A/N: I don't have the time or patience to write about the three weeks I'm skipping, so I'm…well, skipping ahead to three weeks. :P I know my chapters are short, but keep in mind I'm writing this as I go, so it's hard to get big long chapters when writing on spur of the moment-ness. I wish I could make them longer, and I'll try to in the future. It seemed like a good place to leave this one off at, so I did. R&R for more, and enjoy!! Oh…and excuse the note that says it needs more sex. That's my brother and he seems to not get the whole coma thing. :-P Lurve ya, Raines!
Visitors came and went, days turned into weeks, and Jimmy still did not awake. Dr. Bailey had been forced to begin feeding liquid nourishment into Jimmy's system via a tube in his nose. His condition had been moved from critical to stable, but he was still under constant observation. Bruises began to fade to lighter colors and cuts began to scab over, the healing process in action. Bones slowly began to knit themselves together again. But still, Jimmy did not awaken.
After three weeks Bailey cornered Kim in the waiting room where she was sharing a cup of Styrofoam flavored coffee with her mom. He took her aside, out of the range of everyone's hearing.
"Kim, I've been meaning to talk to you about Jimmy's condition," he started out. "As I'm sure you know, it's been three weeks and he's not shown any sign of waking up. Aside from the obvious physical healing, he's not been showing much improvement. There are still signs of brain activity, however they have not seemed to increase. We need to discuss the possibility that he may not come out of this coma. So you have two standard choices."
She waved her hand as he started to explain. "I am well aware of my choices, Doctor. I can continue to pay for his stay in the hospital, or I can yank the plug and kill the father of my son. Hmm, let me think a moment."
Dr. Bailey was a bit taken aback by her response. "Kim, you realize that protocol insists I go over the choices with you, right? I'm not suggesting anything."
Kim cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed at her irritation. "Yeah, I get it. Sorry, I'm just a little testy lately. I'm not ready to give up on Jimmy yet, Doctor. I know that for sure. He's strong, he's stubborn. In my book, he's got more chance of waking up than staying comatose, despite what the readings tell you."
Bailey nodded, smiled, and excused himself a bit hurriedly, saying he had patients to check on.
Kim tossed her now cold coffee in the nearest trash can and headed back to her mom. "Mom, I'm going to go sit with Jimmy for a while, okay?"
Mrs. Zambrano smiled an nodded. "It's almost time for me to pick Joey up anyway. Would you like me to maybe bring him by after dinner, or…?"
Kim frowned. "No…he's too young to visit, and unless Jimmy wakes up I don't think they're going to make an exception. I'll stop by around six and pick him up. He's already spent enough time there. I'm afraid he's going to feel abandoned if I don't spend some time with him."
Her mom laughed. "Don't be silly! He loves spending time with me too much to feel that. Although I do suggest taking him for ice cream. Maybe to see that new movie he's had his eye on? Cheered you right up when you were young."
Kim smiled at her wink and nodded. "Right. Seven. Ice cream and a movie. You tell him to be ready."
"Right," Mrs. Zambrano said, standing up and holding out her arms. "You take care, hon."
"I will, Mom," Kim said, accepting the hug. "Bye."
She watched her mom leave before turning down the hall that lead to Jimmy's private room.
She sat down in the same hard chair and took his hand in hers, minding the IV. "Hey, Jimmy."
She'd taken to talking to him more and more as the weeks passed, even though she wasn't sure if he could hear her. For all she knew she was crazy to sit there for hours, talking to herself.
"Mom suggested I take Joey out for ice cream and a movie tonight. He's been wanting to see one of those violent, car-chase things you've got him hooked on," she started. "So I'm gonna do that. It'll be good to spend some time with him. And as soon as you wake up, I'm gonna find a way to get him in here, even if I have to bake him in a cake and sneak him in. I know he misses you like hell, but he's trying to be tough. It'd make you proud. He's been real good about not crying, even though I told him it was okay. You're his hero, but you already know that, I guess."
A low guttural sound, hallway between a grunt and a groan caught her off guard; she stared at him in shocked silence for a moment. "Jimmy?"
He was silent, still laying in the bed unmoving, but she could swear the noise had come from him. She was sure of it.
She gripped his hand a bit harder. "Jimmy?"
His eyes were still behind his lids. No sign that he'd made any sound.
Still, a swell of hope rose in her chest and she leaned in closer. "That's it, Jimmy. Come back to me."
When he made no reply, no sign that he'd heard or began to wake up, she felt hot tears slide down her face and let go of his hand, brushing away her tears and feeling foolish.
Then, the moan came again.
She turned her head sharply. There was no mistaking it. That HAD to have been him.
"Jimmy?" she whispered, suddenly so afraid.
Beneath pale eyelids, beneath the strips of surgical tape, his eyes moved.
"Jimmy?" Her voice was anxious.
As suddenly as the movement began, it ended, and he was still as death again.
Kim shot to her feet and ran into the hall, down to the nurse's station. "Where's Dr. Bailey?"
The startled young woman said, "He's in the lounge. Why? Is everything all right?"
Without answering, Kim ran down to the lounge and shot through the door.
A surprised Doctor Bailey looked up from his coffee.
"He was waking up…at least I think he was waking up. His eyes, they moved, and he was… it sounded like he was trying to talk or something! I don't know, but I think he was waking up!" Kim cried.
