Author's Note: Chapter 9 originally started out as part of chapter 8 until I realized how long the chapter had gotten. Chapter 9 begins at the hospital in the emergency room.
Chapter 9
"Mr. Tracy, we need you to sign these consents so that we can treat Samantha Tracy and Alan Tracy," said the doctor in a rush. "As soon as we know something we'll come out to tell you." Once he had the consents in his hand he rushed back to the surgery area where Sam was undergoing emergency surgery to release the swelling from her brain. While one medical team worked on that injury another worked on making sure that her leg had been set correctly. One thing that the doctors were not aware of was that Sam had again been hit in the middle of her back. This time there would be consequences. Once they had relieved the swelling and were sure that she was okay she was moved to the recovery room. Slowly she fought off the effects of the anesthesia.
"Mr. Tracy, I have news for you on the condition of your children. Alan is fine. He has a broken arm and some bruised ribs. He also has a cut on the back of his head but it's nothing to worry about. We have him hooked up to a nasal canula to help keep his O2 saturations up." Looking at the faces of Gordon, Virgil, John, and Scott he continued. "Would you like to go to another room to discuss Samantha's condition?"
"No, these are Sam's brothers as is Alan and they will find out eventually," replied Jeff as he held John close to him as if to protect him from the words he was about to hear.
"Samantha's left leg is broken and she has some bruised ribs. We were able to reduce the swelling in her brain that was the result of the skull fracture. She is now stabilized and in the recovery room," said the doctor as he mentally prepared himself for the next part. "One of the teams that was in the surgery theater noticed that despite having her broken leg shifted as the cast was cut off, Sam never moved as if she were hurt. We began a series of tests and came to the conclusion that she is suffering from a partial paralysis. Mr. Tracy, has Sam ever had any kind of trauma to her back?"
Jeff looked up sharply at the doctor as his words sank in. "Last year she was caught in an avalanche in which her left leg was broken and she had bruised ribs. A tree limb hit her in the middle of her back and left a bruise. The doctors said that she was fine and released her after a week's stay in the hospital," said Jeff with the pain of the memory on his face. A sudden sob brought his attention to his sons as he looked down to find John's face buried in his chest.
"Not again, Dad. Why does everything happen to Sam?" sobbed John as he held tight to his dad. Jeff kept his arm around John as the other boys held onto each other in disbelief.
"When can we see them?" asked Jeff.
"Alan is already in his room. I can take you there now if you would like," offered the doctor.
"Okay. What about Sam when can we see her? Is it possible to have them in the same room or at least rooms right next to each other? Their mother is dead and I am raising them alone," explained Jeff. The doctor finally realized who this man was.
"Excuse me for being rude but aren't you Jefferson Grant Tracy the former astronaut?" blurted the doctor.
"Um, yes I am," acknowledged Jeff slightly embarrassed.
"Sir, we can put Sam and Alan in the VIP rooms in which you will be able to stay with them as well as your other children," said the doctor. Within a half hour Alan was situated in the new room with Gordon and Virgil sitting in a chair next to his bed. Scott was asleep on the little couch next to the window. Alan began to toss and turn his head in an effort to wake up.
"Alan, its okay calm down," soothed Virgil. He wasn't as good at this as Sam was. Gordon began to run his fingers through Alan's hair. Alan turned into the comforting touch of his brother and slowly opened his eyes.
"Where am I?" whispered Alan as he began to wake up.
"You're in the hospital, Alan. Do you remember what happened on the beach?" asked Virgil quietly. The doctors had warned them that Alan would have a headache due to the knock on his head. Realizing that Sam wasn't in the room, Alan began to struggle to sit up. The sudden movement caused him to gasp out in pain as his ribs protested the movement. Struggling to control the pain he could only lie down and breathe through the pain.
