by Suzy Shearer
“All to be expected. Your left arm has the most stitches in and you had to put weight on it using the crutches. Your painkillers will kick in soon. Now this is important, if you see blood when you go to the toilet you let us know immediately.”
Her voice filled with fear as she asked, “Blood?”
“The doctors repaired your liver and also your duodenum, they removed your gall bladder, and you had a catheter inserted which was removed this morning. There was no blood but you need to keep an eye on it. You should be fine, just check, and also if the pain in your abdomen gets really bad, worse than it is now let us know.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
The two nurses left and Laura slumped back on the pillows and Tobias could see by the sheen of perspiration on her face and her pallor that she was completely exhausted by her effort.
“Try and sleep, sweetheart, it will help.”
“I can’t sleep,” she replied uncomfortably, but he and Gino shared a smile when five minutes later she was fast asleep.
She slept until four-thirty when two doctors and a different female nurse came in to examine her. Tobias and Gino moved to the side of the room to give space to the staff. He slammed his hand over his mouth when he saw the extent of damage. As well as the large wound which they’d carefully repaired, she had minor cuts and abrasions and the area from her breasts to her groin was dotted in angry bruises and savage cuts. The temporary bandages covering the wounds were stained with blood when they removed them to check for infection. The doctors moved down to her leg and check the swelling. There was an angry wound stretching almost the length of her lower leg and onto the top of her foot. The stitches seemed to be pulled very tight but the doctors appeared happy. The nurse re-covered Laura’s wounds with clean temporary coverings.
“Right, Miss Keell, you’re doing remarkably well considering what happened. There doesn’t appear to be any infection but we’ll keep you on the intravenous antibiotics for another couple of days. These bandages are temporary so we can check the sites for inflammation a few times a day. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll remove the drainage tubes. I’ll send a physiotherapist around to show you how best to move. I want you walking about as much as you can, given your injuries.”
“How long will I be here?”
“Another three or four days at least, and we’ll see how things are going, we want to make sure you have no post-operative problems. Do you have someone at home all the time?”
“Yes.”
Tobias told the two men, “I’m there and my father lives with us. I can just as easily work from the house as the office, so really both of us will be there all the time to help her.”
“Well, in that case, if all goes well we’ll consider letting you go home next Wednesday.”
“I understand. What about when I get out? When can I do things normally?”
“Well. Let’s see. Your ankle wasn’t broken, just cut. The leg should heal okay, the muscles and nerves were damaged but hopefully you won’t need any further surgery. The nerves may heal over the next three months, but it’s possible some may not. You may find areas of numbness both in the leg and your abdomen. Once your leg has healed I suggest you have some Soft Tissue Release therapy. It’s a hands-on deep tissue massage therapy for dramatically speeding up the healing process. In fact, your partner can learn how it’s done and do it.”
“Who will be able to teach us, doc?” Tobias asked, he’d do anything he could to make Laura well again.
“I’ll get the physio to give you some information, there are workshops teaching it nearby and it isn’t hard to learn.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“All your stitches can come out the following Wednesday after your release. We’ve removed your gall bladder, repaired the liver and duodenum. You’re less one rib on one side but that won’t cause any problems. I would estimate eight to ten weeks and you should be okay. You’ll need to check in with your own doctor to have the stitches removed, they can also monitor your healing.
“Of course you’re not to exert yourself. No lifting anything over a kilo for the first four weeks, then gradually increase it over the following four weeks. Oh, and lots of rest in between walking.”
“What about washing? My hair feels gross and I’ve still got dried blood everywhere.”
“Once we’re certain you’re out of the woods as far as infection goes, we’ll put waterproof dressings on your abdomen. Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about all your stitches over the rest of your body.” He gave her a lovely smile and added, “I guess you could put your foot in a plastic bag or something similar and wrap your arms, but to be honest you have stitches in so many places. I think you’ll have to put up with basin washes until they’re removed. Hair washing might be a problem, but you can easily go to a hairdresser.”
She looked over at Tobias and gave him such a look that he was worried he’d get an erection.
She smiled wickedly, then said, “Oh I have someone who’ll wash it for me.”
The two doctors looked at him and Gino, he gave a half-hearted hand raise and said, “That would be me.”
The three men laughed at him but he took it with grace, besides he really liked washing her hair and almost always did it for her. Then, of course, he remembered fondly the second time he’d done it and what it led to.
“Well, in that case, I think you’re going to be in safe hands, Laura. I’m very happy with your recovery so far and we’re going to take you off the critical list so you can have normal visitors now. Make sure they wash their hands before they enter, that’s the only stipulation. One of us will see you tomorrow to remove those drains. Practise walking with the crutches, it will hurt but it’s the best thing for you, just don’t overdo it.”
“Thank you.”
The doctors left as the nurse took Laura’s blood pressure, checked her IV and measured the drains output then, she, too, left. Tobias and Gino sat back down.
Wistfully, Laura said, “I wish I could go home now.”
“You heard the doctor, sweetheart, your body’s been through an awful shock, it needs time to repair and heal. Anyway, it’s only a few more days.”
