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Chapter 4
Caleb settled into the chair and crossed his arms. He'd sent Kirsten home at 9:30 pm. She agreed to go home only because Caleb said he would sit with Ryan overnight. The rhythmic sound of the medical machinery had lulled him into a light sleep. He got used to the nursing staff coming in and out and didn't even open his eyes when they did.
Saturday January 3
It was 8am when the doctors came in for their rounds. Caleb had acquainted himself with Ryan's medical chart the evening before. When a nurse asked what he was doing, Caleb was very emphatic that as Ryan's "grandfather" he had every right to know his "grandson's" condition.
Caleb had mulled the words "Ryan's grandfather" over and over after the nurse left. Oddly, the phrase didn't bother him. He knew that Kirsten and Sandy considered Ryan their son, so he guessed that he would be the boy's grandfather. A slight smile crept to his face as he realized he'd just doubled his chances of having a grandson follow him in the family business.
Caleb spoke to Dr. Michaels and Dr. Meyers after they'd finished examining Ryan. They seemed pleased that there had been no complications so far and they felt that they could soon start weaning Ryan off the drugs that kept him comatose.
Caleb had extracted a promise from Dr. Meyers that he would call Sandy and Kirsten and inform them of Ryan's condition and their decision to try to bring him back to consciousness.
Caleb sat back down in Ryan's room. He rubbed his eyes and picked up a magazine. He had just found an article worth reading when there was a knock on the door.
A female police officer stepped into the CCU.
"I'm looking for Mr. and Mrs. Cohen..."
Caleb stood up.
"I'm Caleb Nichol..They're not here yet..Can I help you?"
I'm Officer Riley. I'm investigating the accident involving Seth Cohen, Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper on the morning of January 1."
"Well as you can see, Mr. Atwood is in no condition to tell you anything."
Caleb's eyes flickered towards Ryan and back to the officer.
Officer Riley glanced at Ryan.
"I'm actually here to speak to the doctors who treated Mr. Atwood the night he was brought in.."
Caleb's voice turned icy.
"You're here to find out if Ryan had been driving under the influence..I may not be a lawyer but I do know that you need a warrant to look at his medical records.."
Officer Riley was not intimidated by Caleb.
"A complaint has been filed against Mr. Atwood..I'm just gathering information pertinent to the case."
"A complaint was filed..?" Caleb interrupted
"By whom..?"
Even as Caleb asked the question, he knew the answer to it.
"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information. A complaint was made and the police department is required to investigate." The officer stated evenly.
"What will it take to make this go away.?" Caleb asked without any emotion.
The officer was taken aback.
"I beg your pardon.?"
Caleb picked up Ryan's medical chart from the end of the bed and flipped a few pages.
"Here are the results of the blood alcohol tests and the drug screens. As you can see they're both negative."
Officer Riley read the charts.
"I trust that this should resolve the issue of fault..? Have you found the owner of the truck that hit my grandsons and their friend?"
Caleb's voice was flat.
The police officer met Caleb's eyes.
"The investigation is on going Mr. Nichol. Once the information on Ryan's medical chart has been confirmed the complaint against him will be discharged. I will still need to speak with Ryan when he's awake.."
"What the hell is going on..?" Sandy didn't even try to hide the annoyance in his voice.
"I thought I made it clear that Ryan isn't able to answer any questions."
Officer Riley shifted her focus from Caleb to Sandy.
"I'm finished here. I trust you will contact me as soon as Ryan is awake."
She held out a card with the number of the police station.
Sandy shook his head.
"I still have the one you gave me yesterday.."
"Then I'll leave now. I'll keep you informed on the progress of this case.
Caleb left the hospital unsure of what to do next. He was not a man ruled by his emotions but the last 13 hours had taken their toll. He pulled into a small bistro to regroup.
Kirsten and Seth came to visit Ryan and Sandy that afternoon. The bruises on Seth's face were starting to take on a greenish tinge and his headache had faded into the background re-appearing only when he was tired.
Seth sat in the chair next to Ryan's bed, speaking to him in a quiet voice.