"Ally, you have to stay calm. Dad is downstairs in the recovery room with Sam. They will be moving her up here in a little bit," said Virgil in his big brother voice. Knowing that voice meant comfort and safety, Alan began to relax again. A sudden flurry of activity in the doorway got the attention of Gordon, Virgil, and Alan. Scott sat up suddenly forgetting where he was momentarily. A team of doctors and nurses wheeled a gurney in that had Sam on it. She was hooked up to all sorts of monitors and IVs. Once they had gotten the gurney right next to the hospital bed they locked the gurney into place and carefully shifted her onto the bed. The nurses began hooking the IV bags to the IV poles around her bed. Then the nurse that was assigned to Alan and Sam took her vitals and charted them. After they had wheeled the gurney out of the room, the nurse made sure that Sam was comfortable and covered her up with a blanket.
"Hi boys, my name is Danielle and I will be caring for Sam and Alan during the day shift," introduced the nurse. Jeff had just entered the room with John as Danielle was introducing herself to his sons. John and he had met her in the recovery room.
"Now I need to give you the important rules while you are here. Alan and Sam are patients and they need quiet in order to get better. Both of them will probably have headaches because of the knocks that they took on their head. Samantha will especially be prone to headaches for awhile so pleasebe courteous and mindful of what she is going through. I see that Alan is awake and that is good as long as he doesn't overdo it. Alan, if your arm or ribs start to bother you let someone know and we can get you something for the pain."
"This next rule is even more important. Samantha has a skull fracture that we had to go in and reduce the swelling of the brain. She will be asleep for awhile but I want you guys to talk to her and reassure her that you are here. She can hear what you are saying but she is in need of the rest she is getting. As you can already see her left leg is broken and like Alan she has bruised ribs. The doctors are afraid that she may have a partial paralysis of her lower extremities. If that is the case when she wakes up you are going to have to comfort her and encourage her. We will know more when she wakes up. Oh, try to keep your emotions in check. I know this is hard on all of you but if she hears you and knows that you are upset then she will become agitated herself and try to fight against the medicines that we are giving her to help her get better. Everyone understand?" asked Danielle as she looked at each of the boys and Jeff. All of them nodded in response including Alan.
John pulled a chair over to Sam's bedside and sat down. He held her hand in his as he willed her to get better and come back to him. Jeff checked on Alan and was soon rewarded with a giggle from him. Scott walked over to where John sat staring at Sam.
"Johnny, you okay?" asked Scott. The concern he felt for John was beginning to show through. He knew that John was feeling lost without Sam to talk to. He couldn't even begin to think what he would do if it was he and Virgil in their places. John looked up at Scott with the sparkle of unshed tears pooling in his eyes.
"No, Scott I am not okay," replied John as he let go of Sam's hand and abruptly stood up and made his way to the door. Scott followed him as if he knew that John was getting ready to breakdown. No sooner had the door closed behind them John collapsed to the floor.
"Why, Scott? Why does this keep happening to us? What if Sam is paralyzed even if its just partial? She is as active as we are and a paralysis will devastate her," stated John in absolution. He knew his sister's thoughts and emotions as well as he knew his own. He drew his knees up and laid his head on them and gave into the emotions that he had to keep from Sam.
"Johnny, I can't give you the answers that you want and need but you know that as long as we stick together we can overcome any obstacle set before us," Scott said as he sat down on the floor next to John. "We have to stay positive for Sam even if we have to go to another room periodically to have a break, okay?" John leaned on Scott as he nodded.
"Come on let's go see the little squirt," said Scott as he stood up and held out his hand for John to grab hold of. They walked back into the room to see that Gordon had crawled into Alan's bed and was watching cartoons with him. Virgil was sitting in the chair that John had been sitting in next to Sam's bed. He was holding her hand and rubbing it gently between his own.
"Sammie, come on. We need you to wake up and dazzle us with your beautiful blue eyes. Johnny's may be the same color but I think we would get some weird looks if we were to be dazzled by his eyes.," joked Virgil as he tried to keep his composure. He didn't want to upset his big sister and cause her any more stress.
Fuzzy images and words and some nagging feelings kept her from retreating into the calming recesses of her mind. She heard her brothers' voices begging her to wake up and another voice that she didn't recognize warning them not to upset her or Alan. Alan, how could she forget Alan? He had been standing next to her as they climbed something. She woke up screaming in pain and only relaxed when John looked at her. Movement, first like she had been in a plane. Sirens, why did she hear sirens on the island? More movement as she was moved to a softer bed. A familiar yet strange beeping near her head reassured her that she was being taken care of.
