scrubs, I made myself a cup of coffee. I had one small cup before pouring more into an extra-large travel mug. I usually finished the whole thing on the twenty minute commute to work.
***
I got in a little before my shift started at seven p.m. After twenty minutes of sign out from the day nurse, I checked on Mrs. Nevelle first. She’d made it through another day. I walked toward Jake’s room, but hesitated for a moment when I saw his family sitting with him. There were four people there—a couple in their fifties or sixties, probably his parents, a guy around his age that had such a striking resemblance to him that it had to be his brother, and a stunning blonde. The blonde gripped the brother’s hand—she wasn’t Jake’s girlfriend. Why did that thought even go through my head?
I waited a second longer and then entered the room.
“Good evening.” Dealing with the family was always complicated. They wanted to talk to the doctor, but more often than not, you were the only one there.
“Hi.” The mom turned to look at me, never letting go of her son’s hand. “Do you have any updates? Do you know how he’s doing?”
“He’s doing what he should be doing. The doctors want to keep him sedated on the ventilator for at least another day.”
“Another day? Is that safe?” She sounded panicked. Her husband placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Absolutely. Keeping him under is the safest option while intubated, until his lung injury has improved and he can be weaned from the vent.”
“Is he going to remember anything when he wakes up?” The blonde crossed her arms over her chest. She looked cold even though she was wearing a sweatshirt. I couldn’t blame her.
“He’ll probably remember everything up until the accident. But every situation is different. He won’t remember much from the ICU due to the sedation.” I was answering the blonde, but I looked at the mother. Her brown hair was in a messy ponytail. If it weren’t for the worry all over her face, I’d have thought she were younger.
The blonde and the brother exchanged a look. I was positive there was a story there.
“Nothing’s going to change tonight. Why don’t you all go home and get some rest.”
“I can’t leave him.” The mom squeezed his hand again.
“Maybe she’s right,” the brother said softly. “He’s going to need us alert when he wakes up.”
The mom looked conflicted. “Maybe for a few hours…you’ll call us if anything changes, right?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.” The brother was right. He would need them fully functional when he woke up. If they didn’t take care of themselves now, they wouldn’t have the strength when he needed them most.
I left the room, giving them some more time alone. I made sure to poke my head in again fifteen minutes later. There was no way they’d leave unless I was in the room.
“You’ll be with him?” the dad asked.
“Yes, or just at the nurse’s station.” I gestured out the door. “I only have one other patient.”
“Okay.” He nodded.
I smiled politely as they filed out. I understood they were going through a lot. In fact, they were handling it better than most families I saw.
I checked Jake’s vitals, recording everything. I took a seat next to the bed. “I’ll say it again, what were you thinking? Don’t you realize how much pain you’ve caused your family?” I sighed. “Okay, maybe that’s not fair. Maybe you had a reason. Just don’t ever do something that dumb again. You won’t get lucky twice.”
Without consciously thinking about it, I reached out and touched his hand. It was cool, and I picked it up in my own. His hand was large, and I could tell it was strong. He had some faint blisters, so he must have done some work with his hands. My initial assumption was that he was a rich boy—maybe I’d misjudged that. By the faint sunburn on his neck and arms, he probably worked outdoors. Maybe he fished or something. I’d always loved the idea of boats. I just didn’t have much experience with them. Growing up in the mountains can make that kind of experience hard to come by.
I stalled a while longer before going to check on Mrs. Nevelle. There was just something about that guy that got me. I really needed to get out more.
***
I spent much longer than necessary with Jake the next night too. Maybe it was his age. I was only two years younger,