Running Home to You (The Running Series) (18 page)

The nurse comes out with another update, and the entire room falls silent.  She pulls up a chair to speak directly with his parents.  The gesture has me worried.  We all gather around to hear.  “Okay, we’ve had a complication.  His temperature began to rise rapidly, most likely in reaction to the anesthesia.  They have given him a strong dose of dantrolene sodium, which should have an immediate effect.  The next few minutes will be critical.  The surgeon and the anesthesiologist caught it quickly and they are very optimistic that it can be controlled.”

Mrs. Deegan begins weeping into her husband’s shoulder.  Christina asks about the bleeding.  The nurse explains how they had to stop looking for the source of the rupture to deal with his body’s reaction to the anesthesia.  The nurse excuses herself and returns to assist in the surgery.

For the next thirty minutes, there is no chatter.  Even Lucas is sitting quietly, contemplating the situation we find ourselves in.  I’m sure everyone is saying their silent prayers.  I know Auggie is as stubborn as a mule, and I hope and pray that those qualities come in handy right now. 

There’s a small window overlooking the parking lot.  It’s still pitch black outside and there’s no sign of life.  It’s an ominous feeling that gives me the creepy crawlies.  I’m petrified.  Auggie is my best friend, the brother I never had, and my rock.  What would my life be like without him?  My mind is a web of thoughts, each new one leading to another.  I can’t stay on one topic for long.  It’s just making me feel worse.

Everyone is on pins and needles as the door opens and the nurse reappears.  None of us has thought to ask for her name.  She takes her seat opposite the Deegans and smiles.  An immediate wave of relief floods the room.  She hasn’t said a word, but it’s obvious the news is positive.

“Okay, I have some good news to report.  He responded very well to the dantrolene and his temperature is now under control.  We’ve also located the source of the bleeding.  It was a ruptured spleen.  The surgeon is sectioning off the remaining vessels and he should be removing it shortly.”  She pats Mrs. Deegan on the knee kindly.  “Do you have any questions for me?”

“I do,” Mr. Deegan responds.  “How will this affect his health in the future?  Can you survive without a spleen?”  The relief that was on Mrs. Deegan’s face just a moment ago has quickly faded.

“Absolutely.  He’ll be prone to infections.  His body’s ability to fight infection will be compromised.  He will need regular flu shots.  You must make sure he gets medical attention for even minor illnesses.  Without a spleen, a small infection could quickly spread to his blood stream, causing a serious infection called sepsis,” she explains slowly and thoroughly.  The news is good. 

“I do have to warn you, when you see him, he will have lots of tubes and machines attached to him.  He’s going to have a long, difficult recovery.  He won’t be able to put any pressure on his abdomen for weeks.  That means he’ll need help getting up, moving around, and doing common tasks like reaching and showering.”  She looks around at our little group and remarks, “But it looks like he’ll have plenty of help.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Christina responds.

“Well, that’s good to hear.  It will be another hour while the surgeon finishes the splenectomy and closes him up.  He’ll spend another hour in recovery.  You can see him after that.  I’ll be back with regular updates until then.”  She turns to leave the room.  Just before she disappears, she turns around in the doorway and adds, “Ruptured spleens are hard to recognize in impact collisions.  If he hadn’t gotten here when he did, this conversation wouldn’t be occurring.  I just thought you should know.”  And with that, she slips from our view.

Mrs. Deegan walks to Lucas, seated in a chair in the far corner of the room and says, “Lucas, it’s thanks to you that James has a chance.  If he hadn’t come straight here, he would have bled to death in a very short time.”  She kisses him on the head and adds, “Thank you.”

I can see the relief flood across Lucas’ face.  Auggie’s got a good chance of making it out of surgery, and the Deegans have warmed up to him, at least for now.

