Womanizer (Spoilt) (20 page)

Carol sat up in bed eating breakfast when he entered her room and her look of concern matched his.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Is there any change? No-one is telling me anything.”

His response was a sad shake of his head.

“She is strong and determined. She will get through this, Mitch. We have to believe that.”

“I hope you’re right. I love her so much.”

“I know you do, Mitch. Hopefully that will help her get through.”

They sat in silence until Carol drifted off to sleep. Mitch knew she would have had as little sleep as him so he left her to rest and returned to Isabelle’s room. He sat talking with her quietly, trying to elicit some type of response. Anything would be better than the still pale Isabelle who lay beside him.

“Have you been here all night?”
Dr Greene’s voice startled him and Mitch leapt from the chair.

“Yes, I don’t want to leave her alone. When she wakes up, I want to be here.”

“She still isn’t responding to stimuli at present, Mr Montgomery, so ...”

“Mitch.”

“Mitch, her head injury is a concern. The scans indicated she shouldn’t have any permanent damage but she hasn’t regained consciousness, which is why I’m worried. Isabelle may experience some post-traumatic amnesia. You need to be prepared for that.”

“She’ll lose her memory?”

“She may do, yes. It may just be the accident and some events leading up to it. It could be years of lost memories. We won’t know anything until she wakes up. All we can do for now is hope she comes out of her coma.”

“Coma?”
The very real possibility that she wouldn’t wake up was like a slap in the face.

“It has been nearly twenty-
four hours, so she is considered comatose at this stage, but that doesn’t mean she won’t come out of it. Talk to her. You never know, it might work. I’ll leave you to it.”

Dr
Greene left and Mitch slumped back into the chair. The devastating thought of Isabelle no longer being in his world was too much to consider.

“
Izzy, wherever you are, come back, we’re waiting for you. I love you so much. We have so much to look forward to.”

Not a fl
icker of movement was discernible. Nothing. No response.

A few hours later, after enquiring after Isabelle at the nurse’s station, Carrie located Mitch sitting in vigil by Isabelle’s bedside. Her heart broke for him. The change in her brother-in-law over the previous months had lightened her heart, but now a cruel twist of fate could take from him the only woman he had ever loved.

With silent steps she approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Mitch, how you holding up?”

With a brief look over his shoulder he offered a small, weak smile before turning back to Isabelle without responding.

“Maybe you should go home and get some rest. Freshen up. I’ll stay with her for you.”

“Where’s Jesse?”

“With Nathan and the kids. He took the rest of the week off to help out. We have it all covered but you need to look after yourself too.”

“I’m not leaving her. I want to be here when she wakes up.”

“Please, Mitch. Go home and freshen up.”

“I have no home without her.”

“Oh, Mitch.” She sighed, pulling up a chair beside him.

Carrie placed a comforting arm across his shoulders and studied him for a moment. Black circles lined his eyes and his pallor was almost as pale as Isabelle’s. Her heart ached for him again
knowing what this would be doing to him. His heavy lids closed and flicked open again as though he didn’t want to sleep in case something happened. Eventually his body took control and his eyes stayed closed. He appeared to drift off, his head resting on his clenched fist. With the same quiet steps she went out into the corridor and called her husband.

“Nathan, he won’t leave.”

“Let him go, Carrie. He’s stubborn and no amount of coaxing will get him to change his mind. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s hurting and needs to be there. We just have to let him.”

“OK. I’ll be home soon and we can changes places. How’s Jesse?”

“Worried about his mum. Do you want to call in and see Carol and ask whether we should bring Jesse in to see Isabelle?”

“Good idea. I’ll go and see her now.”

She ended the call and went to enquire about Carol.

Chapter Twenty Three

Misery

Carol gave her blessing for them to bring Jesse in to see his mother. Although it may be traumatizing for him, he also needed to be reassured that she was still around. They thought it may be good for Isabelle and perhaps for Mitch as well. Nathan returned to the hospital with Jesse that evening and found Mitch in the same spot Carrie had left him.

“Mitch, how you holding up?”

“I’m fine. I suppose you are going to tell me to go home too but I’m not leaving.”

“I’m not here to convince you to leave because I know you won’t. She has a visitor.”

Mitch turned to find a very scared-looking Jesse clutching Nathan’s leg.

“Hey, buddy. Your mum is sleeping but if you talk to her, she’ll know you’re here.”

With a tentative step forward, Jesse joined Mitch beside the bed. His eyes followed the tube from her mouth to the machines helping her breath and his eyes grew wide. The fear for his mother and the machines surrounding her was evident in his expression. Despite his feelings, he reached forward and took his mother’s hand. A swell of pride surged through Mitch at the bravery Jesse summoned.

“Hi, Mummy,” he said quietly. “I hope you feel better soon. I miss you.”

Jesse’s visit broke the last of Mitch’s resistance. With a swift indication to Nathan that he needed a minute, he rushed from the room. A kaleidoscope of emotions consumed him and he leaned against the wall behind him as the toll of the last twenty-four hours caught up with him. He thought about the content of the letters and he couldn’t help but feel partly responsible. If she hadn’t been involved with him, ‘the womanizer’ maybe she would be OK. Anger surged through him now: at himself for the trouble he had brought her; at Anton for what he had done; and finally at Isabelle for not telling him about the letters. Why had she kept this from him? She could be awake and safe right now if she had confided in him.

The anger at
himself was the strongest. His lifestyle choices had affected Isabelle and perhaps cost her her life.
I don’t deserve her.

