Things weren't going exactly as he expected. Yes, he was counting his blessings, for sure, but well, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to think. Lisa was awake, or had awakened. That was really good news, and that was ultimately all that mattered. Right now, hours after she was out of surgery, though, she was still asleep. The neurologist had checked her over thoroughly, and he believed she was alert, at least did not seem to have any brain damage. They were planing to scan here again tomorrow to check, but once the neurologist had finished and had spoken to Jack through Helene, Jack had tried to get back to Lisa as quickly as possible. There was just so much medical information to take in from the staff, and it always took longer through the translations. Lisa was asleep again when he'd stepped back into the room from the hall, and her day nurse was changing out some of her fluids or whatnot. There was now a plan in place-Lisa would stay in the ICU until she was able to eat. This hospital was not prepared for her to move to the step-down unit of the ICU with a feeding tube, and he knew she would be glad to get rid of it as well after having it for almost three weeks. It was hard to believe he'd been here now two weeks. He'd never been out of the country longer than this, his first trip to France being exactly two weeks, and he would stay as long as necessary now to get Lisa healthy and home.
The evening sky could be seen outside of Lisa's window. Jack stepped back into her room, hoping she might be awake, but she was still sleeping. It was really good news to see her off the vent and on the road to recovery, and he knew her body had been through so much trauma that sleep was good for her. Jack stepped over to the window and looked out over the small town, a view he had gotten to know well over the last two weeks. He actually felt hungry, and honestly, he hadn't been hungry most of the time he'd been here. Jack had been eating each day, but he had not been hungry. Perhaps Lisa's improvement was affecting him more than he realized too.
He stepped back to the chair, the recliner chair he had been living in these last two weeks and sat down to get comfortable for another evening. He wouldn't go for food, not when he might catch Lisa awake for any amount of time. No, he'd be fine and could get something to eat later or in the morning, anytime they needed him to step out to take care of Lisa. He didn't want to leave her alone; he didn't want to leave her at all, but there were times they did ask him to step out for a few minutes. As he shifted in the chair, he reached for the blanket he'd been using each day. It had worked out okay, this setup, better than sleeping on the ground for wet and cold cattle drives. He had a place to sleep, a blanket and pillow, a shower with her bathroom there, and even food and coffee down the hall. Yes, it was fine, but most importantly, she was here, and he'd seen her beautiful eyes again today. He'd heard her voice, asking for some water, and that was music to Jack's ears.
Before he got too comfortable, he shifted the chair so he could reach over and put his hand on Lisa's, finally settling in, his hand over hers, clasping it, and just finally feeling a bit of relief. He knew the fact they had so much to discuss was really weighing on him, but honestly, he hadn't realized until now just what a weight had been lifted now that she was at least awake. Over the hum of the machines and her light snoring-she never usually snored, so that told him she was sleeping soundly, Jack rested his head and closed his own eyes, knowing that he could sleep better just with the improvements of the day.
Jack groaned when he woke up, the pain shooting down his shoulder to his arm. He'd rested his elbow on the bed with his hand on Lisa's, but now, his arm was asleep and in pain from the nap he'd taken. He glanced down at his left hand to check the time on his watch. He was more tired than he realized; he had been sleeping for over two hours, and the lights in the hallway had been dimmed as they were each evening. There was still plenty of light for him to see, and as he started to think about where he was and why he was in pain, he turned his head to look over at Lisa and almost shot up out of his chair.
"Goodness, you're awake," he said, his eyes locking on hers as he fumbled quickly to sit up. She was lying there, her eyes open, just looking at him as he'd been sleeping. He had no idea how long she'd been awake, but even at his movement and comment, she just looked at him. Jack sat forward, taking her hand in his and squeezing it, leaning forward to speak softly to her. "Lise, it's so good to see you awake."
"Where am-" she started to say and then briefly closed her eyes. Jack knew that she was going to struggle for a couple of days based on what the doctor had told him this afternoon. He had also been told to keep answers brief-state facts, yes-but to not overwhelm her.
