by Suzy Shearer
Stacy gave a gasp of horror.
“They’re checking her airways now. I don’t know what happens if they find anything. The doctor told me she’ll be going to the critical unit if there’s no damage and everything is all right. They have to watch for infections.”
They moved to a quieter corner of the room and sat. Alex put his face in his hands. His voice was muffled when he said, “This is all my fault.”
“How the fuck can it be your fault, Alex, unless you started the fire?”
Dropping his hands he went on to tell them his reasoning. Dan could only shake his head.
“You’re crazy, Alex. This is just one of those things that happens.”
“Yeah, but if I hadn’t been such a stupid bastard, she wouldn’t have been working from home.”
“Well, I agree about the stupid bastard part, but that’s all. Anyway, it’s happened. We can’t alter the past and all we can do now is help her get better.”
“Mr. Harrison?”
Alex turned. One of the nurses who’d been with Kallie stood looking at him.
“Yes.” He leapt to his feet. “Is she all right?”
The nurse looked very serious as she answered. “Doctor Evans would like to talk to you. Can you come this way?”
Alex nervously followed the woman and gestured for Stacy and Dan to come, too. They were led into a small waiting room. A few minutes later Dr. Evans, the woman Alex had spoken with earlier, came into the room. Alex introduced the others. Everyone sat.
“Right we’ve finished the test. Her airway looks good, but we are going to leave the tube in for at least another twelve hours just in case her throat starts swelling. That would block her airway completely, and if that happens it’s difficult to intubate again. At this stage we’ve started her on inhalation therapy with nebulized heparin and acetylcysteine. It should reduce any further lung injury. She’s on antibiotics as well as other meds. We’ve put her in an induced coma, but now we’ll have to wait and see how she responds. Her heart sounds good, and blood pressure is pretty good considering.”
Alex nodded so she knew he understood.
“I've put a few stitches in the cut on her head. More worrying than that is she also has a very large second degree or partial-thickness burn on one leg. I don’t know if it will need a graft, but regardless it is going to be extremely painful. As I said it’s very large. The staff will also need to watch it for infection. Rather than us working on it, I’ve arranged for the burn unit doctors to treat and assess it as soon as we get her upstairs.”
Alex glanced at the other two. Stacy’s face was pale, and she looked so frightened. Alex knew his face held the same fear.
“They will have to clean the area and remove the burned fabric as some of her clothing melted into her skin. We’re going to transfer her to the critical burns care unit as soon as possible. Once there the specialists will take over. They’ll monitor and treat her lungs as well.”
“Are they the best doctors to treat her? Should I get in other specialists? Is there a private room available? It doesn’t matter what cost.”
Dr. Evans smiled at Alex kindly as he rattled off question after question. “Don’t worry she’s in the best hands. The unit is all single rooms so we can monitor the patients easier. Is there anything you’d like to ask?”
“Is she going to be all right? She’s not going to die, is she?”
“I really can’t say yes or no at this stage, Mr. Harrison. It’s really going to depend on her, on how she response to treatment actually. It could go either way.”
Alex felt a cold hand grip his heart at her words. He couldn’t lose her—not now that he knew she loved him. Now that he’d found her. Pushing her words aside he said, “She’s a fighter. When will she wake up?”
“We’ll keep her sedated as I said. She’ll stay in an induced coma while she’s intubated. Everything that happens from now on will depend on how her body responds, on the doctors upstairs, and when they remove the tube. Maybe sometime tomorrow or the next day as long as there is no swelling. Then possibly they’ll let her wake. At this stage I just can’t say.”
“I understand. Thank you. Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome. Just understand things could go downhill very quickly. If you wait here I’ll find out where she’s going?”
She left the room. Stacy had hold of Alex’s hand, she was softly crying. Dan had his arm around her. A few minutes later a strange nurse came in with a clipboard in her hand.
“Mr. Harrison, is it? You’re Ms. Robin’s fiancé?”
