After what felt like an interminable amount of time, a woman in pink scrubs came to the door of the waiting area and called Clay's name. He hopped up from his chair, grabbed Emma's bag of possessions, and joined her.
"Clay Spenser?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Come on back. The sedative really knocked Ms. Hayes out, so they kept her in recovery for a bit longer, but she's about ready to go." The nurse started walking back to the outpatient surgical area with Clay trailing behind her.
He arrived at the same treatment space from earlier to find Emma lying in bed dozing. Nurse Sydney was checking her vitals. "Hi there. The sedative along with the pain meds put her out, but she's doing fine."
"Did everything go alright?" He clenched the bag of Emma's possessions tightly in his hands, twisting the plastic and the contents inside.
"It did. Dr. Bradley will be in shortly to speak to you." Sydney began typing on her laptop. "But you should start talking to Emma. Wake her up a bit, so you two can get out of here."
Clay stepped up to Emma's bedside. "Hey baby, wake up. It's time to go."
Emma's eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes. "Mmm, Clay?"
"Yeah, it's me. How do you feel?"
"Sleepy."
Clay smiled. "Emma Hayes, you are a lightweight."
Her face scrunched up. "Only because I don't need painkillers as often as you."
"True." He took her hand in his. "How'd it go?"
"Okay, I think. I don't remember much."
"It went very well." Dr. Bradley spoke from behind Clay. He turned to face her as she continued talking. "We took out the entire lump, and sent it to the lab. I put a rush on the results, so I'm hoping we'll hear something later today or early tomorrow."
"Could you tell anything?" Emma clutched Clay's hand.
"Not really, and I don't like to hazard a guess." Dr. Bradley glanced at the info Sydney typed in the computer. "Now, how are you feeling?"
"Okay, mostly I feel like I could sleep more."
The doctor nodded. "Understandable. The sedative hit you hard, and we've given you some painkillers for your side as the numbing fades. Those will wear off in a couple hours, but I'm having a prescription for higher dose Ibuprofen called in to your pharmacy. I think that will be more than strong enough for you, but if it's not and you're having a lot of pain call me."
"Is there anything she should or shouldn't do for the next couple days?" Clay wanted to be ready to care for Emma as well as she had done for him in the past.
"Today, go home and rest. Sleep if you need to. If you're hungry, eat something light. Nurse Chan will give you aftercare instructions for your incision. Don't overdo with lifting things or exercise. You have a few stitches in there, and you don't want to pull them. Listen to your body. If it hurts, stop doing it." Dr. Bradley patted Emma's foot at the end of the bed. "Call my office to make an appointment in about two weeks to have your incision checked."
"Okay." Emma glanced at Clay and then back to Dr. Bradley. "Will you call as soon as you receive the results?"
"I will. I promise." The doctor stepped away from the bed to leave but turned back for a moment. "Call my office if you have any concerns."
Nodding, Emma relaxed back into the pillows.
Sydney pulled the curtain closed behind Dr. Bradley. "Okay, before we get you up, I want to go over the aftercare." Grabbing a tray with fresh bandages, she set it down on the rolling table by Emma's bed. "Are you okay with your fiancé being here while we do this?"
Emma smiled and gave Clay's hand another squeeze before she released it. "I am. He'll be the one helping me at home anyway, so he should hear it too."
Nodding, Sydney laid out her supplies. "That's probably best. Because of the location of the incision, you'd have a hard time doing this by yourself. Emma, I'm going to unsnap the shoulder of your gown. Clay, you should join me on this side of the bed so you can see what I'm doing."
Lowering the gown, Sydney exposed the bandaged area. She removed the old dressings and demonstrated how to clean the stitches and rewrap the incision. She also described what they would see if there was any infection. Once she finished, Sydney snapped the gown closed again. "Any questions?"
"No, I'm good." Emma let her eyes close, ready to drift off to sleep again.
"Me too. We have some experience with this. I get injured at my job sometimes."
Emma let out a soft snort. "Just a little."
"Okay, that's helpful, but you can call your doctor's office with any questions or problems." Nurse Chan pushed the rolling table away from the bed and pulled back the covers. "No going back to sleep, Emma. Time to get out of bed."
Groaning, Emma opened her eyes.
"Swing your legs over the side and I'll help you stand. I want to make sure you've got your balance before I let you change into your clothes."
Emma sat up and turned to face Sydney and Clay with her legs dangling off the side of the bed. Sydney held out a hand, and Emma took it, placing her feet on the floor and slowly rising. The room spun briefly, and she stood still holding the nurse's arm.
"Everything okay?" Sydney held Emma's other arm to help steady her.
"Yeah, just dizzy for a second."
"Think you can change on your own? Or do you want some help?" The nurse studied Emma, debating if her patient was steady on her feet.
"I think I'll be fine. And Clay will be here to help me." Emma reached for the bag of her things Clay held.
"Alright but take it slow." Sydney pulled aside the curtain to step out. "Stop and call me if you need to."
Setting the bag on the bed, Emma pulled out her clothing. "Hmm, my clothes got really wrinkled. "
Clay moved closer for her to hold on to him if she needed.
"I think I'll sit down for this part." She lowered herself back onto the edge of the mattress and pulled the hospital socks off. Carefully, she threaded her feet through the correct holes of her leggings. Taking hold of Clay's arm, she stood again and tentatively pulled the garment up under the medical gown. Once she had everything in place, she waited to catch her breath before dealing with her shirt.
"Doing alright?" Clay placed a hand against her back.
"Yeah." She let go of his arm and attempted to unfasten the hospital gown.
"Here, let me." He made quick work of undoing the snaps and sliding the material off her shoulders. Picking up the shirt, he held out the right sleeve. "I'll pull this up your arm, so you don't have to lift on that side."
"Thanks, my side is definitely less numb."
Clay settled the shirt on her right shoulder and moved to her other side. He frowned as he studied the material while holding the left sleeve up for her. "Isn't this my shirt?"
"It is. I needed something I wouldn't have to pull over my head, and all my tops that button up were too fitted." She fumbled with the buttons on the front of the shirt. When did they all become too big for the holes? "I figured you wouldn't mind."
"I don't. Let me do these too." Clay gently brushed her hands aside and did up the buttons. Once he finished, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Where are your shoes?"
"Um, still in the bag I think." Emma glanced back at the bed.
Grabbing the plastic bag, Clay reached in and took out her flip-flops. He set them on the floor by her feet. She held his arm again while she stepped into them.
"Ready for some company?" Nurse Chan called through the curtain.
"All set." Emma sat back down on the bed to rest.
Pushing back the curtain, the nurse entered, followed by an orderly pushing a wheelchair. "Okay, Emma, here's your ride out of this place. Clay, why don't you head out to bring your car around while Martin and I move Emma into the wheelchair? They'll meet you in the lobby."
Clay handed Emma her purse from inside the plastic bag. "That work for you? I'll let your dad know to meet you in the lobby too."
"That's fine. I'll see you there."
Thanking Sydney, Clay headed out. Emma watched him go with a sigh. Their bed at home seemed very far away.