Wake Up Call Chapter 21

Lexy had returned as Dr. Desai was making an early-morning round and reducing the IV medications in order to arouse Sam. He was a short, serious man. Dark brows arched as he wrote in the detective's chart. Sam was running a low-grade fever which was to be expected but the compressed dressings on her leg had to be changed carefully and watched for signs of infection. Because the surgeons were able to operate within hours of the stabbing, they managed to clean, debride, and repair damaged muscle in addition to the torn femoral artery and nerve. They then closed the wound with multiple sutures. Sam would have a lengthy scar on her thigh but Lexy was impressed with the surgeons' handiwork. Dr. Desai did not question her presence in the room as she was still in her scrubs and the care-unit nurses knew that she was Sam's mate and would be checking in regularly. He left Lexy and the attending nurse to administer to the patient as she awakened and would return later in the day to conduct a neural examination with his colleague.

Lexy moved closer to the bed and was relieved to see that Sam's ashen color had improved, her face actually a bit flushed from the fever and warmer to the touch than the day before. The initial shock of the trauma was passing and Sam seemed to be returning to homeostasis. Her oxygen saturation levels had also improved.

Nurse Jacobs went to remove the facial mask but Lexy gently grabbed her wrist. "Let me, please." The nurse could see beyond the professionalism and knew that these two women obviously meant a lot more to each other than merely friendship. She had previously worked in A&E with the young doctor and admired her from afar. She wanted to give Lexy some measure of privacy and control over this difficult situation.

"Why don't I leave you two alone? Ring for me once she's awake and you have her settled." Lexy nodded her appreciation as the nurse slipped out of the room.

Sam could hear voices but the words seemed garbled. She felt as if she were floating … her mind drifting apart from her body. Disconnected thoughts tried to make themselves known but melted away into the nearby voices before she could grasp them.

There was something she had to do … open her eyes. Yes, open her eyes. She tried but her lids were heavy, oh so heavy. Tired. Very tired. Why was she so tired?

The many voices turned into one, very close. She knew that voice.

"Sam? Can you hear me?"

She felt fingers grazing her face, something being drawn away causing her to draw a deep breath and cough.

The voice was back. "That's good. Breathe slowly. Try to open your eyes."

Breathe slowly … Lexy! Recognition helped her to focus. Her eyelids twitched and, finally, she was able to open them, finding a very blurry but smiling lover peering into her face. She could feel Lexy's warm breath caressing her.

"I knew you were in there!"

"What … where?" Her voice was raspy, her throat scratchy and dry. She coughed again.

A hand reached under her head, raised her to take a straw to her lips. "Sips, just small sips." The cool water was so refreshing that she tried to take a larger gulp but the cup was pulled away.

Lexy's voice seemed amused. "Are you going to behave?"

Sam's confused look told her that she needed to reassure her patient. "You're in hospital. You've had surgery."

Sam's head started to pound. Scattered thoughts tried to knit together. But her thirst still demanded attention and she stared at the cup in Lexy's hand, pleading. Once again, her lover gently held the straw to her lips, reminding her to sip slowly.

Sam closed her eyes, exhausted from the minimal encounter. She still could not remember just what had happened to cause her waking up in this sterile hospital room. Where was I? What was I doing?

The blood-pressure monitor beeped and Lexy realized that Sam was getting stressed. Nurse Jacobs peeked in, having seen the readouts from her main station. She was about to come back to give the patient a sponge bath.

"It's okay. She's conscious and re-orienting herself." Sam's eyes stayed closed but her vital signs were returning to normal.

Lexy looked at the basin, towels, and fresh gown the nurse was carrying. The nurse put the items on a small table near the bed. "Her dressing will need to be changed, too … and the catheter." Once again, she deferred to the doctor.

Lexy knew that she could not assume full care for Sam but during these first precious hours, she wanted to do all she could to provide relief and comfort. The nurse smiled at their hidden consensus and left the room.

Sam drifted in and out. She heard that voice again. Her lover's voice, speaking to her in hushed tones. It was good to just lie there, not trying too hard to remember … Remember what? A warm cloth moved across her face, rubbing gently, trailing down her neck.

"Sam? I'm going to change your gown. Can you lift your shoulders as I turn you slightly?" Those skilled hands pulled her forward and released the tie at the back of her gown, gathering the material and slowly stripping it away from her back and arms. More warm water followed. She could feel the calming pressure as a wet sponge was drawn across her back, down her arms and across her chest. Lexy held her upright as she reached for a towel and dried her. Sam opened her glazed eyes and stared into her lover's face. Lexy kissed her forehead.

"I can't have people thinking you're a dirty cop."

Sam tried to smile but even that required much more effort than she had at the moment. "Sorry, can't seem to stay awake …" Again, she drifted.

Lexy had gotten the new gown in place, gave Sam a brief hug, and laid her back onto the bed. Now, for the difficult part. She rolled the gown up past Sam's legs, revealing the toned figure that always caused her heart to beat a bit faster. Sam's body was bruised and battered – her shapely leg marred by some bad-ass gangster who couldn't care less about innocent victims. Sod it! She so wished Sam had been a lawyer or a teacher, not someone who put her life on the line every time she answered a call. But then, Sam wouldn't be Sam. The Sam she loved. She could no longer deny it. And the pain she felt as she carefully bathed her lover's long legs and uncovered her horrid wound caused her to shudder. A small sob escaped as she held back the tears. Let the bastard rot in hell!

"Lexy?"

She glanced up, brushed at her eyes, and just shook her head. "Nothing. When you're a bit stronger, I'll tell you more. Go back to sleep, Sam. You need to rest. You have an injury to your leg and I'm going to tend it and change your catheter which, I'm afraid, is necessary for now."

I've been hurt. God, she seems so upset. Her hands feel so good … Once again, Sam drifted back to a semi-conscious state.

Lexy quickly and competently applied the new bandages, then gently removed and reinserted a fresh catheter, recording the necessary data in the clinical chart. It was so hard to view Sam's body in such a detached way. She knew her lover well. She had memorized the planes and valleys of Sam's body during their most intimate moments. She knew how to make her lover respond to her touch, and just where to touch to evoke those delicious sighs and moans. Now, those passionate moments had been ripped away. Sam would most likely have lost feeling in her leg, possibly in the surrounding area. Lexy prayed that she would heal, that they could recover what they may have lost through a sudden act of violence. She ran her hand tenderly across Sam's taut stomach and over her uninjured leg before drawing the gown down and covering her with a sheet.

All the monitors were showing normal signs of activity and Sam seemed to be resting comfortably. They would have to reintroduce the pain meds soon. Sam was in that twilight zone of peaceful ignorance that many patients seemed to enter as they recovered from major surgery. In another hour or two, she would begin to be much more aware of her body and its response to her injuries.

For now, though, Lexy had Sam all to herself. She could hold her and touch her, take care of her immediate needs. It was her way of giving Sam a special wake-up call.

It was enough.