“Okay,” Tim replied weakly. “Did I have to get stitches or something?”
Trudy efficiently started to unwrap the gauze from his head as Tabitha looked on.
“You want to tell him, or should I?” she asked, giving Tabitha a side glance.
Tabitha shifted on the bed and clasped her hand with her brother’s. “I’ll tell him.”
Peering into his face, she spoke calmly. “You had brain surgery, Tim. A tree in the storm fell through Jessica’s house and struck you hard, fracturing your skull which caused your brain to swell. If they hadn’t operated, you wouldn’t have made it.”
“What?” He was confused.
“Dr. Olson removed a piece of your skull to get to the hematoma successfully. The bone is reattached with permanent metallic plates and screws.”
Tim was overwhelmed as he tried to process this news and watched as Trudy pulled the last of the blood-stained gauze off his head and placed it in a metal container. His hand shook as he slowly lifted it to touch his scalp and feel for himself. Trudy grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
“Now, now. You don’t need to be touching this wound. It looks good, but it needs time to heal. You’ll get the staples removed in about ten days. Till then, these bandages need to be changed about every two days. I’ll get you all wrapped back up in no time.”
The smell and feel of some sort of antiseptic was cool on his head. He didn’t dare move until Trudy finished.
“And I’m sorry about the haircut.”
Tim scowled and looked over at his sister who nodded her head with remorse.
“They had to, Tim. This wasbrainsurgery. It’s fine,” Tabitha reassured. “If it’s any consolation, you look like you did when you were the first round draft pick in the NFL.”
“Great. Now everyone is going to recognize me,” he mumbled, already exhausted.
“Well, I think everybody already knows you’re here.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. But all the news stations have been reporting on the Atlanta hero, Tim Ryan. Stuart is here too. He gave a press conference the day of your surgery.”
Tim’s head was pounding again. He waited until Trudy was finished wrapping his head in fresh gauze to speak. “Stu? He’s here?”
“Yep. Can you believe it? He called out all the bad fans and told them to stop this nonsense—told them you didn’t deserve what they put you through. It was amazing, Tim. Everyone is praying for you. Everyone is calling you a hero.”
Tim closed his eyes, not wanting to be overwhelmed anymore—wishing the pounding in his head would cease. “I need Jessica,” he croaked. He turned to Trudy and looked up at her. “Can you get her for me? Jessica?”
Trudy nodded, the warmth in her expression sweet. “I need you to drink some more water first. Hydration is key. And I’ve got an ice pack for your head.”
“I’ll get her, Tim. I hope she’s not mad I didn’t wake her up right away. I’ll be back.”
*
“Jessica? Jessica, wake up. Tim’s awake. He’s asking for you.”
With fluttering eyes, Jessica focused on Tabitha’s sunny smile.
“What?”
“He’s awake. He remembers.”
Jessica sat up in a hurry. “He’s okay?”
Tears gleamed in Tabitha’s vivid green eyes, and she nodded. “Yes.”
Jessica flew down the hallway, panting, knowing she was close to reuniting with Tim after waiting through several agonizing days for him to come to. Pausing at the closed door to his neurosurgical care unit, she intentionally closed her eyes and counted to ten in an attempt to calm herself down. When she finished, she cracked the door open and peered in.
