Oliver left Shane in her mother's care as he made his way to the ICU waiting room. He found his Dad, Norman, and Rita there, talking quietly. They halted their conversation as he approached and sat down.

"The doctor came by." He took a deep breath. "Everything involving her diaphragm looks good. Her broken bones and surgery site simply need time to heal. Her MRI showed slight swelling in her brain, but it was greatly reduced from yesterday. She has a hairline fracture on the left side of her skull. The doctor said the dramatic swelling on the side of her head is a good sign, because it means her body is working to recover. They don't know if uh...if there will be any effects on her memory or cognitive abilities." Oliver paused feeling the worry wash over him once again. "He seemed very positive about the results. They will slowly titrate down the medication keeping her asleep, starting tonight. He says the rest is up to her, but statistically it's better if she regains consciousness within 48 hours." Oliver swallowed hard. "They are doing all they can, but the biggest piece of the puzzle is up to Shane."

They all nodded understandingly. Rita, never forgetting anything, suddenly asked, "Oh, didn't he say something about her spine yesterday?"

Oliver's face fell slightly. "They want to focus on that after she wakes up, but he said he consulted with the back specialist who reviewed her x-rays. There is a chance that her mobility has been affected and more surgery may be needed." Oliver rubbed his temples.

Rita wished she hadn't asked. "Would it be alright if I went in to see her?" asked Rita.

"Of course." said Oliver. "Just remember, she doesn't quite look like herself."

Rita nodded and went up to the front desk.

Joe and Norman were both staring at Oliver. "Hey, how about you close your eyes for a few minutes while Rita and Heather are in with Shane. We'll wake you when they come out." said Joe, imploringly.

Oliver looked like he was about to protest when Norman spoke up as well. "I've never seen you this exhausted, Oliver. Not even after the all-nighter during the Christmas rush. Please sleep."

Oliver slouched down in his chair and leaned his head back. "Maybe just for a minute…" He closed his eyes and was out within 5 minutes.

Norman looked at Joe. "There is no way we're going to get him to go home and sleep until Shane wakes up, is there?"

Joe shook his head. "Not a chance. But perhaps we could take turns staying with the goal of getting him to sleep as much as possible. And to make sure he eats."

"That's a great idea," said Norman.

"Norman, you're a good friend," said Joe. "Oliver is lucky to have you."

Norman replied simply, "Oliver would do the same thing for me if Rita were in there, instead of Shane."


Shane's mom opted to stay the night with Oliver, anxious not to miss even a hint of Shane waking up on her own. The nurse began to turn down the medication at 9:00PM, and would continue to reduce it every hour until 9:00AM the following morning. They both sat there, on either side of the bed, quietly talking.

"When Shane was eight, she insisted she wanted to try ballet. I knew she'd hate it, but once she got an idea in her head, it was stuck there." Heather said while shaking her head and smiling. "She was so hard to keep up with."

Oliver chuckled. "That has been my experience with her as well."

"I'm so glad she found you, Oliver. Did you know when she was 11 she came storming in one day after school, so upset because a boy she hardly knew had kissed her on the cheek. She went on and on about how she was never ever going to kiss a boy unless she liked being around him more than anyone else." Heather grinned fondly, remembering. "It was adorable, but she meant it."

"And then of course she got older. She was beautiful and smart and outgoing and many young men noticed. She'd fall for someone and she was always in 100%, but they were never quite as committed. She couldn't seem to find the friendship, the companionship she was looking for. Until she found you." Heather smiled at Oliver. "I can't tell you how much it means to me to see Shane so happy and content and comfortable being herself. And right now, watching you care for her when you've hit a major bump in the road. It brings me so much happiness."

Oliver was not expecting praise. He said sincerely, "Being with her and seeing her happy brings me true joy."

Heather smiled and looked at Shane, "You've got a lot to live for, baby girl. You keep fighting."

It was nearly midnight as they both drifted off to sleep.

At 4AM a machine began to beep loudly. The nurse was there before Oliver had completely registered what was going on. Shane still hadn't visibly moved, as far as he could tell.

"Good work, Shane." said Marcie, smiling. She looked at Oliver and Heather, "She's trying to breathe on her own instead of letting the ventilator do all the work. It's a good sign." They both visibly relaxed and smiled at one another. Oliver took Shane's hand and gave it a squeeze. No response, but there was hope, there was some hope.

Oliver woke again at 7:30AM. It was time for a shift change and Marcie and the day nurse were talking quietly about what Shane needed for the day. Oliver noticed Heather was still asleep. And Shane appeared to be asleep as well. He needed to stretch his legs and get them some breakfast. He whispered quietly, "I'll be back in about 15 minutes." Both nurses smiled and nodded.


