A/N: Thanks to my mommy again, for the medical stuff. This is harder than it looks! :P Again, another five or more reviews and ya get some more Jimmy-goodness! Muahaha!
Also, anybody have any suggestions? I'm not out of ideas yet, but I'm writing this as I go along, and have no real plans for the next part. So, anyone wanna see anything? If I like the idea, I might just incorporate it in! Enjoy!!
Kim found it amazing how, sitting in a hard chair alone in the silence the hospital that night, she had so much time to think. To think of what had gone wrong in her marriage, and what had gone right. To think of the things Jimmy had done for and with her and Joey. To replay the scene as his body crashed out of that window and landed broken so far below. She had hours to muse about what had gone wrong in their marriage, what they might have done differently.
She sighed and glanced at the clock, glanced at her watch to confirm that 3:00 was the correct time, then shifted positions, unable to keep still.
She had sent Joey to stay at her mother's for the night, called off of work for the next day, and made arrangements for her son to be picked up after school the next day. Now all there was to do was wait.
It was killing her.
Minutes after his arrival at the ER Jimmy had flat lined. The doctors managed to revive him using the defibrillator, but it had given everyone a scare they would not soon forget. He had since been moved into surgery where he'd been for the past few hours. She was comforted only slightly by the saying that lengthy surgeries were hopeful, that it was the short ones that required extensive worry.
She checked her watch again to see that only five minutes had passed.
She ran her hands through her hair and gathered it into a sloppy ponytail, sighing for the umpteenth time.
The sound of the waiting room doors swishing open startled her; she jerked her head up to see Dr. Bailey walking briskly towards her, clipboard in hands.
"Doctor," she acknowledged hurriedly, standing to greet him. "How's Jimmy?"
"Why don't we sit down?"
That can never be good, Kim thought, but sat anyway. "Well?"
"Well, Ms. Zambrano," Bailey said, glancing at his clipboard. "In some ways he was very lucky."
"What ways?" she interjected quickly.
"Well, for starters, he's alive," Bailey said frankly. "And because he was wearing his helmet he managed to avoid fracturing his skull. As it is there is some major swelling to the brain and a large contusion on the base of his skull. Brain damage is a definite possibility--"
Kim's heart sank.
"--but we won't know for sure until he wakes up. He came through surgery without major complication, but he's slipped into a coma. It may last for the night, maybe longer. But he is alive and there is brain activity. Because of the nature of the fall there are other, just as serious injuries. He sustained fractures to his collar bone, the radius and ulna in his left arm as well as most of his ribs. One of the ribs punctured his lung, but we've got it functioning at almost half it's normal level. He fractured several vertebrae in his back, but until the swelling subsides we won't know the severity of the impairment. Both his legs were broken, but surprisingly the damage is not as serious as it could have been. Both his left shoulder and hip were dislocated, but we've got them back in place. Depending on the nature of damage to his back, it's likely that in time he will be able to walk again. If he wakes up, and Kim, we've got to admit that that is a possibility."
Kim was shocked into silence, letting it all sink in. Finally, brushing back tears, she managed to choke out, "Can I…can I see him?"
"Not tonight, I'm afraid," Bailey said. "If he's still stable come tomorrow we will let immediate family visit."
"I'm his--I was his wife. I need to see him," Kim said shakily.
Bailey nodded, excuse himself, and left Kim alone again with her thoughts.
The next morning Kim awoke with a stiff neck in the rapidly filling waiting room. After freshening up as much as she could in the bathroom and grabbing a coffee from the machine, she sought out Dr. Bailey.
He gave her the okay to visit Jimmy, after making sure she understood that it could only be for a few minutes.
She took a deep breath and pushed the heavy ICU door open, letting it swing shut behind her.
Jimmy lay prone on the bed swathed in miles of white gauze and plaster. He was attached to a cardiac monitor that send continuous data to the nurse's station down the hall. An IV holding what Kim thought must be antibiotics and glucose dripped steadily into a tube that was firmly taped to his right hand. A tube was inserted into his throat and taped to his mouth to assist in his breathing.
