Page 73 of Dirty Desires
Nurse Gonzales took the lead, as the other nurse excused herself to go check on the others. Whoever the others were. “Someone drove their car into a crowded sidewalk. You were hit by a pretty big truck.”
“Damn.” I was glad to see the other nurse coming back to my room with a little pink cup in her hand.
“Here you are,” Nurse Sloan said as she handed me a drink with a small straw in it. “Now, take little sips. It’s been awhile since you’ve had any liquid down your throat.”
I sipped it and had to stop myself from chugging it down. My throat was bone-dry. “How long have I been here?” I asked, when I’d drunk my fill.
“Two weeks,” came Nurse Gonzales’ reply. “The incident happened two weeks ago. You were one of the first ones brought in.”
I had been out for two weeks and hadn’t even known it. The next thing on my mind had nothing to do with my injuries. “Has anyone been coming to see me?”
“Your family has,” Nurse Sloan told me. “And your coworkers too.” She smiled at me as she went to the bottom of the bed, picking up one of my feet and massaging it as she lifted it up. “They wanted to fill this room with flowers and balloons and such, but that’s not allowed in ICU. You’re allowed one visitor at a time and for only five minutes. And that’s only once an hour, for a few hours in the morning and a couple in the evening. That’s why no one is here with you. It’s not because no one cares about you; it’s just the policy at our hospital for patients in Intensive Care.”
“So, I’m in bad shape then,” I surmised from my situation. “But I don’t feel any pain.”
“You’re on a morphine drip. That’s why you’re not feeling any pain,” Nurse Gonzales filled me in. “But we’re lowering the amount of that morphine hourly. We wanted you to wake up. And by later on today, around noon or so, the morphine will be taken away.”
The other nurse looked at me with a little frown. “And then you will feel a bit of discomfort.”
“Great.” I thought about what I’d said and how I’d sounded. “That was whiny. I shouldn’t be like that. I should be happy that I’m going to feel things again. I should be happy that I’m alive.”
“Yes, you should.” Nurse Gonzales took a seat in the large rocker next to my bed. “You had some pretty bad internal injuries and one to your brain, too. Thank goodness the one to your brain was minor. But your organs took a beating. Your liver had a laceration. Your kidneys were so badly bruised, they shut down for a few days. Your heart just kept on ticking though. You’ve got yourself an amazingly strong heart, honey.”
And that heart was feeling a little down in the dumps as I looked at my left hand to find my engagement ring was gone. From what I could recall, I had just gotten proposed to. Ashton had slid a big diamond ring on my finger. Or had that just been a dream while I was under?
I had to ask them about him. “Has there been a man who has come to see me?”
“You’ve had a few come to see you,” Nurse Gonzales said. “Lots of staff members from the network have been stopping by to say quick hellos to you.”
“But no man in particular has come by to see me more than the rest?” I asked, losing hope fast.
Ashton might’ve taken off the ring himself. He might have been freaked out by my near-death experience. Hell, he may have flown the coop, for all I knew.
“Honey, the way you’ve been kept this last couple of weeks, no one has had much access to you,” she told me. “Your momma is about the only one we all know by name. She’s the main one who’s been keeping up with your progress and passing that information on to everyone else who cares about you.”
“Now that I’m awake, is there any chance that I’ll get to have visitors for longer amounts of time?” I crossed my fingers, hoping she would say yes.
Her lips quirked up to one side. “Well, not a ton of time, but it will increase to fifteen minutes. The amount of visits per day will stay the same until you’re put into a regular room.”
“How long will I be here?” I looked up at the ceiling, feeling somewhat desperate.
“Well, there’s just no telling, Nina.” She looked at me with a vague smile. “You’re getting better, but there are never any certainties with internal or brain injuries. I don’t want to give you any number of days right now. But the doctor who’s taking care of you will come in around seven this morning, and he might be able to give you some more answers.”
I was already coming up with questions I needed to ask him. But the number one question on my mind was where Ashton was. I knew she didn’t have an answer for that.
The nurse got up and handed me the remote to the television. “You can watch some TV, if you want to. That button there will call us if you want anything. Don’t hesitate to push it if you there’s anything you need.”
I thought for a moment. “Should I call one of you guys if I have to use the bathroom?”
She laughed. “You’re not getting out of that bed, sweetie. We’ve got you taken care of in that department. Just chill out. Sleep, watch the tube, and most of all, let your body heal while you rest. Think of this as the ultimate vacation. People are here to wait on you hand and foot. You won’t have to lift a finger while you’re in ICU. Not even to bathe yourself.” She winked at me. “You’re getting the five-star treatment, my lady.”
Leaving me with a wave, I liked her already. “Hey, thanks for taking care of me, Nurse Gonzales.”
“Thanks for being such a great patient.” She gave me another wink. “But so far, you’ve been an unconscious one. Let’s hope you’re a great patient when you’re awake too.”
“I’ll try to be.” I watched her leave and felt a little weird.
I was all alone now. And in a hospital, of all places. I had no idea if I was still an engaged woman or not. I had no idea if I was even still in a relationship with Ashton. I had no idea about anything.
