Elise took a deep breath and made her way down the hall to the ICU. She stopped at the desk just outside the doors and waited.

"Yes, can I help you?" The woman behind the desk was a very stylish looking 50-ish type thing with a pleasant smile that was probably meant to put people at ease. It didn't really work for Elise, though.

"I'm here to see Brodi Ford? He was just brought here from surgery, and his doctor said we could come in and see him."

The woman hit a few keystrokes with her manicured nails and waited for her computer screen to change.

"Mr. Ford. Yes, he should be settled in. Have a seat, honey, and I'll ask a nurse to come out and get you."

Elise was disappointed that she wasn't allowed immediately back, but she smiled and nodded and took her seat. After what seemed like an eternity, but what was in reality probably only a few moments, the doors opened and a tall, slender woman in hospital scrubs approached her.

"You're waiting to see Mr. Ford?"

Elise nodded and stood to shake the young woman's hand. "Yes. I'm Elise Riggs."

"Nice to meet you Miss Riggs. I'm Robin, and I'm taking care of Mr. Ford on this shift. Hopefully he won't be here long enough for you to get to know too many of us."

Elise nodded again. "I have to say I agree with you. But please, call me Elise. And you can call him Brodi. He hates formality."

Robin smiled and motioned for Elise to follow her towards the doors.

"Have you ever visited someone in an ICU before, Miss---Elise?"

"No, I've been fortunate on that front."

Robin smiled. "Well, I just want to prepare you, because it might be a bit of a shock if you've never been in here before. None of our patients are in closed in rooms. They're more like wide closets with no doors. I hate to describe it like that, but that's kind of what it looks like. There are curtains you can pull for privacy. There's a central nursing station where we can monitor everyone at once--we call it the fishbowl, except we're doing the looking, not the other way around. It's noisy, too, with all the machinery. You were told that Mr...ah, Brodi is on a respirator?"

"Yes, we were told about that."

"It's taped to hold it in place, so it looks scary, but it's really just breathing for him right now until he gets stronger. We have him on a heart monitor, too, and...well, why don't we just go on in? It'll be easier to explain if I can point to the stuff and tell you what it is."

Elise followed Robin through the doors, and Robin was correct in her description. The nurse's station did look like a giant fishbowl where everything was being monitored. It was noisy, and Elise wondered briefly how any of the patients could rest in here, but then she remembered Brodi's sedation and realized the question was pointless.

They stopped just outside a pulled curtain, and Robin turned to Elise.

"Are you OK?"

"No," Elise admitted, "but I have to see him. I know he's unconscious, but I need to at least have the illusion that he knows we're here for him."

Robin smiled. "I don't think it's an illusion. I've seen enough in this place that I have to believe we know what's going on at some level even if we seem unaware. Are you ready?"

Elise took a deep breath and nodded, and Robin pulled back the curtain and lead her in. The room really was kind of like a long closet, with only the bed, the machinery, and one chair. The bed was in the center of the room, head up against the wall, and Brodi looked pale and fragile in the midst of all the tubing and beeping machinery.

Robin rested her hand on Elise's arm and guided her towards the bed. Brodi's eyes were closed, most of his face obscured by the respirator and the tape holding it in place. He was attached to a heart monitor, and a blood pressure cuff rested on his upper arm.

"That inflates every 15 minutes," Robin was explaining, "so we can keep track of how his blood pressure is doing. The clip on his finger is measuring oxygen saturation in his blood. He still has the chest tube, although I think that can come out tomorrow if he remains stable enough and the oxygen percentage stays high enough. And the IV...antibiotics, because he'll be more prone to pneumonia for a while, painkillers and sedatives. That's mainly for his comfort...and to keep him from fighting the respirator and tubes. We're keeping a close eye on him, Elise. I promise you."

"I don't doubt that in the least. I just wish it wasn't necessary."

"Hopefully soon it won't be. I'll leave you alone with him for a few minutes...but I won't be far if you need me. You can talk to him, hold his hand. Don't be afraid to touch him, OK?

Elise nodded again as the nurse gave her shoulder a squeeze and left, pulling the curtain shut behind her as she went. Then, she was alone with Brodi.