“Okay, she’s about the same,” he said, “but she’s not any worse, so the game plan is to remove the breathing tube tomorrow morning and if her lungs hold up, we’ll take her off the sedation and see if she wakes up. She’ll be monitored closely throughout the night to make sure she doesn’t crash. Oh, there’s a Helen Klein in the lobby; okay for her to come back?”
“Yes, she just came in from New York. I’ll go get her,” Joanna said, heading for the lobby.
Joanna had been strong all day, but she broke down as soon as Helen pulled her into her arms. “Oh, Helen, she may not pull through this, she’s so badly hurt!” Joanna sobbed.
“Hey, c’mon, she’s in the best hands here and Riley is strong.”
“She looks bad, Helen. Rae and Tracy are back with her right now. Her mother was here but couldn’t take it so she left,” Joanna said, walking Helen back to the ICU.
“Kate’s at the house, there’s no way she could deal with this after her mom and dad. I brought you some things,” Helen said, handing Joanna a bag, “a change of clothes and some toiletries.”
“Thanks, Helen, this is her room.”
“Oh, Riley!” Helen said in shock after seeing Riley motionless, bruised and cut with the machine pumping in and out helping her breathe.
Tracy broke down again and sobbed into Rae after Helen had given them both a tearful hug.
“Rae, why don’t you take her home, I’ll be here and I’ll let you know the minute anything changes. I know you have the bar, it will be okay,” Joanna said, hugging her reassuringly.
“Okay, if you’re sure, anytime day or night, please call.”
“I will,” she said, hugging them goodbye.
“It’s nine. I’d better go see how Kate’s doing, she was so upset. Are you going to be okay, Jo? I’ll come back if you want but you need to get some sleep too, okay?” Helen said softly, pointing to the foldup bed that had been brought into the room.
“I will. I’ll call you if anything changes. Thank you for coming, Helen; I don’t know what I would do without you and Kate. Here’s the keys, my car is right outside on the left.” Joanna said, hugging her friend, which started a fresh stream of tears from both of them.
Joanna stayed in the chair next to Riley’s bed. She never slept, she just watched the machine breathe in and out for Riley all night, only stirring when the staff came in to tend to her.
“Joanna, have you been here all night, how’s she doing?” Dr. Mansfield asked as he entered Riley’s room at six in the morning.
“Hi, yes,” Joanna yawned, “the same, BP’s been a little erratic but it’s under control.”
“Well, we’re going to get a CT and hopefully extubate her, I need her to breathe on her own. You need to get some sleep, Joanna, is someone coming to take your place?” Dr. Mansfield asked.
“Oh, come on, Jeff, we’ve pulled two-dayers before. Riley is special to me. I’m not going anywhere!” Joanna replied dismissingly.
“Okay, well, I’m kicking you out for a while. We need to do some housekeeping here, tend to Riley, and take her for a CT. It will be a few hours; go home, get some rest!”
“I’ll be in the waiting room.” Joanna said. “Look after her, okay, Jeff?”
Dr. Mansfield just winked at Joanna as she headed for the reception area of the ICU.
Joanna made some phone calls and updated everyone on Riley’s condition as she picked on a bagel and cup of coffee she got from the cafeteria.
“Then why don’t you come home for a couple of hours and get some rest, Jo?” Helen asked over the phone.
“No, I’m going to stay here in case anything changes. Rae and Tracy are coming at noon and Riley hopefully will have the tube out by then,” Joanna said wearily.
“Okay, well, we’ll be there in a couple of hours too. Kate wants to see Riley. Did you sleep at all? And don’t lie to me.”
“No. not much,” Joanna replied.
“No, not much or no, not at all?” Helen asked sternly.
“Not at all,” she confessed.
“Well, I’ll bring you some more things, but you need to go home and get some rest today, understand? Riley won’t be on her own; there’s enough of us here to be with her,” Helen said gently.
“Hmm,” Joanna grunted in reply.
* * *
Hours later, Joanna, Helen, Kate, Rae, Tracy, and Virginia Carrington all sat in the ICU awaiting news of Riley. Kate was getting more nervous and agitated by the minute. The last time she stepped foot in a hospital was when she was eighteen where she watched her mother and father die after a tragic car accident.