Another hour passes, and by five o’clock, Auggie is in the recovery room.  The surgeon comes out with a final update.  “We’re all done in there.  We were able to isolate the source of the bleeding.  We tried to mend the damage from the blunt trauma, most likely caused by the seatbelt, but we couldn’t control the bleeding.  As you know, we had no choice but to remove the spleen entirely.  Your son will remain in the hospital for close to a week.  Full recovery may take up to six weeks.  He will need a lot of help at home once he’s discharged.  Does he live alone?”

“Yes, he does,” his father replies.

“Well, either someone will need to stay with him, or he will need to stay with someone for at least a month.  He’s lost a lot of blood.  He will be very weak for quite some time.  This was a very invasive surgery and he won’t be able to do anything for himself for a few weeks.  I suggest you start making arrangements.”

We argue for a while about who should care for Auggie.  Lucas wants Auggie to stay at his place, but I remind him that he’s supposed to leave for California.  Auggie’s parents want him to stay with them, but I know that’s not what Auggie would want.  I offer to move back in and stay with Auggie for a while.

“I think we should wait and see what James wants to do,” Mr. Deegan intervenes.  “He will recover faster if he’s in a place where he feels the most comfortable.  Let’s just wait and see.”

Another hour passes by quietly.  Lucas is napping in the corner.  Mr. and Mrs. Deegan are pacing the room, and I keep checking my phone for missed calls or messages.  Nothing.  Not one word from Evan.  It’s six o’clock.  Evan is probably arriving at the stadium right about now.  I know he’s upset with me, but I really didn’t think he would do this.  He and Auggie are friends.  At least I thought they were.

Auggie is wheeled to a room in the ICU.  Only two visitors are allowed at a time. They are going to keep him sedated for most of the day, so he won’t be awake for quite a while.  I agree to drive Lucas home.  Then I need to go home, shower, and get to Rush.  I have to tell everyone what’s going on, and then hopefully return to the hospital around dinnertime.

I
t’s nearly noon when I finally arrive at Rush.  Luckily, everyone’s here.  I ask Derek, Marcus, Emmy, and Reese to join me at a table.  Once everyone is seated, I tell them everything.  Reese has lots of questions, and I can’t answer all of them, but I do the best I can.

“We’ll know more when he wakes up.  We probably won’t be able to talk with him until tomorrow,” I explain.

Emmy walks over, pulls me up, and hugs me with all she’s got.  She rocks back and forth for a moment, then releases me and asks, “Oh, honey.  It’s going to be okay.  You’ll see.  What does Evan say?”

“Nothing.  I haven’t talked to him,” I tell her.

Marcus doesn’t seem to like that answer.  “Jette, I know you guys aren’t getting along very well right now.”

I mumble under my breath, “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

He ignores me and goes on, “But that doesn’t give you the right to keep him in the dark about something this important.”

“I said I didn’t talk to him, Marcus.  I never said he doesn’t know.  I left him a note before I went to the hospital.  He was still sleeping when I left.”

“So, are you absolutely certain that he knows?  You’re positive he saw the note?” Marcus asks.

“No, I’m not,” I reluctantly admit.

“Well, I suggest you find a way to contact him and make sure he knows,” Marcus insists.

I excuse myself to my office to call Evan while Marcus calls Camilla and Emmy calls Adam.  It’s very heartwarming to know how much everyone cares about Auggie.  I’m afraid Evan might not answer the phone if I call, so I start with a text message instead.

Jette
:  pls call me. its urgent. auggie just got out of surgery
.

I hit ‘send’ and in less than a minute, my phone is ringing.

“Juliette, what’s going on?  Why did Auggie have surgery?”  It’s Evan and he sounds upset.  Good.  At least he’s not mad.

“He had a car accident, Evan.  They had to remove his spleen.  He’s in ICU and I wanted to make sure you knew,” I tell him.

“Are you at the hospital now?  How’s he doing?”

“No, I’m at Rush.  I was at the hospital this morning.  I came here to tell everyone.  I’m going to eat and then head back to the hospital to relieve Mr. and Mrs. Deegan.”

