in to the hospital," he told her. "That coupled with the head injury you sustained from the fall would account for your memory loss."
"I don't have amnesia then?" Sophie questioned.
"Maybe some minor retrograde amnesia," Dr Trevelyan admitted, "but nothing that I'm concerned about. Your long-term memory appears to be intact."
He paused for a moment, turning his attention to Sian who was watching him, a look of concern on her face at the mention of Sophie's amnesia.
"Try not to worry," Dr Trevelyan encouraged. "Sophie's amnesia is very mild. It seems to be focused around recalling the events around the time of her accident. It's quite common following a head injury. They'll likely come back to her over the next few days or so. She remembers yourself and her family, so I'm not troubled that she's forgotten much before that. We'll continue to monitor it over the next day or so," he said to Sophie, "and if any problems do arise we can address them then."
He turned to Denise beside him.
"You said vision and sensation appeared normal?" he questioned the nurse.
"Her pupils were equal and reactive to light," Denise confirmed. "Sensation is grossly intact to light touch throughout all four limbs."
Denise paused momentarily.
"I haven't fully assessed muscle power yet because of pain," Denise continued.
"Ok," Dr Trevelyan acknowledged, turning back to Sophie and placing the fingertips of his left hand in the palm of her right one.
He reached over the table with his opposite hand and Sian released her grip on Sophie's hand to allow him to do the same with her left hand.
"Can you squeeze my fingers?" he asked Sophie, a smile creeping onto his face. "Try not to break them though," he joked, "I'm still going to need to use them for the rest of the day."
Sophie looked between her left and right hand, concentration evident on her face as she tried to follow Dr Trevelyan's instructions.
The older man threw a meaningful glance at Denise beside him which didn't go unnoticed by Sian.
"What is it?" she asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"
"Are you left or right handed Sophie?" he questioned, frowning slightly.
"Right handed," Sophie said. "Why?"
"Can you try and hold my fingers really tightly," he instructed her. "I'm going to try and pull them out of your hands and I want you to keep them there, ok?"
"Ok," she said, gripping as tightly as she could to his hands.
Dr Trevelyan pulled away from Sophie, trying to free his fingers from her grasp. His left hand stayed in contact with the brunette's right, her grip strong and unyielding. His right hand however, easily disengaged itself from her left.
"Sophie can you bend your elbows up to touch your shoulders?" he asked her, his face neutral and impassive.
Sophie did as she was told, wincing slightly as she move her right arm, her muscles tight from fifteen days of limited activity and her surgical scar. Her left arm remained still on the bed.
"Try the left arm again for me," he said, reaching over the bed to support it in his hands.
Sophie tried again, her face full of determination.
"I can't," she said frustrated after a moment. "It won't move."
"You can feel me touching it though?" he questioned.
"Yes," Sophie replied. "I could feel it when Sian touched me too."
"What about your leg?" he continued, placing her arm carefully back on the bed beside her body. "Can you move the toes of your left leg?"
Sophie wiggled her toes easily, in response to his question.
"Good," he said, stepping round to the end of the bed and holding his hand palm down a few inches above the bed. "Now can you lift your leg so that your toes touch my hand here?"
Sophie seemed to struggle for a moment but eventually managed to lift her leg off the mattress to reach the target of his hand.
"No quadriceps lag," Denise noted surprised, as she watched Sophie's leg, knee still extended, lower back onto the bed.
"What's wrong?" Sophie asked. "Why can't I move my arm?"
"Is it paralysed?" Sian questioned anxiously, her concern palpable.
"Not paralysed," Dr Trevelyan reassured her. "It's just very weak."
"It'll get better though?" Sian enquired hesitantly. "I mean, it's not permanent."
"Sophie's grip is poor, but, there's evidence of activity there," he explained. "The same goes for her elbow, her muscles are working it's just, they're not generating enough force to move against gravity."
He paused for a moment to let his words sink in.
"The fact that Sophie has some activity is really positive," he assured them both. "It means that there is definite opportunity for improvement. Plus, her lower limb doesn't seem to be affected, so that's really promising."
"Why can't I move it?" Sophie queried.
