Chapter 90: Reality of the Situation
Amelia was so deeply relieved after speaking with Owen. The bliss of hearing his voice had increased her patience threshold. She was eager to receive a more comprehensive update but wasn't as anxious as she'd been before speaking with her husband.
After she and Jackson planned their outbound trip details, Jackson went home to pack. Lynne had come home after dropping the kids off at school and Amelia had shared the news. As one would expect from Lynne, she offered to do whatever it took to assist the family in any way. With gratitude, Amelia took her up on her offer. Amelia asked her to pick the kids up from school and bring them directly home. Practices and lessons would have to be missed. Lynne also offered to contact the kids' teachers after school was out.
With time alone for the first time that day, Amelia sat out on her bedroom balcony on Owen's chair. She wrapped herself in a blanket to shield her from the November temperatures as she gazed at the water and the blowing trees. Without meaning to, she fell asleep outside and had a deep nap for a little over an hour. When she awoke, she looked at her watch and realized the kids would be home soon.
Before the kids arrived, Jackson called Amelia and shared the update that April had given him. April was being flown home from Djibouti that night, so Jackson's travel plans had been cancelled. He provided the contact information for his contact at the Red Cross in case Amelia wanted to depart sooner. While Jackson was thrilled that April would be home, he worried about Amelia having to travel alone because the entire situation was so emotionally intense. Amelia assured him that she would be absolutely fine. Her inner core strength and resilience were once again pulling her through tragedy.
April's update was both reassuring and troubling. The head bruising was a concern, especially to a neurosurgeon. Amelia was eager to receive the results of the CT and of the x-rays. The delay operating on his knee and leg was frustrating but unavoidable. Until the medical team knew what they were encountering, surgery could not be performed. Considering that the shots were at somewhat close range, chances were good that the kneecap was shattered. However, the shot could have missed the femur or could have damaged it greatly. Lastly, it simply pained Amelia to consider how hard Owen must have been kicked. The idea of being bruised from shoulder to hip on the same side as the damaged leg was unfathomable. April had promised Jackson that she'd do everything she could to be in touch with another update before she departed. She also asked Jackson to pass along that Owen would be calling at some point soon.
Meanwhile, in Djibouti, Mary pushed Owen's bed around to the various tests. After the CT, as she irrigated his wounds, Mary mentioned that it would be best if he waited to call Amelia. By waiting, he would have at least some of the test results and he would be able to Skype instead of call. The doctor came in to examine the wounds before they were dressed. The bleeding was well under control and he was eager for the stomach wound to be closed. He was pleased to see that there were no external signs of infection. The nurse came into dress Owen's wounds before Mary took him to x-ray.
Once Owen had undergone all the scans and tests, the nurse informed Owen that the doctors were reviewing the results and would be in to talk with him at about 5 am. Since Owen was still not hungry, a side effect of the pain meds, the doctor ordered an Ensure and threatened to place a central line if the Ensure wasn't gone by the time he came back. As Owen's resentment for the doctor and his orders arose, the admonishment made Owen understand his job as a doctor in a new way.
April entered the room as the doctor stepped out, "Oh, yum, look what you get for a midnight snack!"
"Shut up, April," Owen growled.
Moving her chin toward her chest and looking at Owen from the top of her eyes, April warned, "You want to try that again, Skippy?"
"Skippy?" Owen laughed, unable to keep a straight face. April reached over and opened the Ensure, handing it to him. Owen gagged the liquid down, forcing himself not to let it come back up. He hated the taste.
"Seriously?" April inquired. "It's not that bad."
Owen reached for some water and acted as if he'd just eaten poison. He drenched his mouth with water as his medical team entered the room. Owen proudly held up the empty can to the bossy doctor. In a snarky tone, he declared, "You really wanted to put in a central line, didn't you?" The doctor said nothing while April apologized on his behalf and shot him a frustrated look.
At 0530, the lead doctor informed Owen that they were going to transport him immediately to Landstuhl. While there were no outward signs of infection, his blood work revealed that he was fighting one. Based on the x-rays, the doctors now knew that Owen's femur was not broken. Given the severe pain, discoloration and swelling, the femur was likely bruised. An MRI would have to be ordered at Landstuhl. In addition to his femur, Owen had a displaced (shattered) patella. The swollen and painful leg needed to be operated on as soon as possible. To relieve the pressure, the doctors at Lemmonier would aspirate the area before he departed. The x-rays also showed some cracked ribs. While there was little that could be done about that, it was another status to report and something in need of further medical consideration. There were no signs of any out of control internal bleeding. Owen also had a small brain bleed on the side of his head that appeared to be very small and seeping. The doctor was fairly certain it would resolve itself, but it would be monitored.
"You know my wife is a neurosurgeon?" Owen chuckled. "This sounds crazy but is there any way you can send her the scans? Maybe by email? She won't rest until she reviews them." While it was not regular protocol, the doctor agreed to do a favor for a colleague. "Can I call home during the aspiration?" Owen requested as he handed Amelia's email address to the doctor. The doctor asked the nurse to arrange for a skype session as soon as possible. April stepped out to briefly call Jackson so he could let Amelia know about the upcoming call.
