by J. G. Sumner
Maybe Officer Miller had the same feeling Josh did. There was something different about this case, about this kid. Josh didn’t usually get attached to his patients, but this one was different. Something was pulling Josh in and he couldn’t figure out what it was. Maybe there was a reason Skyler was thrown into Josh’s life. Maybe he was the one person who could bring he and Laney closer.
***
“Stephen, is there anything new regarding the accident?” Rebecca inquired.
“I have a couple of leads, but there’s nothing concrete as of yet.”
Rebecca sighed heavily.
“I brought you a sandwich. There’s a little deli not far from here and they make the best sandwiches. I thought you might like one.”
Rebecca eyed the food in Officer Miller’s hand. Her stomach twisted into knots. “Thank you, that was very thoughtful.” She took the sandwich and set it down. “I’m not ready to eat yet. They’re trying to wake Skyler up and he has had some difficulties.” Rebecca gestured to Stephen’s uniform. “Aren’t you working?”
“Yeah, but the streets are quiet right now. I thought I’d stop by. You mentioned yesterday that they might be waking him up today, so I wanted to see how it was going.”
“How about we step into the hallway?” Rebecca motioned for him to follow her.
“It seems to be a slow process,” she said once they were outside the room. “They had to sedate him again because his vitals were out of whack. Now they’ve turned the sedation back off and given him some pain medication. We’ll see what happens.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for the two of you. I think he’s going to be just fine.”
“I hope you’re right.” Rebecca rubbed the back of her neck.
“Listen, I got hold of Ryan and his parents. They’re coming down to the station tomorrow with their attorney.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, it makes me suspect he knows something or had a hand in something.”
“I can’t possibly imagine Ryan would be involved.”
“Most people don’t come with their attorneys unless they’re guilty of something.”
“I see.” Rebecca looked down at her hands.
“I just wanted you to know. I’ll tell you if I get any more information.”
“Did you ever find the sponsor guy?”
“No, I was hoping he had come by here again.”
Rebecca shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“I’ll be tracking him down tomorrow after I talk to Ryan.”
“Thank you. I almost hope you don’t find anything. I don’t want to think about anyone intentionally hurting Skyler.”
Rebecca gazed through the door at her son. That couldn’t have possibly happened. “Did you see that?”
“What?”
“He just moved his hand. He moved his hand!” Rebecca rushed back into the room to Skyler’s bedside.
“He moved! Please, Stephen, please go get Dr. Stone. He needs to see this!”
Excitement consumed her. She felt like a giddy child opening presents on Christmas morning. “He moved his hand. I saw him. He moved!” she burst out when both men came hurrying in.
Josh approached Skyler, cracked open his eyelids, and shined a light in them.
“Skyler, can you open your eyes?”
Nothing.
“Skyler, squeeze my hands.”
Nothing.
Josh rubbed Skyler’s sternum with his fist. “Skyler, open your eyes.”
Still nothing.
Josh peered over at Rebecca. “I’m sure you saw Skyler move his hand. My concern is that it may have been reflex. Sometimes when the paralytics wear off, they cause the body to move involuntarily. This may be the case here.”
The grim expression on Josh’s face couldn’t fade the hope in her heart. “I know what I saw.”
“Again, I don’t doubt you did. I just think it may have been reflex, not something under his control.”
“So what does that mean?”
“Either the paralytic hasn’t completely worn off or he’s unable to move voluntarily. It could mean he has significant brain damage that may also be preventing him from moving. Again, I think it is too soon to tell. We’ll get a better idea tomorrow.”
“So seeing his hand move didn’t mean anything?” Rebecca was grasping at straws trying to make sense of what she saw. Dr. Stone might be saying one thing, but her eyes perceived something entirely different.
“I think it’s just too early to tell. We need to keep watching him.”
“So what’s next?”
“We wait and watch. His vital signs are remaining stable without the sedation in place. So we’ll keep giving him the pain medication hourly to make him comfortable. Hopefully by the morning, we’ll see some improvement. If not, I’ll order some tests that can determine the amount of brain activity. That should give us a better idea of whether he’s going to recover from this.”
“So we just wait and watch.” Tears welled in Rebecca’s eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Dr. Stone had essentially extinguished any light, any hope that she had.
“I’m afraid so.”
Rebecca walked to the window and stared out at the valley.
“Please try to remember the progress he’s made over the last few days. I know the waiting is hard, but he has been doing so well. Continue to believe in your son.”
Rebecca turned around with a new sense of resolve. “You’re right. Skyler will make it through this. I just know he will. He has to.”
“I’ll be back in the morning to check on him. I hope I’ll have good news for you then.” Josh put a hand on Rebecca’s shoulder and squeezed.
“Me too.”
Dr. Stone left the room.
Stephen wrapped his arms around Rebecca, embracing her in the hug she needed. She leaned against him and began sobbing. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“It’s okay. Go ahead and get it all out. You shouldn’t be sorry.”