She began to fight through the white fog that was suffocating her. She felt her hands being held and knew that one of them was John. She could feel his presence. She could feel him willing her to wake up and come back to him. She gently squeezed his hand to let him know that she was with him.
"Dad, she squeezed my hand," exclaimed John as he looked down at Sam. "Sam, can you squeeze your other hand?" A pause and Jeff felt a slight pressure on his hand. Virgil and Scott heard John and came over to stand next to Sam and see if she would wake up. Gordon and Alan had fallen asleep in Alan's bed while watching television.
"Sam, can you hear us? Please wake up and let us know that you are okay," pleaded one of her brothers. What does he mean? Of course I can hear him, he's standing next to me. Sam began to get agitated and started to toss her head gently as if trying to wake herself up. A sudden alarm made Jeff and the boys jump in surprise as the evening shift nurse came running in to find out what had happened to her patient. Looking at the monitors she noticed that Sam's heart rate was elevated as well as her blood pressure a clear indication of her agitation.
"What is going on in here?" demanded the nurse.
"We were talking to her and suddenly she squeezed John's hand and then squeezed mine," replied Jeff in an icy tone. He didn't care for this nurse or her bedside manner. "Now if you are done doing what you need to for my daughter, I would like to speak with you in the hallway with your charge nurse." He then went out to the nurse's station and requested to speak with the charge nurse.
"I am not happy with the abrupt nature of my son and daughter's evening nurse," stated Jeff in a firm tone. "I would like to have another nurse assigned to them. One that is better with children and families."
"Mr. Tracy, the nurse that I assigned is a true professional and is dedicated to the care of her patients."
"I am requesting another nurse. If you are not willing to give into a simple request, I will wait until the morning and I will lodge a complaint against you and the evening nurse for unprofessional behavior. That nurse has been rude and accusatory from the moment she came into the room and I will not tolerate it," emphasized Jeff. Without another word he walked back to Sam and Alan's room. Upon entering it he saw that the nurse was still there messing with Sam's IVs.
"What are you doing?" asked Jeff suspiciously. Startled the nurse jumped.
"I am checking her IV fluids, Mr. Tracy," snapped the nurse just as the charge nurse came in.
"Thelma, please come with me," said the charge nurse. Jeff followed them out to the nurses station.
"Thelma that was not professional behavior. I am shocked. I had just told Mr. Tracy that you were dedicated to the care of your patients and that includes their families," said the charge nurse. "I am switching your assignment for the evening. Kirsten will be taking over for you. Go give her your report."
"Mr. Tracy, I am sorry for any problems. I really am surprised at her behavior," apologized the charge nurse just as an alarm sounded from the VIP room. Running back to the room with the charge nurse and several other nurses, Jeff burst through the door.
"Scott, what happened?" demanded Jeff as the nurses swarmed around Sam's bed.
"I don't know, Dad," said Scott.
"I need all of you to leave the room for a little bit," said the charge nurse. Another nurse guided them out of the room as another one got a wheelchair and carefully sat Alan in it. Within moments a team of doctors rushed to Sam's room in response to the alarm while the Tracy boys and Jeff waited in the hall.
"Mr. Tracy, I am Dr. Weber. Your daughter is fine and I'm sorry if thealarm scared you and your sons. From what we can determine one of Sam's monitors had been tampered with as well as her IV fluids. There has been no harm done to Samantha thanks to the quick reaction time of the nurses. You may all go back into the room and relax."
At that moment the charge nurse came out. She went to the nurses station and called for Thelma to come to the desk. Dr. Weber and Jeff went over to stand there. Moments later Thelma came to the desk.
"You called me," said Thelma in a defensive tone.
"Thelma you were the last person seen around the monitors and IV fluids in Samantha Tracy's room. The patient's brothers saw you messing around just before the alarm went off," stated the charge nurse with anger in her voice. "Due to the suspicious circumstances around this alarm and your involvement I am hereby suspending you without pay until a formal investigation is concluded. At which time your employment at this hospital will be decided."
