A week later there had been no change in Theresa, she still had brain activity and the doctor said that meant she wasn't brain dead. Chad was there everyday. He would sit and talk to her for hours, he brought a new CD everyday so she would have some music when he wasn't there. He missed her voice more and more each day.
Two weeks after that Chad was sitting in the waiting room when Pilar came in. "Chad, will you go sit with Theresa? I want to go home and get some things done." Said Pilar looking more tired and worn-out than usual.
"Sure." Said Chad walking down the hall to Theresa's room.
Theresa felt trapped, all she could see was blackness, she had vaguely heard both Ethan and Chad's confessions and she was confused. When she had first woke up and heard Chad her first thought was that she was dead but then she realized she wasn't. All the time she would wake up except she couldn't open her eyes. It was like her mind was awake but her body wasn't. She would hear Chad playing music and reading stories to her, or Mama praying that she would wake up. Luis would come in and tell her some funny thing he or Sheridan had done that day. Miguel visited her and he would tell her about his school work. Whitney came and talked about a new boy that she was going out with. The only person who didn't visit her, at least not when her mind was awake was Ethan. She was startled from her thoughts when she heard the door open and wondered who it was.
"Hey, Theresa." Said Chad sitting next to her. "Your Moms had some stuff to do, she's really worn out and tired so I decided to keep you company." He said tried to smile but only succeeded in making himself more miserable. He gently touched her hand.
"I miss you Theresa, I promise I'll visit you everyday until you wake up, I don't care if it's five years from now, I'll still be here everyday, I don't want you to be in here all alone so I'm sure I can take off work for awhile, you know, until you wake up. Please wake up." He said desperately laying his head on her bed. "I don't want to lose you."
Theresa heard everything he said and if she could have she would have cried. She tried desperately to move her hand but she couldn't everyday she would try so hard to move or open her eyes but she just couldn't make it happen. This time she tried to open her eyes but they stayed closed, she tried harder and finally her eyelids fluttered.
Chad was stroking Theresa's hair when all of a sudden her eyelids fluttered but didn't open.
"Theresa? Come on Theresa, open your eyes, I know you can do it, you're strong. Just concentrate." He said getting excited.
Theresa concentrated as hard as she could and finally she opened them. The light was blinding to her sensitive eyes, since they had been closed for three weeks.
Chad saw Theresa open her eyes but then she shut them. Chad realized her eyes were sensitive so he quickly turned the lights down and rushed to her side. "Theresa, try to open them again, the lights are down." Said Chad hoping he wasn't imagining all of this.
Theresa opened her eyes and looked around everything was blurry and it took a few minutes for everything to adjust, she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and started to panic.
"Theresa, listen to me, you are in the hospital, I want you to stay calm while I go get a doctor, okay?" asked Chad. A few moments later Dr. Anna Del Amico was in Theresa's room.
"Good afternoon Theresa, My name is Anna and I'm your doctor. It's nice to finally meet you, your mother and brothers have told me so much about you already. You're at the Harmony hospital because you were in accident. You have been in a coma for three weeks but you are going to be okay. Blink twice if you understand." Said the doctor and watched as Theresa blinked twice.
"Okay, good. I'm going to take this tube out of your mouth, you had some damage to your lungs and we kept it in so you could breathe, now I want you to take a deep breath in and…blow. Good." Said the doctor as she took the tube out. "Don't try to talk, your vocal cords need to get use to not having the tube around. I want you to follow this light." She said shining the light in her eyes and moving it. "Okay good, Now I need to know if you have a head ache. Blink once if your head hurts really bad, twice if it hurts a little and three times if your head feels fine." Anna watched as Theresa blinked three times. "Okay, is there any pain in your neck? Once for yes, twice for no." Theresa blinked twice. " Okay, I'm going to take the neck brace off and you'll be able to shake your head instead of blinking. We had to give you some medication to relax your muscles so it's okay if they feel heavy or numb, I'm going to let the drug wear off and then I'll be back to do some tests. Do you want me to get your family over here." Theresa shook her head no. "You probably want them to get some rest, right?" Theresa shook her head yes. "Well when they get here I'll send them in. Remember, don't try to talk." She said as she left.
"Theresa, I am so proud of you. I knew you could do it." Said Chad taking her hand.
Theresa tried to whisper but it hurt a lot.
"Theresa, don't try to talk right now, okay? Here drink this." He said putting water to her lips.
Theresa drank but the water hurt going down her raw throat. She then tried again to talk. "Chad…thank…you…for…everything." She said in a strangled whisper.