At 3:30pm, Lynne and the kids pulled into the garage. The boys were suspicious about why they weren't going to soccer practice, and Lynne's nebulous answers had not satisfied them. Bronwyn was disappointed to miss dance, but she went along with the unexpected schedule change.
Finley carried Gwen in the house and Lynne brought in Ella. The twins were just waking up from their afternoon naps and were half-awake. When they saw Amelia sitting on the couch, they both reached out their arms and whined, "Mama."
"I can take them upstairs or to the playroom," Lynne suggested.
"It's fine. I'll hold them. I want you in here with us – you're part of the family," Amelia smiled. "C'mon over here, guys."
"And girl," Bronwyn added with a grin as she danced to the table.
Amelia grinned slightly and looked at each child. Speaking slowly, Amelia shared, "I want to let you all know Daddy is ok, but he was hurt today in Sudan."
The three older kids began asking questions on top of one another. Amelia put her hands up and gently guided, "Let me say more then we can have questions." She continued, "Some soldiers from the other side were angry that Daddy's team was helping people. Daddy tried to calm them down, but they pushed him to the ground and kicked him. Then, one of them shot Daddy's leg, knee and tummy. Dr. Kepner was right there to help Daddy and she's with him now. He's at a hospital right now in a town called Djibouti at a base called Camp Lemmonier. He is very safe, and the doctors are working to help him get better. He should be calling us on Skype in a little while. Now, who has questions?" Once again, the kids began speaking over each other. Amelia suggested they go from youngest to oldest as many rounds as necessary.
"Umm…Mommy… I… I'm scared. What if the bad guys look for Daddy to hurt him again?" Bronwyn asked with fear written all over her face.
"Bronwyn, the other men died when the Marines saved Daddy and his staff. They can't hurt Daddy anymore. Daddy is safe."
Oliver was trying to appear cool, calm and collected as his heart beat fast. "Mom, when can we see him? Is he coming home?"
"He's coming home but I'm not sure when. When Daddy calls, we'll be able to see him that way. I'm going to Germany to be with him. I'm either leaving tonight or tomorrow, and I'll be gone no more than 5 days."
"Can we go too?" Finley asked, fairly certain the answer would be no.
"No. You guys would miss too much school," Amelia replied clearly.
"Mommy? Ummm… see… here's the thing I want to know… is Daddy having sir-grr-ees?"
"Yes, Bronwyn, he's having a surgery on his leg. For a while, Daddy won't be able to walk like he usually does. He'll probably have a walker or maybe a cane or wheelchair until his leg is better."
"Like Gwen!" Oliver exclaimed. "Gwen can show Daddy how to use a walker." Oliver leaned toward his sister and started tickling her and flirting with her. She laughed and clapped in response to her silly brother. Oliver embraced her when she reached out for him. He went back to his seat and placed her on his lap.
"Oh, it's my turn," Oliver realized. "How bad does he hurt?"
Amelia pursed her lips and took a deep breath. "He hurts a bunch, but the people taking care of him are giving him different medicines to help take the pain away a little. He might act a little silly when he calls because the pain medications can do that sometimes."
"Can we be alone when I ask my next question?" Finley wondered.
"Sure, Fin," Amelia confirmed with a compassionate glance toward her eldest. The iPad indicated an incoming call and the kids all gathered around it. To avoid broken screens, the house rule was that only a grown up answered the calls.
Owen's freshly shaved face smiled into the screen. He was attempting to turn his head slightly to the right so the kids wouldn't see the bruises on his face. He offered a hearty greeting, "Hi everyone!"
"Daddy!" Bronwyn screamed with joy as the twins called out "Da!" and reached for the iPad. Finley and Oliver offered their hellos as well.
"How are you feeling?" Amelia inquired.
"I'm ok. They decided to transport me to Germany soon so surgeons can work on my leg. They're aspirating it now and that's really helping the pain. My platelets and white blood cells are really high, and I'm running a fever," Owen shared.
"Ummm… Daddy? Dad… umm… what happened to your curls and hair?" Bronwyn inquired with lowered, confused brows.
Owen laughed, "It was super-hot in Sudan, Bronwyn. Shaving my head made me more comfortable."
"Well, I think you need to grow it back, ok? Oh, and Daddy? How come you didn't just bite the guy who made you fall?" Bronwyn asked. Mary, Owen's CNA who was assisting the aspiration process, and Owen's doctor both laughed.
"I didn't think of that, Bronwyn. Plus, he had pretty thick boots on," Owen replied with a smile.
"Was it scary, Dad?" Oliver threw out.