She stepped closer, and hit her lip at the sight of him.
His skin was bone white, and his face slack. There were dark blue circles underneath his sunken eyes, which were taped shut to prevent them from staring openly at the wall, which not only would have freaked visitors out, but would dry out his eyes. His lips were ashen, tinged with blue, telling her that despite the oxygen tube, his lungs were still not providing the right amount of oxygen. He seemed so small, so frail beneath the light blue cotton cover. So not like himself. Jimmy was strong, cocky, alive! This man looked like death warmed over.
She pulled the seat by the bed closer, wanting desperately to take his hand but afraid of jarring the IV.
"Hey, Jimmy," she said finally, shattering the unnerving silence of the room. "I...uh, I don't know if you can hear me, but some people say that people in comas can, and--" she laughed dryly. "Here I am rambling on and I'm not even sure you can hear this."
She gently, hesitantly moved her hand near his, afraid still to touch the pale skin.
"You're a hero, you know. That woman? She's alive. She's in better shape than you, but she's not out of the woods yet. I think she's gonna be fine, though. Thanks to you."
She stared at the heart monitor for a second.
"Joey's with Mom. I think he's gonna spend the weekend there. I know he wants to see you, but I'm afraid he might get scared. He still doesn't totally understand what's going on. And truth is, I'm not sure you'd want him to see you like this. You and your damn pride."
Another dry laugh. This one quickly turned into a sob.
"Jimmy, please! You have to come out of this. I don't know what I'll do if you don't. I can't," she paused, choked up. "I don't think I can do this without you, Jimmy. I love you, Jimmy."
A soft rap on the door caught her attention.
Dr. Bailey opened the door and said softly. "I'm afraid you'll need to go now. He needs the rest. You can come back tomorrow."
Kim nodded, feeling like a fool as she wiped her red, puffy eyes.
Touching his hand briefly, she whispered, "I'll come back, Jimmy. You just make sure you get better."
Also, anybody have any suggestions? I'm not out of ideas yet, but I'm writing this as I go along, and have no real plans for the next part. So, anyone wanna see anything? If I like the idea, I might just incorporate it in! Enjoy!!
Kim found it amazing how, sitting in a hard chair alone in the silence the hospital that night, she had so much time to think. To think of what had gone wrong in her marriage, and what had gone right. To think of the things Jimmy had done for and with her and Joey. To replay the scene as his body crashed out of that window and landed broken so far below. She had hours to muse about what had gone wrong in their marriage, what they might have done differently.
She sighed and glanced at the clock, glanced at her watch to confirm that 3:00 was the correct time, then shifted positions, unable to keep still.
She had sent Joey to stay at her mother's for the night, called off of work for the next day, and made arrangements for her son to be picked up after school the next day. Now all there was to do was wait.
It was killing her.
Minutes after his arrival at the ER Jimmy had flat lined. The doctors managed to revive him using the defibrillator, but it had given everyone a scare they would not soon forget. He had since been moved into surgery where he'd been for the past few hours. She was comforted only slightly by the saying that lengthy surgeries were hopeful, that it was the short ones that required extensive worry.
She checked her watch again to see that only five minutes had passed.
She ran her hands through her hair and gathered it into a sloppy ponytail, sighing for the umpteenth time.
The sound of the waiting room doors swishing open startled her; she jerked her head up to see Dr. Bailey walking briskly towards her, clipboard in hands.
"Doctor," she acknowledged hurriedly, standing to greet him. "How's Jimmy?"
"Why don't we sit down?"
That can never be good, Kim thought, but sat anyway. "Well?"
"Well, Ms. Zambrano," Bailey said, glancing at his clipboard. "In some ways he was very lucky."
"What ways?" she interjected quickly.
