Inside, Kelly immediately noticed that Sabrina's room was meant to be
shared by two people, but at the time, Sabrina was the only person in it.
Upon first glance, Sabrina appeared to be simply sleeping, just as Kelly
had expected, but then as she walked over to the bed, she could see the
IV's running up her right arm, and the sensor on her finger that was
monitoring her heart rate, yet she didn't seem to be in any discomfort or
pain. Jack was sitting next to the bed, not paying any attention to who
was entering through the door, as he held Sabrina's hand and ran his
fingers over her knuckles. He looked exhausted, yet he was forcing to keep
his eyes open, probably because he was waiting for Sabrina to wake up and
to tell him to stop worrying about her. At first, Kelly was afraid that
she would startle him if she spoke, but then realized that he was probably
expecting her.
"Jack?" Kelly whispered, causing Jack to look up from Sabrina. When he saw Kelly standing there, he almost seemed relieved, almost like her presence made everything alright. After giving her a hug, he then pulled a chair over for her and gestured for her to sit down.
"You never called me. Is she going to be ok?" Kelly asked as she sat down in the chair. Despite the fact that Sabrina was lying in front of her, obviously alive, Kelly was still afraid that there was something that she couldn't see, something that no one was telling her.
"I don't know. The tests confirm that she had a stroke, but then the doctor started saying something about a blocked artery in her neck, and significant weakness on her left side. The only thing I really understood was that there's a possibility that she could have another stroke.
"What do you mean she can have another stroke? Can't they give her something to clear the artery?"
"He is, but apparently they take time to work. He mentioned some kind of surgery, but he also said that the chances of her having a stroke on the table were greater."
"So what are we supposed to do, just sit here and wait?"
"I guess so."
"Does he know what effects it had on her at least? So that we're prepared?"
"He just mentioned the weakness on her left side, which he said can be fixed with extensive rehabilitation and physical therapy."
"Well, could he at least say when she'd be out of the woods?"
"He said that the next couple of days were crucial. If she can get through them without having another stroke, then she should be ok. He's giving her medicine though to keep her relaxed the entire time."
"That's what I figured" Kelly replied as silence feel between them. Kelly knew from personal experience that the medications would keep Sabrina asleep until the doctor eased up on them, which probably wouldn't be until the immediate danger had passed. No matter how long it took, however, Kelly was determined to stay there until Sabrina woke up, and told Kelly herself that she was going to be ok. After all, Sabrina had done the same when Kelly was in the hospital.
For two days, Jack and Kelly sat by Sabrina's bed side as they waited for the doctor to tell them that Sabrina was going to be ok. A majority of that time was spent in silence, but in a way, Kelly found it easier that way. It wasn't that she disliked Jack; Kelly had actually been thrilled the day that Sabrina announced she was marrying him; instead it was more that Kelly needed the time to herself to accept all that had happened. Occasionally she would call her husband, or Jack would call his and Sabrina's son Daniel, who was in the Army and couldn't get there, but most of the time they just focused their attention on Sabrina as they waited for the doctor to take her off of the medication, so that she could come back to life.
It wasn't until their third day there, however, that the doctor finally said that Sabrina was out of danger, for the most part, and therefore he was easing up on the medications. Even then, though, it was still several hours before the drugs had worn off, and Sabrina had started to stir. When she did wake up, Jack was out of the room getting them some coffee, leaving Kelly alone to welcome Sabrina back to the world of the living.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" Kelly asked as she noticed Sabrina's eyes open, and then flutter before searching the room to figure out where she was.
"I've been better." Sabrina replied, although her voice was weaker then Kelly had ever heard it. "What are you doing here?"
"You didn't think I would miss my best friend having a stroke, did you?" Kelly then replied, hoping that Sabrina would at least be amused by her comment.
"Is that what happened?" Sabrina asked, apparently still trying to figure out how she had gotten there, and how long she had been there.
