I'm Right Here by Rose Haze
Disclaimer: I do not own The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
I actually did some research to write this chapter. It will cover a lot of technical stuff, so I want to apologize in advance to anyone who finds it to be boring. I got most of my information from the following websites: www. headinjury .com, www. mamashealth .com, and www. waiting .com also know some of the more emotional stuff first hand because last year my friend's older brother was in a coma, so I guess I should mention the Allen family and the Doctors at the trauma unit of Good Samaritan. Thanks for the help to the above mentioned info providers.
Author's Note: Read the disclaimer. This chapter is longer than the others—but not the longest one in the story. Bar with me, people! Review responses are at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!
"Of the thirty-six ways of avoiding disaster, running away is best." –Anonymous
Chapter Four
X-ray Chronicles
It was a very long day. Carey and Zack had been in the waiting room for two hours with Mrs. King and two of Cody's friends from the meeting and their parents. Zack wanted them to leave. He wanted to be alone, but Mrs. King kept asking him if he needed anything and Cody's friends, John and Tapeworm were staring at him nervously. But after what seemed like a century after Carey and Zack got to the hospital, Dr. Harrison came into the waiting room carrying a portfolio.
He sat down in a chair across from Carey and Zack, "Are you two doing okay?"
"How's Cody?" they asked in unison.
"He's still in surgery. Can you come with me for a moment?"
They followed him out of the waiting room and down the hall into a small, dark room. Zack noticed that the white letters on his orange hoodie were glowing in the darkness.
"We took some x-rays of Cody's skull," Dr. Harrison told them, "Dr. Burke, the bone specialist, will be here in a minute to explain the scans."
The door swung open just as he said this, and a young woman walked in.
"Hello," she said warmly, "I'm Dr. Burke. I took Cody's x-rays."
She shook hands with Carey and Zack. Zack thought that Dr. Burke was very pretty. She had short brown hair and a nice smile. But he didn't care. All he cared about at the moment was Cody.
She put the scan from Dr. Harrison's portfolio on the wall. The scan showed Cody's head. The crack in his skull was very evident.
"We took these right before we started the surgery," said Dr. Burke. She picked up another scan and put it next to Cody's, "this is what a normal brain scan looks like," she started pointing out the differences, using a long wooden stick. She showed them where Cody's fracture was and told them about the swelling.
Cody's skull is fractured right here," she said pointing it out, "his brain is swelled and he bruised his left temporal lobe. The temporal lobes are responsible for memory—particularly short-term memory. This means that there is a possibility that Cody will experience amnesia. The crack in his skull also grazed the brainstem. The brainstem connects to the spinal cord, so there is a chance of paralysis," Dr. Burke paused for a second than returned to the picture, "As we speak the surgeons are trying to get the swelling to go down, but there is not a whole lot they can do. The brain is very complex."
Dr. Harrison turned the lights on, "I know this is a lot to take in. But we are doing the best we can to save your son."
"How much longer is this surgery going to take?" Carey asked.
It will be another four hours at least," said Dr. Harrison, "The last time I checked in—which was just a few minutes ago—they were taking care of the fracture and trying to get the swelling to go down. They already stopped the hemorrhaging—"
"Hemorrhaging?" Carey repeated, "You didn't tell us about that."
Dr. Burke stepped in, "there was some bleeding caused by the fracture," she explained, "but they managed to stop that."
"Okay listen," Carey said defiantly, "This is my son who we are talking about and I don't feel that you have been giving me all the information you have. I want to know what's going on."
"Let's sit down," said Dr. Harrison, "I can tell you everything we know about Cody's condition and I'll try to answer any questions."
They sat down in the chairs across the room. Zack and Carey faced the two doctors. Zack was feeling uneasy—he'd just spent the last two hours in the waiting room convincing himself that Cody would be fine, but everything that Dr. Burke and Dr. Harrison were saying was screaming the opposite. Amnesia, Paralysis...hemorrhaging.
'What does that even mean, anyway?'
"What do you want to talk about first?" Dr. Harrison asked as they got settled in.
"Explain this whole 'coma thing' to me. I know what it is, but I don't totally understand it," said Carey.
"Comas are very difficult to understand," said Dr. Harrison, "they are different for different people. Some people are very responsive, while others don't respond to anything at all. The more responsive the coma patient is, the better the chances of waking up and having a full recovery."
"And Cody?"
Zack noticed a look of pity crossed Dr. Harrison's face, "Cody has a GCS of five. Anything lower than a GCS of eight indicates a severe brain injury. What Cody's GCS tells us is that he won't open his eyes, but he responds slightly to pain and he mumbles and moans from time to time. Obviously, with the anesthesia, he hasn't done anything since the surgery started. If the surgery goes well, there is a chance that his GCS will get higher.
"And that's good?" asked Carey.
"Yes," he replied.
"You were taking about trying to get the swelling to go down. What happens if you can't do that?"
"If Cody's brain keeps swelling it won't fit inside the skull anymore," Dr. Burke explained, "in the worst case scenario we'll have to take a portion of his skull out of his head and keep it frozen until the swelling goes down again."
That was more than Zack could take, "Take a part of his skull out and freeze it!" he exclaimed, "what the hell?"
"Zack, calm down," said Carey.
"I can't calm down!" he exploded, "My brother might die and all you guys want to do is sit and talk! Why aren't you in there helping him!"
"Zack! Sit down," shouted Carey, "give them a chance to explain everything."
"Zack, the group of doctors who are operating on Cody right now are doing everything they can to save his life," Dr. Burke said gently, "we're not taking this situation lightly."
Zack sat down and mumbled an apology.
"What were you saying about his brainstem—that he might be paralyzed?" Carey asked. Just the thought of Cody being confined to a wheelchair brought tears to her eyes.