Joanna looked up in surprise when she saw Cheryl enter the lobby of the ICU. She got up and met her as Cheryl lifted her hand in a wave to Kate and Helen.
“I heard about Riley, how is she doing?” Cheryl asked sincerely.
“She’s still unconscious, they are removing the breathing tube now but she’s in pretty bad shape,” Joanna said sadly, hugging Cheryl.
“I just came to see if you’re okay. I’m glad Helen and Kate are here. Jo, call me if you need anything, okay? I love you,” she said, kissing Joanna on the forehead. “Just let me know how she’s doing when you know something.”
“Thank you, Cheryl, I will,” Joanna said tearfully, seeing Dr. Mansfield come through the double doors of the ICU.
The women all turned their attention to Dr. Mansfield expectantly. “We removed the tube, but Riley is not breathing well on her own so she’s on oxygen to help her. We took her off the sedation but she’s still unconscious. There is still a lot of concern with the head injury and from what we could see from the CT, her right kidney also sustained some damage in the crash. Her condition is still very critical; we’re doing everything we can to keep her comfortable. What we really need is for her to wake up. The longer she stays unconscious, the less likely it is that she will recover. You can go back and see her, but two or three at a time. Any questions for me?”
The women were deflated and silent in response to the report and Virginia Carrington just shook her head and left. Joanna, Kate, and Helen went back to see Riley. Kate was overcome with emotion, seeing Riley in her battered and clinical state. Helen comforted her and looked over at Joanna, who looked pale and shaken.
“Jo, Rae and Tracy are going to sit with Riley. I’m going to take you home for a few hours then we can come back, okay?”
“No, I’m not leaving her, I’m staying,” Joanna replied blankly.
“Jo, it’s not a request. C’mon, if anything changes, Rae will call right away. You’re exhausted; this isn’t up for debate,” Helen said with a small smile.
“We’ll call immediately if anything changes, Joanna,” Rae said softly, taking a seat at Riley’s bedside next to Tracy.
“Thanks, Rae.” Joanna smiled weakly as she reluctantly left the ICU with Helen and Kate.
* * *
Joanna let the warm water wash over her in the shower. She didn’t remember feeling this helpless as the water washed her tears down the drain. Helen knocked on the bedroom door and came in, seeing Joanna sitting on the bed in a white robe, towel-drying her hair.
“How are you doing, Jo?” she asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.
“I feel so helpless, Helen, she has to pull through this,” Joanna said sadly.
“I know. I want you to get some sleep, okay? I’ll wake you in a few hours and we’ll go back to the hospital. Now dry your hair and get into bed. Kate is making some soup for us for later.”
Helen sat on her friend’s bed and pulled the covers up over Joanna, kissing her on the forehead. “Get some rest, I’ll wake you later.”
“Okay, but wake me if you hear anything from Rae,” Joanna replied.
“Of course. Now sleep!” Helen directed, exiting the bedroom and closing the door behind her.
Four hours later, Joanna, Helen, and Kate were back at Riley’s bedside.
“No change,” Rae said, shaking her head. “The doctor seemed really con
cerned.”
“I’ll stay with her tonight, Rae,” Joanna said, looking at Riley’s battered and broken form. “I’ll call if anything changes.”
After Rae and Tracy and Kate and Helen had gone home for the night, Joanna laid next to Riley with her arm around her limp body. “You have to wake up, Riley. I can’t lose you, do you hear me?” she said softly, closing her eyes.
Joanna drifted in and out of sleep for most of the night until she felt Riley stir. She looked down and saw Riley’s hazel eyes looking up at her.
“Hi,” Riley said with a weak smile.
“Oh, thank God!” Joanna said, pressing the button for the nurse as Riley closed her eyes again.
“She woke up! She said hi,” Joanna exclaimed as the nurse came into the room.
“That’s good, I’ll let Dr. Mansfield know. Riley, Riley can you hear me?” the nurse said, putting her hand on Riley’s arm.