"Mr. Tracy will be allowed to pursue legal options at his discretion and the hospital will fully cooperate with him and his family," concluded the charge nurse as a security officer walked up and stood next to the nurses station.
"You will be escorted to your car as soon as you retrieve your belongings from your locker," said the security guard.
"Mr. Tracy, you and your sons may go back into the room. Kirsten is putting Alan into his bed as we speak," said Dr. Weber.
Jeff walked back to his sons and guided them into the room and softly closed the door. John walked back over to Sam and took her hand into his again. Gordon went to John's side and wrapped his arm around his waist and leaned against him. Virgil and Scott went to Alan's bedside to comfort him and make sure that he was distracted. Jeff sat down in the chair next to Sam's bed and held her hand much like he had done until Thelma had come into the room.
Later that night John was asleep on a cot next to Sam's bed. He was having a vivid dream in which they were running through the fields on the farm. Suddenly he looked around but couldn't see his sister. "Sam, where are you?" Running back the way he came he found her lying on her back staring at the sky. Suddenly he realized it was dark and she was looking at the stars.
"Lay down, Johnny, and look at the stars with me," pleaded Sam as she giggled. John lay down next to her and held her hand in his as they named the constellations in the summer sky.
"Sammie, we can't stay here we need to get back to Dad and our brothers," said John softly. Sam nodded her head but looked at him with a worried expression.
"Johnny, I heard someone say that I was paralyzed and I am scared to wake up," admitted Sam. John just moved closer to her and looked into her eyes. Eyes that reflected the beautiful starlight.
"Sam, I know you're scared. So am I but we will get through this together. All of us will be here to help you. Now I need you to wake up and come back to us so as Virgil says "you can dazzle us with your beautiful blue eyes."
John's dream caused him to toss and turn in his sleep. His movements woke Jeff up. Jeff made his way to where John lay and gently shook him awake.
"John, wake up. You're having a dream. Come on wake up," whispered Jeff. John sat up as Jeff touched his shoulder.
"Dad, you scared me," whispered John as sweat poured down his face. Nervously he used the blanket to wipe his face off. Noticing movement from Sam's bed he quickly jumped up and went to her bedside. Grasping her hand to let her know that he was there he sat down and watched as he had for the past two days. Looking at her face he was momentarily shocked to see her staring up at him.
"Sam, can you hear me?" whispered John as he continued to watch her face. Grimacing as she tried to swallow, she mouthed the word "Yes."
She tried to talk again and managed with great difficulty a simple word. "Thirsty." John got her water cup and held the straw so she could have a sip of water. Looking into his eyes she slowly began to drift off again.
A couple of hours later, John felt a squeeze on his hand. Looking up he saw that Sam was staring back at him.
"Do you need something Sam?" he asked gently. Noticing the panicked look in her eyes he squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"Legs…can't…feel …them," she gasped. John stood up and held her face in his hands to help calm her.
"Sam, the doctors think that you may be partially paralyzed. What they don't understand or know is that we are Tracy's and we overcome everything," encouraged John. "Right now we need to focus on you healing. Those bruised ribs looked painful. And you broke your left leg again. Oh, and if I were you I wouldn't nod or shake my head. You have a skull fracture that is going to hurt until it is healed." By the time he had told her the important stuff, Jeff was standing on her other side.
"It's about time that we got to see those beautiful blue eyes again," said Jeff in a gruff voice as he tried to keep his emotions under control. A sudden gasp from where Alan and Gordon had been sleeping woke Scott and Virgil. Suddenly there was a rush to Sam's bed. Scott paused long enough to carefully put Alan into his wheelchair. That was the only way he was allowed to be out of bed.
"Sammie, are you okay," said four voices at once. The sudden loudness caused her to close her eyes in pain as a sudden headache hit her.
"Hurts." She looked at Jeff pleading with her eyes to make it stop. John pushed the nurses call button. Within a few moments Kirsten was in the room.