“Wait, is that where you were when I left this morning?  Why the hell didn’t you wake me up?  I should have been there.”  Great, now he’s mad at me again.

“I left you a note,” I offer as an explanation.

“Well I never saw a fucking note.  So everyone at Rush knows.  You had to hurry over there and tell
everyone
before you bothered to let me know.”  It doesn’t take a psychic to know what Evan means by
everyone
– he means Derek. 

“Evan, it’s not like that.  You know it’s not.  I thought you saw the note.  I thought you knew.”

“If I knew, I would have been there.  Dammit, Juliette.  What are you trying to prove?”

“I’m not trying to prove anything.  Listen, I don’t want to fight like this.  But it makes no difference what I say or what I do, you’re going to get pissed off no matter what.”  I take a deep breath, and then continue, “Auggie’s at Jersey Shore Medical Center.  Come, don’t come.  Do whatever you want.  I won’t be home tonight.  I’ll be staying in the hospital until he wakes up.  I’ve gotta go.”

“Fine.”  Evan hangs up, and when he does, that’s when the tears start.  Tears for Auggie.  Tears for me.  But especially, tears for Evan.  Something’s not right.  He’s not right.  This isn’t him.  This isn’t the man I fell in love with.  I want to help Evan and figure out what’s going on, but my focus has to be on Auggie.  He needs me right now.

R
eese makes sandwiches and Natalie makes lattes for me to bring to the hospital.  I swing by the house, toss a few items in an overnight bag, and return to the hospital.  Auggie’s parents are grateful for the fresh food and hot coffee.  They update me on his condition, and just as I had hoped, he seems to be resting comfortably.  Early tomorrow, they are going to start weaning him off the Propofol that’s been keeping him sedated.  His parents agree to go home for the night, but plan to return early in the morning.  I promise to call if anything changes.

Around dinnertime, Lucas arrives for a visit.  He sits on the bed, holds Auggie’s hand and asks me if there’s anything new.  I tell him what I know, and that he seems to be doing well.

“If he’s doing so well, then why isn’t he awake?” Lucas wants to know.

I tell him the reason for the sedation as best I can.  The nurse said that they want to keep him on the ventilator for twenty-four hours and the breathing tube is very uncomfortable.  They are keeping him under sedation so he doesn’t try to remove the tube himself. 

“Oh,” Lucas responds, despondently.  “I was hoping to talk to him before my flight tomorrow.  The plane leaves at nine, and I’m supposed to check in by seven.  He won’t be awake by then, will he?”

“I seriously doubt it.”

“Maybe I could change my flight.  Put it off for a day.  Maybe drop out of the picture entirely.  I wish Auggie was awake to tell me what I should do.”

“Well, he can’t talk right now, but no one knows Auggie as well as I do.  I’ll tell you what he would say.  He would tell you to go.  Don’t change the flight.  Don’t miss out on what could wind up being a pivotal role in your career.  That’s what he would say.”

“Do you really think so?” he asks.

“I do.  And I’ll bet that by the time your plane lands, you’ll be able to FaceTime or Skype with Auggie.  Here, take my number and call me as soon as you land.”  We exchange numbers, and he seems to be somewhat satisfied with our plan.  He stays for a while, and then heads home to pack.  Poor guy.  This should be the most exciting event of his life and instead, he’s filled with guilt and regret.

The chair beside Auggie’s bed is also a recliner.  Physical and mental exhaustion have set in, and I push back and put up my feet so I can try to close my eyes just for a bit.  I plug in my earphones and play some classic Springsteen.  It’s one of Evan’s favorites, and mine, too.  Memories of our night a few months ago at the Stone Pony come rushing back.  I close my eyes and let the memories cover me like a warm blanket.  If I try hard enough, I can feel Evan’s arms around me as we dance on the dance floor.  I can feel his warm breath on my neck.  I remember it all.  The rich memories soothe me, and I fall into a deep sleep, dreaming of happier times with the man I love.