"Yeah. Three days ago. The good news, though, is that the doctor expects that in time you'll make a full recovery." Kelly decided to add, hoping that it would give Sabrina the positive attitude that she would need to make it through all of the therapy and rehabilitation ahead of her.
"Why can't I feel my left side?" Sabrina then added after some silence, her voice getting stronger and stronger as the conversation continued, although her eye lids were getting weaker and weaker.
"It's a side effect from the stroke. Don't worry though, the doctor expects you to regain complete feeling. It's just going to take some time." Kelly replied before pausing, and realizing that Sabrina was probably wondering were Jack was. "Jack will be right back. He went to get us some coffee. Not all of us got to sleep for three days."
"Ok." Sabrina said before becoming extremely quiet. The entire time, Kelly expected to be told to stop worrying, but the words never came out of Sabrina's mouth. Kelly wasn't sure if it was because she was still feeling the effects of the medicines, or because she felt that there was something wrong, but whatever it was, it was bothering Kelly. Sabrina never let people worry about her, but Kelly had come to accept that as Sabrina's way of letting people know that she was going to be ok.
Jack returned a couple of minutes later, and was ecstatic when he saw that Sabrina was finally awake again. He could have talked to her for hours, but after a minute or so Sabrina had lost all of her energy, and he could tell that she was on the verge of falling asleep again. After promising that he wouldn't go anywhere, Sabrina went back to sleep as Kelly and Jack went back to their routine of just sitting there, and waiting. By now, however, they were both exhausted from hardly sleeping for three days, and just keeping their own eyes open had become a challenge. Jack refused to leave Sabrina's side though, and Kelly refused to leave Jack there alone, so together they sat next to the bed, as they tried to get some sleep in the extremely uncomfortable chairs. Jack would only sleep for an hour or two each night, and usually Kelly was the same way. That afternoon, however, after they had talked with Sabrina, Kelly found the feeling of exhaustion fitting her harder, as she fell into a deeper sleep in the chair. The next thing she knew, Jack was gently shaking her, as he tried to wake her up.
"Kel." Jack said as Kelly was starting to wake up. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep."
"Are you sure? I didn't want to leave you sitting here alone."
"I'll be fine. Will you be ok driving home?"
"I think so. I'm coming back in the morning though." Kelly stated as she stood up from the chair and tried to stretch the stiffness out of her back and shoulders. "Is there anything that you want me to get you?"
"No, I'm ok. Thanks for being here though."
"Don't mention it. I'll see you tomorrow morning. If Bri wakes up again, tell her I'll be back."
"Ok." Jack said before Kelly put her coat on and then left the room. It took her a few minutes to figure out where she had parked, since she hadn't seen her car in three days, but then once she was in it, it seemed like only minutes before she was home. When she got there, Christopher was at work, but there was a note on the counter that simply told her that Kris had called. Kelly had never thought about calling the other "angels" to let them know what had happened, mostly because she was too busy worrying. Now thinking about it, however, she realized that she probably should have called at least Kris and Jill, since they were both close to Sabrina. The concept of having been in the same clothes for three days, however, was starting to bother Kelly, so she opted to jump into the shower and change her clothes before sitting down in her living room and dialing Kris's number.
At first the phone seemed to never stop ringing, but then on the fifth or sixth ring, Kris answered, although it sounded like she was out of breath when she did.
"Hey, it's Kel. Everything ok?" Kelly decided to ask. After everything else that had happened, Kelly wouldn't be surprised if Kris was having a heart attack, or if she was suffering from any other ailment that went with getting old.
"Hey. Yeah. I just got back from the store and wanted to get to the phone before the machine picked up. So where have you been. Every time I've called this week, Christopher told me you were out."
"I was in the hospital with Jack and Bri. Bri had a stroke a couple of nights ago so I stayed there with them until the doctor told us that she was out of the woods."
"What! Is she ok?" Kris immediately asked.
"The doctor seems to think that she should be. I can't really tell yet cause she just woke up today. I'm going to head back there in the morning though. I just came home to take a shower and to get a couple of hours of sleep."