"What's the celebration for?" she joked as she saw everyone around Sam's bed.
"Sam finally woke up but she just said "Hurts." Explained Jeff.
"Sam, I'm Kirsten. Can you tell me what hurts?" Sam looked at her and silently begged her to make it stop.
"Head…hurts…bad." Suddenly Sam leaned over and threw up from the pain. Kirsten was quick enough to get a wash basin from beneath the bed and hold it into place. The boys all backed away as Jeff held Sam as she continued to heave. Finally she stopped and went limp. She was extremely exhausted and in pain. She looked up at her dad and brothers and drifted off into a deep sleep. She didn't even feel Jeff wiping her face off with a cool cloth. Kirsten gave her some pain medication to help ease the headache.
Later that morning Gordon and Alan were playing board games at the table and Scott and Virgil were reading on the small couch. John was in his customary place by Sam's bed and Jeff was pacing around the room.
John was whispering to Sam everything that had been going on for the past couple of days in an effort to stay awake. Giving up he laid his head down on the edge of her bed and tried to fall asleep. He was just about to fall into a deep sleep when he felt fingers running through his hair. He continued to lay there and let the motion relax him.
"He must really be tired if he doesn't realize Sam is messing with his hair," said a voice that John thought must be Scott's. It took a couple of minutes for it to register in his mind that he said something about Sam messing with his hair. Sitting upright fast enough to make the room spin, John steadied himself as he looked at Sam. She was sitting up a bit more and smiling at him.
"Hi, sleepyhead," she whispered in a teasing voice. Scott and Virgil laughed at his expression.
"You're calling me sleepyhead when you have been asleep for three days straight," replied John in a mock indignant tone. Hearing the voices of their older siblings, Gordon wheeled Alan over to Sam's bedside.
"Sammie, you're finally awake," said Alan in a relieved voice. Gordon not having a place to see Sam went to the end of her bed and carefully crawled up her right side being extremely careful as he approached her ribs. Reaching his target, he lay his head down on her arm and cuddled close to her. Within moments he was relaxed and asleep. Sam glanced down at him with an expression of love on her face. Looking around at her brothers she gave them the same look.
Suddenly she grimaced in pain.
"Sam, what's wrong?" asked Scott and Virgil in alarm.
"My..legs…hurt…" she gasped out as the pain intensified. Danielle was just coming into the room when she heard Sam's comment and noticed the look of pain etched in her face.
"Boys, go out into the hallway," she ordered as Scott picked Gordon up and Virgil pushed Alan's wheelchair out of the door.
"Sam, I need you to listen to me. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly," ordered Danielle in a reassuring voice. Concentrating on Danielle and her instructions, Sam was able to ride through the pain. Finally, the pain receded and Sam relaxed even more.
"Good job, Sam," smiled Danielle as Sam relaxed.
"What happened to me Danielle?" asked Sam in a voice that showed how scared she was.
"Let me go get the doctor and he can tell you, your dad, and brothers at the same time," responded Danielle as she left the room. As soon as she left the boys came back in and surrounded Sam again.
"Are you okay?" whispered John. Sam closed her eyes and lightly shook her head. She leaned back into her pillow as she felt an intense pain in her head.
"ARRRGHHH!" she screamed as the pain encompassed her whole head and she passed out from the intensity. John stood there holding her hand as the tears streamed down his face.
Danielle and the doctor heard the scream in the hallway and ran into the room just as Sam passed out.
"What happened?" demanded the doctor.
"She leaned back into her pillow and suddenly a look of pain crossed her face and then she just screamed and passed out," explained Scott. Danielle quickly ushered them out of the room and into a empty room next to Sam's.
"I want you to stay here until I come and get you ok," said Danielle as she turned back to Sam's room. "As soon as she is ok I'll come and get you. I promise."
"Danielle, up the pain medication and raise her bed a little," ordered the doctor. "I want to look at the head injury." Danielle increased Sam's pain relief to the maximum for her height and weight. When that was done she raised her bed and gently pulled her forward and held her as the doctor checked the injury.
