Susan wasn't sure what time it was, or what day. Wasn't even all that interested in the month. She had a vague inkling though, that it was still winter. Staring at Abby, waiting, that's all there was to do at the moment. She didn't know why she did it anymore, there had been no change, no improvement, no nothing. She seriously doubted that there was hope left anymore. Abby was her friend, she couldn't just give up, but she couldn't spend the rest of her life, or Abby's waiting. They had, had a few close calls with her, and been asked more then a few times about DNR's. No, none in the past, but now, if she was suffering. ..There was no way to know for certain. Abby might be in agony, but might not be. Maybe there was still hope. Susan sat back in her chair, thinking, Stenton had been arrested nearly three weeks before, Abby had been comatose for…she couldn't remember exactly, it would be in the chart.
"Go home Susan," she jerked at the sound, it was Kerry, "Not doing her or you any good."
"I can't, not yet,"
"If anything changes, I'll page you."
"I'm not leaving her Kerry,"
"She won't be alone, your family misses you."
"And what about Henry?"
"You haven't gotten much better at evasion. Cosmo, Chuck, they probably miss you."
"I will later, not now,"
"Susan, you've been living at the hospital for the past two weeks."
"I'm not going to let her die alone, Maggie and Eric are not here, I'm her best friend.."
"So you're going to wait here with her until she does die?" seemed a bit impractical, though Kerry couldn't deny having done something similar. Her alleged trip to Africa had nothing to do with Africa and everything to do with a seriously ill Jeanie Boulet.
"I signed the DNR this morning Kerry," she spoke softly, sadly. Abby had coded twice in the middle of the night and each time they managed to bring her back.. barely. It was only a matter of time now before they simply couldn't resuscitate her. The longer Abby was on life support, the more damage to her organs, the more she suffered, that was of course if she was feeling anything, and according to the EEG, she most likely was not. Even though Susan was crying as she signed the DNR, she sincerely believed what she was doing was the right choice.
"And if she doesn't crash again soon? Will you have them take her off the vent?"
Susan laughed, if Abby didn't crash again soon was an understatement, it seemed as if she was now on a regular schedule for coding. "Yes, I can't prolong this, you and I both know this isn't what Abby wants or would have wanted. There has been no improvement in five weeks, nothing." she reached down and grabbed Abby's hand in her own. Five weeks, while still incredibly early into the healing process, most patients (those that would recover) should have at least given some sign that they were still somewhat with them. Most would have regained consciences by now, or at least should have started coming out of the coma. Not Abby.
"How long will you give her to crash before..."
"I don't know." Kerry just nodded. Just about any comment she made was likely to come out wrong or be misinterpreted.
They sat that way for a while, when Susan suddenly, felt a very small, almost nonexistent movement in her hand. "Abby?" she didn't shout or jump, just sort of said it.
"Did she..." Kerry looked at Susan, mildly confused by her statement. Had Abby done something she'd missed?
Susan was obviously just as confused, it couldn't have happened, could it? "Abby, squeeze my hand hon," she directed. No, she had just accepted that her best friend was gone. However, she was more then willing to retract that DNR if Abby had indeed moved.
It wasn't quite a squeeze, but Abby's fingers definitely twitched.
"Abby!" Susan jumped up, this was impossible! "Come on Abby," Kerry had caught the second twitch, it was definitely a good sign, but she didn't want to get too optimistic just yet. Could Abby actually be waking up? If yes, what would she be like? She defiantly wouldn't be the same old Abby anymore, that was not the question. But would she be angry, depressed? Or even still, would she make it?
"Abby, please, move again, something." Susan pleaded. She responded that time, defiantly, moving her fingers back and forth, was she signing? Or just moving? Either way, they were ecstatic.
"Should call a neuro, any preference as to who?"
"Um," Susan began, trying to think of who would be a good neurologist at the moment, anyone besides Stenton. "I don't really know,"
"There's someone I know over at Mercy," Kerry offered, "they're good."
"Mercy?"
"Chief of neurology is on vacation, one of the attending is on leave, the rest are swamped and it'd probably be best if she's not treated by a resident. Dr. Vera could probably be persuaded to treat Abby here though."
"That's fine," if she wouldn't treat Abby at County, they could always transfer Abby to Mercy. Kerry pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed the number, the neurologist was quick to answer, and agreed to treat Abby without transferring her, at least for the moment.
