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CONNOR

N ot more than a minute had gone by when the steady tone of the heart monitor changed to that beeping heartbeat rhythm again. Eli and I sat in the hallway and watched one of the doctors leave Mason’s room and head to the nurse’s station. I jumped to my feet immediately, planning to head him off. I heard Eli call after me, but I ignored him.

As soon as I got to the counter, I saw the doctor giving instructions to a nurse.

“Excuse me….” I said, interrupting him. He held up a finger and continued to give the nurse his orders. Once he finished, he looked at me. Eli had rushed up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. The doctor glanced from me to Eli.

“Is he okay?” I asked. I cringed at my question since I knew Mason was far from okay.

The doctor addressed us both. “I’m Dr. Beauchamp, Mason’s critical care internist. Mason seems to be stable now, and we were able to get his heart rhythm back with some epinephrine. But we will be closely monitoring him considering he’s in a medically induced coma and he’s had a craniectomy to reduce the brain swelling.”

Eli spoke before I could even open my mouth. “He’s had a what…a crane…” was all he got out.

“A craniectomy. Mason had severe brain swelling from his injury, so we needed to relieve the pressure by removing a section of his skull. In time, once his brain swelling has reduced, he will have another surgery to replace the section of skull we removed,” the doctor replied as if it was routine…like making coffee.

“Can you tell us what Mason is going through? What other injuries did he suffer?” Eli asked. “I’m listed as his power of attorney, and I brought his health directives with me. I’m able to make medical decisions for him.”

At that moment, another doctor walked up to us. Dr. Beauchamp said, “This is Dr. Ellington, Mason’s neurologist. We work as a team, along with an anesthesiologist. The trauma and orthopedic surgeons were the first to see him when he was admitted, but it’s the three of us, along with the nurses here, who have managed his care in the ICU.”

“What else is wrong with him?” I blurted it out, only caring about Mason. It brought everyone around to look at me.

The doctor smiled at my persistence and continued. “Along with the brain injury, he’s sustained a dislocated shoulder and a broken clavicle…collarbone. He also has three fractured ribs. All those secondary injuries have been corrected and stabilized. As long as Mason remains stable and the brain swelling goes down with no neurological issues, he should heal just fine. He’s strong, and he’s fit. It will take some time, though.”

Eli jumped in and asked, “Do you know anything more about what happened to him?

“From my understanding and the information given to the trauma team, Mason was unloading freight, and a pallet holding the heavy cargo gave way, coming down on him. He was severely injured from its weight and became unconscious. The men that were there only removed the boxes on top of him but knew they shouldn’t move his body. They immediately called 911,” Dr. Beauchamp said.

“How long do you expect him to be in the hospital?” I asked.

Dr. Ellington answered. “Once the brain swelling is reduced enough, we will slowly take him off sedation. We don’t know how long that will take. Every case is different. We’ll monitor brain function and check for any complications as he’s waking up. That’s our focus right now. His other injuries will heal just fine in time. As for how long he’ll be here, we don’t know, but it will be a couple of weeks, minimum.”

“What caused his heart attack?” Eli asked.

“We’re pretty sure it was the IV medications causing an electrolyte imbalance. That can cause a cardiac arrest. All we need to do is adjust the medications, and there shouldn’t be any issues,” Dr. Beauchamp said. “We will do some cardiac tests to rule anything else out.”

I hadn’t realized I’d been standing with my hand over my mouth, my eyes holding unshed tears. I couldn’t believe it had happened and what he’d suffered. Eli thanked both doctors and nudged me to do the same.

“Uh…thank you, Doctor. Can we see him?” I asked meekly.

“That will be fine,” Dr. Beauchamp replied. “You won’t notice much change when you see him. There’s currently a bit more medical equipment in his room, but it shouldn’t be in your way. I’ll be checking on him later this afternoon or this evening, and I’m sure I’ll be seeing you throughout his ICU stay. I’d encourage you to talk to him, even in his state. We’ve found that a patient can hear even in a coma.”