"Everything appears ok. Did anything happen before the headache hit?" asked the doctor as he tried to figure out what happened.
"I was just coming out to tell you that when I went in to check her vitals she had a look of pain on her face and was telling her brothers that her legs hurt," replied Danielle.
"She felt pain in her legs," repeated the doctor a look of surprise on his face. Danielle nodded her head. "That's great because that would mean that the diagnosis of paralysis was wrong. When she wakes up I want her reflexes tested on her legs."
"Yes Doctor," replied Danielle as she wiped Sam's face with a cool cloth and set about to make her comfortable again. As soon as the doctor left, she gave Sam a sponge bath to wipe off the sweat and changed her gown. She also changed the bedclothes before she went to get the boys.
"Boys, you can come back to the room now," she said quietly as she noticed that Alan had fallen asleep in his wheelchair. Jeff moved to push the wheelchair back to the room. "Sorry Mr. Tracy, I didn't see you there."
"That's alright. Now what is going on with Sam?" he asked in a voice that was clearly worried about his daughter. As they got into the room, he picked Alan up and tucked him in bed. Gordon immediately crawled up next to him and fell asleep. John, Virgil, and Scott went to Sam's bed with Danielle and Jeff.
"Just before she passed out from the sudden migraine she told her brothers that her legs hurt and I had them leave the room so I could calm her down. Once that was done, I went to tell the doctor about her legs. I was standing at the desk with the doctor when we heard her scream. By the time we got into the room she had passed out from the pain. I had the boys go to the other room so that the doctor could examine her. She will be asleep for awhile because I had to put her pain medication to the maximum for this dose," explained Danielle.
"What is wrong with her legs?" asked Jeff.
"Well, I don't want to get your hopes up but if she was feeling pain in them then it is possible that the diagnosis of paralysis is wrong. We will know more when she wakes up. The doctor has ordered a battery of tests to be run on her including reflex testing," said Danielle cautiously.
"How long will she be asleep?" asked John as he looked down at his sister.
"At least seven to eight hours, John," answered Danielle quietly. Her heart went out to the boy. He was trying to be a source of strength for Sam and this was wearing him down. John's head just sunk to his chest as he battled with his emotions. Suddenly he began to sway on his feet and before anyone could get to him he collapsed onto Sam's bed and across her chest. His head connected with the side rail that was raised on the far side.
He could feel arms around him as he was picked up by someone and then carefully laid down on a cot. He could feel his bedclothes being pulled over him and then he felt nothing else as he fell into a deep sleep.
An unknown number of hours later, John began to wake up. Sitting up carefully, he realized that his head hurt.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty, how are ya feeling?" laughed Scott. Noticing that their dad wasn't in the room John flipped Scott off.
"Now Johnny, you know that gestures like that can cause your fingers to be broken, don't ya?" threatened Scott.
"Bite me," replied John in a tone that clearly said that Scott didn't scare him. Looking at Sam's bed, he realized that it was empty.
"Scott, where's Sam? How come she isn't in her bed?" John asked in a panic.
"Calm down, John. The nurse took her so that they could run those tests on her. Dad is with her," explained Scott. Noticing that John was rubbing his head in pain, he walked over to the cot. Sitting down next to him he wrapped his arm around him.
"The next time you want to take a nap just say so and we'll let you sleep," joked Scott. John looked at him with a bewildered expression. "You passed out and fell across Sam's chest and then hit your head on the side rail of Sam's bed."
"I didn't hurt her did I?" asked John in horror. Scott shook his head no.
"How did I get to my cot?" he asked.
"Dad, picked you up and then Danielle checked to make sure that you were okay. After making sure you were alright, she went back to check and make sure that Sam was fine," answered Scott. Hearing the door open both boys looked up to see Sam being brought back in on a gurney. Danielle and the orderly moved her gently back to her bed. Once she was on the bed, Danielle fixed her bedclothes and straightened her gown and made sure that she was comfortable.
"You doing alright Sam?" asked Danielle.
"Yeah, just a little tired," she replied. "Can we tell my brothers the news or do we have to wait on my dad?"
