Chapter 3
"Mrs. Bolton?" Gabriella looked up and saw Dr. Tucker, standing before her. She was Troy's attending during his residency here at the hospital.
"Dr. Tucker? How is he? Is he awake?" Gabriella asked
"Mrs. Bolton, he's asleep for now we had to put him under to conduct some of the tests. Did anyone tell you the extent of his injuries?" Gabriella shook her head no.
"Alright, alright. Um, come me Mrs. Bolton and all the doctors will discuss what exactly is going on with your husband."
"Okay." Gabriella followed Dr. Tucker down the hall. Gabriella followed Dr. Tucker down a hallway she was all too familiar with. She used to walk down these hallways to have lunch with Troy or just to visit him in between surgeries. Never in her life did she think she would walk these hallways as a not a doctor's wife, but a wife whose husband was clinging on to life.
Dr. Tucker led Gabriella to the Chief of Surgery, Dr. Miranda Cole's office, which happened to be Ronnie's office. When they entered the room, Gabriella was met with Ronnie and a team of several other doctors. Ronnie stood up from her chair and engulfed Gabriella in a hug.
"I am so sorry Gabriella, we're gonna do everything we can." Gabriella nodded her head as she sat down in a chair.
"Mrs. Bolton," Dr. Tucker started, "I'm gonna introduce to you the team of surgeons that are going to operate on your husband. If you need me to slow down at any moment, just let me know." Gabriella nodded her head again.
"You know myself and Dr. Cole, I'm the orthopedic surgeon and as you know Dr. Cole will be apart of this case as well. We also have Dr. Lee, who is the attending trauma surgeon. Dr. Valdez, who's the attending neurosurgeon. Dr. Lewis, who is the cardio surgeon, and we also have another general surgeon, Dr. Begay."
"Nice to meet you all." She said quietly.
"Alright, so let's begin…" Gabriella was trying to understand all of the medical jargon that was being spewed at her, but the more and more they kept talking, her head was starting to hurt.
"Okay, okay, can you guys just wait a damn minute!" The doctors looked at Gabriella with sympathetic eyes, she quickly rubbed her temples.
"I need you guys to explain to me simply, not with medical terms, what's wrong my husband."
"Alright, you're right Mrs. Bolton," Dr. Tucker cleared his throat before beginning. "Your husband is suffering from many external and internal injuries. Dr. Cole and Dr. Begay will be operating on your husband's internal bleeding and his liver. Dr. Lee will be overseeing everything since he is the trauma surgeon. Dr. Valdez will be operating on your husband's brain bleed, he has more than one and his skull fracture. Dr. Lewis will be operating on his heart. I will be working on your husband's broken bones."
"So, with all of these injuries, what's the likely hood of my husband surviving?" The doctors exchanged a look that Gabriella knew all too well, the look that Troy would get when he came home after losing a patient. She knew the answer to the question. She tried to hold back her tears but she was failing miserably.
"Does anyone know what happened? How did he get in the accident?" Gabriella asked tearfully
"Can you give us a moment?" Ronnie asked her team, she waited until they left her office before sitting down next to Gabriella.
"According to an eye witness who called the police. Troy's car was stopped at an intersection, then he proceeded to drive when a Hummer hit his driver's side. Troy's car rolled over and he was ejected from the car—"
"He never wears his fucking seatbelt." Gabriella mumbled angrily. "what about the other driver?"
"Um, I don't think I'm allowed to disclose that information—"
"Ronnie, please."
"Um, he's fine a small cut on his forehead from his head hitting the steering wheel but other than that, he's okay." Gabriella let out a scoff
"He's fine, meanwhile my husband, the father to my children, is fighting for his life all because he didn't out his God damn seatbelt on."
There was a knock at the door and Gabriella grabbed a tissue and began wiping her eyes.
"Come in." Dr. Tucker poked her head in the office
"Mrs. Bolton, there are some papers we need you to sign, do you mind?" Ronnie waved him in the room, he handed Gabriella three different clipboards and her eyes widened at the words on the page.
"I'm sorry I don't know what any of this means."
"One is the consent of surgery since your husband is in a medically induced coma. One is for insurance purposes, and extraordinary measures." Gabriella quickly signed off on the papers and gave them back to Dr. Tucker.
"Can I see him?"
Gabriella's feet became heavier as each step brought her closer and closer to Troy's room. Never in her life did she think she would be here looking at her husband plugged to various machines to keep him alive. Ronnie slid open the door for Gabriella and allowed her to walk in.
"Take your time, we'll let you know when we need to take him to surgery." Gabriella sat in a chair that was placed beside Troy's hand.
"Can, can I hold his hand?" She asked nervously.
"Yes, just be gentle," Ronnie assured her before leaving the room.
"My baby, you can't leave us yet. Faith's only five and she needs her Daddy. Ethan might like a girl at school and he needs advice. Jackson's about to start middle school. Zach is just like you babe, he loves basketball and he's gonna need his dad to cheer him on. I'm pretty sure Kadie has a boyfriend that we don't know about. I can't do this without you, I can't do life without you." Gabriella put her head down on the bed and started to sob.
"Babe!" Troy yelled while frantically searching for his phone
"What's wrong?" Gabriella rushed into the living room.
"I think Ethan's about to walk and I can't find my phone." Gabriella quickly put Kadie down on the floor and practically ran over to Troy.
"I have mine, here." Gabriella tossed Troy her phone that was sitting on the coffee table. Gabriella looked expectedly at Ethan as he was standing still by the TV.
"Are you recording Troy?"
"Yeah, get him to come to you."
"Come on Ethan, come to Mommy, come here." Gabriella urged
"Mama." Ethan babbled
"Go to Mommy, Ethan."