“Well, can I at least have some pyjamas?” she pouted. “I don’t want everyone looking at my tush.”
“But it’s a lovely tushie.”
She just glared at Tobias and he had to look away in case he laughed. He noticed Gino had smothered his mouth with a hand and was now paying extra attention to his shoes.
“Okay, I’ll bring in a night-dress tomorrow morning,” Tobias conceded.
“Thank you, and can you bring me a hair brush, toothbrush, and stuff please?”
Laura dozed on and off until her dinner arrived, Tobias was pleased to see she ate more than lunchtime, the meal was made up of soft foods that she could swallow easily. He and Gino had taken turns in buying coffee and sandwiches. After dinner the three of them somehow managed to manoeuvre Laura into the bathroom, Gino and Tobias waited outside until she was ready, then helped her back into bed. The two men left at eight-thirty when visiting hours finished, both promising to be back the next morning when they started again.
Chapter Thirty-Three
When Laura woke on Thursday, she felt extremely sore and stiff but actually felt better in herself. Her mind was the clearest it had been since the accident. She still couldn’t recall anything between seeing the tree start falling toward her and waking in hospital, but all her other memories were now intact. The nurse on duty checked her wounds, helped her into the bathroom, and gave her a bed bath. Laura would be glad when Tobias brought in her toiletries so she could clean her teeth properly.
While in the bathroom she took the time to check herself out in front of the mirror. The nurse still had to put clean temporary dressings over her stomach. Somehow balancing on the crutches, what she saw shocked her. Her face was pale, the angry red of the cut standing out starkly against the white of her skin. Each arm was dotted with s
titches and bruised from elbow to the back of her hands. Somehow, she managed to lift the hospital gown and gave a groan of dismay. Her stomach looked as if the surgery had been done with a machete and a staple gun—jagged lines of cuts radiated from the large central wound.
She realised it was the way the branch had penetrated her stomach—the surgeons obviously had been forced to repair it the way it had dug into her. There were small cuts all over, with the bruising a mixture of several delightful shades of purple, blue and red with a touch of yellow on their edges.
Her leg wasn’t that much better. The stitches ran from under her knee then down the leg and across the top of her foot, with her ankle swollen a little and sporting its own technicolour masterpiece. Getting tired from trying to stand one-legged she let the nurse help her back.
“Would you like to sit on the chair for a while? It may not be all that comfortable, but we’ll put a pad at your stomach. It might make you feel better than lying in bed.”
“I think I’d like to try that, thank you.”
The nurse dressed the large wound on her stomach then soon Laura was sitting in the comfortable recliner chair, her feet up. The nurse had placed a pad made from a towel next to her stomach wound and it did feel better. She was able to eat her breakfast sitting in the chair.
The physiotherapist came to see her and gave her lessons on the safest and least painful way of moving and using the crutches. As well, he taught her exercises to help her leg recover from the injury to the tendons and muscles. When one of the doctors arrived just before nine she went back into bed while he removed the drainage tubes. It felt weird as they were coming out, but then it was easier to move and get comfortable. The doctor made her get out of bed with only minimal help and watched as she got herself from one side of the room to the other with him wheeling her IV stand. He settled her back in the bed.
“You’re moving a lot better today, Laura. We haven’t removed the cannula because we are still giving you intravenous antibiotics and the occasional drug for pain. I’m going to change you to tablets now for pain in preparation for you going home on Wednesday. We’ll give you a prescription for pain tablets. Tomorrow, we’ll remove the cannula.”
“Will I still need antibiotics?”
“We will send you home with a three-day course of strong tablets, but if you notice any swelling, discharge, redness, or any areas more painful than they are at the moment, you must go to your doctor. In fact, I want you to see them at least once a week for the first month.”
“I understand. You said my gallbladder was removed, what will that mean?”
“Just go easy on the fatty foods, greasy things, chocolate, coffee, dairy for a week, otherwise you could have problems with diarrhoea. We’ve got you on a low-fat diet at the moment. Increase your fibre gradually and just take it easy with those foods I mentioned for another week, and slowly go back to a normal diet. Call your doctor if the diarrhoea gets bad or if you can’t use your bowels after a couple of days.”
“So after that I can eat normally?”
“You should be able to.”
“Thanks.”
When the doctor left, Laura closed her eyes, she felt exhausted from the short amount of exercise. She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew someone kissed her cheek. Opening her eyes, she saw Melanie.
“Hi, Laura, how are you feeling?”
“Sore, but better than I was.”
“These are for you.”
She held out a lovely bunch of roses and carnations so Laura could smell them then filled a vase with water and set them on the side cabinet. She sat down and looked at Laura.
“When Dad rang I couldn’t believe it. I thought he was crazy. Granddad has been ringing me after Dad rings him, keeping me in the loop. So all this because of a tree?”
“So they tell me. I can remember the really heavy rain and pulling to the side of the road. There was a flash of lightning, an explosion and I can sort of remember a tree coming toward me and that’s it.”
Melanie gave a shiver and said, “Probably just as well.”
Five minutes later Gino and Adam turned up.
“Gino! Adam, hello.”
“Hi, gorgeous. HI, Melanie. Tobias is on his way up, his father insisted on stopping into the gift shop.”