"What news would that be?" asked Jeff as he walked to her bed with a cup of coffee. Looking up at her nurse she waited for a response.
"Go ahead and tell them no sense in keeping them guessing," replied Danielle to the silent question.
"Daddy, John, and the rest of you, the tests that they did today to determine if I was paralyzed were tiring and annoying," stated Sam.
"You're daughter did fine through the tests and was kind enough to give us all a lesson in Spanish and French," said Danielle with a straight face. John and Scott busted out laughing. They knew exactly what Sam was capable of saying in Spanish and French. Jeff had an idea but everything she said always came out so polite that he wasn't sure. Now he would have to learn some of it just to keep Sam in line.
"Anyway, one of the tests was simple. They took a pin and poked the bottom of my foot to see if I flinched away from it. After the tenth poke, I decided that I had enough and I flinched. Dad, the doctor in charge of my care should be reevaluated to make sure that he isn't really a torture expert," said Sam with a smile on her face. "I dodged it again, Dad. I'm not paralyzed at all. It seems that my body was in shock again and just decided to wake up on its own."
Suddenly she was surrounded by her brothers and Dad. Giving up on his emotions, John carefully crawled into Sam's bed and gathered her into his arms and held her close. Jeff held her hand as he let a few tears escape. Alan slowly made his way to Sam's bedside. He had finally been released from the hospital. Gordon and Virgil walked on either side of him in case he needed to lean on them. Scott stood next to their dad and offered him support without saying a word.
"I hate to break up this party but since everything has come back negative I fear that we are going to have to send you home," said a voice from the door. Looking up the Tracy family saw the Dr. Weber coming in the door. "Sam's broken leg and bruised ribs are healing nicely. There has been no more swelling from the injury to her head and now we know that there is no paralysis. She will have to take it easy but she is okay to go home."
A sudden cheer went up from the Tracy children as they realized Sam was getting better and that they were all going home. Alan couldn't wait to get home to his new friend Tin-Tin.
The next day after being fitted for crutches to use until her leg healed and the cast came off, Sam was tested to see if she could get around by herself. After about ten minutes she had to stop.
"My ribs are killing me can I stop?" begged Sam as the sweat poured down her face. Danielle nodded her head.
"Would you like to take a shower?" asked Danielle. "I'm sure that you want to feel fresh when you get to put on the new clothes that your dad bought you."
"Um, Danielle how do I take a shower with a cast on and what about the stitches in my head?" asked Sam with a perplexed expression on her face as she tried to figure out how she could manage.
"Let's go back to your room and I'll show you how to shower while protecting the cast from water," said Danielle as Sam sat down into the wheelchair and held the crutches across the arms of the chair. As they entered the room, Sam called Jeff over to her.
"Dad, can you take the boys down and get something to eat. Danielle is going to show me how to shower with the cast on and how to protect the stitches in my head."
"Sure, Sam, but you already know how to shower with a cast on you did it last year," replied Jeff. Gathering the boys, they left the room.
"Danielle, I want to walk to the shower. Would you mind grabbing my clothes?" asked Sam in an excited voice.
"Slow down there Sam. I need to remove your heplock. You no longer need it since you're going home as soon as we get you showered and dressed," laughed Danielle at the excitement on Sam's face. Squatting down next to the wheelchair, Danielle removed the heplock and declared Sam one step closer to freedom from the hospital.
"Alright, now can I get in the shower?" pleaded Sam. She really wanted to get home to see her Grandma and sleep in her own room. Danielle helped her stand up and get the crutches in a comfortable position. Sam slowly and carefully made her way to the shower. When she got in all the way she sat down on the closed toilet and rested.
"You alright, Sam?" asked Danielle. Feeling a bit tired Sam nodded her head instead of speaking. "Okay then I need you to stand up so we can get that gown off of you." Sam stood up and tried to balance herself as Danielle helped her take the gown off. Carefully, Danielle got her in the shower and showed her how to protect her cast and gently wash her hair so as not to disturb the stitches in her head.
