Zach found himself once again seated in a secluded corner of a hospital waiting room behind an invisible barrier of his own making. The scowl on his face gave fair warning to anyone looking that he was in no mood to speak and those present were giving him a wide berth. His distress and frustration over Kendall's condition were finally taking their toll on a man who had barely slept or eaten in days.
Once Kendall had been successfully weaned from the ventilator she had been cleared to have the tube removed from her throat. Although regaining her ability to breathe on her own should have been a cause for celebration, they didn't have a chance to enjoy it. Kendall's return to consciousness had only confirmed the physicians' concern that she had suffered additional brain damage from the blow to her left temple that was still marked by significant but fading bruising. Zach had begun to feel as if they were falling into a bottomless chasm of disappointment and despair. Always a man of action and purpose, he hadn't ever felt quite as powerless as he did in watching Kendall's continued struggles.
Zach, Bianca and Erica had all been asked to remain in the waiting room while they disconnected the ventilator and removed the endotracheal tube. After that procedure they were conducting some additional testing to better establish the extent of the damage to her brain. Erica had alerted family and friends and the waiting room was packed with people who were anxious to share in the good news of Kendall's recovery. Zach found their presence to be annoying with their constant prattling about visiting Kendall and seeing her discharged from the hospital while his thoughts could not stop traveling to the very real possibility that the wife he loved might be lost to them forever. Erica was stubbornly determined that Kendall would have the same miraculous recovery as her sister had the year before, despite the fact that her doctors had stated that she faced a long road to recovery that would involve significant rehabilitation.
Kendall's continued panic during her wakeful periods and her difficulty controlling her right arm and hand had alerted her caregivers to the potential left temporal lobe injury. Dr. Donelson had explained to Zach that an injury of this type could manifest itself in stroke-like symptoms of impaired language skills, motor skills, pain or tingling, and perhaps even paralysis on the right side of her body. With her right leg in traction and a tube preventing her from speaking, the only indication was the motor skill impairment evident in her right hand and arm that had been noticed by the physicians, nurses, and therapists. He had been warned before they removed the tube that she may have lost her ability to speak or have additional complications, and that the tests they were conducting could help determine the extent of her impairments. Dr. Donelson had given the same information to Erica and Bianca, but Kendall's mother refused to accept or acknowledge anything except that Kendall had regained consciousness and insisted she would make a full and immediate recovery. It seemed that Erica's determined optimism caused Zach to sink into even deeper pessimism while Bianca had been forced to bear the burden of bridging the gap between them.
After what seemed an interminable delay, one of Kendall's nurses appeared in the doorway and beckoned to Zach that he could return to her room. He rose and hurried across the waiting area followed closely by Erica and Bianca.
"Mr. Slater, you can come back to see your wife now. She's fallen asleep from the exertion, but I know she'll be pleased to see you when she wakes," the nurse explained as he approached.
"I'd like to sit with my daughter Kendall as well," Erica commented as she continued to follow Zach.
Bianca placed a hand on her mother's arm, "Mom… let Zach go in by himself until she wakes up. You know how frightened she gets when she wakes up and we're all crowding around her bed."
"Then let Zach wait out here, and I'll sit with her until then," Erica insisted.
"Mom… you know she wants Zach," Bianca said quietly.
Erica's eyes bore a gleam that Zach wouldn't have appreciated if he had bothered to notice. Since she did not continue to argue, though, he ignored her and gave a quick nod to Bianca in thanks before quickly moving to see his wife. As far as he was concerned at that moment, Erica's feelings were the least of their problems and not his concern.
Zach seated himself in the familiar chair at Kendall's bedside and reached up to take her hand. He stroked it gently but did not hold it as he would have liked because the doctors had asked him to let her use it at will as much as possible. He gazed at her face lovingly, noting that the nasal cannula permitted him to view her face in a way he hadn't been able to since the accident. In anticipation of moving her to a private room, the nurses had removed the heavy bandaging on her head and washed her hair. Except for a bandage at the site of her surgery, the riotous curls lay around her face and spread out against the pillows. The bruise on the left side of her face stood out in stark contrast to the pallor of her skin, but she looked healthier overall than she had even earlier that morning.
Zach remained seated quietly until Kendall's eyes fluttered open. She reached up with her left hand and touched her face before turning it toward where Zach was seated. Zach smiled warmly at her but was disheartened when Kendall's smile only spread to the left side of her face. It wasn't that her mouth didn't move at all on the right side, but her lips did not curve so easily and gave the impression of resistance. As he opened his mouth to speak, the right arm flew out and her hand slapped against his head apparently without control and she immediately frowned and said in a slurred voice, "fed tic."
Zach caught her hand while trying to ignore the horrified look in her eyes as she recognized that her words were nonsensical. Instead of drawing attention to it he said to her, "Hey there sleepyhead… I missed you."
She didn't resist as he clasped her hand in his but made another attempt at speaking, "win-dow."
Once again a look of frustration crossed her features, significantly more pronounced on the left side of her face, but very apparent in her eyes. This time, though, Zach didn't ignore it but addressed it head on. "It's okay, Kendall. Dr. Donelson said that you might have some trouble with your speech. It will get better just like you will and I'll be right here to help you."
Kendall shook her head and quiet tears fell down her cheeks, but she didn't make another attempt at speaking. Instead Zach stood and pulled her into his arms and allowed her to weep against his chest until she was calm, and then he lay her gently back against the pillows. He took a tissue and gently wiped her face before asking, "Were you trying to say hello to me?"
Kendall nodded her head and Zach smiled in response. "Then it worked… I understood you perfectly. Would you like it if Erica and Bianca come in? I know they would like to say hello before you move to your new room."
Kendall didn't respond with words or actions, so Zach chose to assume that she had no objection. He stepped over to the doorway and asked an aide to summon Bianca and Erica. Both women entered a few moments later and Kendall greeted them with another lopsided smile, but the tears were still evident on her face. As soon as Erica had greeted Kendall and kissed her on the cheek she turned accusingly to Zach, "What did you say to my daughter Kendall that made her cry? Do you see, Bianca? I knew we shouldn't have let him come in here alone! It's alright Kendall, darling… your mother's here now and I'll make sure that Zach doesn't bother you anymore."
At Erica's words Kendall started shaking her head and her hands became agitated. Before Zach had a chance to react to Erica's words or Kendall's distress, Bianca grabbed her sister's hands and pulled them to her lips and kissed them. Then she said quietly to her sister, "Don't worry, Kendall. Zach and Mom and me will all be here for you… and I won't let her kick Zach out unless you want him to go. Do you want Zach to go, Kendall?" Kendall shook her head in reply and Bianca continued, "Then he's not going anywhere. Right, mom?"
Erica grudgingly nodded her head although her eyes bore a look of challenge in them as she stared at Zach. This time he saw the expression and acknowledged to himself that their brief ceasefire was over. He would have to once again be on his guard or risk losing access to Kendall as Erica was obviously threatened by his wife's dependence on him… and his obvious care for her.