I hope the ending isn't too cheesy. I love these guys and want them to be who they are.
Chapter 11
Ed Lane felt a little like he was in the middle of the movie Ground Hog Day. The night nurse, Kallan, had woken and sent him on his way at 6AM. He did a quick work out, showered, hit the Timmy's and walked back into the waiting room for 8AM. He caught the tail end of a voice over the intercom, "I guess he's not back yet."
He hit the button and said, "Are you looking for me, Ed Lane?" He heard, "Yes, yes, come right in!" Ugh, he thought, that doesn't sound good. He balanced the coffees and opened the door. There was a flurry of activity in his friend's room. There was a nurse practically laying across each arm and shoulder. Wordy's face was bright red and a sheen of perspiration could be seen from the door. He looked like he was in a panic. Both Kallan and the day nurse, Melissa were trying to talk to the agitated man with no success. Melissa looked toward the officer at the door and enjoined, "A little help, if you please?"
"Wordy, buddy, look at me. Look. At. Me. I'm here. Slow it down. Just breath. Again. And again. Take it easy. Stop biting that tube. You're not getting air. Look at me. You're okay, buddy." His best friend's eyes searched for and locked on Eddie's. He kept trying to talk.
Eddie continued in a calm, soft voice, "You can't talk with the tube in, Wordy. You want it out? Yeah, I hear you, buddy. Let me ask Kallan and Melissa here about that. You breath, Word, just breath." He looked toward the nurses who had guided them through these last two days. "What's going on?"
Melissa answered him in a soft voice meant for both Wordy and him. "Kevin is doing okay. We took off the sedative keeping him asleep and as soon as we get a good enough blood gas test we can take the tube out. Right now, though, he's so upset that won't happen. Our choices were to put him back under or work to get him calm. I'm fairly certain this isn't a breathing problem, but we have to know that before the next step. You know him best, can you help him settle down?"
Ed looked Wordy in the eye, "Did you hear that? Can I help settle you down? I don't see a tac option here so I guess I'll have to try talk. Greg would be so proud. Listen, martial arts expert, you don't need me. Find a happy place. Slow down. Gain control. You've got this. Come on, buddy. You've got this."
Wordy rested his head back against the pillow, he'd stopped biting the tube that supplied his oxygen, his face was less red and his eyes less panicked. Kallan patted the patient's shoulder and said, "You're doing great, my friend. I'm going home, but when I come back I expect you to be able to talk to me. I'm sure you have great stories about this guy here." Wordy nodded as she indicated she was talking about Ed.
Melissa instructed the officer to keep talking to help Wordy stay relaxed and focused. "It's like fighting to breathe through a straw. Plus the tube itself is uncomfortable and I'm sure he has some pain from the incision despite the epidural. Hopefully, it will only be a short while."
Ed nodded and sat next to his friend. "We're okay here. We'll just talk and rest a minute, right, Wordy?" He could tell Wordy was fighting to get control. He glanced at the monitor and the heart rate was down from around 120 beats/min. to 76 beats/min. The oxygen saturation number was about 93%, but that was up as well. The constable continued to talk softly and was rewarded with a visibly more relaxed patient. The nurse moved toward the computer to record the current stats. She told them that the respiratory therapist would be by in five minutes to draw blood from the arterial line in Kevin's wrist. That should tell them whether he was ready to breathe on his own.
Ed decide to change tactics a bit and launched into a story to redirect his friend's attention. "Wordy, see that Double, Double our favorite day nurse has over there? I should be her favorite visitor, right? In fact, yesterday for a short time, I was her favorite visitor ever. Then in the afternoon I stopped in to see if you were still doing your Sleeping Beauty routine and there she was…Fickle, I tell you. You hear me, women are fickle." Melissa was chuckling and he had the patient's attention. "There was Spike and Raf regaling our lovely nurse with stories here at your bedside. They were all having a cozy party and I walked in. No longer the favorite."
Melissa took up the story, "They came to visit you wearing "I gave blood today" stickers and bandaids on their arms. As much as I love my coffee, there is nothing that turns a nurse on more than two single, handsome men who give blood. Those guys are two of the good ones! Plus, Officer Lane here is a married man. I didn't see any rings on those fine specimens."
As she finished, a man dressed in scrubs and carrying some equipment came in to the bedside to do the required testing. Ed wanted to keep Wordy calm and distracted so he started a new story, "Wait until you hear about Jules and Donna's undercover escapades the other night, Wordy." The patient looked toward Ed with a question in his eyes. "Yup, short, short skirts. Low cut tops. Heels that looked like stilts. Donna singing. Jules threatening to strip for the neighborhood. Classic, I tell you."
The respiratory therapist stuck the syringe of blood in a cup of ice and left the room. Wordy looked at the nurse pointedly. She seemed well versed in figuring out what patients couldn't say. "It'll be about five minutes to run the test. The doctor is around so I'll track him down with the results and hopefully, that'll do it. Be patient a few more minutes, Okay?" The not-so-patient patient rolled his eyes at her. Then he closed his eyes and rested. Ed sat with his hand resting on his friend's arm.
Soon the doctor and respiratory therapist entered the room. The RT made quick work of setting up an oxygen mask. The doctor suggested that the visitor wait outside, but with one look at her patient's face, Melissa spoke up and said, "I think he can stay. Kevin seems like he needs him here." She looked at Ed, "You going to be okay?" He nodded and moved out the way.
The doctor let his patient know the plan. "Chris is going to remove the tape, deflate the balloon keeping the tube in place and suction you out as he removes it. It's not pleasant, but it doesn't last long. Ready?"
Within minutes, Wordy was resting back against his pillow with an oxygen mask over his face. Melissa was telling him not to talk, but to relax and breath. She carefully monitored his breathing and vital signs. The doctor, satisfied with how his patient looked, walked toward the doorway. Then he turned to Ed, "The fact that Officer Wordsworth is still with us is a testament to his will and overall good health. Things were touchy for a while. It's good to see him recovering well."
His words took Ed by surprise. He had never had the feeling that Wordy was close to not making it. He looked back to his close friend. Kevin James Wordsworth had a beautiful, kind wife who loved him to pieces, three gorgeous chatterbox girls who were just starting their adventures and an extended "family" that would always have his back. There was no way he was going anywhere. He moved to his old partner's bedside, gave his shoulder a quick squeeze and asked, "You ready for me to call Shelley?"
THE END