CHAPTER 5

Frank and Denise arrived at the hospital after Jeremy. They wanted to give the hospital staff some time to get Jeremy settled before they arrived. Frank and Denise were relieved to have Jeremy home no matter what state he was in. Denise knew the corridors of the hospital very well, but today walking down the corridors was different. It was not a matter of a nurse taking care of each patient, it was a mother looking and seeing her son struggle. She had worked with many families that were in a similar situation, but it still did not make it any easier. When they reached Jeremy's room the doctor was waiting for them.

"Denise, this must be your husband Frank?" Questioned Dr. Steinbach.

"Good Morning Dr. Steinbach. Yes, this is my husband Frank." The two men shook hands.

"I want to let you know that your son is in good hands. Right now, he is resting comfortably. It was a long trip home for him, and he needs his rest. We have changed the bandages on his eyes, because I wanted to see first hand the extent of the damage." The doctor stopped, waiting for a reaction from one of the Sherwoods.

The doctor continued, "From what I saw his eyes did not give any response to light. This concerns me a bit, but like a lot of injuries only time will tell. As far as his knee, again there has been a lot of internal damage, but the surgeons have already repaired much of the damage, it only going to take time to heal, but I will let Dr. Bartley, the orthopedic specialists go into more details."

"Doctor, will my son be blind?" Frank said rather bluntly.

"Right now, I do not want to speculate as to your son's capabilities. I will say, medically speaking the probability of Jeremy regaining his full vision is slim. However, we will do everything that we can to help Jeremy. We have assembled a team of orthopedic specialists, physical/occupational therapists, Othomologists, Neurologists, and mental health professionals to help your son. My specialty is Othomology/Neurology with an emphasis in visual trauma." Dr. Steinbach was trying to be reassuring, but it was not working for the Sherwoods. They completely understood the gravity of the situation, and they understood that Jeremy was not going to be the same again. And neither would they.

"Doctor, may we go in, and see Jeremy?" Denise asked.

"Yes, but he is asleep. And Denise…" The doctor paused for a moment

"I will do everything I can to help your son."

"We know you will. Thank you." Denise replied.

Frank and Denise walked into the sterile hospital room, it was a private room. Colonel Holden had arranged at least initially for Jeremy to have a private room. As they walked in there was a large window in front of them. The sun was shining in to the room making it a bit warm, but comfortable nonetheless. There were two hospital recliners near the window. And there was Jeremy laying in the hospital bed. He was hooked up to a number of IV's.

Denise stepped closer and looked at her son. He lay almost motionless, flat on his back. There were bandages covering his eyes, and she could see some discoloration in his face. His left leg was in a large knee immobilizer. She watched for a few minutes and then gasped for air, and Frank stood there in shock and dismay… all he could think about was how he could have let his son enlist, and he thought about how this situation could have been different if he would have acted differently when he came home.

Then they heard a small voice, it was Jeremy's. "Is there someone there?"

"Yes, Jeremy it is your Dad and I." Denise was surprised to hear Jeremy's voice, as she thought that he was sleeping.

"I thought that you might be a nurse." Jeremy continued quietly.

"Why do you need something?" Frank asked.

"No, I just knew someone was here I just did not know who it was." Jeremy reached up and touched the bandages on his eyes, making him further realize that this was not a dream.

Denise walked over to the bed and touched Jeremy's hand and kissed him on the forehead. Jeremy in return squeezed his mother's hand. Frank stood watching the scene, and for the first time in his life felt helpless.

Denise quietly whispered, "I am glad you are home, and we will get through this."

Jeremy quietly replied, "I know. I am sorry, Mom, for everything."

"Shh. Why don't you get some rest? Your Dad and I are going to get some coffee. Just get some rest and we will be back soon. I love you." Denise stated.

"I love you too, Mom."

After that Frank and Denise walked out of the room to allow Jeremy the needed rest. Frank took Denise's hand and walked down the hallway in silence. They both knew what each other was thinking.