"You want me to fly out there? I have the time, so taking off of work shouldn't be an issue."
"You don't have to. The meds that they have her on right now make her pretty tired, so most of the time Jack and I just sit there in silence."
"Still, I'm her friend, I should be there. Which hospital is she at?"
"The county hospital. She's on the third floor." Kelly replied.
"Alright. I'm going to try to get on the next plane out there. Do you want me to just meet you at the hospital?"
"Sure. Can you do me a favor and call Jill and tell her what happened?" Kelly asked.
"No problem. I'll see you when I get there." Kris said before hanging up her phone. Not having to call Jill anymore, Kelly hung up her phone before walking into her bedroom where she laid down on her bed as she tried to take a quick nap before she started dinner. Just as her eyes were about to close, however, she heard the garage door open and knew that Christopher was home, and would want to know how Sabrina was. Accepting the fact that she wouldn't get to sleep until after dinner, Kelly stood back up and walked into the kitchen where she greeted Christopher while going through their refrigerator looking for something to make.
"Hey. I wasn't expecting you to be back. How's Sabrina?"
"Ok I guess. The doctor seems to think that it's safe to say that she shouldn't have another stroke any time soon, but she still seemed different when I talked to her earlier."
"Maybe she was just groggy from the meds. After all, you said that they were keeping her unconscious for three days."
"Yeah, I know. It was still strange though. Is chicken ok for dinner?"
"Let me handle dinner. I doubt you got any sleep while you were there, so why don't you go and lay on the couch until dinner's ready."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." Christopher said as he took off his tie before taking over the kitchen. Kelly then walked back into the living room where she sat down on the couch, unsure of what to do. "Did you see my note?" Christopher then added.
"Yeah, I just called her back. She's going to fly out here."
"Ok. I wasn't sure if you wanted me to tell her what happened, so I just told her that you were out."
"O, ok. If anyone else calls though, just go ahead and tell them" Kelly replied. She appreciated what Christopher was doing, but she would rather not have to repeat the occurrences of the past several days too many times, not even to her close friends.
Knowing that dinner was under control, Kelly decided to curl up on the couch before closing her eyes. Despite the "nap" that she had taken at the hospital, Kelly could still feel her body dragging, and therefore it wasn't hard to let her mind slowly drift off to sleep.
"Jack?" Kelly whispered, causing Jack to look up from Sabrina. When he saw Kelly standing there, he almost seemed relieved, almost like her presence made everything alright. After giving her a hug, he then pulled a chair over for her and gestured for her to sit down.
"You never called me. Is she going to be ok?" Kelly asked as she sat down in the chair. Despite the fact that Sabrina was lying in front of her, obviously alive, Kelly was still afraid that there was something that she couldn't see, something that no one was telling her.
"I don't know. The tests confirm that she had a stroke, but then the doctor started saying something about a blocked artery in her neck, and significant weakness on her left side. The only thing I really understood was that there's a possibility that she could have another stroke.
"What do you mean she can have another stroke? Can't they give her something to clear the artery?"
"He is, but apparently they take time to work. He mentioned some kind of surgery, but he also said that the chances of her having a stroke on the table were greater."
"So what are we supposed to do, just sit here and wait?"
"I guess so."
"Does he know what effects it had on her at least? So that we're prepared?"
"He just mentioned the weakness on her left side, which he said can be fixed with extensive rehabilitation and physical therapy."
"Well, could he at least say when she'd be out of the woods?"
"He said that the next couple of days were crucial. If she can get through them without having another stroke, then she should be ok. He's giving her medicine though to keep her relaxed the entire time."
"That's what I figured" Kelly replied as silence feel between them. Kelly knew from personal experience that the medications would keep Sabrina asleep until the doctor eased up on them, which probably wouldn't be until the immediate danger had passed. No matter how long it took, however, Kelly was determined to stay there until Sabrina woke up, and told Kelly herself that she was going to be ok. After all, Sabrina had done the same when Kelly was in the hospital.
