Chapter 17 When All Hope Is Gone
Berlin Hospital – Next Day
Overnight, Isabella's sister Jean and her other sister Cathy had arrived in Berlin. They stayed at Chris and Isabella's house and were going to come over later in the afternoon. Chris was still at the hospital with Isabella – he hadn't left her side since the surgery.
Isabella's doctor enters her hospital room.
"Mr. Smith, I've monitored your wife's condition and there has been no change. If she doesn't wake up in a week, the chances of her making a full recovery will drop to less than 10%. I am so very sorry. On the bright side, the triplets are fine. They're growing normally and appear to be really healthy. When the time comes, we can deliver them by C-section", the doctor tells a devastated Chris.
"No! I won't give up on her! She'll be fine", Chris says as he puts his hands over his eyes.
"I am sorry, Mr. Smith, but it just doesn't look good", the doctor says as he pats Chris on the back. The doctor leaves Chris alone with Isabella.
Chris starts to cry. He remembers all the time that he wasted with Isabella. He had wanted to teach her a lesson that she shouldn't take him for granted and that he was still a good catch at his advanced years. He blames himself for not knowing that something was physically wrong with her. He should have noticed the signs – the headaches, the irrational decisions, etc… He feels as if he has let her down and that he's partly to blame for her lying on that hospital bed.
"Chris, how is she doing?" Jean asks. She and Cathy have just arrived at the hospital. They noticed that Chris has been crying and they wonder if their sister has taken a turn for the worst.
"The doctor says that it doesn't look good. If she doesn't wake up in a week, there is less than a 10% chance that she'll ever wake up", Chris tells them.
"Oh no!" both of her sisters say at the same time.
"However, the kids are fine", Chris says.
"If you'd like to go home and freshen up, we'll stay with her", Cathy says. She can tell that Chris is exhausted.
"I'll take a shower here at the hospital and get some food", Chris says as he leaves the two sisters. Before he leaves, he kisses Isabella on the forehead.
"That's just so sad", Cathy says.
"I know. I tried to tell her not to leave Chris, but she wouldn't listen to me. Finally, she decided that she wanted him back", Jean tells her.
"The brain tumor must have caused her to think irrationally. She sure did some weird things in the last few months. Totally uncharacteristic of herself", Cathy says.
"I should have sensed something was seriously wrong with her. She just didn't act like herself. Do you think she'll wake up?" Jean asks Cathy.
"Of course, she'll wake up. She has a wonderful husband and a growing family to come back to", Cathy says. She knows that her strong sister will wake up. It was so strange to see her strongest sibling lying on that bed completely helpless. Isabella was the one that held the family together. She was the rock of their family. Without her, their family would fall apart.
Hospital – Later that Day
Chris had arranged for Zak to be brought to the hospital. He hoped that their son's voice would wake Isabella. He had been very careful about who to tell about her surgery. So far only immediate family knew that she had had the surgery. His goal was to keep the surgery and the pregnancy story out of the media – he knew that the media would have a field day with it. He told the head of the studio what was going on and he began to circulate a story that Chris and Isabella were working on a new movie together.
"Dad, can I see Mom? Is she awake?" Zak asks him. Chris comes over to him in the waiting room and they both sit down.
"Mate, it isn't so simple. Mom's not awake yet. She needs our help to wake up. She's not able to open her eyes or talk to us, but she can hear us talking to her. We need to tell her how much we love her and want her to come back", Chris tells his son.
"Dad, will she come back to us? Will she be her normal self?" Zak asks him.
"Of course, your mom will come back to us. She just needs a little encouragement from her two loves. I hope that she'll be her old self", Chris says.
"Good. I hope she returns to her normal self. The person she was before she left you", Zak says. They walk to Isabella's hospital room.
"Go ahead, son. You can talk to her", Chris says.
Zak approaches Isabella's bed and begins to tell her about his weekend. She doesn't make any sign of waking.
Berlin Hospital – One Week Later-Isabella's Hospital Room
It was a week later. Jean and Cathy were due to go back home today. They wanted to be informed about Isabella's condition before they left for Buffalo.
"Mr. Smith, we still don't detect any brain activity. Your wife has healed from the brain surgery. We'll make arrangements to transfer her to a nursing home", the doctor says.
"No, she won't be going to a nursing home. She'll come home with me. Can you make arrangements so that she has state-of-the-art medical care at home? I'll have twenty-four hour nurses there to take care of her, too", Chris tells the doctor.
"Mr. Smith, we'll make arrangements for her to be taken home", the doctor says.
"Chris, do you want me to stay and take care of Zak?" Jean asks him.
"No, you need to get back to your own life. You have a family and a business to run. We'll be fine", Chris tells her.
"Are you sure?" Jean asks him.
"Yes, thank-you, but we'll be fine. You ladies better get going or you'll miss your plane. I'll keep you informed of her progress. Would you like some time alone with her?" Chris says.
"Yes, please", both Cathy and Jean says.
"Izzy, the next time that I see you, I'd better see those beautiful green eyes open! You better come back to us!" Jean says to her. Cathy says a few words to her and they both leave. Chris goes back to sit by Isabella.
Cathy and Jean are talking on their way to the airport.
"I feel so sorry for Zak and Chris. What if she doesn't wake up?" Cathy says. She begins to cry.
"You know she'll wake up. Our sister ain't no quitter" Jean says.
"It's just so sad. Chris has been with her constantly since her surgery. The only times he leaves her side is for food, to shower, and to go to the bathroom. He's really devoted to her", Cathy says.
"Chris is a very strong man. I pray that his strength and Isabella's strength will be enough to bring her back to us. He's done more than most men. Another man would have abandoned her to the nursing home and forgot about her. I sure hope that Isabella appreciates him when she wakes up", Jean says. They both cry on their way to the airport.
Berlin – Chris/Isabella's House – Two Days Later
Two days later, they had transferred Isabella home. She was in their bedroom. Chris had bought a special bed so that he could sleep with her at night. He thought that it may help bring her back.
Every morning he and Zak would have breakfast in Isabella's room. Every night they would eat supper in her room. During the meals, they would talk to her just as if she could hear them.
Chris played videos of their movies, he played her favorite songs, he played interviews that she had done where she had talked about him and Zak, and he talked to her. Basically, Chris was doing every thing that he could think of to help make her come back to him.
Both Chris and Zak prayed for the day that she would come back to them. Their only worry was that when she came back to them, who would she be? Would she be the woman that had left Chris or would she be Izzy (the perfect wife and mother)? Or would she surprise both of them and be neither of those people?