I am so sorry I was gone for a bit. We ended up adding some livestock to the farm which is always super exciting but very stressful. I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season.
The words had felt like tiny little pricks on bare skin, irritating his senses to the max, sending his emotions into a cartwheel of what-if scenarios, dread, fear and outright worry.
A broken ankle, several spots where internal bleeding had occurred, two broken ribs, hairline fractures in his left arm, a couple fingers broken, a severe concussion with a small brain bleed that had put him on the list for a life-saving surgery should the bleeding not slow down.
Roy had tried to remember them all but couldn't stop his eyes from drifting to the still form in front of him, wrapped up in blankets and bandages like a mummy, what little skin was showing through covered in cuts and bruises.
That wasn't the same man he saw walk out of the bullpen this morning, waving a friendly goodbye, that fedora sporting a tiny green feather.
If he read the nearby monitors correctly, his old partner's vital signs seemed steady although his breathing sounded labored, as though every inhale was causing great intense agony. Much of Mike's face was distorted by contusions, one eye swollen shut completely, his lip busted and bloody, his cheeks grey and hollow from enduring more pain than any human being should.
The doctor was going on and on about potential complications and the strict need for rest for several days, as well as taking it one hour at a time…not one day at a time, but one hour at a time.
It made Roy cringe inwardly.
A brain surgeon had been called in to help monitor the bleeding and keep a close eye on any developments that could become life-threatening. Surely they didn't want to cause any undue worry, but the lieutenant's condition was very serious and his body busy trying to heal, so the staff of doctors had felt it necessary to get everyone on board for a quick response in case things would…deteriorate.
Then there were those few spots of internal bleeding that worried them. The hemorrhaging wasn't enough to warrant a surgery which would put Mike in even more danger- but if the bleeding wouldn't stop very soon, that was exactly the plan.
In other words, Mike's life was currently hanging in the balance, even though the doctors had been well trained not to put it that way; instead, using previous cases and similar injuries as guidelines to tell him what to expect.
Roy had resorted to stoic nods here and there, his mind searching for answers to questions he hadn't been prepared to ask yet.
This whole case set aside; did Mike have an updated living will?
They all had been encouraged to create one when joining the force and certainly there had to be something. They'd briefly talked about it when things were going south with Helen's health. But where would Roy find it should things go awry?
What about life-saving measures? Just how far would Mike want them to go to preserve his life if his brain was to be too damaged? Would it be fair to leave a man as brilliant as Mike Stone alive in a shell to be taken care of from the outside, while his mind had faded away?
Without Steve in any condition to help, who exactly could tell him how things had gone so wrong in that godforsaken alley? And how many guards would he have to post here in case there'd be further attacks? If two armed police officers weren't any match, how many would it take?
And where exactly was Jeannie at the moment so that he could get a hold of her?
"At this point I believe it is best that we just wait and see. Your lieutenant is a strong man and even though he's been through a lot, I feel that he has a good chance to make it through this with minimal lasting issues."
Minimal lasting issues.
Just what the heck did that mean? Were they talking physical or mental? If his mental capacity was affected, Mike wouldn't be able to return to work. Even physically…that would lead to limitations, desk duty even. All that for a man who lived and breathed the streets, who knew every damn corner and crevice of this town…it was a dire picture that had been painted.
Allowing the doctor to tug on his coat to walk him back to Keller's area, Roy swallowed hard, currently at a lack of words on how to explain all this to Jeannie.