"You're in the hospital, a French hospital, about two hours from your place in Toulon." He watched her nod slightly with her eyes still closed and then saw as she tried to wet her lips. "Here, are you thirsty?" She repeated the same motion, eyes closed as she nodded. Jack stood and with his one hand still on hers, he reached for the water cup and brought it over to her, only moving his hand on hers to help her lift her head to sip the water. "Easy, Lise, just a few sips." He could tell she was really thirsty as she tried to gulp at it, but the last thing she needed was to drink anything too quickly right now. Once she had gotten some water, he put the cup back down on the tray table and sat down to look at her at the same eye level.
"So pain-" she started to say and then grimaced, closing her eyes again. Jack squeezed her hand.
"I'll get your nurse. You're going to be in some pain, and I'm sorry. You were in a car accident with Dan about three weeks ago now. That's how long you have been here." At that, she did seem to understand and opened her eyes again just briefly, and Jack frowned and nodded, hoping that was registering with her. "The doctors here have had you in an induced coma because you have had a a subdermal hematoma which is swelling on the brain. They had to wait for the swelling to go down to wake you up, which they've done the last two days. The pain you have is probably some in your head, but a lot is probably elsewhere." He paused to see if she had completely fallen back asleep. She fluttered her eyes open, and even though he knew he would probably have to tell her again, he continued, determined for her to know exactly what was going on. Even if she could only grasp some, he'd tell her this same thing over and over again. "You have a broken pelvis and a shattered arm, which is there in that splint. The doc stabilized it, but you've had two surgeries on that now, so don't try to move it much."
It was almost as if that was the cue for Lisa to try and look at her arm. She rolled her head ever so slightly, a visible sign just how tired she was to look over at her splinted arm. She lifted or tried to lift her arm, and Jack moved quickly, leaning over her to gently push it back onto the bed.
"I know, Lise; it's broken, but just let it be. The orthopedic surgeon operated on it again today. He wasn't happy with how it was healing after the first surgery right after your accident, but he told me today that it was looking much better after this surgery. Just let it rest. It will need physical therapy, but he thinks it will be okay."
Jack, now leaning over Lisa after making sure she didn't move her arm, looked at her and spoke softly, "I'm so glad you're awake, Lise, and I'm so sorry. I have so much to say, but I love you very much, and I'll be here every time you wake up. I'm not going anywhere."
She'd closed her eyes again, and Jack could see her eyelids fluttering as they sometimes did just before she fell asleep. That was something he'd seen her do on occasion when they would be sitting curled up on the couch with a warm fire going. He smiled fondly thinking about times like that, memories he cherished, curled up at home with Lisa. He wanted that and missed it, and for the first time in two weeks, he had a bit of hope she would recover. He shifted to sit down in his chair again. It looked like she had fallen asleep once again.
"Dan?" Jack's head snapped toward Lisa, and she was barely able to keep her eyes open, but the way she said it, he knew she was asking how he was.
"Dan has a broken leg but is in much better shape than you, Lise. He's in a rehab place." Jack sat forward, his face inches from hers, and he ran his hand over her hair. It felt stringy and dull, not its normal softness. She would be so glad to get cleaned up when she was able to move around more, but right now, none of that mattered.
At telling her about Dan, she closed her eyes again, and before she nodded off this time, Jack could see tears rolling down her face. He leaned over an with his thumb, he gently wiped away her tears, cupping her face there, hoping she knew he was right there and would not leave her. He would get the nurse and tell her about Lisa's pain, but for now, he just wanted to comfort her and wipe away her tears.
Their interaction wasn't much, but he'd spoken to her, told her about her injuries and accident, and he'd told her he loved her-something he vowed to do each time she was awake until they could have a real conversation for him to plead for her to take him back one last time.
Jack cupped her face for some time until he heard the door slide open and Lisa's nurse step inside. Like every other night, she was here to tend to Lisa, and he'd be asked to step out for a few minutes. He hated it, leaving her side, but Jack could get Beth and then the girls on his video chat while he waited and update them. Today, Lisa was awake, and that was big news to share.