"Dude...I need you to wake up..Dad's killing me in Troll Quest..Forget about the trolls..he's killing my guys...It's getting so bad at home we watched a hockey game last night...Hockey!...It's like the national sport of Chechnya or Canada...at least someplace where there's snow and where the seasons change on a daily basis..C'mon Ryan...hang tough..You wake up and we can get you out of here..Marissa's been asking about you..."
The last statement was a lie. Julie Cooper had forbidden Marissa to have any visitors, keeping her sequestered from her friends and her father.
Kirsten and Sandy met with Dr. Meyers. He explained that they were going to start weaning Ryan off the sedatives in the next day or so. There seemed to be no more excess fluid accumulating in his skull so they would remove the shunt. They'd scheduled an MRI for his liver the next morning. The hope was that as Ryan regained consciousness they could remove the respirator. His vital signs were steady and Dr. Meyers was hopeful that Ryan would start to wake up within the next 24 hours.
Before Sandy took Seth home they stopped at a restaurant for dinner. Seth looked pale and tired as he picked at his food.
"Dad.."
Sandy stopped pushing his food around his plate and looked at his son.
"What if Ryan doesn't wake up...I mean he's not even breathing by himself...What if he never gets better..?"
Sandy reached for his son's hand.
"Seth, I believe that Ryan will get better.that he will wake up.They're not just words.I believe that he will get better, but his recovery is going to take time.."
"But what if he's not.you know...Ryan..?"
Sandy squeezed Seth's had tighter.
"Look, Dr. Meyers told me that the swelling in Ryan's brain had gone down, his CAT scan showed that there was no bleeding and that his brain was functioning. They're going to take the shunt out tomorrow morning..Those are all positive things.."
Tears started to well up in Seth's eyes.
"Seth trust me..it's going to be fine.Ryan'll wake up in a day or so and he'll be home before you know it. You have to stay strong..you're not going to help him if you make yourself sick..Let's finish up and go home...You can get some sleep. Ryan's going to need us strong to help him get better.."
Sunday, January 4
Kirsten spent a fitful night curled up on the chair beside Ryan's bed. 5 years of Ashtanga yoga had given her amazing arms but her back still got stiff from slouching in a chair for 8 hours. As she stood up and stretched, Dr. Michaels entered the room.
"Good morning Mrs. Cohen. Those chairs are not the most comfortable things to sleep on. We do have a family room you can use at night if you don't want to go home."
Kirsten shook her head.
"Thank you, but one of the nursing staff told us about it the first night we were here. We didn't want Ryan to be alone."
Dr. Michaels continued talking as he checked Ryan's blood pressure.
"It's not always this quiet in CCU. Usually we have more than 1 patient in here..Anyway.we'll be taking Ryan down for an MRI and make sure that his liver is healing the way it should be. There seems to be no sign of infection at the incision site. Once that's done we'll remove the shunt, stitch him up and he'll be back here in about 90 minutes.Do you have any questions?"
Kirsten nodded.
"When are you going to start taking him off the sedatives? It's been 4 days now..It can't be good for him..?"
Dr. Michaels looked at Kirsten.
"The sedatives serve 2 purposes. First of all it helps the body heal when there has been this much trauma. It keeps excess strain from being placed on it. Keeping Ryan still actually made it easier for his brain to stop swelling and his punctured lung to heal. The ventilator regulated his breathing, keeping it steady."
Dr. Michaels took a breath before continuing.
"The second purpose is to help with pain management. Ryan's injuries are very severe. He would be in a lot of pain the last 4 days if he were conscious. We might not have been able to manage it using traditional pain meds. As we bring him out of sedation we'll be using some strong medication through his I.V. We should be able to manage any pain that way."
Before Dr. Michaels could say anymore, 2 porters entered the room to take Ryan down for his MRI. Dr. Michaels nodded curtly to Kirsten and followed the porters out.
Kirsten called Sandy and let him know what was going on. Sandy said he'd be at the hospital in a few hours. Seth was still sleeping and Sandy was grateful that it seemed to be a sound, restful sleep.