“That's right.”
“Okay. Can you give me some details on Ms. Robins, please?”
Alex nodded and the nurse filled out her paperwork as Alex answered her questions.
“Thank you, Mr. Harrison. Now they’re going to take her upstairs as soon as an orderly arrives. The burn doctor has been called and will meet her there. It’s on the second floor, room two seventeen. You can go up there now if you like. Make sure you speak with the nurse’s station staff first and they’ll direct you on procedures.”
“Thanks. We will.”
They left the room and made their way to the elevators. Once on the second floor they wandered along the corridor until they found the room. It was opposite a nurse’s station. Alex spoke to the nurse behind the desk explaining who they were and why they were there.
She nodded and informed them only three people would be allowed in at any one time. She then explained as the staff had been told that because Kallie had an open burn wound, she would need extra care. They would have to ensure they washed their hands before they entered the room and would need to wear a gown covering their clothes. No flowers would be allowed in the room.
The three of them told her they understood, and she took them to the wash area. There were gowns on a shelf alongside, and she instructed each of them how they were to clean their hands thoroughly using the special disinfectant. They washed under her gaze and pulled on gowns. Then they went into the room to wait.
About ten minutes later the orderly wheeled Kallie in. Stacy gasped and buried her head in Dan’s chest. The staff hooked Kallie back up to her monitors, and then all but one left the room. The three stood staring at her. She looked so tiny and fragile in the bed. Alex was so terrified he would lose her. The thought that this tube was breathing for her scared him so much.
It was all that was keeping her alive!
The remaining staff member wrote information on Kallie’s chart, checked all the monitors and the drips leading into her arm, and then left. Dan and Stacy sat down and eventually Alex pulled up a chair to sit beside the bed and took Kallie’s limp hand in his.
A few minutes later a different nurse came in and checked the dressing on Kallie’s leg. She nodded to the three friends and then left.
The three talked quietly together about everyday things, although it was mainly Dan and Stacy, trying to distract Alex. Eventually they stood.
“Alex, I’m going to take Stace home. Keep us posted. Do you need anything?”
He shook his head and stood. Stacy hugged him and so did Dan. “Don’t forget to eat sometime, Alex. Kallie won’t want you getting sick. She’s going to need you when she gets out of here.”
“I hope so,” he answered fervently. “I just hope she’ll forgive me.”
“She will.”
They reached the door of the room when Alex remember Kallie’s dog.
“Hang on. Can you check on Zeus? They took him to the local vet. I have no idea what’s happened to him. They said he wasn’t as bad as Kallie.”
“Will do. Don’t worry.”
He kissed Stacy again, then sat back down as they left. Another ten minutes passed then the same nurse came in with another nurse and a doctor. The doctor introduced himself and told Alex it would be better if he waited outside.
“We're going to debrided the area of her burn. Get all the melted fabric out and the dead tissue.”
“Can’t
I stay? Please?” He begged.
“Just stand away from the bed then. It won’t be pleasant,” he warned.
Alex moved down to the end of the bed and stepped back a pace or two. This was the first time he had actually seen the entire burn. It looked huge and so horrific. From just below her knee on the outside of one leg to almost her ankle the area was black. He could see bits of burned fabric clinging to the weeping skin.
As he watched the doctor flushed the entire leg with a saline to clean it. Then he applied some sort of gel to the wound. Using forceps, slowly, bit by bit, the doctor cut away the blackened fabric and bits of skin with a scalpel or scissors. After what seemed forever one nurse finally helped him to cover the large open wound with some sort of wet-looking dressing while the other removed the tray with the debris on it. The doctor wrote up something on her chart.
Finally the doctor came to Alex. “I’ve examined the area well. At this stage I don’t feel it needs a skin graft, but that could change. We’ll be watching it over the next few days. We still may have to operate.”
“I understand. Thank you.”
He nodded to Alex and left while the remaining nurse checked Kallie’s readings, and then she, too, left the room.
