Chapter 14
Almost exactly twenty-four hours after the horrendous traffic accident that had taken Louise Osterman's life and seriously injured Leeanne, the girl regained consciousness. It was mid-afternoon on Friday, July 17th, and Lee was sitting by Leeanne's bedside while Amanda went down the hall to use the ladies' room and get cold drinks for herself and Lee. Using the bedside tray table as a desk, he was using a yellow legal pad to make a list of everything that needed to be done before Billy expected him back in the office in two weeks when he heard a faint murmur from the bed. He looked up just as Leeanne's eyes fluttered open. Immediately, he stood up and pressed the call button to notify her nurse, and then he took her hand in both of his.
"Hey, Little Lee," he said, as he brushed a kiss over her forehead, careful not to put any pressure on the bruises that covered her face. "Welcome back, Short Stuff."
"Big Lee? What….?"
"You're in North Texas Med Center, Baby Girl. There was an accident on I-35 just south of Denton yesterday."
"Truck….jackknifed. Mom… tried…stop."
"I know, but it happened too fast. You were thrown against the back of the front seat. You have two broken legs and some broken ribs, and you're in ICU right now, just until they're sure you're going to be all right. "
"No seat belt…didn't think .. needed it. Mom?"
Lee took a deep breath just as the nurse came in. She started to say something, but he waved her to silence.
"She didn't make it, Leelee. She died in the ambulance on the way here."
Tears rolled down the girl's cheeks. He reached for his handkerchief and dried them, and then stepped back. "This is Maria Elena. She's your day shift nurse. I'm going to step out so she can do what she needs to do. I'll tell Amanda you're awake."
She closed her eyes and nodded, unable to speak as grief overwhelmed her.
A few minutes later, Lee was standing in the hallway with his arm around Amanda's waist when Leeanne's doctor, summoned by the nurses, arrived. They'd been introduced earlier that day when he made morning rounds, so he knew that they were Leeanne's legal guardians and the only 'family' she had left. "Mr. Stetson, Mrs. Stetson," he said, as he shook hands with them. "I'm going to examine her, and then I'll be out to give you a report."
"Thank you, Doctor."
He came back out about ten minutes later. "We still have a long way to go, but I'm very encouraged. She's young and in good health, and the human body is remarkably resilient, especially in one as young as she is. The fractures should heal in about six weeks, perhaps sooner given her age. I'm going to keep her here in ICU until tomorrow morning, but if she shows good progress after that, we can transfer her to a regular room."
"Doc, that's the best news we've heard in days," Lee said. "I had to tell her about Louise; she asked, and I wasn't going to lie to her or refuse to answer."
"So I understand. If it had to come from anyone, Mr. Stetson, I'm glad it came from you. I can tell just from talking to her that she thinks the world of you and your wife."
"I have two teenage boys from my first marriage, Doctor, but we consider her ours now, and we're going to make sure she's just as loved as we can possibly make her feel. Her mother was Lee's best friend when they were in high school twenty years ago, more like a sister than just a friend," Amanda told him.
"Good. She's going to need all the support you can give her to get through this. Go on in; she needs to see you both."
At midnight, Lee sent Amanda back to the house for the night so she could get some sleep, but at six on Saturday morning she was back again. "Go home," she said firmly. "Go home, and no arguments, Stetson."
"You're getting back at me for all the times I told you to go home, aren't you?"
"Darn right I am. I got a good night's sleep, but I can't imagine that you slept very much at all in that chair."
"Not much. All right, I'm going."