It was nearly 11am when Ryan was wheeled back into the CCU. The shunt was gone as well as the chest tube. The nurse who was supervising the porters smiled at Kirsten.
"Ryan did really well. Dr. Michaels will be in shortly to talk to you about the next step, but I can tell you that his liver is healing nicely and we were able to take the chest tube out as well as the shunt. We left the central I.V. line in for the time being, but we should be able to remove that and replace it with one in his hand soon."
Kirsten looked down at Ryan, gently stroking the side of his face.
"The swelling seems to have gone down a little." she murmured.
The nurse put her hand on Kirsten's shoulder.
"He's a fighter.."
Before the nurse could say anymore, Caleb Nichol strode into the unit.
"Dad..what are you doing here..?"
Caleb looked at his daughter.
"Why shouldn't I be here? I just came from your house. I checked in on Seth..He's still asleep. I thought I'd sit with Ryan for a little while...let you and that husband of yours get re-acquainted."
Kirsten looked shocked.
"Are you sure Dad..I mean.."
Caleb cut her off.
"I helped raise you and your sister..I think I can handle a sleeping boy...You need to be with Seth and what's his name.."
"Dad." Kirsten warned.
Caleb ignored the warning.
"I've got a load of contracts to look over. I can do that here. I don't think Ryan will be up for a rousing game of Jenga just yet, so it doesn't matter if I work here or at the office. I'll call you if there's any change in his condition."
Kirsten had a rebuttal all lined up but then realized that she could argue with her father but in the end she'd still end up going home, so she'd just skip the argument and go.
"Thanks Dad..I'll be back this evening and yes, I will have a nap and something to eat."
"Just don't cook it yourself Kiki.."
There was absolutely no hint of humour in Caleb's voice. Kirsten shot him a glare before giving her dad a hug and Ryan a gentle kiss on his forehead.
Kirsten met with Dr. Michaels in the hallway. He explained that they had started lowering the dosage of sedatives so if all went well, Ryan could regain consciousness within the next 24 hours.
Chapter 4
Caleb settled into the chair and crossed his arms. He'd sent Kirsten home at 9:30 pm. She agreed to go home only because Caleb said he would sit with Ryan overnight. The rhythmic sound of the medical machinery had lulled him into a light sleep. He got used to the nursing staff coming in and out and didn't even open his eyes when they did.
Saturday January 3
It was 8am when the doctors came in for their rounds. Caleb had acquainted himself with Ryan's medical chart the evening before. When a nurse asked what he was doing, Caleb was very emphatic that as Ryan's "grandfather" he had every right to know his "grandson's" condition.
Caleb had mulled the words "Ryan's grandfather" over and over after the nurse left. Oddly, the phrase didn't bother him. He knew that Kirsten and Sandy considered Ryan their son, so he guessed that he would be the boy's grandfather. A slight smile crept to his face as he realized he'd just doubled his chances of having a grandson follow him in the family business.
Caleb spoke to Dr. Michaels and Dr. Meyers after they'd finished examining Ryan. They seemed pleased that there had been no complications so far and they felt that they could soon start weaning Ryan off the drugs that kept him comatose.
Caleb had extracted a promise from Dr. Meyers that he would call Sandy and Kirsten and inform them of Ryan's condition and their decision to try to bring him back to consciousness.
Caleb sat back down in Ryan's room. He rubbed his eyes and picked up a magazine. He had just found an article worth reading when there was a knock on the door.
A female police officer stepped into the CCU.
"I'm looking for Mr. and Mrs. Cohen..."
Caleb stood up.
"I'm Caleb Nichol..They're not here yet..Can I help you?"
I'm Officer Riley. I'm investigating the accident involving Seth Cohen, Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper on the morning of January 1."
"Well as you can see, Mr. Atwood is in no condition to tell you anything."
Caleb's eyes flickered towards Ryan and back to the officer.
Officer Riley glanced at Ryan.
"I'm actually here to speak to the doctors who treated Mr. Atwood the night he was brought in.."
Caleb's voice turned icy.
