Together
Chapter 19
Christine had never been so terrified. She had no idea what she would do if Mike died. She really had no claim to Katie, and the poor little girl would be an orphan. All she could do was pray that Mike would be alright, but the doctors were not optimistic. Joe and Carolyn were wonderful and finally, Grandma Hannah and Kathleen had arrived with Katie. Mike's parents were in nowhere in sight. They hadn't loved that he had become a cop. Grandma Hannah had also called Mike's childhood priest, who arrived with breakfast for the family and the Hick's.
Joe had told Christine what Mike had said, and it made her feel a lot better, but it could have been directed at Katie. Until she heard it out of Mike, she would question it. Finally, later into the morning, Christine, Grandma Hannah, Kathleen and Jim were called into a private conference room. Carolyn opted to stay with the priest and Katie. Christine was beyond thankful for Grandma Hannah, who had sit down next to her and was holding her hand. A surgeon, wearing scrubs, that had quite a bit of sweat on them walked in and sat next to Christine.
"Alright, my name is Dr. Allen Davis. I am Detective Slattery's surgeon. I understand you are his wife?" Dr. Davis asked. Christine nodded and was glad he was using present tense.
"Yes." Christine answered simply.
"So, as you know; there was a shotgun blast that went through a wood door. Of course, there was shot, but he was also impaled by some of the wood. Fortunately, he was wearing a vest, so no organs were hit, but there was some arterial involvement in his neck. We did an exploratory surgery—" Dr. Davis explained.
"Doc; to begin with; just tell her rather he made it or not." Jim demanded.
"Right. Yes, he made it through the surgery. The next twelve hours will be critical. We do not have him intubated at the moment, but that could change quickly. There was also some nerve involvement in his face and he'll have some scarring, but all in all; he is a lucky man." Dr. Davis said.
"Oh, thank God. I was so scared." Christine said as the tears overflowed. Kathleen patted her back and Grandma Hannah held her tightly.
"Would you like to see him? We need to restrict visitors and keep him calm, but you can go in and sit with him. It might help." Dr. Davis asked.
"Yeah." Christine answered. He handed her a box of tissues, and she wiped her eyes and nose before following him out. The rest of the family and Jim stayed behind in the waiting room. Christine peaked into the hospital room. Mike was so pale and had a bandage covering part of his face and neck. There were all kinds of wires and things hooked up to him and Christine was afraid to touch him, but finally; his eyes opened.
"Oh…ow." Mike said in a weak voice. Christine touched his uninjured shoulder and he focused on her.
"Hey." Christine said simply.
"Hey. I'm sorry if I scared you." Mike told her. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"It's okay." Christine answered. She really wanted to climb up next to him and just hold him, but she couldn't. Just then, Kathleen appeared with Katie on her hip.
"I'm going to take her back to Grandma Hannah's. She needs a nap. The nurse said she could give her daddy a kiss." Kathleen said. Christine took the little girl and leaned her down. She made a whimpering noise but gave Mike one of her sloppy kisses.
"Night, night, baby girl. I love you." Mike said.
"Night, night. Love you!" Katie answered.
"Alright. Christine; Grandma Hannah is going to step in, but we'll take Katie so you can concentrate on Mike." Kathleen told Christine after giving her brother a kiss on the cheek. Mike was already falling back to sleep.
"Thank you." Christine told her.
"And I think the Hick's are arranging meals for you to be delivered here so you can stay here and I'll bring some clothes by for you later." Kathleen said.
"Do your parents know?" Christine asked.
"Yes. I think Mom is wanting to see him, but Dad…anyway; I'll see you a bit later and don't worry about a thing. Your place is here with him." Kathleen said. Christine gave Katie a kiss and handed her back to Kathleen. Grandma Hannah stepped in, but Christine gave her a private moment with her favorite grandson. A moment later; Christine settled in an uncomfortable chair next to Mike's bedside, alone again with him, but honestly; happy about that. She could concentrate on her husband and pray that he would recover quickly.