Rebecca continued as Stephen held her. When she was done, she took a deep breath and grabbed a Kleenex.
“Thank you, Stephen. I appreciate you being here for me. You’ve been amazing. I’ve met some really great people from this ordeal. I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay all of you.”
He brushed the hair from Rebecca’s forehead. “I think I speak for everyone when I say that we just want to see Skyler get better. That’s payment enough.”
Rebecca smiled as she dabbed her eyes with the tissue. “Thank you.”
“You bet. If you’re okay, I need to get going. I have to get back to the station and finish up some paperwork for the day. Are you sure you’re all right? I don’t want to leave you alone if you need someone here with you.”
“Yes, I’m just going to hang out here for a bit longer and see if Skyler does anything else. I’ll probably leave for the night.”
“I’ll stop by tomorrow to see if he has woken up and to let you know how the interview with Ryan went.”
“Please go easy on him.”
“Don’t worry. I know he’s special to you.”
She watched as he left. Then she pulled a chair up next to Skyler and rested her head next to his arm. She closed her eyes and fell asleep next to her son.
Chapter 14
Rebecca
Rebecca woke up with Skyler’s hand tapping her head. One of the nurses must have covered her up with blankets because she had several placed over her shoulders and back. Her neck had a kink in it from lying in the same position for so long. Rebecca sat up and rubbed her neck.
It took a minute to process what had just happened. Skyler was just tapping my head. Did he know it?
Rebecca bent over Skyler and put her hand on his chest. “Are you awake? Open your eyes for me, sweetie.”
He didn’t move. His hand didn’t even twitch.
“I know you can hear me. I love you so much. I need you to move something so that I know you’re in there.
Please, just squeeze my hand.”
Nothing.
Disappointed, Rebecca stood up and walked around the room. Sleeping next to him left her body stiff, not just her neck. She couldn’t believe that she had actually slept the entire night in that position without waking up. She must’ve been drained.
She glanced up at the clock. It was 7:06 in the morning. Dr. Stone usually came in about this time and she expected that he would be here soon.
She longed for some coffee and a good breakfast. She hadn’t eaten anything last night and was famished. She eyed the sandwich on the counter that Stephen had brought yesterday. She thought about eating it but figured she could just go get some breakfast after the doctor paid his usual visit.
Instead, she decided to freshen up and rinsed her face. The cool water invigorated her, making her feel a little more awake and alive.
Rebecca thought about Skyler’s father. He’d never laid eyes on Skyler. They had broken up after Tony found out she was pregnant. The only reminder of him was the child support payments the District Attorney’s office collected monthly.
She wondered if he’d want to know Skyler was fighting for his life. Nah. If he hasn’t cared up until this point, why would he now? One thing was for sure. The lack of involvement from Tony only made Skyler and Rebecca’s relationship that much stronger. They relied on each other and they were as close as a mother son could be.
“Good morning.” Rebecca turned around and found Jamie standing at Skyler’s bedside, listening to him with her stethoscope.
This was Jamie’s second day with Skyler. She was a quiet nurse who didn’t talk a whole lot. She was friendly enough but focused on her work.
As soon as Jamie pulled her stethoscope away from her ears, Rebecca asked, “Do you know how Skyler did last night? Apparently the last few days caught up with me, because I just passed out next to him.”
“As far as I know, there wasn’t much change in his condition. She didn’t see him move except for the occasional reflex in his hands.”
Rebecca sighed. “I see.”
“Hopefully we’ll have a better day today. Don’t give up hope yet.”
“What’s this I hear about losing hope?” Rebecca lifted her head to see Dr. Stone entering the room.
“Skyler still isn’t waking up.”
“The nurse is right. It’s way too early to be giving up hope. Skyler has made it this far. You can’t give up on him now. Give him some time to recover.”
Dr. Stone approached Skyler and performed several of the same tests as the night before. “We do have some good news. His vital signs have all been stable throughout the night. No more fluctuations like we had yesterday. Which means he’s doing well off the sedation and paralytic.” Dr. Stone paused. Then he took a deep breath.
“There’s some bad news. The fact that he’s so stable without those medications could mean a decrease in brain function. But it could also mean that he’s responding well to the pain medication. We’ll give him a lower dose and see if he’s able to wake up. Also, I mentioned a test yesterday that will tell us how much activity there is in his brain. It’s called an EEG. I’ll order one today and see what it says.
“I want you to try and not worry too much. Skyler’s come a long way in a short period of time. We just need to stay focused on that.”
Dr. Stone was right, but there was still a gaping hole in Rebecca’s heart. She nodded.
“Did you leave here at all yesterday?” Dr. Stone looked her in the eye.
“No, I wanted to be here when Skyler woke up and then I fell asleep at his bedside.”
“I think that it’s very important for you to go home this morning and take some time for yourself. He’ll be here when you get back.”
“What if he wakes up when I’m gone?”