"Yeah, come to Mommy." Gabriella and Troy kept urging Ethan to make the first move. Ethan took one step and they both stopped talking, afraid to say anything that would startle him. Ethan took a step and then another, and another. Until he made his way to Gabriella who picked him up excitedly and spun him around, making Ethan burst into a fit of giggles.
"You're walking Ethan!" Gabriella covered his face in kisses, then she put him back down and he walked over to Kadie and the two started playing with each other. Gabriella hugged Troy and they shared a sweet kiss. Gabriella looked at Troy closely and saw tears forming in his eyes.
"Are you crying, babe?"
"This is my first time being here for stuff like this. I missed it when he said his first words because I was at the hospital. I'm just happy I'm here to see this." Gabriella caressed his face and kissed his cheek.
"I love you, Troy."
"Gabi?" Gabriella looked up and saw Jack and Lucille standing in the doorway. She got up and engulfed Lucille in a hug. She then hugged Jack. When Lucille saw Troy she started to cry she gently grabbed her son's hand. Then Troy's machines started going haywire.
"Troy? Troy!" Gabriella yelled
"We need some help in here!" Jack shouted as he ran out of the room. Troy's machine started to flatline, Gabriella and Lucille exchanged a quick look before a team of doctors rushed into the room. Two nurses escorted Lucille out of the room, whereas Gabriella was determined not to leave the room.
"Dr. Bolton's in V-fib, someone start compressions and give me a crash cart."
"Right away doctor."
"Mrs. Bolton, you need to leave the room so the doctors can work." A nurse said as she tried to lead Gabriella out of the room.
"I need to tell him that I love him." Gabriella cried
"Mrs. Bolton—"
"I love you so much Troy, so, so much."
"Get her out of here!" The nurse finally got Gabriella out of the room and closed the door shut in her face. She runs her hands through her hair in frustration. Her phone started to ring and she pulled out her cellphone and saw that Chad was calling. She forgot she was supposed to update him when she heard her phone ring.
"It's Chad, I gotta take this. He's watching the kids." Jack nodded his head and continued to console Lucille. Gabriella attempted to pull herself together before answering the phone, she only hoped that Chad couldn't tell there was something wrong with her.
"Hey, Chad?"
"Hey Gabi, I was calling to see if I could get an update?"
"Yeah, um things aren't looking too great Chad. Um, a truck hit him and since he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, the car rolled and he was ejected from the car. I don't know Chad, I think my husband might be dying." All at once Gabriella's emotions came pouring out.
"Gabi, hey, he's gonna make it okay. He has to, it's Troy we're talking about."
"I don't know Chad, the doctors aren't giving me much hope."
"Gabi?" Gabriella turned and saw Lucille and Jack staring next to Ronnie.
"Chad I have to go, Ronnie's giving me an update, I'll call you back."
"Okay, stay strong." Gabriella ended the call and quickly walked over to Ronnie and her in-laws.
"So, we have to rush him into surgery, we've stabilized him but his seizure—"
"Seizure?!" Lucille exclaimed Jack pulled his distressed wife close to him.
"Yes, it was caused by swelling in his brain and Dr. Valdez has to relieve the pressure off his brain." Everything was happening so fast before she could ask for more questions, alarms started blaring from Troy's room. Troy's bed was being rushed out of the room by Dr. Valdez and a team of nurses and surgeons.
"I'm sorry, I have to go, I'll send someone to update you guys." Just was Ronnie was about to rush off, Gabriella grabbed her arm.
"Ronnie, do I have to call our children…to prepare them." She asked with tears threatening to fall, Jack and Lucille touched Gabriella's should in support, their own emotions evident on their face.
"Dr. Cole!" A nurse shouted from the elevator.
"Yes, you probably should," Ronnie said grimly, before running to join the surgical team in the elevator. Gabriella watched with sad eyes as the elevator doors closed, she felt like all the air had left her body. Gabriella started to hyperventilate.
"I can't, I can't, I can't," Gabriella repeated as her knees gave out on her and she almost fell to the ground but Jack caught her and helped his daughter in law sit down.
"Can we get some help over here!" Lucille shouted, a nurse quickly approached the group.
"Mrs. Bolton, I need you to calm down for me, take slow even breaths with me." The nurse started to slowly breathe in and out and eventually, Gabriella followed her. "Good, keep going, Kyle, get me some water please?" Once Gabriella's pulse was back down to where the nurse felt comfortable to leave her, she grabbed her hand reassuringly.
"Dr. Bolton has a lot of support here in the hospital. Whatever happens, we'll get through together." Gabriella nodded her head, Kyle returned with bottled water and the two nurses went back to their stations, but it wasn't long until Gabriella started to cry.
"I can't deal with this, guys. You're going to have to call the kids for me. I can't, every time I imagine a life without Troy, I just can't." Jack got down on his knees beside Gabriella, grabbed both of her hands and looked her in the eyes.
"Gabriella, look at me. We will get through this, no matter what happens, you have to tell the kids, they have to hear this from you. Not us, not the doctors, but you. We have to remain positive, I know it feels hard right now, but we have to, for those beautiful children you have at home. Okay?" Gabriella sniffled and nodded her head,
"Now, before you call the kids, get yourself together." Gabriella wiped her eyes until she felt she was presentable, she pulled out her phone and called Kadie. She practically answered after the first ring.
"Mom? How's Dad, is he okay? When can we come see him?" Gabriella started to feel tears fall down her face and she looked at Jack and Lucille.
"I can't," She mouthed, Lucille grabbed her hand and squeezed it and nodded her head.
"Kadie, it doesn't look good."