Dr. Donelson indicated with her hand for Zach to take a seat as she seated herself in the private consultation area just one hallway removed from the waiting room. Despite his concern and trepidation, Zach presented her with a very calm exterior as he waited for the surgeon to initiate the conversation.
After only a moment she commented, "The surgery went well and we were able to repair the artery and remove the blood clot. While under anesthesia, her leg was set and the dislocated shoulder reduced. She'll remain in recovery for probably an hour before being moved to ICU. Do you have any questions?"
"Thank you, doctor. How long until she wakes up? Will she make a full recovery?" Zach asked carefully.
"There are always risks but your wife tolerated the surgery well and she was in excellent physical condition prior to the accident. Right now she's still dependent on the vent to breathe, but they will start trying to wean her off the machine in ICU. We'll have a better idea in the next forty-eight hours. Someone will escort you to see her as soon as she is settled in her room," the physician answered.
"Thank you, Dr. Donelson. Will you continue to be her doctor or will I be speaking with someone else from now on?" Zach responded.
"I'll continue to treat your wife, however, the nature of her injuries will require the care of an additional physician. I've asked my colleague, Dr. Stallman, to consult if you have no objections. And of course Dr. Martin will continue to monitor her progress. I understand he's an old friend of your wife's family," she answered with a smile.
"Yes, he is. I know that her mother is most anxious for news – would it be possible for someone to brief the rest of the family?" Zach answered. Although he was not pleased by the way that the Kane-Montgomery clan had treated him, he still felt compassion for Kendall's family. Now was not the time to restrict access to her just because he had the legal right – especially in light of the documents that he and Kendall had signed that morning.
"I'll leave that decision to you and Dr. Martin," the doctor replied. "I'd like to look in on her before she's transferred to ICU. If you'll excuse me?"
"Of course, thank you again, doctor," Zach replied as he stood and extended his hand once again. "I'll be in the waiting room when she's settled."
Zach stood in the doorway and watched the physician walk away before drawing a deep breath. He mentally fortified himself for the onslaught that he expected to receive from Erica and the others, and walked back to the waiting room with his head held high.
Not surprisingly, Erica accosted him before he had even entered the doorway, "Well? What did she say? What is happening with my daughter Kendall?"
Zach looked down at the petite woman, tempted for a single moment to withhold the information just because he could. The moment of smallness passed quickly and he smiled warmly before responding, "She survived the surgery well. They still have her on the breathing machine, but they were able to set her leg and take care of her shoulder while she was in there."
"When can I see her?" Erica asked in agitation.
Zach smiled at Myrtle Fargate who had quietly positioned herself next to Zach as if in support of his rights as Kendall's husband. He turned once again to meet Erica's eyes and answered, "Someone will come to get us as soon as she's settled into her room in the ICU. We need to ask Dr. Martin about the specifics for visiting." He turned toward the seat that had been his for the duration of Kendall's four-plus hour surgery, and resumed the inscrutable expression that he had been perfecting for many years.
The group continued to converse with several people clearly agitated, but Zach concentrated on the joy he felt that Kendall had survived the surgery and was one step closer to regaining the life she had embraced so fully before encountering that automobile. For the first time he noticed that the gray and overcast sky outside the windows had darkened to black and that night had fallen while their own lives had been suspended by fear for Kendall.
Myrtle seated herself next to Zach and patted his hand, "You don't fool me, you know."
Zach turned his head and gave her a questioning look, "I don't recall trying to fool you, Mrs. Fargate. You're much too wise."
"And that's just the right answer, dear boy. I know that you've been suffering the tortures of the damned while sitting here – and Erica – well… she's…" Myrtle said, her voice trailing off without finishing the sentence.
"She's understandably concerned about her daughter," Zach replied. "You don't have to worry – she'll see her daughter. Kendall loves her, you know."
"Yes, I do know that – I wasn't sure that you realized it, though," Myrtle answered honestly.
Zach shook his head before answering, "Kendall would want her mother with her, and I wouldn't consider interfering with that. But no one will deny me access to her – and I believe there are several people in this room who wouldn't hesitate to do that. In fact, if I'm not much mistaken, they've probably already tried."
Myrtle gave a mirthless laugh, "And you're no fool either, Zach Slater. But don't you worry – as Kendall's husband you cannot be banned as much as they'd like it if you were. I'm glad we had this little talk."
Myrtle patted Zach's hand once more and began to rise until Zach tugged gently on her fingers. She looked at him questioningly, but patiently waited for his response. "Has anyone contacted Bianca? She should be here with Kendall, you know."