If she had amnesia and couldn’t remember him, maybe this w
as a blessing. The question was, could he live without her? These thoughts swirled through his mind as his despair deepened. Out the corner of his eye he spotted Charlotte coming down the corridor towards him. His rage dissipated as he thought of his family and their support. It would be far worse if they weren’t here for him. His appreciation for them eased his guilt.

“How is she?” Charlotte asked.

“The same.”

“Don’t give up.”

With a strangled cry he allowed Charlotte to pull him in for a comforting hug. For several moments they stood entwined and he wallowed in her consolation.

“If she wasn’t with me,
Anton would never have taken Jesse and she wouldn’t be in a coma right now.”

“What?” she said, placing her hands on his arms to ease him back and give him a stern, questioning look. “This isn’t your fault, Mitchell. She needs you more than ever now.”

“Charlotte, what am I going to do? I can’t do this.”

“Come home with me, have a shower and something to eat. You may be able to face it with a clear head. Nathan and Jesse are here.”

He shook his head.

“I’m not taking no for an answer. I deal with a stubborn Montgomery every day so there is no getting around me.”

“OK, you’re right. We will come straight back though?”

“Of course.”

“Why aren’t you at work?”

“You need your family, honey and it was easier for me to get away then Jared, so I am his substitute.” She smirked and his resolve began to return.

“You’re better looking than him.” He managed a small smile.

When Mitch returned an hour later, Nathan and Jesse were still in Isabelle’s room. He gestured to Nathan towards the corridor so they could talk in private.

“How is he?” Mitch asked.

“He’s doing better than you. Kids are more resilient.”

“That’s good. Do you want to take him back to your house now? That way he can be distracted by Mabel and Tommy.”

“Sure thing. I was waiting for you to come back.”

Jesse still sat perched on the edge of the bed, his small hands clasping one of hers. His continued bravado renewed Mitch’s own strength.

“Jesse, would you like to go and play with Mabel and Tommy again?” Mitch said placing a hand on his shoulder for comfort: for Jesse as well as himself.

“Yes but mummy needs me.”

“I’ll stay with her.”

“When she wakes up
, will you tell her I miss her?”

“Of course, buddy.”

As Mitch watched Jesse leave with Nathan, he wondered how they were all going to get through this if she didn’t wake up. He vowed then and there to take care of Jesse if their worst nightmare became a reality.

All night Mitch slept in erratic spurts in the chair by her bed. Nurses came and went through the night checking her vital signs but there had been no change. Dr Greene had checked on her earlier in the night before leaving for the evening and was concerned about her lack of response. Even though he said nothing to Mitch, he assumed from Dr Greene’s grim expression that the situation was much more dire than he imagined.

Early the next morning the sound of alarms woke him from his light slumber. Disorientation confused
him for a moment until he realized the sound came from the machine monitoring her heart. Hospital staff raced into the room with Dr Greene in the lead pushing a trolley full of equipment. One of the nurses asked him to step outside while they worked on her and promptly shut the door behind him before closing the blinds.

Nathan found Mitch slumped on the floor against the wall with his head in his hands.

“Mitch.” He didn’t lift his head. “Has something happened?”

“She … the alarms … I don’t know.”

“Did she crash?” Nathan asked deciphering Mitch’s halted speech.

“I think that’s what happened. No-one has come out yet. She can’t die, Nathan.”

With one swift pull, Nathan hauled Mitch to his feet and ushered him over to a seat where he slumped again with head in hands.

Several minutes later Dr Greene strode into the waiting room. Mitch leapt out of his seat and held his breath.

“I don’t have good news I’m afraid.”

“Oh no ...” Mitch breathed out.

“She’s still with us but critical. Isabelle went into sinus tachycardia. What this means is her heartbeat became irregular and we needed to return it to a nor
mal rhythm. We gave her an anti-arrhythmic agent, and when that didn’t work, we had to use electrical cardioversion which has stabilized her. She is being taken up to surgery now to find the cause of the tachycardia. It’s sometimes caused by internal bleeding, perhaps caused by the impact of the vehicle hitting the guard rail or the water. Once the surgeons investigate we’ll know more.”

“So you had to shock her?” Nathan asked.

“Yes.”

“Surgery will stop this from happening again?” Nathan continued to ask the questions his brother was inca
pable of doing. His pale, blood-drained face said what he couldn’t.

“It should if internal bleeding is the cause. I’ll keep you updated as I learn more.”

“Thank you, Dr Greene.”

“This can’t be happening,” Mitch said.

“She’s alive. That’s the most important thing right now.” Mitch’s only response was to stare at his brother. “Come and sit down,” he said guiding Mitch to a chair. “I’ll get us some crappy coffee from the machine.”

Mitch sagged further into the hard uncomfortable seat and his torment at the prospect of life without Isabelle drained the last of his composure.

Several cups of coffee later,
Dr Greene returned and his concerned look sent Mitch’s heart plunging to the floor.

“Is she
...?” Mitch asked in a wavering tone.

“She’s stable but critical. The good news is
Dr Simmons located the source of the bleeding, a ruptured spleen. Thankfully the damage was repaired and the bleeding has stopped. She’s in recovery at the moment and we’ll bring her back to her room in intensive care shortly. The first twenty-four hours are crucial, and if she makes it through the night, her chances are better. She’s not out of the woods yet but she is stable, which is important. I’ll let you know when she has returned to the ward. Sorry I don’t have better news.”