Owen pursed his lips and then replied, "It was, Ollie. But it happened really fast and the Marines took great care of us. Besides, I was hurt so I was thinking mostly about getting medicine for pain. That kept me from thinking about the scarier parts." Nobody spoke up for a few seconds, so Owen added, "I am so happy to see all of your faces. I can't wait until I can give each of you a giant hug. How's soccer, Finley?"
Finley smiled and responded, "Great. I was chosen to be the starting forward this season."
"That's fantastic!" Owen exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you, Finley. I can't wait to see you in action. And how's Naomi?"
Finley shifted uncomfortably before offering awkwardly, "She's great too."
"Dad," Oliver interjected, "you shoulda seen Nala the other day. She wanted the ball and Simba kept hogging it. Then one time when we threw it, Nala put her paws on Simba's back to keep him from jumping for it."
Owen smiled and laughed. "She's funny, isn't she? What did Simba do?"
"He just kinda growleded and walked away. He was sad and mad," Bronwyn answered.
"What kind of plane did you fly to get to the hospital?" Oliver asked.
"At first, we were in a Blackhawk chopper then a C-130. Look the plane up on the internet – the one I was on was like a hospital inside an airplane. I'm probably on a C-17 or C-130 next," Owen encouraged. "I need to share more news with Mommy, guys. You can listen, but I want to talk to her for a minute, ok?" The kids nodded. Bronwyn stepped away and played with the twins on the floor.
"What's up?" Amelia asked.
"I didn't give you all the bullets. Femur is not broken but might be bruised. Patella is displaced and a mess. I'm not sure if any of it is salvageable. Cracked ribs and a very small brain bleed," Owen shared.
"How small? I want to see the scans," Amelia asked quickly. "And are they planning an MRI for the femur? Turn your tablet so I can see your leg."
Owen chuckled, "I already called in a favor – you should be getting the CT via email. I'm not sure if he's sending all the x-rays too, but it might be your lucky day. I don't think I can bend that far to show you. Just a sec, the best CNA in the world is in here. Mary? Can you show my warped doctor wife my leg injuries?"
"Sure," Mary smiled. "Only a spouse who is a surgeon would ask to see this. Do you want to see the abdominal wound too?"
"I want to see all the injuries," Amelia admitted as she stood up so only, she could see the transmission. Mary scanned Owen's gunshot sites, briefly lifting the dressing on Owen's wounds. Then she pointed to the bruising along his side and on his head. Amelia proceeded asking about signs of a hemorrhage, "Reflexes? Sense of touch? How's your movement, barring the right leg?"
"Mia," Owen dismissed her concern. "All great. No decreased vision either. You want me to lean in really close to the camera and you can attempt to assess my optic nerve for swelling?"
"Being married to a doctor can be annoying," she teased.
Sarcastically and dryly, Owen answered, "I've never experienced that. Never."
"I love you," Amelia declared as she softly touched the screen.
Owen touched his screen to meet her hand and smiled gently, "I love you too, Mia. When do you arrive in Germany?"
"It's a 16-hour flight. I'm trying to leave tonight but haven't heard back if that will work. Right now, I'm ticketed for departure at 7pm tomorrow," she revealed.
"And I'm six hours out and leaving soon. I can't wait to see you," Owen expressed. "I've got one minute. Show me the twins and I'll holler out to the kids." Amelia turned the iPad so Owen could see the girls – Gwen was using her walker but not moving forward much while Ella walked somewhat steadily. Bronwyn blew Owen kisses and the boys waved goodbye. Amelia turned the iPad back toward her and smiled. The call cut off after she'd had one more glimpse of her man.
Moments later, Amelia received word that she could fly out that night if she could make it to the airport in time. The flight left at 7pm. Amelia was in her bedroom hurriedly packing while Lynne organized the melee. Finley knocked softly on his mom's bedroom door. "Can I ask my question now…from earlier?"
Sitting down on the bed, Amelia patted the space next to her, "Of course, Fin. Anything."
Finley slowly walked up to the bed and joined his mom. He looked down at the floor as he mumbled, "Is he really ok? I mean, he was beat up pretty bad and shot three times, Mom. What's the whole story? I feel like we're getting the cleaned-up version."
Reaching over to hug her son, Amelia confirmed, "You kind of are. What I can tell Bronwy and what I can tell you are worlds apart. What do you want to know?"
"Just the reality. How bad is he? How long will it take until he's all better? Will things be different when he comes home?" Finley pondered aloud.
As she gently stroked his hair, Amelia grimaced. "Finley, I don't know all those answers yet. The outside bruises will fade fairly quickly, but there might be internal bruises – feelings and memories – that will take longer. I'm not sure if he'll be in a wheelchair or walker or using a cane when he comes home. For his knee and leg to be back to 100%, he'll have to do a lot of physical therapy which I'm sure he'll tackle with gusto. He's Dad after all. That's his way. His stomach wound is a really painful one that could take 6-8 weeks to heal. Because he has been so committed to lifting weights and working out, his recovery time will be a little shorter. I'll know a lot more when I get back from Germany and I promise to let you know."