For two days, Jack and Kelly sat by Sabrina's bed side as they waited for the doctor to tell them that Sabrina was going to be ok. A majority of that time was spent in silence, but in a way, Kelly found it easier that way. It wasn't that she disliked Jack; Kelly had actually been thrilled the day that Sabrina announced she was marrying him; instead it was more that Kelly needed the time to herself to accept all that had happened. Occasionally she would call her husband, or Jack would call his and Sabrina's son Daniel, who was in the Army and couldn't get there, but most of the time they just focused their attention on Sabrina as they waited for the doctor to take her off of the medication, so that she could come back to life.
It wasn't until their third day there, however, that the doctor finally said that Sabrina was out of danger, for the most part, and therefore he was easing up on the medications. Even then, though, it was still several hours before the drugs had worn off, and Sabrina had started to stir. When she did wake up, Jack was out of the room getting them some coffee, leaving Kelly alone to welcome Sabrina back to the world of the living.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" Kelly asked as she noticed Sabrina's eyes open, and then flutter before searching the room to figure out where she was.
"I've been better." Sabrina replied, although her voice was weaker then Kelly had ever heard it. "What are you doing here?"
"You didn't think I would miss my best friend having a stroke, did you?" Kelly then replied, hoping that Sabrina would at least be amused by her comment.
"Is that what happened?" Sabrina asked, apparently still trying to figure out how she had gotten there, and how long she had been there.
"Yeah. Three days ago. The good news, though, is that the doctor expects that in time you'll make a full recovery." Kelly decided to add, hoping that it would give Sabrina the positive attitude that she would need to make it through all of the therapy and rehabilitation ahead of her.
"Why can't I feel my left side?" Sabrina then added after some silence, her voice getting stronger and stronger as the conversation continued, although her eye lids were getting weaker and weaker.
"It's a side effect from the stroke. Don't worry though, the doctor expects you to regain complete feeling. It's just going to take some time." Kelly replied before pausing, and realizing that Sabrina was probably wondering were Jack was. "Jack will be right back. He went to get us some coffee. Not all of us got to sleep for three days."
"Ok." Sabrina said before becoming extremely quiet. The entire time, Kelly expected to be told to stop worrying, but the words never came out of Sabrina's mouth. Kelly wasn't sure if it was because she was still feeling the effects of the medicines, or because she felt that there was something wrong, but whatever it was, it was bothering Kelly. Sabrina never let people worry about her, but Kelly had come to accept that as Sabrina's way of letting people know that she was going to be ok.
Jack returned a couple of minutes later, and was ecstatic when he saw that Sabrina was finally awake again. He could have talked to her for hours, but after a minute or so Sabrina had lost all of her energy, and he could tell that she was on the verge of falling asleep again. After promising that he wouldn't go anywhere, Sabrina went back to sleep as Kelly and Jack went back to their routine of just sitting there, and waiting. By now, however, they were both exhausted from hardly sleeping for three days, and just keeping their own eyes open had become a challenge. Jack refused to leave Sabrina's side though, and Kelly refused to leave Jack there alone, so together they sat next to the bed, as they tried to get some sleep in the extremely uncomfortable chairs. Jack would only sleep for an hour or two each night, and usually Kelly was the same way. That afternoon, however, after they had talked with Sabrina, Kelly found the feeling of exhaustion fitting her harder, as she fell into a deeper sleep in the chair. The next thing she knew, Jack was gently shaking her, as he tried to wake her up.
"Kel." Jack said as Kelly was starting to wake up. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep."
"Are you sure? I didn't want to leave you sitting here alone."
"I'll be fine. Will you be ok driving home?"
"I think so. I'm coming back in the morning though." Kelly stated as she stood up from the chair and tried to stretch the stiffness out of her back and shoulders. "Is there anything that you want me to get you?"
