I stammer, “Okay. Thanks for giving me a heads up about that.”
Bear drops down in the chair beside me and puts his arm around me. I know Rick would want me to be strong, but this has been a rough situation, and I won’t turn down support I need, even if it makes me seem weak.
“You okay?” Bear whispers in my ear.
I nod, trying not to break down yet again. Leaning into his side, I bury my face into his broad chest. “Yeah, this is just a lot.”
Before he can reply, a nurse steps out into the waiting room from the doors in the back and walks towards us. She’s middle-aged. Her hair is pulled back tight, and her scrubs are mint green.
“Rick Mullins’ family?” she asks.
“That’s me,” I say. “I’m his sister.”
She stops short in front of me with a clipboard in her hand. “Does he have parents or a wife?”
My face drops because it sounds like she’s saying I’m too young to be his next of kin. I get to my feet because I’m not going to let anyone challenge my right to make decisions for my brother when he can’t make them for himself.
“I’m all he has. Now where do I sign?”
She lifts up her clipboard and scans over the information. “It says here that he’s allergic to sulfa drugs. And he’s not taking any over the counter or prescription medications. Is that accurate?”
“Yes. That’s exactly the information we gave a few hours ago.”
“I’m giving you the NOK acknowledgement form to fill out and sign. You just give your name and contact information. Then you sign that you are his next of kin. It’s a simple process that will enable care decisions to be made until he recovers consciousness.”
Placing a new page on top, she hands it to me to complete. When I hand it back, she checks to make sure all the information is there and then hugs it to her chest with both arms. “By way of keeping you informed of his condition. Since there’s a head injury, we’re keeping him in observation for the next couple of hours to monitor for swelling. If all goes well, we’ll have the mobile imaging unit done and send him to ICU. I’ll come back and let you know when he’s been transferred.”
I can’t help asking, “Do you think he’s going to be okay?”
The nurse hesitates. It’s a professional pause, but it still feels personal. “It’s early days. The next twenty-four hours will give us a better idea of his condition.”
It’s a non-answer. But I suppose it’s the best I can hope for right now.
She turns to leave, then stops to look back at me. “Only one visitor is allowed at a time, once he’s in ICU.” She then adds in a softer voice, “Don’t be alarmed when you see him. There’ll be a lot of wires, but that’s so we can monitor his condition closely. It looks frightening, but it’s for his benefit.”
“Thank you for helping me understand what to expect.”
She gives me a brief nod and walks away quickly.
Just when I’m recovering from that round of fresh hell, another woman comes through the doorway. This one looks like a social worker to me. I’ve seen a lot of them over the years. She has a name badge hanging around her neck and a small stack of papers in one hand. Her expression is friendly, but her body language is a bit wary. I guess the fact that the waiting area is filled to the brim with Rick’s club brothers is unsettling her. Her eyes dart to the desk as she approaches.
“Good evening, Miss Mullins,” she says, keeping her eyes on me. “I’m with patient services. We just want to make sure everyone understands patient rights and families stay safe.”
I take the paperwork she hands to me. “What do you mean by being safe? I’m not sure I understand.”
“If you need help or support our services will extend to you as well.”
I’m still trying to work out what she’s implying in my mind when Bear’s eyes growl. “Natalie’s fine. I’d never let anything bad happen to her.”
That’s when it clicks in my mind this is a DV point of contact in their process. Foster care had those as well.
I quickly set her mind at ease. “There’s no domestic violence or any kind of abuse going on in our family. My brother is way nicer than I ever dreamed possible. He’s been nothing but kind and supportive. So have his friends. You’ve got nothing to worry about on that account.”
Her shoulders relax a bit, and her expression becomes less frozen in place. “Okay. That’s really good to hear. If you need anything, we can help coordinate communication with other team members.”
I take a step closer to her and look her in the eyes. “Honestly, I swear that everything is okay. I just want my brother to recover. That’s the only thing I’m worried about right now.”
“Alright. The nursing staff will let you know when you can see him.”