"Well, for starters, he's alive," Bailey said frankly. "And because he was wearing his helmet he managed to avoid fracturing his skull. As it is there is some major swelling to the brain and a large contusion on the base of his skull. Brain damage is a definite possibility--"
Kim's heart sank.
"--but we won't know for sure until he wakes up. He came through surgery without major complication, but he's slipped into a coma. It may last for the night, maybe longer. But he is alive and there is brain activity. Because of the nature of the fall there are other, just as serious injuries. He sustained fractures to his collar bone, the radius and ulna in his left arm as well as most of his ribs. One of the ribs punctured his lung, but we've got it functioning at almost half it's normal level. He fractured several vertebrae in his back, but until the swelling subsides we won't know the severity of the impairment. Both his legs were broken, but surprisingly the damage is not as serious as it could have been. Both his left shoulder and hip were dislocated, but we've got them back in place. Depending on the nature of damage to his back, it's likely that in time he will be able to walk again. If he wakes up, and Kim, we've got to admit that that is a possibility."
Kim was shocked into silence, letting it all sink in. Finally, brushing back tears, she managed to choke out, "Can I…can I see him?"
"Not tonight, I'm afraid," Bailey said. "If he's still stable come tomorrow we will let immediate family visit."
"I'm his--I was his wife. I need to see him," Kim said shakily.
Bailey nodded, excuse himself, and left Kim alone again with her thoughts.
The next morning Kim awoke with a stiff neck in the rapidly filling waiting room. After freshening up as much as she could in the bathroom and grabbing a coffee from the machine, she sought out Dr. Bailey.
He gave her the okay to visit Jimmy, after making sure she understood that it could only be for a few minutes.
She took a deep breath and pushed the heavy ICU door open, letting it swing shut behind her.
Jimmy lay prone on the bed swathed in miles of white gauze and plaster. He was attached to a cardiac monitor that send continuous data to the nurse's station down the hall. An IV holding what Kim thought must be antibiotics and glucose dripped steadily into a tube that was firmly taped to his right hand. A tube was inserted into his throat and taped to his mouth to assist in his breathing.
She stepped closer, and hit her lip at the sight of him.
His skin was bone white, and his face slack. There were dark blue circles underneath his sunken eyes, which were taped shut to prevent them from staring openly at the wall, which not only would have freaked visitors out, but would dry out his eyes. His lips were ashen, tinged with blue, telling her that despite the oxygen tube, his lungs were still not providing the right amount of oxygen. He seemed so small, so frail beneath the light blue cotton cover. So not like himself. Jimmy was strong, cocky, alive! This man looked like death warmed over.
She pulled the seat by the bed closer, wanting desperately to take his hand but afraid of jarring the IV.
"Hey, Jimmy," she said finally, shattering the unnerving silence of the room. "I...uh, I don't know if you can hear me, but some people say that people in comas can, and--" she laughed dryly. "Here I am rambling on and I'm not even sure you can hear this."
She gently, hesitantly moved her hand near his, afraid still to touch the pale skin.
"You're a hero, you know. That woman? She's alive. She's in better shape than you, but she's not out of the woods yet. I think she's gonna be fine, though. Thanks to you."
She stared at the heart monitor for a second.
"Joey's with Mom. I think he's gonna spend the weekend there. I know he wants to see you, but I'm afraid he might get scared. He still doesn't totally understand what's going on. And truth is, I'm not sure you'd want him to see you like this. You and your damn pride."
Another dry laugh. This one quickly turned into a sob.
"Jimmy, please! You have to come out of this. I don't know what I'll do if you don't. I can't," she paused, choked up. "I don't think I can do this without you, Jimmy. I love you, Jimmy."
A soft rap on the door caught her attention.
Dr. Bailey opened the door and said softly. "I'm afraid you'll need to go now. He needs the rest. You can come back tomorrow."
Kim nodded, feeling like a fool as she wiped her red, puffy eyes.
Touching his hand briefly, she whispered, "I'll come back, Jimmy. You just make sure you get better."