Alex was tired—physically and emotionally. He looked at his watch. It was after eleven thirty at night. How long had he been here? Hours. He picked up Kallie’s hand again and laid his head on the bed. He must have fallen asleep. He woke to find someone shaking his arm.
“Sorry, sir, but we need to check Ms. Robins’s tube and change the burn dressings. Can you just move for us?”
“Oh sorry.”
He stood stiffly, yawned, and stretched as he moved to the rear of the room. He looked out across the corridor. The clock above the nurse’s station said four. No wonder he was stiff and sore. He’d been hunched over the bed asleep for hours. He looked back at the staff as they checked everything attached to Kallie. He yawned again and rubbed a hand over his face. As he watched they changed the dressing on her leg. It looked just as bad as before. They finally finished, and one nurse tidied up.
“Is she out of danger then?”
“Not completely, but she is responding well to treatment. These first hours are critical, and I think we might say she’ll make it.”
Alex’s sigh of relief echoed around the room. “Thank goodness.”
“You should go home and get some rest. She won’t be awake until late tonight at the earliest, and that’s only if they do remove the tube.”
Alex wanted to stay but realised how silly he looked. The nurse must have read his face.
“If you want, there’s a chair in the next room that is a recliner. You can wheel it in here. We’ve just cleaned and disinfected it, and no one’s in there. It will be better than sleeping the way you were.”
“Oh, thank you. Which way?”
She pointed down the corridor, and Alex walked out. He found the chair, and as quietly as he could, he wheeled it to Kallie’s room. He washed his hands before entering and swapping it for the chair he’d been sitting on. He had to admit it felt better. He stretched out and shut his eyes again.
Chapter Twenty
“Alex, you look terrible!”
“Gee, thanks, Stacy, and I thought you loved me!”
“Have you been home at all since she arrived?”
“No.”
“If Kallie sees you like this she’ll run screaming from the hospital.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need a shower, a shave. Your hair looks like it hasn’t seen a comb and it looks like you’ve slept in your clothes for a month.” Stacy held her nose and waved a hand. “I’m sorry, Alex, but…phew!”
He ran a hand across his face. His beard felt very scratchy. He really did need a shave—badly. He pushed his hand through his hair and tried to tidy it. He’d been at the hospital since Kallie was admitted. They had intended to take the tube out three days ago but had been forced to leave it when her throat started to swell. Now the decision was to remove it sometime this morning.
Every six or so hours they had changed the dressings on her burn. It looked so painful. They would soak it in some sort of solution then slowly remove the stained dressings before applying creams and new dressings. On the second day one of the staff had washed her, getting rid of the soot and dried blood on her.
Alex had been living on coffee. Charles had come in a few times with some cooked meals from Marie plus Alex had bought the occasional sandwich.
“I can’t leave, Stace. They’re going to take the tube out this morning. I have to be here.”
“Okay, I understand. Look, go and at least wash your face. Might make you feel a little more human.”
“All right.” He went into the adjoining bathroom.
When he returned Stacy said, “I’ve rang Charles. He’s going to drop off some clean clothes and some deodorant at least.”
He planted a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Stacy. You know I can’t leave her.”
She nodded but held her nose, grinning at him. “Zeus is fine. The vet told us yesterday he can come home today.”
“Okay. I’ll get Charles to get him. He’ll be fine at my house.”
Twenty minutes later Charles turned up with clean clothes and a wet pack, he held a small plastic bag. He looked comical in the white hospital gown.
“Your razor’s in there, as well as a toothbrush, paste, and deodorant.”
“Thanks, Charlie. Stacy thinks I look like a bum.”
“Sorry, sir, but I would have to agree Ms. Stacy. You should’ve let me bring in clean clothes when I wanted to the other day.”
“I didn’t think I’d be here this long, Charlie. Anyway thanks.”
Stacy pointed to the bathroom. “Actually there’s a shower in there. Go clean yourself! It’s been days and you stink.”