"It's probably as a result of your head injury," Dr Trevelyan explained. "You had a bleed in your skull after you fell," he went on. "We had to operate and remove the excess fluid to relieve the pressure it was causing on your brain."
He paused momentarily before continuing.
"Sometimes, if the pressure is too prolonged or too much it can lead to damage to the brain tissue and, depending where it is, could cause paralysis of the opposite side of your body." He carried on.
"Sophie's leg is alright though," Sian said confused.
"Exactly," Dr Trevelyan agreed. "It seems to have only affected Sophie's upper limb which although isn't ideal, likely means the weakness is only transient and will resolve. As I said before, Sophie has evidence of activity in her hand and elbow; it's just very limited at the moment."
"How long will it take to come back?" Sophie asked him.
"It varies for each patient," the older man informed her. "Physiotherapy will facilitate the process somewhat but improvement will happen as your body and your head injury continues to heal. You just need to give it time."
Sophie glanced at her girlfriend and for the first time since she'd woken up, Sian saw her apprehension, her fear and it killed her.
Dr Trevelyan spent the next few minutes checking Sophie's wound dressings and re-iterating and elaborating further on what Sian had told her regarding her injuries. With each word, Sian noticed Sophie's expression become more and more despondent, the indifference and apathy she'd had on initially waking being eroded by the stark reality of the situation, of her condition.
"We'll hopefully be able to remove the tracheostomy tube tomorrow," Dr Trevelyan said encouragingly. "As long as all your blood results come back within the normal limits and your oxygen saturations are maintained above ninety five percent."
"Right," Sophie acknowledged unenthusiastically.
Dr Trevelyan glanced at the clock on the wall of Sophie's room and sighed apologetically.
"I'm afraid I have to be in theatre soon," he said regretfully. "I'll come back and check on you once I'm finished though."
"Thanks," Sian said gratefully in Sophie's silence.
"Look," he said glancing between the two girls, his eyes settling on Sophie, who was looking at her feet downheartedly. "I know that it's a lot to get to grips with," he empathised, "but all things considered you're making good progress."
Sophie raised her eyes to meet Dr Trevelyan's but remained silent.
"Do you know if your parents are going to be in today?" he questioned her.
Sophie looked to Sian uncertain.
"They should be in at some point," Sian answered on Sophie's behalf. "They normally come in a little later."
"I'm going to give them both a call," he informed Sophie kindly. "Let them know that you're awake and update them on what's happened, is that ok?"
Sophie nodded her head, "Yeah," she replied quietly.
"Ok," Dr Trevelyan said looking towards Denise momentarily in her position on the right hand side of Sophie's bed and gestured for her to follow him. "I'll see you both a little later then."
Sian and Sophie watched as the older man made his way to the door and disappeared through it.
"I'll be back in a moment," Denise reassured them as she followed behind him, the door closing in her wake and obscuring her from their view.
Sian turned back to Sophie who was looking at her left hand where it sat, once again, in Sian's clasp.
"It'll be alright Soph," Sian tried to bolster her girlfriend. "You heard what he said…it's probably only temporary."
"Yeah I guess," Sophie said, obviously unconvinced.
"Hey," Sian soothed, reaching up and brushing Sophie's brow comfortingly. "What were you just saying to me huh? You said you were fine, remember, that you were ok…"
"What did I know…" Sophie interrupted.
"No you were right babe," Sian said, "I mean, things could be a lot worse, we've just…we've got to take one day at a time that's all."
"You don't have to stay you know," Sophie stated sadly.
"What do you mean?" Sian asked confused.
"You know," Sophie replied. "Through all this…"
"Sophie," Sian cut her off, preventing the brunette from finishing her thought. "I'm not going anywhere alright…I told you before, remember?"
"Sian, it's not fair on you though," Sophie protested. "I mean, look at me, you were right… I must look a right mess." Sophie turned her eyes up towards the right side of her head in a futile attempt to see where she now knew her craniotomy scar lay; her head partly shave, thick stitches protruding from the raised wound.
"No," Sian said smiling and reaching over to trace Sophie's scalp alongside the scar gently with her fingertips. "You look beautiful."
"You're such a liar Sian," Sophie said disbelievingly.