We thanked the doctors again and headed to Mason’s room. The doctor was right that he didn’t look much different than before we were hurried from the room. The crash cart was still there, the monitors had been moved around, and his bed was askew. I went up to him, took hold of his hand, and sat in the chair next to his bed for another thirty minutes. Eli sat on the stool and busied himself with his cell phone, and I kept a one-sided conversation going with Mason.

My stomach rumbled loudly, and Eli glanced up at me and chuckled. “I’m assuming you’d like to get some food?”

“Yeah, I think it’s time to get my blood sugar back up,” I replied. “Can we just head to the cafeteria? I don’t want to leave the hospital.”

I leaned over the bed and kissed Mason on the forehead, even though it was bandaged tightly with gauze. “We’ll be right back, Daddy,” I said lovingly.

“Did you just call him Daddy?” Eli smirked as he walked up next to me.

“He’s my trucker daddy,” I replied, keeping my eyes on Mason, squeezing his hand gently. Eli chuckled.

“What?” I said as I looked at Eli, who sported a big grin.

“Nothing, but it’ll give me something to rib him about in the future.” I rolled my eyes at him.

“I only call him that in private…well, almost in private since you just heard me.” My face flushed. “You don’t have a pet name for your…?” I began and realized I didn’t know if Eli had a someone special in his life. He wasn’t wearing a ring, so I assumed he was single.

“It’s been a long time, Connor. Let’s go get some food,” he said somberly as he turned toward the door. I kept my eyes on him as he walked away. I wasn’t about to ask—it wasn’t the time.

When we arrived at the cafeteria, it was late morning, and I was famished. With Mason’s medical emergency and the doctor’s explanation of his injuries, my stomach had remained in knots for most of the morning. The cafeteria had a great variety of breakfast foods, both hot and cold. I opted for scrambled eggs, bacon, waffles, and a fruit cup topped off with a large coffee. Eli stared at my tray and probably wondered where I’d put it all. Eli chose coffee, oatmeal and toast.

Once we sat down, I dove into my food. Even though I wasn’t a competitive swimmer any longer, I still tended to eat like a starved athlete. We ate in silence for a bit until Eli took out his cell phone and brought up a hotel’s website to show me.

“Since we’ll both be here for Mason for who knows how long, I think I’ve found a reasonably priced residence hotel we can stay at. It’s a short ten-minute walk to the hospital too. It’ll give us some flexibility where we can split time with him,” Eli stated.

It sounded like a great plan, and I was happy he had the foresight to investigate it. “I can help pay for the room too—that is if you don’t mind sharing,” I replied quickly with a mouthful of food.

“Of course, I figured a room with two beds would make sense and save money. I looked at the availability online, and they do have a room for a short-term stay. It even has a small kitchen. I think when we’re done with breakfast, I’ll take our duffel bags and go check us in. I figured you’d wanna stay here withyour daddy the rest of the day,” he said with a huffed laugh followed by a wink. As soon as he said it, I smiled broadly. His humor helped alleviate some of the anxiety that had overcome me earlier.

After we finished breakfast, we headed back up to the room where we'd left our bags, but I wanted to make a quick stop at the gift shop. I didn’t have any reading material with me, and the magazines in the waiting rooms were terrible. I thought it would be a good idea to get a book so I could read to Mason instead of boring, incessant chatter. Perhaps the constant drone of the book’s storyline could help, as the doctor had suggested.

Eli left with our bags and said he’d find a grocery or convenience store close by to pick up some beverages and small food items we could keep at the hotel. I told him what I liked and he said he’d be back in a couple of hours. I didn’t plan on leaving Mason’s side until visitor hours were over.

I settled into the hard recliner on the other side of Mason’s bed and realized it was for the patient to use. It wasn’t very comfortable, but I didn’t want to spend time sitting in a folding chair. Before I opened the book, I decided to call Mom and Spencer again to let them know about Mason’s condition.