"Abby," Susan sat down again, "can you hear us?" she had stopped moving, just lying there, just like before. "Abby, come on," Susan said desperately, "open your eyes Abby," her voice had trailed off to barely a whisper now. She received nothing, it seemed as if Abby had gone back, to where ever she had been for over a month now. Susan shook her head, defeated. She had had gotten her hopes up, it had probably been nothing more then a spontaneous movement.
Seeing Susan's despair at her friend's return to complete abeyance, Kerry tried, she knew it wasn't likely to have any affect, but decided it was worth the try, "Abby?" Susan moved aside, and let Kerry take the post, hell, it was worth a shot. "If you can hear me, Abby, move, do something." Abby turned her head to the left ever so slightly, towards Kerry's voice. The motion was a bit of a shock, but definitely a good thing. "You're safe, you're at County..." She moved her hand again, once again towards Kerry, hearing the comforting and familiar voice.
"Dr. Vera should be here within half an hour," Kerry said to Susan, they had to try to keep Abby engaged until then at the least
"Should we call anyone else?" she was careful, not wanting to get to excited just yet.
"Wait until the neurologist sees her."
Susan nodded again, "Abby, hon, can you open your eyes?" she probably wouldn't but they had to keep talking to her. Though Abby's eyelids did seem to move, they did not open. "Abby, its Susan and Kerry, come on," Susan encouraged. The twitching lasted longer, but Abby's eyes stayed closed. With as long as she'd been out, waking up was more a process than an action.
Twenty eight minutes later, an unfamiliar doctor walked into the room, 'Dr. Vera,' Susan thought to herself, thanking God that she had finally arrived.
"Kerry, hello. Dr. Lewis, I presume?" she extended a hand to shake.
"Yes, thank you for coming,"
"You're welcome. And this must be Dr. Lockhart?" she glanced at Abby.
"That's Abby." Susan forced a smile as she reached over and pulled the stuffed dog Pratt had left weeks earlier, away from the IV tubes.
"May I see her charts?" Susan nodded and turned around, grabbing the huge chart off of the end table, before handing it over. After reading it in its entirety, which took nearly twenty minutes, she looked back up at them. "She's been comatose for a month?"
"Yeah, a little longer actually" 'seems like a lot longer though' Susan added mentally.
"Has she had spontaneous movements in the past?"
"Nothing until today,"
"She's responding to verbal commands?"
"Not consistently, but sometimes,"
"How often?"
"It just started about an hour ago, the movements, its completely random when she does respond." Susan said all the while keeping an eye on Abby and then would occasionally look back at the monitors.
"Abby," Dr. Vera started, "if you can hear and understand me, move your right hand." She didn't receive the exact response she had requested, but Abby moved her fingers on her left hand, the only hand she had moved the entire time.
"Abby, can you please move your right hand?" Susan was wondering now, why wouldn't Abby move her right hand? A million reasons popped into her head, but she shook them off and watched, no movement on the right, but she moved her left hand and grabbed the blanket. "Abby, will you please move your right hand if you can?" had there been damage to Abby's nervous system in the attack? Or could it have been from whatever Stenton had injected her with? Nothing, no kind of response that time.
"Is this her most recent lab work?"
"Yes, got it back about thirty minutes ago,"
"Still don't know what he gave her?"
"He refuses to tell, we have no idea, don't know what it does, how long he had been injecting her, we don't know anything,"
"And it's not showing up in a tox screen. We may have to wait it out."
"Could it.. I mean.." Susan didn't know how to state it, "Could it be why she wont move her right hand," side at that, no movement on her right side.
"Yes. It's a long shot, but definitely a possibility, according to the records you've shown me, there was no head or neck injury, so it's probably from whatever he drugged her with."
"Permanent?"
"Can't say yet."
"What about her regaining consciousness?"
"It will take some time."
"But you think she will?" for the first time in over a month Susan actually smiled.
"If her medical condition doesn't deteriorate, then yes."
Susan didn't say anything immediately, just smiled though her tears, "thank you,"
"Thank Abby, not me," Dr. Vera proceeded with the neuro exam.
"I will once she decides to wake up," she laughed.
"You do that," Dr. Vera grinned lightly. Though Abby's reflexes on her right side were depressed, she had a hunch that it would be temporary, that things might just work out. Susan stood back in the corner watching the doctor, watching Abby, hoping for the best. At least now, she had that back, she had hope back.