Riley opened her eyes ever so slightly and winced.
“I’ll up her pain meds now she’s awake. She’s going to be in a lot of pain, so we’ll keep her as comfortable as possible,” the nurse said, adjusting one of the IV pumps. “The doctor will be here to see her soon.”
A wave of relief washed over Joanna as she called Rae and Helen and Riley’s mother to update them. Joanna shed tears of relief as she held Riley while she slept.
“What’s wrong, Joanna, what happened?” Riley asked weakly in concern, seeing Joanna’s tearful state as she awoke in LA dawn.
“Riley, thank God, we nearly lost you, how do you feel?” Joanna said, getting up so she could get a good look at Riley.
“Hungry, where are we?” Riley asked as she tried to move until the pain registered. “Shit, what happened; my head is pounding and I hurt everywhere,” she said softly, grimacing as she tried to move.
“You’re in the hospital, Riley, do you remember anything?” Joanna asked her.
“Well, I guessed that much from the décor in here and all these tubes, but why?” Riley asked weakly with a sarcastic tone.
“You still have a smart mouth even after we nearly lost you! Riley, you were in an accident on your motorcycle. Do you remember anything?”
“The rain, it was raining, my car wouldn’t start but that’s all I remember. Why do I hurt so bad?”
“Riley, a car ran a red light and you hit it. You were thrown from your bike and landed on a car coming the other way. You’ve been unconscious for over two days. We all have been here around the clock—Rae, Tracy, Kate and Helen, and your mom. You have a head injury and both your lungs were collapsed and you were barely breathing when they brought you in. You have some internal injuries, one of your kidneys and broken ribs, you’re hurt pretty badly,” Joanna said tearfully.
“Shit, that sounds bad!” she said just as Helen, Kate, Rae, and Tracy entered her room.
“Riley, thank God! How do you feel?” Rae asked, concerned at Riley’s weakened state.
“Like shit!” Riley said with a pained expression, ripping the oxygen tube from around her nose and ears.
“Riley, that is to help you breathe,” Joanna stated, replacing the tube.
“I see someone is awake. Riley, I’m Dr. Mansfield. How is your pain? You’re pretty beat up,” he said, entering the room.
“I would say I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus, but that’s a little cliché, I guess,” she replied with a grimace.
“Well, let’s examine you now that you’re awake, shall we?” He smiled. “Everybody staying?”
“We’ll give you some space and wait in the lobby,” Helen said, taking her cue to give Riley some privacy.
“I will too,” Tracy said, leaving the room with Kate and Helen, knowing full well that Rae would be staying.
Joanna stepped back with Rae while Dr. Mansfield started his examination of Riley. Rae winced as she could see more of the lacerations and bruising Riley had sustained as he adjusted her gown to listen to her heart and lungs. Joanna put a comforting arm around Rae, seeing her distress.
“There’s a lot less blood in her urine today, Jeff,” Joanna said as he checked the output bag.
“Good, we may be able to save the kidney after all. Her breath sounds are still very shallow on the left side though, where most of the ribs were broken. Riley, I’m going to sit you up a little. I’ll go slowly, and you tell me if it’s too painful, okay?”
“Okay,” Riley said, wincing as he adjusted the hospital bed.
“Riley, let me give you the rundown on what’s going on,” Dr. Mansfield started. “The discomfort you have in your chest is from the broken ribs, which punctured your lungs. We put a tube in to re-inflate them, which is still in your chest. You have a fracture on your cheek and some lacerations where your arm went through the windshield of the car. You sustained some internal injuries and your right kidney is damaged. You also have a small fracture on your ankle but I’m not sure that is from the accident. Of most concern right now is your head injury. Do you remember what happened?”
“Not really, only that it was raining,” Riley replied while the doctor moved a light from side to side in front of her face.
“Oh, Riley, your ankle fracture is from tennis. She though she only twisted it last Friday,” Joanna directed at Dr. Mansfield while Rae shook her head. “I tried to take her for an x-ray.”
“Well, it’s a good thing she has a high pain tolerance. She’s going to be uncomfortable for a while. Riley, we need to remove some of the fluid from around your brain that is causing the swelling. Best case scenario, you have a severe concussion and no permanent damage.”