"You're here to find out if Ryan had been driving under the influence..I may not be a lawyer but I do know that you need a warrant to look at his medical records.."
Officer Riley was not intimidated by Caleb.
"A complaint has been filed against Mr. Atwood..I'm just gathering information pertinent to the case."
"A complaint was filed..?" Caleb interrupted
"By whom..?"
Even as Caleb asked the question, he knew the answer to it.
"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information. A complaint was made and the police department is required to investigate." The officer stated evenly.
"What will it take to make this go away.?" Caleb asked without any emotion.
The officer was taken aback.
"I beg your pardon.?"
Caleb picked up Ryan's medical chart from the end of the bed and flipped a few pages.
"Here are the results of the blood alcohol tests and the drug screens. As you can see they're both negative."
Officer Riley read the charts.
"I trust that this should resolve the issue of fault..? Have you found the owner of the truck that hit my grandsons and their friend?"
Caleb's voice was flat.
The police officer met Caleb's eyes.
"The investigation is on going Mr. Nichol. Once the information on Ryan's medical chart has been confirmed the complaint against him will be discharged. I will still need to speak with Ryan when he's awake.."
"What the hell is going on..?" Sandy didn't even try to hide the annoyance in his voice.
"I thought I made it clear that Ryan isn't able to answer any questions."
Officer Riley shifted her focus from Caleb to Sandy.
"I'm finished here. I trust you will contact me as soon as Ryan is awake."
She held out a card with the number of the police station.
Sandy shook his head.
"I still have the one you gave me yesterday.."
"Then I'll leave now. I'll keep you informed on the progress of this case.
Caleb left the hospital unsure of what to do next. He was not a man ruled by his emotions but the last 13 hours had taken their toll. He pulled into a small bistro to regroup.
Kirsten and Seth came to visit Ryan and Sandy that afternoon. The bruises on Seth's face were starting to take on a greenish tinge and his headache had faded into the background re-appearing only when he was tired.
Seth sat in the chair next to Ryan's bed, speaking to him in a quiet voice.
"Dude...I need you to wake up..Dad's killing me in Troll Quest..Forget about the trolls..he's killing my guys...It's getting so bad at home we watched a hockey game last night...Hockey!...It's like the national sport of Chechnya or Canada...at least someplace where there's snow and where the seasons change on a daily basis..C'mon Ryan...hang tough..You wake up and we can get you out of here..Marissa's been asking about you..."
The last statement was a lie. Julie Cooper had forbidden Marissa to have any visitors, keeping her sequestered from her friends and her father.
Kirsten and Sandy met with Dr. Meyers. He explained that they were going to start weaning Ryan off the sedatives in the next day or so. There seemed to be no more excess fluid accumulating in his skull so they would remove the shunt. They'd scheduled an MRI for his liver the next morning. The hope was that as Ryan regained consciousness they could remove the respirator. His vital signs were steady and Dr. Meyers was hopeful that Ryan would start to wake up within the next 24 hours.
Before Sandy took Seth home they stopped at a restaurant for dinner. Seth looked pale and tired as he picked at his food.
"Dad.."
Sandy stopped pushing his food around his plate and looked at his son.
"What if Ryan doesn't wake up...I mean he's not even breathing by himself...What if he never gets better..?"
Sandy reached for his son's hand.
"Seth, I believe that Ryan will get better.that he will wake up.They're not just words.I believe that he will get better, but his recovery is going to take time.."
"But what if he's not.you know...Ryan..?"
Sandy squeezed Seth's had tighter.
"Look, Dr. Meyers told me that the swelling in Ryan's brain had gone down, his CAT scan showed that there was no bleeding and that his brain was functioning. They're going to take the shunt out tomorrow morning..Those are all positive things.."
Tears started to well up in Seth's eyes.
"Seth trust me..it's going to be fine.Ryan'll wake up in a day or so and he'll be home before you know it. You have to stay strong..you're not going to help him if you make yourself sick..Let's finish up and go home...You can get some sleep. Ryan's going to need us strong to help him get better.."
