Page 54 of Not Your Romeo
The monitors screamed and so did Ziggy. Sounds came and went as I sifted out of consciousness. I caught enough random words to understand that Ziggy was telling him the Deuces did this to me.
“I need everyone to leave the room,” a female voice called through the fog. “She’s still recovering from surgery.”
I’d never heard a tone like that. It wasn’t authoritative, but it was direct. In charge, no nonsense, but no excitement either. It comforted me, somehow. In my fucked-up state I guess I pictured the General of all Charge Nurses taking over for me, guarding my peace and person since I couldn’t see or speak for myself.
A sereneness came over me, and I surrendered to the additional weight of warmed blankets. The cuff on my arm hugged and buzzed, and just as I drifted off, I was sure I heard Sean say,
“This cannot happen. There are no more Deuces. Take care of her, I’ll take care of those clowns.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Careful What You Ask For
Ziggy
“Sir, I’m sorry, but I’m so serious. You’re going to need to step outside so we can take care of her.” The woman in baby blue scrubs was stressing for the second or third time at the doorway of Ro’s room.
I wiped my mouth with my hand and stared at my wife over her shoulder.
“Mr. Nash,” she quietly pleaded, lowering her tone to a sympathetic whisper.
I blinked and stepped back shaking my head. “This means her heads fucked-up right? It’s bleeding again?”
I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.
“We don’t know that. I’m not a doctor, I’m not permitted to diagnose her, but it appears she’s having some kind of seizure. Her blood pressure spiked on the monitors. Upon entry she was non-responsive to sound or touch. Her muscles were rigid, and she appeared to be convulsing at times. She never stopped breathing,” The lady paused, and looked over her shoulder, “Pulse is back to normal now. She needs rest, let’s give them room to get her comfortable and see what tests the doctor wishes to run. Why don’t you grab a coffee? I’ll hopefully know what is to be ordered by the time you finish it.”
“Her pulse is right?” I doubled back to the only part I really knew to be a good thing.
“Yes.”
I slowly nodded and took another step back, “You’ll call me if–”
“There are any hints of change,” she promised.
I cleared my throat, and made myself get on the damn elevator.
I wasn’t really a coffee man, but I made my way to a bench in front of the hospital and slumped down on it. I took my phone out and scrolled through my contacts, landing on Henny.
It took me twenty minutes to bring him up to speed, not because I enjoyed gossiping or anything, it just seemed like every two minutes women in nursing uniforms were flocking back and forth.
“What fuckin time is it?” I grumbled, pulling the phone away from my ear to see if it even displayed while on a call.
“I don’t know, man, like seven?”
“Oh. Shift change,” I guessed.
“Probably.” He laughed. “Let me know if any of them day nurses are worth lookin’ at.”
“Why? Are you going to find an excuse for a bed in I.C.U. just so you can look at someone nice, tight, and bejeweled with a stethoscope, dumbass?” I shot right back, earning a look from a stern, grandmotherly-looking woman in a bleach-white uniform as she passed. She even had the little hat on her head like they used to wear when I was a kid.
“I might.” He howled.
“Oh, you know what? Fuck you, Henny. It’s too early for this. You got veteran nurses out here in the parking lot looking at me like I’m the neighborhood pervert. I’m going to see about my wife before someone calls security on my ass.”
He was still laughing when I hung up. He had managed to make me smile for a minute. I slid the phone back into my pocket, parked an elbow on either knee, and put my head in my hands.
The foot traffic had slowed, and birds were chirping. It was already starting to warm.