Riley had drifted and did not seem coherent.
“What happened, what’s wrong?” Rae said in a panic.
“It’s okay, it’s to be expected,” Dr. Mansfield reassured her. “But I need to get consent to do the procedure, is Riley’s mother here?”
Dr. Mansfield went over the procedure with Riley’s mother while she signed the consent forms. “She’s still not out of the woods yet but if we can keep the fluid and the swelling under control, she has a good chance.”
* * *
“Everything went well, she’s awake but still very groggy,” Dr. Mansfield said as he greeted the six women in the surgery waiting room several hours later. “If she stays the same overnight, we’ll move her out of ICU tomorrow into a regular room.”
Six heavy sighs of relief echoed around the waiting room.
Chapter Fourteen
Riley’s condition had improved over the next day or so and she was moved out of the ICU. She still couldn’t remember the accident and her short-term memory was sporadic but the doctors were optimistic.
“No fucking way!” Riley announced angrily. “I’m not using that. I can make it to the damn bathroom,” she said, brushing the offending bedpan away toward her nurse, Irene.
“What’s this?” Joanna said sternly, walking into her room. “Hi, Irene, everything okay?”
“Little miss here thinks she’s superman all of a sudden! She tried to get out of bed earlier and fell down. I had to replace her IVs and she bruised her knee up pretty bad,” her nurse replied in a thick Irish accent. “Now she’s just being stubborn!”
Riley had a confused look on her face. “I didn’t fall!”
“Riley, you fell this morning, after breakfast,” Irene replied softly. “I heard a crash and found you on the floor.”
“Why don’t I remember?” Riley said sadly. “Probably all these damn drugs they’re giving me!”
“Oh, honey, it will come back, it’s just going to take some time. You need to let me help you until you’re strong enough, okay?” Irene said in a kind tone.
Riley glanced at Joanna, who had her arms folded and both eyebrows raised in her direction. “Okay, thanks, Irene,” Riley mumbled.
“Good girl, now I’ll leave you alone to visit with Joanna,” she said, exiting Riley’s room.
“Riley, I know this is hard, but you are going to have to accept the fact that you can’t take care
of yourself right now. You are doing well but still very fragile. I don’t want you to give Irene anymore trouble, okay? She’s a nice lady and doesn’t deserve that,” Joanna lectured gently.
“I know, I’m just frustrated and mad I can’t remember anything,” Riley replied with glassy eyes. “And I can’t even pee on my own; they have this damn thing still in me!” she said, gesturing to her catheter bag.
Joanna’s face got dark. “Riley, you listen to me, young lady. You nearly died, you have a clot on your lung that could dislodge at any time if you don’t stay sedentary. You have broken bones and a severe head injury. I’m sure they will get the catheter out in a couple of days when you can get up, but for right now you will stay in that bed and do as you’re told. Do you understand? And don’t you dare roll your eyes at me. You seem to be the only one who doesn’t realize how serious your condition is!”
Riley looked down at her hands in a pout. “Can I ask you a question, I may have asked you before but don’t remember if I did.”
“Of course, Riley, what is it?” Joanna answered in a softer tone.
“How is my bike?”
“How’s your bike?” Joanna asked in disbelief, raising her voice. “Dammit, Riley, unlike you, your bike is dead!” she answered angrily. “God, I’m going to give you a thrashing when you’re better. I’ll be back in a couple of hours and in the meantime I suggest you take care of business!”
* * *
“God, I’m going to kill her; she’s too damn stubborn and independent. She tried to go to the bathroom on her own and fell. Then she was giving Irene trouble and then she wanted to know how her bike was,” Joanna said angrily, tossing her keys on the kitchen counter.
“Whoa, calm down, I’ll make you a nice latte,” Helen said to her friend as she headed for the kitchen counter to the espresso machine. “You know, Jo, I was thinking it’s only a couple of weeks or so until Christmas and Kate and I were tossing around the idea of just staying through rather than going back to New York and coming back, if it’s okay with you?”
Reining in Riley Page 16