When trust is questioned
Chapter 22
At 1 a.m., Tony has fallen asleep on the chair next to Angela's bed, until suddenly a high-pitched, loud beep sounds, which rouses him from his sleep. He doesn't register what's going on, two nurses rush into the room. Tony is wide awake. Startles up from the chair and takes a few steps backwards .
"What.. What's going on?" he asks, startled.
The nurses react in a flash: "She has hypovolemic shock...the blood pressure drops sharply - increase oxygen supply, we need a full electrolyte solution..."
Tony is just "shocked".
"Mr. Micelli, please leave the room," one of the nurses says to him.
He reluctantly leaves the room, closes the door behind him and sits down on the chair that stands in the hallway next to the room. With his hands over his mouth and tears streaming down his face, he doesn't know what to think right now.
10 minutes later, the two nurses come out of the room.
„Mister Micelli?!"
"Yes?" he replies immediately with a sad look and tears in his eyes.
"Misses Bower is now stable again, she has suffered a shock due to the high blood loss, she has had a blood transfusion but at that moment her body lacked oxygen, so the blood pressure sings strongly, also it can come to tachycardia, but this was not the case, Misses Bower is a strong woman, she can do it!" says the nurse and leaves Tony. It stands there as if rooted to the ground.
He shouts after the nurse: "Excuse me, but when can I see her again?"
She shakes her head "no I'm sorry, but not today, tomorrow again" she smiles at him.
Tony looks confused... all these technical terms, I only understood half of them...the main thing is that she is fine again...what should I do without Angela?
Slowly and worriedly, he goes to his room, which has been prepared for him, this is one floor below the intensive care unit.
At the end of the corridor, he opens the door. Number 087.
He goes inside and turns on the light.
He goes further into the room and looks around, typical hospital room, a bed, a bedside table. A chair and a small table stands in the corner. In the room there is still a small bathroom. The small suitcase with Angela's clothes is in front of the bed.
Tony goes to the bed and sits on it. His gaze is empty, and so are his thoughts.
A tear flows down his face again. He stares at the suitcase, then gets up and goes to the window. He looks out into the dark night sky. The sky is clear and stars twinkle.
Half an hour later
He takes off his clothes that he had put on for the intensive care unit and puts them aside and goes to the bed and lies down in it. ...I can't sleep anyway...
He would like to know if Angela is dreaming at this moment...when she wakes up again, what else she knows about the attack. Suddenly, all kinds of things are buzzing around in his head, he can't sleep at first, but after a good hour his eyelids are so heavy and he falls asleep.
7 a.m.
Tony startles, a nightmare has tormented him half the night "Angela?". He quickly gets up, goes to the bathroom, splashes water in his face and storms out of the room.
He quickly runs to the elevator and goes to the 3rd floor. A new nurse sits at the registration desk of the intensive care unit, Tony registers with her and is given new disinfected clothes for the visit.
He quickly puts them on and goes to Angela's room.
He enters the room, a doctor and an assistant doctor as well as a younger nurse stand in front of her bed with clipboards and pen in her hands. It's a round right now.
Everyone is looking at the door when Tony walks in. "Excuse me," he says quietly, stopping at the side of the room for the time being.
Then he sees Mona behind the doctors, she sits next to Angela on the chair and talks to the doctors.
"Ok... I see, thank you doctor," Mona says, turning her head back to Angela.
The doctors and nurse leave the room.
"Mona, hi...you here.." he smiles at her.
Mona nods, "hi Tony," she says back softly and gently. She holds Angela's hand tightly.
Tony stands next to her. "How is she?" he asks cautiously, looking into Angela's face.
"Unchanged Tony"
Tony nods sadly. He grabs the second chair from the corner and sits down next to Mona, he takes her hand.
"I was here the night Mona...it was..." Mona interrupts him "shhh all good, I know, but please don't say it in front of Angela ok, she can hear us!"
Tony's eyes get bigger, he looks from Mona to Angela and back and nods in agreement.
"You know Tony, Angela has always been the stronger of the two of us, to see her lying there now is very hard for me, I hope she wakes up soon and is back with us quickly...I miss her voice and her laughter, I miss talking to her and teasing her!" she laughs very lightly. Tears fill her eyes.
"I know Mona, she'll wake up soon and be the same as she used to be!"
"Okay Tony, please hold the fort here, I'm leaving now, I still have a lot to do at the agency, don't let Angela get mad at me, I'll come back later," she says and smiles softly at him. Mona gets up and leaves the room "oh Tony" she says standing in the doorway, "I gave the nurse some things for you, clothes and soap and a toothbrush and everything..." she winks at him.
"Thank you, Mona," he says kindly.