“Oh no! Now I’m worried.”
Gino grinned at her as he handed over a box he’d kept behind his back.
“Better have ours now before the others get here.”
She opened the box then began laughing but grimaced with pain as she lifted out a coffee mug with the words “I do my own stunt driving” and a picture of a car smashed into a tree.
She grabbed hold of her stomach, “Damn that hurts!”
“Oops, sorry.”
“It’s okay. Anyway this is perfect! Where did you find it?”
“Adam found it in some tiny junk shop.”
“Clever you!”
“Hi, Toby, Conall,” Adam’s voice rang out.
The two men walked in. Laura tried hard not to laugh again knowing how much it hurt. Conall had a helium balloon shaped like a dog as well as a teddy bear covered in bandages with tiny crutches under its arm. Conall kissed her cheek and his granddaughter’s. Then he gave Laura a small box before settling in one of the visitor chairs after tying the balloon to the end of her bed and laying the bear alongside her. Tobias held an enormous arrangement filled with fresh fruit and chocolates as well as a bag over one arm. He put the bag on her over-bed tray then set the arrangement on the set of drawers.
“I thought Dad was going to buy out the shop, these are all from him. Now I feel guilty for not buying you anything. This is your nightie and stuff for the bathroom, plus clothes to wear home.”
He pulled out her nightgown then took the toiletries into the bathroom. When he came back, he went to pack jeans, t-shirt and underwear in the drawers as well as a pair of Maseur sandals.
“Have no idea what happened to your shoes, but I figured these would do, they’ll just slip on,” he told her then finally kissed her and his daughter.
“Er Dad, Laura won’t be able to wear these clothes home.”
“Why not? They’re clean,” he said indignantly.
“No, silly. How’s she going to get jeans on over her leg? And her bra, it ain’t going ta happen.”
Tobias looked at Laura who raised her eyebrow and gave a little shrug.
“She’s right, isn’t she?”
“‘Fraid so.”
“Well, what can I bring?”
“Dad, how about I come over early in the morning and pick out things? Leave her scuffs and her panties but take the rest home.”
Tobias looked relieved as he agreed to Melanie’s suggestion. Laura noticed he seemed distracted, on edge. She missed him so much but at the moment he looked extremely harried and scruffy. She thought he had a few new lines on his face, not to mention a few dozen more grey hairs. Realising how worried he must have been these past few days, Laura took his hand, squeezing it as carefully as she could with her knuckle stitched before opening the box from Conall.
If she thought Gino and Adam’s gift was funny then this one was hilarious. It was a coffee travel mug with the words “I pooped today” and a little silhouette of a character giving a fist pump. Somehow she managed to grab her stomach and press firmly as she tried not to laugh too much.
“Oh, Conall this is perfect, it matches what the boys gave me.” She held up the other mug.
Conall gave the boys a wink saying, “Great minds, eh fellas.”
Tobias settled on the side of the bed and carefully held her hand.
“Got your drains out, I see,” he said, his voice sounding a little hollow.
“Yep, they took them out early this morning. The nurse gave me a bed bath.”
“Ah good. I didn’t like to say anything but you stink,” Gino called across the room.
“Very funny, Gino—not!”
“You seem distracted, honey, what’s
up?”
Tobias didn’t answer at first. He shrugged then breathed out heavily through his nose. Finally, he spoke albeit haltingly.
“I’ve been so worried, Laura, I…they told me you died at the scene.” His voice kept breaking as he tried to speak. “Your heart…it…it stopped, kept stopping, they kept saying you were critical and not to expect too much, they told me to prepare myself for the worst. I thought…I was sure I was going to lose you.”
Laura watched as her big brave man dissolved into tears, he dropped his head onto her hand and sobbed raggedly. Finally, she understood he’d been running on the smell of an oily rag since the accident and now it was as if he’d ran out of fuel. Everything had come tumbling down. Melanie, his father and the other two quietly left the room. Laura ran her hand through his hair and waited until he stopped crying. When he lifted his tear-stained face, she took his chin and pulled his face to hers.
She kissed him gently, then whispered, “I’ll never leave you, Toby. I love you too much.”
“I love you,” he gasped haltingly after blowing his nose and wiping his eyes. “You’re my whole world and I can’t live without you.”
He just clutched at her hand. She ignored the pain and she thought he’d never let it go as he tried to get his overwrought emotions under control.
On Monday morning, just after Tobias arrived, one of Laura’s doctors came in to check up on her. He checked all the observations on her chart and examined her wounds.
“Looking good, Laura. We’re very happy with how things are. If you continue along this way, I think we can safely let you go home on Wednesday.”
“Thank you.”
Tobias looked thoughtful, then spoke to the doctor, “We’ve a holiday booked for the end of December, beginning of January cruising to the Antarctic. Will there be any problems for Laura?”
The doctor shook his head. “I can’t see anything that should cause a problem.” He counted up on his fingers then said, “That’s about ten weeks away. By then everything should have healed, and Laura’s body will have adjusted to not having a gall bladder. It sounds like a wonderful trip, I wish I was going on it.”