"Jackson called her after Joe checked in with us the first time. She's having the Cambias jet readied for the trip to Pine Valley as we speak. I imagine we'll be seeing her and sweet Miranda sometime tomorrow," Myrtle said with a fond smile.
"Good… that's good. Sisters should be together at a time like this. Kendall needs Bianca right now," Zach whispered as he relinquished Myrtle's hand and the woman returned to her seat next to Erica.
Not long after that conversation, Joe Martin entered the waiting room accompanied by an unidentified young man in hospital scrubs. He immediately made his way to the corner where Zach was seated much to the quiet consternation of Erica and her companions. Zach looked expectantly at Joe but waited for him to initiate the conversation.
"Mr. Slater, we've got Kendall settled into her room in the ICU and Andrew here will take you back and answer any questions that you may have," Joe informed him.
Zach nodded and rose before responding, making sure that he spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Could Erica join me in seeing Kendall? I know that she's anxious to see her daughter."
Joe beamed a smile at Zach, "Of course, that's an excellent idea." The older doctor turned toward the woman and said, "Erica?"
Erica rose and followed Zach and Andrew from the room without a word, while Joe remained to brief the remaining family members about the rules for ICU visitors and to escort them to the ICU waiting area. As Zach walked past Myrtle, though, he was certain that she had winked at him as she nodded her head. He shook his own head briefly and ran a hand over his mouth to hide the quick smile that he had almost shared with her. Despite the gravity of her condition, Zach was feeling lighthearted for a moment that Kendall had successfully progressed from surgery to recovery to ICU.
Once they arrived at the intensive care unit, Andrew quickly explained that Zach would be given unlimited access to Kendall as her husband, but that other immediate family members would only be permitted to see Kendall at brief and specific intervals. No one outside of the immediate family would be permitted to visit with Kendall as long as she remained in the ICU.
"Well… I'm afraid that's not acceptable. I expect to have the same access to my daughter Kendall as Zach – more actually when you consider that as her mother I'm really her more immediate family," Erica said forcefully to the young man.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but those are the rules," he answered her uncomfortably. "If you have a problem with them, you'll have to take it up with my manager. However, if you'd like to see your daughter first…?"
"Yes, I'd like that very much," Erica answered quietly.
Her subdued tone did not fool Zach, as he knew that she was just buying time in trying to have him barred from seeing Kendall at all. The memory of the divorce papers they had signed that morning was weighing heavily on his conscience – but he held no illusions that while he might be considerate in allowing Kendall's family time with her, they would not extend the same courtesy to him if the situation was reversed. No, at the first opportunity he needed to speak with Livia and make sure that those papers could not be used to cut off his access to his wife.
Zach and Erica quietly entered the small room that was assigned to Kendall. Instead of a doorway, the room had a wall of glass facing the nurse's station and a sliding door was used to gain entrance. Kendall lay in her bed just as still and quiet as she had been before surgery – only this time her head was swathed in bandages and her leg was covered in a bright blue cast and elevated with some type of traction. Her left arm was immobilized against her body with a blood pressure cuff attached and an IV was still connected to her right arm. The most ominous sound in the room was the wheeze of the ventilator as it was connected to the endotracheal tube, forcing her lungs to breathe rhythmically. Kendall's face was nearly as pale as the bandages on her head except for the large, dark purple bruise that had formed along her left temple. Zach speculated that the remainder of her body was probably also covered in bruises from her impact with the car and the pavement – and was very glad that the hospital gown and the bed linens prevented him from seeing further proof of her pain.
Zach stood just inside the doorway and allowed Erica to speak to her daughter first. Erica took Kendall's right hand in her own and spoke quietly, "I'm here, Kendall, I'm right here. You did very well in surgery. Now it's time to wake up, my darling. Your Uncle Jack and Greenlee and Ryan are all waiting for you to open your eyes… and we're not going anywhere until you do."
The young man placed a hand on Erica's shoulder, "Why don't you go to the waiting room and tell the rest of the family that you've seen her? You can come back to visit her later."
Erica opened her mouth to protest, but found herself being skillfully steered towards the door as Zach made his way to Kendall's side. When Erica stopped in the doorway, Andrew smoothly pulled a chair up next to Kendall for Zach to be seated. He clasped her delicate hand carefully in his larger one before looking straight at Erica as he said to his wife, "I'm right here Kendall… and I'm not going anywhere either."