"Hey, that's what friends is for, right?" said Chad smiling and stroking her cheek.
Theresa shook her head and smiled back.
Two weeks after that Chad was sitting in the waiting room when Pilar came in. "Chad, will you go sit with Theresa? I want to go home and get some things done." Said Pilar looking more tired and worn-out than usual.
"Sure." Said Chad walking down the hall to Theresa's room.
Theresa felt trapped, all she could see was blackness, she had vaguely heard both Ethan and Chad's confessions and she was confused. When she had first woke up and heard Chad her first thought was that she was dead but then she realized she wasn't. All the time she would wake up except she couldn't open her eyes. It was like her mind was awake but her body wasn't. She would hear Chad playing music and reading stories to her, or Mama praying that she would wake up. Luis would come in and tell her some funny thing he or Sheridan had done that day. Miguel visited her and he would tell her about his school work. Whitney came and talked about a new boy that she was going out with. The only person who didn't visit her, at least not when her mind was awake was Ethan. She was startled from her thoughts when she heard the door open and wondered who it was.
"Hey, Theresa." Said Chad sitting next to her. "Your Moms had some stuff to do, she's really worn out and tired so I decided to keep you company." He said tried to smile but only succeeded in making himself more miserable. He gently touched her hand.
"I miss you Theresa, I promise I'll visit you everyday until you wake up, I don't care if it's five years from now, I'll still be here everyday, I don't want you to be in here all alone so I'm sure I can take off work for awhile, you know, until you wake up. Please wake up." He said desperately laying his head on her bed. "I don't want to lose you."
Theresa heard everything he said and if she could have she would have cried. She tried desperately to move her hand but she couldn't everyday she would try so hard to move or open her eyes but she just couldn't make it happen. This time she tried to open her eyes but they stayed closed, she tried harder and finally her eyelids fluttered.
Chad was stroking Theresa's hair when all of a sudden her eyelids fluttered but didn't open.
"Theresa? Come on Theresa, open your eyes, I know you can do it, you're strong. Just concentrate." He said getting excited.
Theresa concentrated as hard as she could and finally she opened them. The light was blinding to her sensitive eyes, since they had been closed for three weeks.
Chad saw Theresa open her eyes but then she shut them. Chad realized her eyes were sensitive so he quickly turned the lights down and rushed to her side. "Theresa, try to open them again, the lights are down." Said Chad hoping he wasn't imagining all of this.
Theresa opened her eyes and looked around everything was blurry and it took a few minutes for everything to adjust, she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and started to panic.
"Theresa, listen to me, you are in the hospital, I want you to stay calm while I go get a doctor, okay?" asked Chad. A few moments later Dr. Anna Del Amico was in Theresa's room.
"Good afternoon Theresa, My name is Anna and I'm your doctor. It's nice to finally meet you, your mother and brothers have told me so much about you already. You're at the Harmony hospital because you were in accident. You have been in a coma for three weeks but you are going to be okay. Blink twice if you understand." Said the doctor and watched as Theresa blinked twice.
"Okay, good. I'm going to take this tube out of your mouth, you had some damage to your lungs and we kept it in so you could breathe, now I want you to take a deep breath in and…blow. Good." Said the doctor as she took the tube out. "Don't try to talk, your vocal cords need to get use to not having the tube around. I want you to follow this light." She said shining the light in her eyes and moving it. "Okay good, Now I need to know if you have a head ache. Blink once if your head hurts really bad, twice if it hurts a little and three times if your head feels fine." Anna watched as Theresa blinked three times. "Okay, is there any pain in your neck? Once for yes, twice for no." Theresa blinked twice. " Okay, I'm going to take the neck brace off and you'll be able to shake your head instead of blinking. We had to give you some medication to relax your muscles so it's okay if they feel heavy or numb, I'm going to let the drug wear off and then I'll be back to do some tests. Do you want me to get your family over here." Theresa shook her head no. "You probably want them to get some rest, right?" Theresa shook her head yes. "Well when they get here I'll send them in. Remember, don't try to talk." She said as she left.
"Theresa, I am so proud of you. I knew you could do it." Said Chad taking her hand.
Theresa tried to whisper but it hurt a lot.
"Theresa, don't try to talk right now, okay? Here drink this." He said putting water to her lips.
Theresa drank but the water hurt going down her raw throat. She then tried again to talk. "Chad…thank…you…for…everything." She said in a strangled whisper.
"Hey, that's what friends is for, right?" said Chad smiling and stroking her cheek.
Theresa shook her head and smiled back.