Then he gets up, puts the second chair back in the corner and sits down next to Angela again. He takes her hand.
"Angela...my love...I miss you...I want to hug you so much, I miss our conversations..." He looks at her with a sad look, Angela's fingers twitch slightly.
Tony's eyes suddenly get bigger "ANGELA?" He squeezes her hand tighter.
Her head suddenly moves slowly to the side, her eyes open very slightly and blink.
"Angela, Ange, honey..." He says quickly but in a low voice.
Then she falls asleep again.
Tony gets up and quickly runs into the hallway to get one of the doctors and inform him.
They both go back to the room. The doctor checks the vital signs and looks at the monitor, he adjusts the oxygen supply a bit.
"A good sign Mister Micelli, keep talking to Misses Bower, she is with us even if she is still comatose, but that she has woken up is very good, we have to wait for the next few days, if she wakes up completely then she can be transferred to another ward". A nurse joins them.
"Please check the suture and the electrolyte balance." The nurse nods to the doctor "yes immediately". He says goodbye and leaves the room. The nurse writes everything down and checks the supply of the electrolyte solution, the values displayed on the monitor and writes them all down. Tony steps aside.
"Mr. Micelli, this is not going to be such a pleasant sight, do you want to leave the room?"
"No, it's alright, I'll stay..." Tony stands at the end of the bed.
The nurse reveals Angela and slowly pulls up her hospital gown.
She removes the bandage with scissors and the wound plaster. A large long wound suture runs along the side of Angela's belly. Tony feels strange, slightly dizzy. He could start crying, but he's trying to stay strong.
The nurse treats the wound and covers it again with a fresh wound dressing. "Don't worry Mister Micelli, everything looks good so far..." then she pulls Angela back down her hospital gown and covers her with the blanket.
Then she checks her pulse and breath again via the tubes and presses the oxygen adjustment button. Tony keeps a close eye on everything.
The nurse says goodbye and leaves the room.
Tony slowly walks back to Angela's side and sits down.
He doesn't say anything anymore, he just looks at her in silence and frightened. He had hoped so much that she would wake up, but she still needs time...
In the late afternoon, Mona comes to visit again. Tony tells her that Angela "woke up" briefly. Mona smiles. "She's on her way Tony, no matter how rocky he is, but she's finding her way back to us." They both hug.
The following nights become quieter. Angela's vitality is stable and she no longer needs supportive ventilation with a tube.
The senior physician discusses with Tony and Mona that Angela can now go to the normal ward. She is still in a coma.
Angela is transferred, she is still being cared for via a cannula and a thin oxygen tube is also placed under her nose.
For a week, the family goes through highs and lows, hoping and fearing. Until this one day.
Tony sits at Angela's bedside again early and holds her hand.
"Hey Ange, my darling...I hope you're doing well where you are... Please come back to us soon, we miss you so much... I miss you... I love you," he kisses the back of her hand. Suddenly, Angela's finger twitches, then her hand.
"Angela?" Tony says louder, moving closer to her. "Angela, I'm here...I won't leave you alone, I'll always be with you... come back".
Angela's eyes begin to blink and open very slowly.
"T... Tony..." she says in a low, raspy voice.
Tony's eyes fill with tears "yes... yes Angela, it's me Tony" He kisses her hand again then gently her forehead.
Angela moves her head slightly back and forth and looks around sleepily. "Where am I..?" she asks quietly.
"Oh Angela" Tony starts crying but smiles slightly with joy "You're in the hospital my darling"
"In the hospital? Why, what happened?".
Tony nods at her, "Ange, it's all gradual. Slow. I'll explain everything to you..." He looks at her worriedly again.
Angela continues to look around and sees the cannulas stuck in her hand and in her arm and raises her eyebrows "what is this... What's all this about?" she continues to ask confused and wants to sit down, a strong stabbing pain pulls over her stomach "Auchh" she says loudly and feels her belly on the side "What...?" She looks under her hospital gown and sees the large band-aid. With wide-open eyes, she runs her fingers over it: "What is that?" she asks in horror.
"Angela..." Tony takes her hand off the plaster into his. And covers them up again. "You've been attacked, don't you remember...?"
Angela looks at him in amazement. She ponders and tries to remember, but the thoughts and memories are still blurry. "Um, I... I don't know."
"I'll tell you, but first lie down again, you, I'll get the doctor, he knows that you woke up after the time..." Angela vomits him. "After time?".
"Yes Angela, you were in a coma..."
Angela's look looks shocked. She holds her hand in front of her mouth, Tony looks at her gently. "I'll get the doctor, it's all right, don't worry, you're back with me now, that's all that matters."
He gets up and leaves the room.
Angelas has so many questions and thoughts in her head...she hopes for answers.