“I don’t think he’ll wake up in the next couple of hours—at least not enough to wonder where he is or where you are. Take this opportunity to take care of yourself. Come back refreshed in a couple of hours. Doctor’s orders.” Dr. Stone smiled and rubbed her shoulder.
Rebecca smiled halfheartedly and looked at Skyler. “When will we get the results from the EEG?”
“If they can get it done early, then we should have the results back tonight. If they do it later, then we should know tomorrow. We’ll have to wait for the neurologist to interpret the scan. That’s part of the delay.”
Rebecca shrugged. “That’s a long time.”
“I’ll put it in as a stat order. That’ll hopefully get it done sooner.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, I wasn’t kidding about you leaving for a while. I’m off again today, but I’ll be back and ready to go tomorrow. I’ll see you then with some good news.” Dr. Stone turned to leave.
“I’ll walk out with you.” Rebecca grabbed her purse.
***
Laney
Laney woke up and looked at the clock. It was 7:30. Wow, I must have been tired. I never sleep in this late. She jumped out of bed, excited to get the day started. She had a lot to do before Josh came over for the evening and she wanted the dinner to be perfect.
She slid on her running clothes and shoes and went to the bathroom. When she was done, she put her iPod into its running case, grabbed her house key, and was ready to go.
As she opened her front door, Laney almost tripped over a small pot of violets and a note to go with it.
Roses are red, violets are blue
I can’t live this life without you.
“We’re going to have to talk about his poetry skills,” she said. “I think he might be going a little overboard. It’s getting creepier.”
She picked up the flowers and the note and put them on the kitchen counter. And with that, Laney started off for her daily run.
Many thoughts flew through her mind as she ran, but she kept going back to tonight’s plans. What was she going to make for dinner? Since she lived alone, she didn’t have too many opportunities to cook for others, even though she loved to.
She didn’t know what Josh’s tastes were, but figured chicken would be safe. I’ll make a chicken piccata with lemon mushroom risotto and some asparagus. The thought of it made her mouth water.
She contemplated what type of wine to serve. What was the name of the one they had with their dinner the first night? She wracked her brain. I’m going to have to do a web search for it when I get home.
She finished her run in what seemed like record time. As soon as she returned to her apartment Laney went straight toward her laptop. She got on the internet and typed in “types of wine Far.” And there it was: the fourth item down on the screen was Far Niente Winery.
“Perfect.”
She did her research, and found the bottle was available locally. Awesome!
That done, she made a list of everything she would need for dinner.
Satisfied, she fixed herself some multi-grain toast with peanut butter and bananas for breakfast. Afterward, too excited to take a shower yet, she took off to get everything she needed.
***
Rebecca
Rebecca took her time taking a shower. She stood under the hot water for what seemed like an hour, determined to wash away some of the stress from the past few days. Afterward, she took her time getting dressed.
She ate a bagel and cream cheese while packing up a few things to take with her. Rebecca figured she would stop somewhere to pick up a few snacks on her way back to the hospital.
Rebecca was an office manager for a mortgage brokerage company, and her boss, Charlie, had been sympathetic to what she was going through, and had given her whatever time she needed. She wanted to get everything she could done, even though she was out of the office.
Her job had been rather difficult over the past few months because she had had to lay a few people off. That was perhaps the biggest reason she was so grateful that her boss was helping her out. She certainly couldn’t afford to be one of those people who got laid off. Now, with Skyler’s ac
cident, she couldn’t lose the insurance.
She tried to stay positive and not think about all of the what-ifs. All she could do was hope that Skyler would wake up. Rebecca put all of the things she needed for the day into a large bag. She took a good look around her home and thought about all the laughter that she and Skyler had shared. A tear trickled from her eye.
A knock at the door startled her. Wiping away the tears, Rebecca tried to collect herself as she walked to the door. When she opened it, her breath got caught in her chest. She was unable to breathe as her heart raced out of control.
“Hello, Becky. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
Rebecca couldn’t speak. She hadn’t seen the man in seventeen years and now he was standing before her at her home. Her safe haven.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
Rebecca shook her head and quickly moved to shut the door. Before she could get it closed, Skyler’s biological father blocked the door with his foot and pushed it open.
“Where is he?”
Rebecca finally found her words. “What do you care? You walked out of his life and never wanted anything to do with him.”
“I’m moving on with my life and I need to tie up some loose ends. He’s one of them. Now where is he?” Tony pushed through the door and into Rebecca’s living room.
“He’s not here, dammit. Now get out of my house!” Rebecca pulled on Tony’s arm, trying to get him out.
“What do you mean, he’s not here? What kind of mom are you that you’re not keeping track of your kid?”
“He’s in the hospital. He was in a bad accident.” Rebecca blurted out the words without thinking and instantly regretted it.
Tony was motionless and quiet. “Is he going to be okay?”
“What do you care? It’s not like you’ve ever given a damn!” Rebecca managed to push Tony back out on to the porch.
“Just tell me if he’s going to make it.”
