"Elise? You can come in now."
Elise had been looking down at the floor when the door opened, so lost in thought that she hadn't even heard it open. This was an oddity, considering that Brodi was on the other side of the door, being settled into a private hospital room after being in the ICU for three days.
"Is he awake yet, Robin?"
The ICU nurse Elise had grown so fond of over the past three days had helped transport Brodi to his new room after it was deemed he was stable enough to no longer need critical care. Elise knew she had taken excellent care of Brodi, and that had earned the woman a level of respect Elise did not give to many. Robin had also been honest with her about Brodi's care and had a way of being gentle without sugarcoating the information.
It was no different now. The young woman's mouth pressed into a thin line as she shook her head. "Not yet. It could take a while for the sedation to wear off. Dr. Adams wanted him moved before he was awake, in hopes of sparing him at least that much pain. Come on in, the doctor is just finishing up."
Robin stood aside to let her in, and Elise took a deep breath and walked into the room. A young 40-ish doctor was leaning over Brodi with a stethoscope, but looked up as Elise walked in.
"Ah, Miss Riggs. We've just got him settled in; his lungs sound good, and they looked good on the x-rays we took this morning. His side is healing up nicely where we removed the chest tube; his oxygen saturation levels are stable. I think he's going to do just fine."
Elise walked over to the other side of Brodi's bed and picked up his hand before looking over at the doctor. She rested a hand on his cheek and leaned forward to kiss his forehead before looking over Dr. Adams.
"Do you have any idea when we might expect him to wake up?"
Dr. Adams shrugged. "Barbiturate comas help slow down the metabolism, so his body won't work the drugs off as quickly as they might have otherwise. Still, his vitals are strong. He handled the weaning off the ventilator well, and there are no signs of pneumonia. The oxygen cannula is just a precaution, and that will probably only be for another day or so. I'm very pleased with how he's progressed." The doctor hesitated a moment before continuing. "You can relax now, Miss Riggs."
Elise looked down at Brodi then back up at the doctor. "No offense, doc, but I'll relax when he's giving me a run for my money on the slopes again. Until then, I'm probably going to remain just a bit guarded."
Doctor Adams shrugged again, and Elise couldn't help thinking that she was going to dislocate his shoulders the next time he shrugged.
"Well, it's your blood pressure. I have a few patients to see, so I'll be in the hospital for a while yet if you need anything. Otherwise the nurses know how to get hold of me. I'll see you later, Miss Riggs."
Elise nodded in his general direction, although she was already giving Brodi her full attention and didn't really look up at him. When she did look up again, she was alone with Robin, who was doing some final checks on the machinery.
"I have to get back to my department, Elise. And don't take this the wrong way, but I hope you don't have to see me again anytime soon."
Elise smiled. "Thank you, Robin. For everything."
Robin reached across the bed and gave Elise's hand a squeeze. "He'll get good care here. And his visitors won't be as restricted hereā¦just make sure he doesn't get overtired. Touching him is fine, but visitors should wash their hands. And, of course, if they have a cold or even THINK they're getting a cold, they shouldn't come near him. He's going to be more prone to catching things for a while."
Elise smiled grimly. "Why Robin, you make it sound like he's a newborn."
Robin laughed, then looked serious again immediately. "Well, you probably won't have to go to that extreme. He's going to be fine, Elise. He'll just need to be careful for a while." Robin looked down at her former patient and patted his shoulder. "Goodbye, Brodi. Wake up soon, and don't let me see you in my department again, OK?"
With that she walked out the door, and Elise was left alone again with her injured companion.
"Well, Brodi, it's just us again, sweetie. I'm going to sit over here and read for a while, but I'll be right here, OK? And I'll be right beside you in a second if you need me."
She held his hand to her cheek for a moment, then kissed the back of his hand and returned it gently to his side. Then she settled in to a chair in the corner so she could see immediately if he started to stir. Then, picking up her book, she read the same sentence over and over again before she finally gave up on concentrating on anything but Brodi. She sighed to herself, resigned to watching him sleep.