"Partial paralysis is a definite possibility because a fragment of Cody's skull penetrated the brainstem," said Dr. Burke, "but Cody's hands and feet were moving a little while we were stabilizing his vital signs in the ambulance. At the most he might have difficulty with his motor functions."
"Is he going to lose his memory?" Zack asked, remembering that Dr. Burke said something about amnesia.
"We won't know until he wakes up," said Dr. Burke, "the fracture in his skull is right against his brainstem and left temporal lobe. All of the bleeding was in the temporal lobe, so it is pretty much definite that his short-term memory will suffer. It could be a permanent problem that he'll have to deal with for the rest of his life. He'll also most likely have problems with his verbal skills. He may have to relearn how to talk and form sentences. And on top of all of this he may suffer amnesia. He might not remember anything or anyone when he wakes up. Amnesia is often a side effect of a coma and it could be permanent or temporary."
Carey buried her face in her hands and began to cry. She could not believe what she was hearing. She thought about Cody. He didn't deserve all this. He had always been so kind and thoughtful. And so smart—now he might not even know how to speak.
Zack looked at his mother and panicked. He didn't know what to do. He never knew what to do when his mother cried, and he had only seen her cry—really cry—a few times. It was always Cody who found a way to comfort her...but Cody wasn't here right now.
"Mrs. Martin, I know that this is all very hard to hear," said Dr. Burke gently, "if you want we can arrange a meeting with one of our family counselors. They are great to talk to."
Carey shook her head, "I'll be fine," she said through her tears, "I just need some time."
"Of course," said Dr. Burke, "you have a lot on your plate right now. Is there someone you can call? Maybe a friend or a family member?"
"Yeah," Carey said, "I'll be calling my parents and my... my ex-husband."
Zack's head jerked up. His mom was going to call his father. Zack hadn't seen or talked to his dad for over two years. The last time he saw him was on his and Cody's tenth birthday.
"Anyway," said Dr. Harrison, "It wasn't only Cody's head that was injured. One of his lungs collapsed so he's on a respirator right now. He lacerated his cheek and forehead really badly, so they stitched those up. But other than a few cuts and bruises, that's all.
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When they were finished talking to the doctors, Carey and Zack returned to the waiting room. Everybody was waiting for them anxiously. Zack sighed. He was thankful that there were other people there who cared about Cody, but he really wanted to be alone with his mom.
Carey tearfully filled them in on what the doctors told them about Cody and his condition. The adults were sympathetic and continued to offer any help that they could provide. The minutes ticked by very slowly when all of the sudden...
"OH NO!" Carey cried, leaping from her seat, "I have to sing in a half hour! I'm going to be late and I haven't even rehearsed!"
Zack stood up, alarmed. He knew that his mother was in no condition to sing—let alone drive all the way back to the hotel.
Mrs. King took Carey gently by the shoulders, "Sit down, Carey. I'll call the hotel for you and tell them that you need to cancel tonight."
"I can't cancel!" Carey said, her voice sounded very panicky, "I can't afford to cancel! I have to pay for the exterminator and for Cody's operation, and for...for what happens after the operation…" her voice trailed off and she began to cry again. Mrs. King wrapped her arms around Carey and let her sob on her shoulder.
Zack starred at her. She said 'for what happens after the operation'...
'What does she mean by saying she has to pay for something after the operation?' Zack felt his heart sink. He knew exactly what his mother was thinking about: funeral expenses.
Zack's eyes stung with forbidden tears.
'I'm not going to cry!' he thought, 'there is nothing to cry about because Cody is going to be fine. He has to be.'
Carey and Mrs. King eventually pulled apart.
"I'm sorry," Carey said, as she dried her eyes, "I didn't..."
"It's alright," Mrs. King assured her, "it's okay to cry—you don't want to keep your emotions locked in. Crying's good for the soul."
Carey smiled gratefully than turned to Zack, "I'm sorry you had to see that, honey," she said as she walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around him, "I know this is hard for you too."
Zack was still staring at her in disbelief. He could not forgive her for that comment she made. Her words were ringing incessantly in his ears, 'what happens after the operation... what happens after the operation... what happens after the operation…'
Zack began to shake with anger. He hated his mom for thinking so negatively. He quickly shook out of her grasp.
"You're wrong!" he shouted. Than he bolted for the door.
…to be continued…
I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review! I love my reviewers. They are my favorite people.
Hearts Corruption: Thank you for the encouragement!
Loren: Thanks for the review and thanks for telling me the father's name. Kurt… I like Austin better… oh well. Keep reading and reviewing!
Solitaire's Mornie: My e-mail didn't work for you? Did you make the o in Crims0n an o or a zero? Cause it's supposed to be a zero—maybe that's why it didn't work for you. If not… I don't know. I'd love to join you're forum, but I couldn't get to it. We are having some technical problems, lol. Thanks for the review!
Optimistic girl94- Thank you for the review. I'm glad you like this : )
Olivetree1- Please tell me if you think this becomes too rushed—I'm actually worried about the opposite. I was rereading some of the later chapters and I'm sort of nervous that people are going to get bored with it. Just let me know if this starts to get bad, lol. (that is if you continue to read this, of course) And don't worry about hurting my feelings:)
I-Luv-Ashley-Tisdale- :laughs evilly: I love to make people cry. Just kidding, I'm glad that you are so in to this story though. And yes, poor Zack—you'll see what I have in store for Cody. As for the mom Carey/Carrie thing, I checked and they listed her as Carey. Thanks for taking the time to review twice, lol.
Ker- Once again, I love to make people cry. And once again, I am just kidding. Thanks for the review!
Snowfrog5152- Thank you very much!
Thanks again for all of the positive feedback. Keep reviewing—the reviews keep me motivated to type more:)