"No, I'm ok. Thanks for being here though."
"Don't mention it. I'll see you tomorrow morning. If Bri wakes up again, tell her I'll be back."
"Ok." Jack said before Kelly put her coat on and then left the room. It took her a few minutes to figure out where she had parked, since she hadn't seen her car in three days, but then once she was in it, it seemed like only minutes before she was home. When she got there, Christopher was at work, but there was a note on the counter that simply told her that Kris had called. Kelly had never thought about calling the other "angels" to let them know what had happened, mostly because she was too busy worrying. Now thinking about it, however, she realized that she probably should have called at least Kris and Jill, since they were both close to Sabrina. The concept of having been in the same clothes for three days, however, was starting to bother Kelly, so she opted to jump into the shower and change her clothes before sitting down in her living room and dialing Kris's number.
At first the phone seemed to never stop ringing, but then on the fifth or sixth ring, Kris answered, although it sounded like she was out of breath when she did.
"Hey, it's Kel. Everything ok?" Kelly decided to ask. After everything else that had happened, Kelly wouldn't be surprised if Kris was having a heart attack, or if she was suffering from any other ailment that went with getting old.
"Hey. Yeah. I just got back from the store and wanted to get to the phone before the machine picked up. So where have you been. Every time I've called this week, Christopher told me you were out."
"I was in the hospital with Jack and Bri. Bri had a stroke a couple of nights ago so I stayed there with them until the doctor told us that she was out of the woods."
"What! Is she ok?" Kris immediately asked.
"The doctor seems to think that she should be. I can't really tell yet cause she just woke up today. I'm going to head back there in the morning though. I just came home to take a shower and to get a couple of hours of sleep."
"You want me to fly out there? I have the time, so taking off of work shouldn't be an issue."
"You don't have to. The meds that they have her on right now make her pretty tired, so most of the time Jack and I just sit there in silence."
"Still, I'm her friend, I should be there. Which hospital is she at?"
"The county hospital. She's on the third floor." Kelly replied.
"Alright. I'm going to try to get on the next plane out there. Do you want me to just meet you at the hospital?"
"Sure. Can you do me a favor and call Jill and tell her what happened?" Kelly asked.
"No problem. I'll see you when I get there." Kris said before hanging up her phone. Not having to call Jill anymore, Kelly hung up her phone before walking into her bedroom where she laid down on her bed as she tried to take a quick nap before she started dinner. Just as her eyes were about to close, however, she heard the garage door open and knew that Christopher was home, and would want to know how Sabrina was. Accepting the fact that she wouldn't get to sleep until after dinner, Kelly stood back up and walked into the kitchen where she greeted Christopher while going through their refrigerator looking for something to make.
"Hey. I wasn't expecting you to be back. How's Sabrina?"
"Ok I guess. The doctor seems to think that it's safe to say that she shouldn't have another stroke any time soon, but she still seemed different when I talked to her earlier."
"Maybe she was just groggy from the meds. After all, you said that they were keeping her unconscious for three days."
"Yeah, I know. It was still strange though. Is chicken ok for dinner?"
"Let me handle dinner. I doubt you got any sleep while you were there, so why don't you go and lay on the couch until dinner's ready."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." Christopher said as he took off his tie before taking over the kitchen. Kelly then walked back into the living room where she sat down on the couch, unsure of what to do. "Did you see my note?" Christopher then added.
"Yeah, I just called her back. She's going to fly out here."
"Ok. I wasn't sure if you wanted me to tell her what happened, so I just told her that you were out."
"O, ok. If anyone else calls though, just go ahead and tell them" Kelly replied. She appreciated what Christopher was doing, but she would rather not have to repeat the occurrences of the past several days too many times, not even to her close friends.
Knowing that dinner was under control, Kelly decided to curl up on the couch before closing her eyes. Despite the "nap" that she had taken at the hospital, Kelly could still feel her body dragging, and therefore it wasn't hard to let her mind slowly drift off to sleep.