Chapter 4
Dr. Clark and Jane walked through the double emergency doors. Jane would be lying if he didn't acknowledge the knots in his stomach. He was a changed man, but the thought of losing a second family was still in the fore front of his mind. That would probably never go away.
"Here we are Mr. Jane. You have about 15 minutes before we take her to surgery. One of the nurses will take you to your son."
"Thanks again Dr. Clark. Please take care of my wife."
"We will Mr. Jane. I know about your past. Your family is safe. I understand from the paramedics, your wife saved your son from more injury by placing that blanket over the window. She saved him from flying glass. Also, by placing the diaper bag and her purse between the car seat and the door, it added extra cushion for him."
"Thank you Dr. Clark. That means a lot to me."
Jane took a deep breath and walked into Teresa's cubicle. His breath caught in his throat when he saw all the monitors, wires and tubes attached to his wife. He knew she was ok, but it was still disconcerting to see her that way.
"Teresa, sweetheart?" said Jane softly.
Teresa slowly opened her eyes. Jane stood there looking very worried. She could see the pain of the situation in his eyes. Tears started forming in her eyes. She was very happy to see him but concerned that he would be angry at her about the accident.
"Jane" cried Teresa. "I' m so sorry. I never saw the car. I was talking to Noah and never saw the other vehicle. I'm so sorry. I….."
Jane bent down and placed a kiss on Teresa's lips to hush her cries. He stroked her cheek as she continue to cry. He had to make sure she knew he was not angry with her for the accident, but he also knew she needed to cry her fears away.
"Teresa. Look at me. I love you. This accident was NOT your fault. I'm not angry with you. You protected our son. Noah is fine because of you. You putting that blanket up saved him from flying glass. They're keeping him overnight just for observation. He'll be released tomorrow. Thank you for protecting our son. You are an excellent mother. I love you very much and Noah loves you."
"Patrick, I was so scared. I could hear Noah crying but I couldn't help him." Teresa continue to cry. "I love you. Thank you for not being angry with me."
"Teresa, I could never be angry with you for something that was not your fault. Look, remember what I said on our wedding day? We will always look on the bright side?"
"Yes."
"This is one of those times we have to look on the bright side. You and Noah are fine. You'll both recover from this. I'm still here, I didn't run!" smiled Jane. "I won't say I didn't freak out just a little."
Teresa smiled at Jane's attempt to make her laugh. She raised her eyebrow in her Lisbon way of questioning Jane's statement.
"Well okay. Maybe I did freak out more than just a little. Cho reminded me what he told me on our wedding day. He would kick my ass if I hurt you or even thought about running away again. That thought never crossed my mind, I promise. You know I'd never leave you or Noah. However, I do thank you for having the police call Cho." Jane laughed as he placed another kiss on Teresa's lips.
"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Jane?" the nurse stepped in the room. "We're ready to take Mrs. Jane to surgery."
Teresa could see a cloud of fear cross Jane's face. "I'll be fine, Patrick. Go see Noah now. Kiss him for me. You'll see me again shortly."
Jane gave Teresa one final kiss before the orderlies got Teresa's bed ready to take her to surgery. "I love you Teresa."
"I love you too Patrick, very much."
"Please take care of her. She means everything to me." Jane said to the nurse.
"We will Mr. Jane. She's in good hands. I promise. Dr. Clark will come to your son's room when he finishes in surgery." the nurse answered.
"Thank you."
As Teresa was rolled down to surgery, another nurse showed Jane to Noah's cubicle. When Jane walked in, he took another deep breath. Noah was sleeping and looked so peaceful. Jane's chest swelled with love for his son. People always say when your child is born you fall in love immediately. However, for him, he fell in love with this child the minute Teresa told him she was pregnant. He remembered the day Noah was born. It had been a long, intense labor and Teresa had had some choice words for him, his anatomy, the future of their sex life and so forth. However, the moment Noah was delivered all that fell away and Teresa was just as in love with Noah as he was. She had already started talking about having another baby.
Jane texted Noah's room number to Cho and then reached in the crib and picked Noah up. He swayed easily to get Noah settled down on his chest, hoping he would stay asleep. He gently sat down on the couch in the room. He pulled his legs up and laid down with Noah still sleeping. Jane hoped he'd stay asleep until Cho could get back with his bottles. Before long, both father and son were sound asleep.
Cho walked into Noah's room and smiled when he saw Jane asleep on the couch with Noah on his chest. He never understood how Jane could sleep where ever he was. He walked over and tapped Jane gently on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked down at Noah who was beginning to stir.
"Great timing Cho. Noah is just waking up and will be hungry." Jane replied.
"Teresa still in surgery? How was she?" Cho asked.
"The doctor hasn't come in yet, so she's still in surgery. She was doing good. She was in some pain, but she was really worried that I would be mad at her for the accident." Jane answered.
Noah started to fuss and squirm. "Let me get the nurse and see if she can warm up his bottle and put the other bottles in a refrigerator." said Cho.