Oliver walked outside for a few minutes, breathing in the crisp winter air. It was freezing, but refreshing as he observed the sunshine hitting the frozen earth.

"Please help me stay calm, whatever the day may bring." He whispered softly as he headed back into the building with muffins and coffee in hand.

As he showed his bracelet and entered the ICU he noticed the commotion outside Shane's room and heard a loud beeping noise he was not familiar with. He felt the panic rise within him as he ran the rest of the way to her side.

He could hardly get in the door. There were two doctors, four nurses, and a respiratory therapist that had responded to the alarm. He took in several things at once. Heather had stepped out of the way and was watching with wide eyes. Shane looked pale and her intubation tube was completely out. One of the doctors was placing an oxygen cannula in Shane's nose as the respiratory therapist watched her carefully and wrote down numbers.

Oliver turned to one of the nurses, "What is happening?!"

Before she could answer, one of the doctors announced, "Her saturations look great and she appears to be breathing sufficiently on her own, with oxygen support." Everyone visibly relaxed. Several nurses and one of the doctors left immediately, knowing the crisis had passed.

Oliver could still hear his heart beating inside his chest. He turned to Heather, "Mom, what happened?"

"I had just woken up and said good morning to Shane. The nurse was taking vitals and the machine started beeping again, like it had in the night. The nurse turned her back for one second, and Shane reached up, grabbed the ventilator tube, and yanked it right out! I was so stunned I couldn't say anything! The machine started beeping really loudly then, and the room filled with people."

Oliver glanced at Shane who seemed to be sleeping just as before.

The doctor took over explaining, "When that particular alarm goes off, it's all hands on deck. We were prepping to intubate her once again, but the RT noticed her breathing well enough on her own, and that she may just need oxygen support. The oxygen took her saturations right up to where they needed to be." He was smiling. "This doesn't generally happen this quickly after titrating medication. She wasn't completely awake, but she noticed an irritation in her throat and took care of it."

The RT spoke up next, "We'll keep a close eye on her, and only intubate again if we have to." They wrote down a couple of numbers and left the room.

The new nurse for the day sighed and said, "Well, thanks for waking me up right at the beginning of my shift, Shane! But if you pull out your IV too, I'm not sure if we can be friends." She smiled at her own joke and continued doing her morning work.

Oliver plopped down in a chair, heart still racing a bit and hands shaking. All of the sudden he heard Heather laughing. She couldn't stop and both he and the nurse were staring at her, both glancing at the other with confused expressions.

She was finally able to speak, "You should have seen the look on her face when she got that tube out! She had this satisfied, very pleased with herself smile for just a moment. It was such a familiar 'Shane face.' She said a bit more seriously, "Our girl is still with us."

Oliver looked hopefully at Shane. He could see her mouth now and even though she was still bruised and swollen, she truly looked beautiful to him. He wanted so much to embrace her in a hug. Please let her wake soon. And then a plea for what was now worrying him the most. Please let her remember me.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Hour after hour Shane stayed asleep. Oliver was growing more and more alarmed. It was 7 PM and still no further changes. He and Heather had taken turns sleeping throughout the day, but now they were both awake, watching Shane closely.

The day nurse tried to comfort them. "You have to remember her body is still doing a lot of work to heal. Even after she wakes up, she will spend a good chunk of each day sleeping. This IV right here is giving her nutrients. That's what she needs, coupled with rest. It really is amazing she started breathing on her own already!"

Oliver and Heather smiled slightly, but the worry lines were still there. They both wanted her to open her eyes so badly!


Joe, Norman, and Rita visited in the evening. Heather insisted on staying the night again, even though everyone could tell she was exhausted. "I was more tired than this when she was a colicky baby, I can handle it." she said with a tired smile.

"Oliver, we'll take care of things at the DLO tomorrow, just keep us posted throughout the day on how Shane is doing." said Norman.

Oliver groaned, "I'd forgotten about work. Evaluations begin tomorrow!"

"Evaluations?" asked Joe.

Rita responded, "Yes, for 'efficiency and viability.' It affects every department." Joe nodded, understanding.

"The DLO looks great, Oliver. Rita and I can handle it. It will all work out." said Norman encouragingly.

"I can be there too." offered Joe. "Norman can just tell me what I can do to help."

Oliver nodded. "I need to get back to Shane. Please keep me informed on the DLO happenings tomorrow. Thank you all so much for everything you're doing, and have done." Oliver started getting emotional.

Rita interrupted, "We're the Postables, Oliver. We're a family. This is what we do." She smiled and said optimistically, as only Rita could. "I just know good things are going to happen tomorrow!"