Debby and other nurses rushed into the room. “Please wait outside, Ms. Hill.”
Megs managed to squeeze Mitch’s hand and then got the hell out of the way, medical staff speaking medicalese, their words clipped, their tone urgent. She left the ICU, stood in the hallway, her heart still racing.
Hadn’t the doctor mentioned something about seizures?
She struggled to remember through her exhaustion and fear.
If she’d been the praying kind, a believer, she’d have said a prayer, but it felt hypocritical praying to a god she’d ignored all of her life. So she paced the hallway instead, stopping every so often to lean back against the wall or look at her watch or check her smartphone.
After about forty-five minutes, Debby opened the door, a smile on her face.
“You can come back in now.” Debby walked with her to Mitch’s bedside.
He lay still, just as he’d done before the seizure.
“Is he okay?”
“Seizures aren’t uncommon after a craniotomy. They’re especially common in the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours after surgery. The fact that he had a seizure doesn’t mean his condition is declining or that he won’t recover. We’re taking him down for an MRI in about an hour.”
“Another one?”
“It’s routine after that kind of surgery.” Debby rested a hand on her arm. “I know it’s hard to leave, but you need to take care of yourself, too. You must be exhausted. Do you have a place you can stay nearby?”
Megs nodded. “The Marriott.”
“You should go get some sleep. This is a long haul. You don’t want to wear yourself out on Day One.”
Some part of Megs wanted to rage at Debby. Mitch was the man she loved, the only man she’d ever loved. She didn’t want to leave him, but she knew Debby was right. She was exhausted. She still had her climbing clothes on, Mitch’s blood on her leggings.
“Can you please call me if anything changes?”
Debby nodded. “I promise. I’ll keep the recorder playing, too, except for when he has the MRI. Then it has to come off.”
Megs understood. “Thank you. I’ll just take a minute with him.”
“Of course. Stay as long as you like.”
Megs set the recorder to play. “I’m just going to go take a shower and grab some sleep. I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere while I’m gone, okay, bud? I love you.”
She put the earbuds in his ears, pushed the PLAY button, took the handle of the suitcase Rain had brought, and reluctantly walked out of his room.
Chapter 5
Megs woke with a start,glanced around, confused. She was at a hotel in the room that Joe had reserved for her. What time was it?
Disoriented from a deep sleep, she reached for her watch, only to find it still on her wrist. Seven PM already? Had she truly slept for five hours?
She scrambled out of bed, found her phone, saw that she’d gotten a message from the hospital. On a rush of adrenaline, she played it back.
“It’s Dr. Schwartz. I just wanted to let you know we have the results of the MRI. There’s no sign of clots or bleeding, and that’s what we want to see at this stage. Have them page me when you get back to the hospital. I have something encouraging I think you’d like to see.”
The doctor had probably gone home by now, so she didn’t need to rush over in her underwear and sports bra. If it was good news—and it certainly sounded like good news—it could wait until she’d taken a shower and had something to eat.
She ordered supper from room service and hit the shower while she waited for her meal to arrive. She couldn’t help but sigh, the hot water helping her to feel human again. She shampooed, conditioned, washed her face and body, glad she’d taken the nurse’s advice. The situation with Mitch still terrified her, but at least she was clean and able to think more clearly.
Thank you, Rain and Joe!
She’d just gotten dressed when her meal arrived—smoked salmon salad with French bread, fresh fruit, and green tea. She grabbed her laptop and took time to send a group email to the Team and to check in with Rain while she ate. Then she put a few things she might need into her daypack and walked back to the hospital.