Alex grinned at her and Charles as he went into the bathroom. He stood under the water for about ten minutes, washed, shaved, and then came out. He might not look much better, but at least he felt clean and didn’t smell. He threw the dirty hospital gown in the bin at the door before pulling on a clean one and then handed over his dirty stuff to Charles, who held it at arm’s length.
“Thank you, sir. I shall deposit this somewhere suitable. I remember passing an incinerator on the way in.”
Alex laughed. “Funny man.”
Charles looked over at Kallie lying still and pale. Apprehensively he asked. “Will she truly be all right?”
“They said she’s doing well. Her burn is looking okay, no sign of infection.”
“Are they still going to take the tube out today?”
“I hope so.”
“Give her our love when she wakes.”
“I will, Charlie. Thanks for bringing my stuff in.”
Charles handed over the plastic bag. “Marie made you something to eat. There’s a microwave in the kitchenette down the hall. Do you want me to warm it for you?”
“It’s okay. I’ll eat later.” Alex put the bag in the small fridge. He remembered what Stacy said about Zeus. “Oh, Charlie, can you go to the vet at Putney? Zeus is there, and he’s okay to come home now. We can look after him. Rather, can you and Marie?” He saw the look of joy on Charles’s face.
Charles laughed at Alex. “Marie will love having a dog around, especially when she knows it’s Kallie’s dog.”
“Thanks, Charlie. I’ll come home once I know for sure she’s going to be all right, once I can at least speak to her.”
Charles nodded, said good-bye, and left the room. Alex and Stacy sat back down, talking quietly until a doctor came in.
“Can you leave, please? We’re going to check Kallista, and then hopefully we can take the tube out.”
They stood and waited in the corridor for a while. About thirty minutes later the staff came out and Alex spoke to one of them.
“Is it out?”
“Yes, the tube’s out. There were no problems, and she’s breathing well.”
“When will she wake up?”
“We started dropping the sedation earlier this morning. I’d say around midday she should begin to stir.”
“Thanks.”
He and Stacy washed again, put on clean gowns, and then went inside. Stacy stayed for about an hour then kissed him, telling him she and Dan would be back in the evening.
Alex sat nervously waiting. He heated up the food Marie had sent in, ate it, and then grabbed a coffee. The waiting seemed to last, forever and each time he thought he heard Kallie’s breathing change he’d jump up. Around one he saw her move her leg. When a nurse came in about one fifteen, they both heard her moaning.
“Is she all right?”
“She’s coming around. That burn is going to hurt like hell. We expect her to be in quite a lot of pain, but we’ve upped the dosage of painkillers in her drip.”
Kallie finally opened her eyes about four o'clock. She looked around the room then focused on Alex, sitting holding her hand.
“Alex?”
Her whisper sounded hoarse, raspy. Alex pressed the buzzer for the nurse. “Hi, Kall.”
“Alex?” she whispered again puzzled.
“Yes, sweetheart. Don’t talk.”
Tears were running down her cheeks as the nurse entered. “Welcome back, Miss Robins. How do you feel?”
She whimpered gravelly. “Sore throat. Chest hurts. Leg hurts bad.”
“I’ll get you some cool water and ice. You had a tube down your throat to help you breath. Your throat may feel tender for a little while, but it will get better pretty fast now the tube is out.”
Kallie nodded. The male nurse left and then came back with a jug of water and a glass. He helped Kallie drink through a straw.
“Better?”
“Yes.”
“You were given CPR which is why your chest is sore. You have a very nasty burn on your leg. That’s why it’s so sore. We’ve put pain medications in your drip, but if it gets too bad, make sure you tell someone. I’ll get something for you to eat, some custard and Jell-O to slide down.”
He left the room again. Kallie lifted her head slowly and stared at Alex. “How long?”
Her harsh, rough voice tore through his heart. He could feel his eyes fill with tears. “Today’s Monday. You’ve been here since Wednesday.”