Sunday, January 4
Kirsten spent a fitful night curled up on the chair beside Ryan's bed. 5 years of Ashtanga yoga had given her amazing arms but her back still got stiff from slouching in a chair for 8 hours. As she stood up and stretched, Dr. Michaels entered the room.
"Good morning Mrs. Cohen. Those chairs are not the most comfortable things to sleep on. We do have a family room you can use at night if you don't want to go home."
Kirsten shook her head.
"Thank you, but one of the nursing staff told us about it the first night we were here. We didn't want Ryan to be alone."
Dr. Michaels continued talking as he checked Ryan's blood pressure.
"It's not always this quiet in CCU. Usually we have more than 1 patient in here..Anyway.we'll be taking Ryan down for an MRI and make sure that his liver is healing the way it should be. There seems to be no sign of infection at the incision site. Once that's done we'll remove the shunt, stitch him up and he'll be back here in about 90 minutes.Do you have any questions?"
Kirsten nodded.
"When are you going to start taking him off the sedatives? It's been 4 days now..It can't be good for him..?"
Dr. Michaels looked at Kirsten.
"The sedatives serve 2 purposes. First of all it helps the body heal when there has been this much trauma. It keeps excess strain from being placed on it. Keeping Ryan still actually made it easier for his brain to stop swelling and his punctured lung to heal. The ventilator regulated his breathing, keeping it steady."
Dr. Michaels took a breath before continuing.
"The second purpose is to help with pain management. Ryan's injuries are very severe. He would be in a lot of pain the last 4 days if he were conscious. We might not have been able to manage it using traditional pain meds. As we bring him out of sedation we'll be using some strong medication through his I.V. We should be able to manage any pain that way."
Before Dr. Michaels could say anymore, 2 porters entered the room to take Ryan down for his MRI. Dr. Michaels nodded curtly to Kirsten and followed the porters out.
Kirsten called Sandy and let him know what was going on. Sandy said he'd be at the hospital in a few hours. Seth was still sleeping and Sandy was grateful that it seemed to be a sound, restful sleep.
It was nearly 11am when Ryan was wheeled back into the CCU. The shunt was gone as well as the chest tube. The nurse who was supervising the porters smiled at Kirsten.
"Ryan did really well. Dr. Michaels will be in shortly to talk to you about the next step, but I can tell you that his liver is healing nicely and we were able to take the chest tube out as well as the shunt. We left the central I.V. line in for the time being, but we should be able to remove that and replace it with one in his hand soon."
Kirsten looked down at Ryan, gently stroking the side of his face.
"The swelling seems to have gone down a little." she murmured.
The nurse put her hand on Kirsten's shoulder.
"He's a fighter.."
Before the nurse could say anymore, Caleb Nichol strode into the unit.
"Dad..what are you doing here..?"
Caleb looked at his daughter.
"Why shouldn't I be here? I just came from your house. I checked in on Seth..He's still asleep. I thought I'd sit with Ryan for a little while...let you and that husband of yours get re-acquainted."
Kirsten looked shocked.
"Are you sure Dad..I mean.."
Caleb cut her off.
"I helped raise you and your sister..I think I can handle a sleeping boy...You need to be with Seth and what's his name.."
"Dad." Kirsten warned.
Caleb ignored the warning.
"I've got a load of contracts to look over. I can do that here. I don't think Ryan will be up for a rousing game of Jenga just yet, so it doesn't matter if I work here or at the office. I'll call you if there's any change in his condition."
Kirsten had a rebuttal all lined up but then realized that she could argue with her father but in the end she'd still end up going home, so she'd just skip the argument and go.
"Thanks Dad..I'll be back this evening and yes, I will have a nap and something to eat."
"Just don't cook it yourself Kiki.."
There was absolutely no hint of humour in Caleb's voice. Kirsten shot him a glare before giving her dad a hug and Ryan a gentle kiss on his forehead.
Kirsten met with Dr. Michaels in the hallway. He explained that they had started lowering the dosage of sedatives so if all went well, Ryan could regain consciousness within the next 24 hours.