"No I'm not," Sian disagreed seriously. "You'll always be beautiful to me Soph, inside and outside."
"Really?" Sophie asked uncertainly.
"Really," Sian confirmed leaning over and kissing Sophie's head just above her right eyebrow. Sophie winced slightly as Sian's lips grazed the bruised tissue then smiled as she lowered her lips to Sophie's own once again, kissing her girlfriend properly.
Sian pulled back a little and noticed the smile that had spread across Sophie's face.
"I've said it before but I'll say it again," Sian said, a wide grin on her own face. "You look great when you smile Soph."
"Yeah well, you do an' all," Sophie reciprocated.
"I love you," Sian said simply as she leant forward and kissed Sophie again, her soft lips meeting her girlfriend's tenderly as though they were an extension of her own body.
The door to the room opened loudly and Sian pulled back from Sophie quickly in surprise, turning her head in its direction and expecting to see Denise returning from her discussion with Dr Trevelyan. Instead, she was shocked to see Rosie's form as she entered through the door, her huge handbag hanging loosely over one arm; her eyes fixed firmly on the mobile phone in her other as she typed a text message.
"Hiya Sian babe," Rosie said lightly, not lifting her gaze from her mobile as she made her way in the direction of the bed, her high heels clicking loudly with each step. "You'll never guess what happened….I went all the way down to the studio to find out that the shoot had been postponed until tomorrow. I mean, they could have called me or something to let me know right? I tried calling Jason at work to come and get me but, he said he couldn't because he was busy…so…I had to get the bus…can you believe it? I mean, me…on a bus…it's…"
Rosie lifted her gaze from the phone as she finished texting and noted her sisters' eyes watching her closely. She dropped her bag on the floor where she was standing and practically ran across the remaining distance between herself and Sophie, her arms opening wide in a ready embrace.
"Oh my god, Sophie!" Rosie gasped, stopping up short just before she flung her arms around her younger sister , as though remembering the extent of Sophie's injuries and not wanting to hurt her. "You're awake…"
"I see you're just as sharp as ever," Sophie noted sarcastically, laughing slightly to herself.
"You're not brain damaged…" Rosie noted tactlessly at Sophie's words.
"Well that makes one of us then," Sophie replied teasingly.
"Wait….what?" Rosie asked confused.
Sian and Sophie shared a smirk at the older girls' expense before Rosie shrugged the comment off and leant over Sophie on the bed, kissing her on the cheek firmly and leaving behind a red lipstick mark in her wake.
"Don't you ever do that to me again," Rosie scolded her younger sister, tears beginning to stream down her face as she pointed a finger at Sophie accusingly. "I've been worried sick about you."
"I'm sorry," Sophie apologised sincerely, her own tears threatening to fall at the distress and grief evident on Rosie's face.
Rosie managed a half smile as she leant forward and kissed Sophie's forehead, picking up her sisters right hand in her own and squeezing it tightly as she did so. Sophie squeezed it back reassuringly as Rosie's lips left her skin. The older sister laughed to herself slightly as she noted the lipstick mark on Sophie's forehead and she licked the thumb of her free hand before gently rubbing it away. Once all traces of her lipstick had been removed, Rosie continued to caress Sophie's forehead with the pad of her thumb, drawing small circles on the soft skin. Sophie closed her eyes slightly, a tear escaping down her cheek.
Rosie wiped it away quickly for her sister and smiled sadly through her own tears.
"I love you….you….stupid, idiot." Rosie almost sighed, relieved.
"I know," Sophie said meeting her gaze. "I love you too."
Rosie laughed once again and Sophie turned to Sian who was watching the interaction between the two siblings with affection.
"Hey," Sophie said, the fingers of her left hand inching ever so slightly in an attempt to squeeze Sian's hand. "I love you an' all, you know…."
Sian smiled and kissed the back of Sophie's hand in acknowledgement. "I know you do babe," she replied before turning to look at Rosie, her eyes finally registering the older girl properly since she'd entered the room. "Rosie…." She began questioningly.
"Yeah babe," Rosie replied, glancing between her sister and the blonde.
"What are you wearing?" Sian asked laughing as she noted Rosie's outfit.