"Thanks." Noah increased his fussing and squirming. Jane found his pacifier in the crib and hoped he could settle him down until Cho could get back. Noah took the pacifier and settled down. However, Jane knew his son, the pacifier would only last so long.
"Hey little man, Uncle Cho is seeing to your bottle. He'll be back in a minute. Mommy was so worried about you. It may be awhile before she can hold you again. She'll be back snuggling with you before you know it." Jane said lovingly to Noah.
The door to Noah's room opened and Dr. Clark walked in. "Mr. Jane?"
"Dr. Clark."
"Surgery is done and your wife's arm should heal very well. She shouldn't have any lasting effects. We were also able to remove the rest of the glass from her cuts."
"Great. Can I see her?" asked Jane.
"Mr. Jane. We did have some issues keeping her blood pressure under control. We're going to move her up to ICU when she comes out of recovery. We're doing this as a precaution and believe she will be fine. The seat belt could have bruised her heart during the accident and that is what is causing the fluctuations in her blood pressure. We will watch her in ICU and make sure the fluctuations settle down." Dr. Clark explained.
"What happens if you can't get the pressure under control? Jane asked, very concerned about his wife.
"We'll run some test in a few days if the fluctuations don't settle down. However, we are confident the fluctuations will settle down and she will be fine."
"Thank you Dr. Clark. Can I see her now?" Jane asked, kissing the top of Noah's head.
"She should be in ICU in about 15 minutes. You can see her then. I'll make my rounds later and maybe we'll have an update then."
"Thanks again, doctor. I'll be up in a few minutes when my son's godfather gets back to stay with him."
Dr. Clark walked out and a short time later, Cho walked in the room. He noticed a concerned look on Jane's face and knew something may have happened.
"Jane? Is everything alright?"
"Teresa is out of surgery and her arm will heal nicely. However, they had some trouble keeping her blood pressure stable. She'll be moved to ICU so they can watch her. The doctor thinks the seatbelt may have bruised her heart and caused the fluctuations in her blood pressure. He thinks the fluctuations will settle down. I assume she just needs rest. I can go see her now. Can you stay with Noah until I get back?"
"Sure Jane. You know I love spoiling my god son. Don't worry Jane. Teresa is strong, she'll be ok." commented Cho.
"Thanks Cho. I'll be back soon. I want to spend some time with Teresa. I need to make sure she knows I don't blame her for the accident. It was just that, an accident. There are drunk drivers around all the time unfortunately."
Jane walked down the hall and took the elevator to ICU. He entered the ICU area and approached the nurse's desk.
"I'm here to see my wife, Teresa Jane. Dr. Clark said she would be here by now."
"Yes Mr. Jane. Follow me and I'll take you to her cubicle. Dr. Clark said you could stay as long as you wanted to."
"Thank you."
Jane walked over to Teresa's right side. He wanted to make sure he didn't bump her repaired left arm. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much." Jane said quietly.
Teresa's eyes fluttered open. "Patrick."
"Hey you. How you feeling sweetheart?"
"Woozy. I hate this feeling. How's Noah?"
"He's good. Cho's with him right now. By the time I get the two of you home, he'll be royally spoiled." Jane laughed.
"Glad he's ok. I love you." Teresa said hesitantly.
"Teresa? Look at me. Everything is good. What happened was NOT your fault. Our son is fine and you will be too. I love you and I do NOT blame you at all. Drunk drivers are a real problem. It's always the people they hit that suffer and not the drunk driver." Jane explained.
"I love you too, so much. I am so tired. Am I still in recovery?" Teresa asked.
"No, you're in ICU. They had some problems keeping your blood pressure regulated so they want to watch you closely for a little while. The doctor said you'll be fine, you just need some rest." Jane placed another kiss on Teresa's forehead. "Close your eyes and rest some more. I'll stay here with you for a while and then I'll go down to Noah's room. Cho went to the house and got his bottles from the refrigerator. He's much happier now."
"Good. Give him a kiss for me and tell him I love him."
"I already have. Sleep now sweetheart." Jane said.
Teresa closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Jane sat by and watched her sleep. He loved watching her sleep although he would rather it be in their own bed and not a hospital bed. He closed his eyes and thought about their wedding day and how happy they both were. He didn't think he could get any happier until a few hours later when Teresa told him they were having a baby. That was a great day.
Jane jumped as monitors started going off. He opened his eyes as nurses were running into the room. "Sir, we need you to step outside" one of the nurses said to Jane.
"Teresa!" Jane cried. "What's happening?"
"Her blood pressure is dropping. Please step outside sir."
"She is my wife, I am staying."
"Sir, please step outside or we will have you removed. We need space to help your wife."
Jane ran his hands through his hair as he watched the medical team working on Teresa. He stepped outside the cubicle but didn't leave ICU. Teresa had to be okay. She just had to be. He couldn't lose another wife. He didn't know if he would or could survive.
