She stands and strides around the bed to meet me by the window. I don’t resist when she places her hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at her.
“Oh, my lovely boy. You’ve not failed me. And I haven’t been alone. You’re not the only strapping young lad in Kilkenny, you know.”
One corner of my mouth lifts in a humorless smile. “That’s not the point. With Da gone, I’msupposedto be thestrapping young ladthat takes care of you.”
“Hush,” she orders. “I’ll not hear another word about it. You understand me?”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. Before I can argue further, there’s a quiet knock at the door. We all turn to see a tall, thin man with snow-white hair walk in.
“Hello there, Mrs. Kennedy,” the older gentleman greets my mother warmly.
To my surprise and utter confusion, her cheeks flush and she becomes absolutely flustered.
“Oh, Dr. Colm, good morning,” she says nervously. “This is my son, Eamon, and his lass, Norah. They’ve come from the States to visit Caity.”
Dr. Colm extends a hand in my direction and I grip it, shaking firmly.
“Nice to meet you, young man. It’s good of you to make the journey. I’m sure it brings your mother comfort,” he says.
“Aye, hello, Doctor Colm,” I say, then gesture a hand to Norah. “This is my lass, as Mam said. Norah Grady.”
She smiles, but her posture is stiff and hesitant. I know my reaction earlier is responsible for that and I silently vow to make it up to her as soon as possible.
“Hi, Dr. Colm,” Norah says politely, shaking his hand quickly.
“Pleasure, Miss Grady. I can see why the lad was drawn to America,” he says with a wink.
“Oh,” she giggles. “Thank you, but I can’t take credit for that. Eamon has been in the States for a while. We only just met a few months ago.”
“Remember,” Mam states, “Eamon went to the States on a football scholarship.”
“Oh yes, that’s right. Your mother told me all about that just the other day. How was the season for you?”
As much as I’d love to give this man my entire life story, that’s not why I’m here. I want to know about my sister’s condition. At the risk of sounding like a major wanker, I hold up a hand.
“It was grand, thanks. But, if you don’t mind, Dr. Colm, could you please update me on Caity? Mam filled me in, but I’d like to hear from you.”
The doctor looks taken aback but recovers with patience I’m sure he’s earned over the years dealing with anxious family members.
“Of course, lad,” he says apologetically. “That is, after all, why I’m here. I just got the results from her latest scan. Due to restricted oxygen from her overdose, she has what we call hypoxic brain damage.The good news is that this is the less severe form of brain damage caused by drug overdose. There isn’t any sign of stroke or bleeding, but she does still have some swelling. Her recovery will depend on that swelling going down. The most rapid recovery is usually within the first six months, but we won’t know the long-term outcome until about a year. That being said, right now, we are going to work on reducing that swelling with a respirator and IV treatments. I’m hopeful that because the damage isn’t as severe as we first thought, she’ll respond positively. I know that you’re all anxious to have her awake and alert, but we’ll be keeping her in a medically induced coma to help reduce that swelling as well.”
“Excuse me, Dr. Colm?” Norah interjects. “But can you tell me how the induced coma will help? I think I understand, but I’d like to know how the process works. If you don’t mind.”
He smiles kindly at her. “Not at all, Miss Grady. Think of it as a vehicle that’s overheating. If you keep the motor running, it’s just going to make thecondition worse and, ultimately, kill the engine. The brain is similar. If we were to wake Caity up and try to force her to interact, it would essentially send her brain into overdrive, exacerbating the swelling and injury. Placing her in a comatose state allows the brain to rest andchargeif you will. Does that help?”
“Yes, thank you,” she says with a nod.
I sit down on the edge of Caity’s bed, mind reeling. The medical world has never really interested me before, but I won’t deny how fascinating it is to learn about the brain.
“So,” I say, resting my elbows on my knees, “let’s say that you’re able to reduce the swelling. What does her prognosis look like?”
“It’s difficult to say at this time,” he says, folding his arms across his chest. “Ideally, when the swelling goes down, we can slowly bring her out of the comatose state. Then we’ll be able to further assess her condition. We will, of course, be doing regular scans to check the status and to determine if there is any underlying damage not showing up currently. Let’s say that over the course of a couple of weeks, the swelling has reduced enough to wake Caity up, she would be looking at extensive physical and occupational therapy. It’s possible that she could have some amnesia, either short-term or long-term, I can’t say. Best case scenario, in six months, she’ll be well on her way to a mostly full recovery. Worst case scenario, she is severely disabled, requiring full-time aid. Or she could fall somewhere in between—mentally stable, but years spent recovering her motor skills.”
My mother places a trembling hand over her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut. “My poor, sweet Caity Bug.”
I blow out a deep breath and ask, “So, it’s a waiting game for right now, correct?”
Dr. Colm nods, “That’s correct, lad. I wish I could give you a definite outcome, but unfortunately, the human brain is quite complex. Is there anything else I can do for you or any other questions I can answer?”