After she was done with her shower, Danielle helped her keep her balance as she dried off and got dressed albeit a bit awkwardly. After about a hour she was showered and dressed in regular clothes as well as exhausted. Danielle sat her down on the toilet and went out to the room to get her wheelchair. Sam smiled at her gratefully when she saw the chair.
"Are you ready to go Sam?" asked Jeff as he and the boys got back to the room. Smiling up at her dad, in a manner that told him that she was tired, she gave a brief nod of her head. Scott picked up the bag with her belongings in it. Virgil picked up her crutches. John had her medications in a bag that the doctor had prescribed for pain. Gordon and Alan each carried a gift that Jeff had bought Sam and Alan. Jeff began to push her wheelchair towards the elevator.
"Thanks Danielle for everything. Will you please tell Kirsten I said thank you to her also," said Sam as they got into the elevator. Sam took in a deep breath as they exited the hospital. She was enjoying the breeze gently blowing her hair out of her face.
"Sam, can you get into the SUV or do you need help?" asked Jeff as he stopped next to the rental. Seeing how high it was she looked at her dad.
"I'm going to need help," said Sam as she stood up somewhat wobbly. John and Jeff reached out to hold her steady. Holding onto them for support she made her way to the SUV. Jeff helped her into the SUV. John climbed in next to her as the rest of the boys got in and buckled their safety belts. Jeff climbed into the driver's seat and looked at his children.
"Everyone ready to go?" asked Jeff. A chorus of six voices said yes. With a smile on his face he began to drive to the private airport. He had already arranged for the plane to be prepped and ready for take off.
Virgil stood outside of the SUV and held Sam's crutches until Jeff helped her out. He handed her the crutches and stood by until he was sure she was steady. Alan and Gordon had already boarded the plane and Scott was waiting at the top of the steps to help her if needed. John and Virgil walked next to her and helped her up the steps and into Scott's grasp. He let her lean on him as she made her way to her seat. John came up behind them and sat down next to Sam. He reached over and helped her fasten her seatbelt. Jeff boarded the plane and closed the door. Per his routine, he went to each of his children and made sure that they were securely fastened. Satisfied that they were ready to go he went to the cockpit and started the plane. After about fifteen minutes they were cleared for take off.
Relaxing against John's shoulder, Sam began to dose off.
"Love you Johnny," she whispered as she drifted off.
"Love you Sam," replied John as he drifted off to sleep knowing that his sister was going to be okay.
Two hours later they landed on Tracy Island. Grandma and Tin-Tin were waiting on them when they made their way off the plane. Brains was on hand to help out if necessary. Sam looked at the path and wondered if she had the strength to make it back to the house. Seeing the look on her face, Brains walked to the hangar and pushed a wheelchair back to where she was leaning on John and Virgil.
"WWWould yyou llike a rride?" asked Brains. Sam looked up at him with a huge smile on her face.
"Thanks Brains," said John for her as she sat down. John slowly pushed her down the path and to the house. The rest of the family followed except for Jeff. He was doing his post flight work.
"Where do you want to go Sam?" asked John as they got to the house.
"I would like to go to the lounge," replied Sam. "Virgil, will you play the piano for me? I've really missed hearing you practice."
"Sure I'll play. Do you want to hear anything special?" he asked.
"I just want to hear you play," she said as they entered the lounge.
"Now young lady, I want you to lie down on the couch and relax," said Grandma as she followed them into the room.
"Yes Grandma." With the help of Virgil and John, she was soon lying on the couch with her broken leg propped up. Gordon brought a light blanket to cover her up with as protection against the air conditioning. When he knew that she was comfortable, Virgil began to warm up on his piano and play all of Sam's favorites. Not wanting to be away from Sam, John was sitting on the floor with his head leaning against her pillow. Sam, feeling safe and secure, was running her fingers through John's hair to help him relax. Gordon and Alan were sitting together in one of the big chairs and Scott was sitting in another of the chairs. Jeff came to the door as he heard the music and saw that all of his children except for Sam and Virgil were asleep. Virgil glanced up and smiled at their dad. Sam lifted her hand and waved to him while the other hand continued to run through John's hair.