Page 103 of My Fiancé's Brother
“Matt has a tumor? In his brain?” I couldn’t even keep up with this conversation. I felt like I was on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
“Some blood vessels that feed that mass are bleeding. So we would like your permission to try and remove the mass.”
I brought my hand up to my head, trying to keep up with this conversation. Why were they asking me? Why wouldn’t they just do it?
“You need permission?”
He nodded. “We need permission. The surgery comes with its own set of risks.”
“What kind of risks?”
“The frontal lobe is responsible for a lot of important functions. If we remove a mass of that size, risks could include problems with speech, memory, muscle weakness, balance issues, vision issues, coordination issues.”
“And if you don’t remove it?”
“There is a chance we won’t get the bleeding under control which could result in a stroke, brain swelling or even a coma.”
I stared up at this man. “What are you going to do?”
He gave me an apologetic smile. “As his fiancé, the decision is up to you.”
I turned and looked at Beth. Her eyes were wide.
I looked back up at the doctor. “What do you think I should do?”
“We think it’s riskier to leave the tumor in Matt’s brain. We want to remove it. Despite the risks.”
“Do it,” my voice sounded so far away. “Take it out.”
CHAPTER 36
“The doctor would liketo talk to you,” a female voice jarred me out of my restless sleep. I opened my eyes. I was curled up in a hard chair. Irene looked as dazed as I felt. The only person who seemed normal was Jackson, who nursed a coffee.
The nurse ushered us into a family room that had two worn couches and a couple of boxes of Kleenex on the side tables. We didn't speak.
The doctor walked into the room and carried a file.
“Matt made it through the surgery with flying colors,” he said, sitting down across from us.
“Oh thank God,” Irene clutched her chest.
“He sustained a significant head injury. We managed to remove the mass in his frontal lobe successfully. There's a small amount of swelling which we're monitoring so we currently have him in a medically induced coma. This is so he remains out of pain, and it gives his body the best chance to heal.”
We sat in stunned silence.
“He’s being moved to the ICU. We won’t know the extent of hisinjuries until he wakes up, but we're doing everything we can to keep him comfortable.”
“When can I see him?” Irene asked.
“Give the nurses in the ICU a few hours to get him settled. After that, we will be allowing the family to go in and see him for five minutes at a time. At this point, the best course of action for Matt is rest.”
Tears streamed down her face. “We don’t know how this happened. The police say that he was drinking and driving. That doesn’t sound like my son.”
The doctor cleared his throat. “Did any of you notice any significant changes in Matt’s behavior over the last few weeks or months leading up to his accident?”
“What kind of changes?” Jackson asked.
“Irritability or aggression? Mood swings. A lack of inhibition, perhaps?”
