“Morning, Ray,” I greet as I go straight for Jake. It looks like they’ve given him a bath since he’s in a hospital gown now. “Did they bathe him?” I ask Ray worriedly.
“They did. I was here early and helped. They were very gentle and professional, Summer,” he smiles.
“Sorry. I’m used to just Mal being around him. All these new people make me nervous.”
“It’s okay,” he smiles. “Better to be cautious than uncaring. The nurse said that he had a peaceful night with no issues.”
“Good. That’s good,” I sigh. I take a seat in the chair on Jake’s left and grab his hand.
Once Dr. Crosby and a nurse arrive, Zander excuses himself to get a coffee, and I give him a smile in thanks. “Good morning,” Dr. Crosby smiles. “This is Leigh, the day nurse. She will help me withJake’s physical this morning. Once that’s complete, we can talk in my office.”
“Hi,” I greet Leigh before getting up and lifting the chair out of the way.
“Nice to meet you, Summer,” Leigh responds. “Hello again, Ray,” she smiles. Leigh wheels a tray over beside Jake and pulls down his blankets.
“Excuse me,” I say. “Can you tell Jake what you’re doing? It may seem silly, but Mal, his nurse, and I always talk to him and tell him what we’re doing. That’s what he’s used to.”
“That’s not silly at all,” Dr. Crosby replies. “There's no proof coma patients can’t hear us when the brain is intact. We can do that, and I’ll let Sandy know as well.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” I smile.
I watch as they explain to Jake and us what they're doing. They take length measurements, check his muscle tone, listen to his lungs and heart, check his skin condition, and even his fingernails and toenails. When they check the catheter, I look towards the ceiling.
Once they’re done with everything, they cover him back up in his blankets. “It’s clear he's had exceptional care. No skin conditions, no abrasions or bruising, no infections. Everything looks great. We’ll let him rest for the weekend, then get to work on Monday.”
“Can he wear regular clothes? I unpacked his clothes into the closet last night.”
“Certainly. Why don’t you pick out clothes for him, and Leigh can get him dressed?” Dr. Crosby replies.
I go over to the closet and pick out a t-shirt, socks, and jogging pants. Handing them to Leigh, I step back. She’s very efficient but careful, putting his socks on first and pulling his jogging pants up without exposing him. She lifts the blankets to work around the catheter, but we can’t see anything. Last, she pulls off the hospital gown and gets his t-shirt on, and tucks him back in.
“Ray, Summer, please follow me to my office,” Dr. Crosby says.
When we step into the hallway, Zander is there, sipping coffee. “All good, darling?”
Smiling, I nod. Ray offers for Zander to join us, so the three of us follow the doctor down the hallway, through a lab, and into her office. Once everyone is settled, she begins.
Dr. Crosby explains the trial and procedure, answering all our questions. Unsurprisingly, I have the most. The biggest revelation is that Jake won’t open his eyes immediately if it works. Monitoring his brain activity will tell them if he’s conscious, but it'll take a while before he’s visibly awake. If it works, they'll keep his room dim and quiet, as too much stress too quickly can impede his progress. She admits there’s no standard procedure after he wakes, though. For Jake, it will just be a day or two since the accident. For some patients, medical staff slowly introduce them to their new world, while others need their family immediately.
There will be three attempts to wake him. The risk comes with the third attempt. If it doesn’t work, he won’t ever regain consciousness again, even if new technology develops in the future, since there’s a good chance it can damage the brain. Ray has the option to stop after two attempts, though.
After we sign NDAs and Ray fills out extra paperwork, Dr. Crosby walks us back to Jake’s room.
“You have more medical knowledge than the two of us combined, Summer,” Ray comments.
“I’ve done a lot of research,” I shrug. “So, what do you think? You’re staying the whole week with Jake, right?” I just assumed he would, but I don’t think we’ve actually talked about it.
“I’m trying not to get excited, and yes, I’ll be staying here all week.”
“I’m already excited,” I smile. “We’re driving back Sunday, but I’ll be here for Friday’s test,” I tell him, looking over atZander.
He nods and smiles at me. “What do you want to do for the rest of the day, darling?”
“I’d like to stay here. Maybe get caught up on schoolwork. Is that okay?”
“Sure. I can work on my laptop.”
“I need to make arrangements at work now that we have a schedule,” Ray adds. “If you’re staying, I’ll head back to the hotel.”