Dr. Bailey followed her back to the room, and examined him for a moment. "I'm not detecting any improvement, but it IS a possibility. We'll monitor him more closely the next few days and see what's what. Okay?"
Kim nodded, and when he left, felt a huge grin slide across her face. She didn't care what Bailey said. Jimmy was going to wake up, and soon. She knew it. She felt it.
Visitors came and went, days turned into weeks, and Jimmy still did not awake. Dr. Bailey had been forced to begin feeding liquid nourishment into Jimmy's system via a tube in his nose. His condition had been moved from critical to stable, but he was still under constant observation. Bruises began to fade to lighter colors and cuts began to scab over, the healing process in action. Bones slowly began to knit themselves together again. But still, Jimmy did not awaken.
After three weeks Bailey cornered Kim in the waiting room where she was sharing a cup of Styrofoam flavored coffee with her mom. He took her aside, out of the range of everyone's hearing.
"Kim, I've been meaning to talk to you about Jimmy's condition," he started out. "As I'm sure you know, it's been three weeks and he's not shown any sign of waking up. Aside from the obvious physical healing, he's not been showing much improvement. There are still signs of brain activity, however they have not seemed to increase. We need to discuss the possibility that he may not come out of this coma. So you have two standard choices."
She waved her hand as he started to explain. "I am well aware of my choices, Doctor. I can continue to pay for his stay in the hospital, or I can yank the plug and kill the father of my son. Hmm, let me think a moment."
Dr. Bailey was a bit taken aback by her response. "Kim, you realize that protocol insists I go over the choices with you, right? I'm not suggesting anything."
Kim cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed at her irritation. "Yeah, I get it. Sorry, I'm just a little testy lately. I'm not ready to give up on Jimmy yet, Doctor. I know that for sure. He's strong, he's stubborn. In my book, he's got more chance of waking up than staying comatose, despite what the readings tell you."
Bailey nodded, smiled, and excused himself a bit hurriedly, saying he had patients to check on.
Kim tossed her now cold coffee in the nearest trash can and headed back to her mom. "Mom, I'm going to go sit with Jimmy for a while, okay?"
Mrs. Zambrano smiled an nodded. "It's almost time for me to pick Joey up anyway. Would you like me to maybe bring him by after dinner, or…?"
Kim frowned. "No…he's too young to visit, and unless Jimmy wakes up I don't think they're going to make an exception. I'll stop by around six and pick him up. He's already spent enough time there. I'm afraid he's going to feel abandoned if I don't spend some time with him."
Her mom laughed. "Don't be silly! He loves spending time with me too much to feel that. Although I do suggest taking him for ice cream. Maybe to see that new movie he's had his eye on? Cheered you right up when you were young."
Kim smiled at her wink and nodded. "Right. Seven. Ice cream and a movie. You tell him to be ready."
"Right," Mrs. Zambrano said, standing up and holding out her arms. "You take care, hon."
"I will, Mom," Kim said, accepting the hug. "Bye."
She watched her mom leave before turning down the hall that lead to Jimmy's private room.
She sat down in the same hard chair and took his hand in hers, minding the IV. "Hey, Jimmy."
She'd taken to talking to him more and more as the weeks passed, even though she wasn't sure if he could hear her. For all she knew she was crazy to sit there for hours, talking to herself.
"Mom suggested I take Joey out for ice cream and a movie tonight. He's been wanting to see one of those violent, car-chase things you've got him hooked on," she started. "So I'm gonna do that. It'll be good to spend some time with him. And as soon as you wake up, I'm gonna find a way to get him in here, even if I have to bake him in a cake and sneak him in. I know he misses you like hell, but he's trying to be tough. It'd make you proud. He's been real good about not crying, even though I told him it was okay. You're his hero, but you already know that, I guess."
A low guttural sound, hallway between a grunt and a groan caught her off guard; she stared at him in shocked silence for a moment. "Jimmy?"
He was silent, still laying in the bed unmoving, but she could swear the noise had come from him. She was sure of it.
She gripped his hand a bit harder. "Jimmy?"
His eyes were still behind his lids. No sign that he'd made any sound.
Still, a swell of hope rose in her chest and she leaned in closer. "That's it, Jimmy. Come back to me."
When he made no reply, no sign that he'd heard or began to wake up, she felt hot tears slide down her face and let go of his hand, brushing away her tears and feeling foolish.
Then, the moan came again.
She turned her head sharply. There was no mistaking it. That HAD to have been him.
"Jimmy?" she whispered, suddenly so afraid.
Beneath pale eyelids, beneath the strips of surgical tape, his eyes moved.
"Jimmy?" Her voice was anxious.
As suddenly as the movement began, it ended, and he was still as death again.
Kim shot to her feet and ran into the hall, down to the nurse's station. "Where's Dr. Bailey?"
The startled young woman said, "He's in the lounge. Why? Is everything all right?"
Without answering, Kim ran down to the lounge and shot through the door.
A surprised Doctor Bailey looked up from his coffee.
"He was waking up…at least I think he was waking up. His eyes, they moved, and he was… it sounded like he was trying to talk or something! I don't know, but I think he was waking up!" Kim cried.
Dr. Bailey followed her back to the room, and examined him for a moment. "I'm not detecting any improvement, but it IS a possibility. We'll monitor him more closely the next few days and see what's what. Okay?"
Kim nodded, and when he left, felt a huge grin slide across her face. She didn't care what Bailey said. Jimmy was going to wake up, and soon. She knew it. She felt it.