Page 16 of Wildflower Hearts
“I was headed to the house to check on Debra when I remembered I forgot my keys. When I came back, all these people were rushing in and out of his room. Lyla told me Noah woke up.” A big grin appeared on his face as he embraced his wife. “She was talking to him, and he woke up!”
Eyes on the door, Elias stepped forward as Lyla came out of Noah’s room.
She greeted the group with a smile. “He’s doing fine.”
“Fine? Just fine?” Elias pressed. “Come on, Lyla, tell us more than that! Please!”
“I’ll let the good doctor handle that part.”
Chief Stewart slipped out of the room and tucked his small flashlight into his front lab coat. "Let me start by saying that a case such as your brother exemplifies is extremely rare. Possibly, one in a million patients each year experience it. Thanks to a change in IV medication and quick thinking by Nurse Hamilton, Mr. Kingsley responded very strongly. Due to physical connection and voice recognition, he was able to come out of his coma earlier than we expected.”
Elias frowned. “Voice recognition? But we weren’t here.”
“No,” Mark agreed, “We weren’t.” His gaze went to her.
“Nurse Hamilton has been on close calls with Mr. Kingsley more than any of us. This doesn’t mean that he didn’t benefit from your time with him, but like I said, this type of situation is highly unusual. I believe there is no explanation that would satisfy you all and our medical board.”
“Can we see him now?”
“Of course,” Lyla nodded. “He’s been asking for all of you.” She ushered them inside and hung back, watching each brother greet Noah with a smile. He smiled weakly at them as they circled the bed, patting him on the arms or legs.
She began to shut the door, and her gaze caught Elias’s. He smiled, and she returned the gesture before the door closed between them.
“Baby Brother! About time your lazy ass got up!”
“You are a sight for sore eyes, Sweetheart!”
“Glad to see you back, Noah.”
He glanced around at them, smiling weakly. “Hey.”
“You want some water?” Elias grabbed the cup off the tray by his bed, and extended it to Noah, tilting the straw for him. “Got it ready for you.”
Noah sipped for several seconds before he leaned back against his pillows. “Thanks.”
He set the cup back on the tray. “Gotcha covered, little brother, but don’t think this is going to last forever. As soon as you get on your feet, it’s back to being our chief.”
They all chuckled, exchanging happy smiles.
“How do you feel?” Billy questioned. “Are you still woozy from the medication, or do you feel like you could walk around?” He glanced around to see them looking at him strangely. “I didn’t tell him to do it! I asked if he felt he could! Geez.”
Noah licked his dry lips. “I’m a bit dizzy, and I ache everywhere. The pain comes and goes.”
“We’re going to hook you up with the best medicine.” Elias patted him on the arm. “You’ll be so high you won’t come down for years.”
Mark nodded. “As soon as you’re better, we’re out of here.”
“That’s right, Noah. We’ll get you home, and you can sit around and order Debra to make you all the meals you want.”
“I’m good at making ones, except for Elias’s that I spit in first.”
He shot her a look, and she smiled innocently, causing Noah to laugh. He coughed but shook his head as Elias reached for water again. “I’m okay.” He managed to smile. “I see I haven’t missed much.”
“Nah, she’s the same ol’ pain in the ass. Do you want us to leave you alone? I doubt you want to sleep, but…”
“I feel like I’ve been trapped inside my head for days, hearing this voice I didn’t recognize. A woman kept telling me to come back, but I don’t know who she is.” He paused. “Maybe I’m going crazy.”
“You’re not any crazier than the rest of us. Did you talk to Lyla?”