I called Spencer first and gave him the specifics of what the doctors had told us. As usual, he was supportive and said if I needed anything, to be sure and let him know. He also said Evan was aware and sent his well wishes.

The next phone call was to Mom. Just hearing her voice made me cry again. I wanted her there with me—I missed her comfort and presence, and I hadn’t seen her since Mason dropped me off in Portland before school started. Her voice was soothing, and it helped, but I think she knew it wasn’t quite enough. She told me to be strong and to let her know about his progress or any changes. Once I ended the call, I exhaled heavily and stared at the tiled ceiling.

Once I finally pulled myself from my thoughts, I opened the book I found, by sheer luck, in the hospital gift shop. The Princess Bride by William Goldman had been on a clearance shelf. I instinctively knew Mason would enjoy having it read to him since he told me it was one of his favorite movies. I’d never read the book, only seen the movie, so I knew I’d probably enjoy it too. I felt it would be fun to work on different voices with a dramatic narration as well.

The new quarter had already started at EOU, and I did my best to keep up with the research for my thesis. I only had one class left, which I was thankful for. Being in Seattle didn’t help, and I didn't want to fall behind and jeopardize not finishing by the end of spring. But without a library, I’d become slightly hindered. I had Spencer ship my laptop to me during our break, which helped so I had something else to focus on while being with Mason. I knew, once he was discharged, I'd be able to catch up.

Thanksgiving break had ended, and it was a few days past the holiday. Eli and I had treated it just like another day. The only difference was that the cafeteria had turkey and all the side dishes for the hospital staff if they had to work. We partook of them as well.

It was easy staying with Eli at the hotel, and he didn’t snore, which I appreciated. There were times when we visited Mason at the same time, but we also planned opposite shifts in the mornings and evenings. My preferred time was evenings, especially if Sam, Mason’s nurse, was working. She was the familiar face from the night I’d arrived.

Mason’s condition had steadily improved. They had begun to wean him off the sedation and watched his brain activity increase. He was still on a ventilator. I’d switched to the folding chair on his right to read the book just in case he came to. I noticed his eyes fluttering under his lids, and every so often, his face would wince, probably from pain. I made sure the doctors and nurses knew so they could manage his discomfort.

I’d only gotten through about half the book, and I found I was spending quite a bit of time adjusting the characters' voices while I read. It was fun and distracted me from the constant worry. Eli had insisted I needed to tell Mason I loved him when we were in Crescent City, and I kept that promise. I said it more than once a day. Although I knew he couldn’t respond, I felt he heard me.

It had been almost two weeks since Mason was brought into the hospital. I dutifully recited to him from The Princess Bride when suddenly, I heard a gagged cough. I looked up to see his eyes flutter. His heart monitor began to beep faster. I jumped up and rushed to the hallway to call for help, but Sam was already on her way to his room. She saw me and smiled.

“I think he coughed, and he’s trying to open his eyes,” I said excitedly. Sam motioned for me to calm down as she checked his responses. I was always amazed at how she remained so collected and unbothered in a professional capacity, which helped ease my anxiety.

“Looks as if your man is waking up. Let me get ahold of his doctors,” she said. “Stay and gently reassure him that he’ll be fine.” She left the room in a rush, and I took hold of his hand.

She had said ‘your man,’ which made my stomach flutter, but I knew she’d seen my tender touch and gentle affection with him—along with that one night when she caught me snuggled against his neck.

Mason looked at me with panic in his eyes. “It’s okay, baby,” I said softly. “We’re here. Just try to relax.” I felt his grip tighten on my hand, and it was strong. Mason was coming back to me.

He shook his head, and I heard him rasp through the breathing tube—his throat bobbed as he tried to cough again. He winced and flitted his eyes around in confusion. His eyes found mine, wide and pleading. I continued to reassure him until the medics came back, which seemed like an eternity.

It was fortunate that Dr. Beauchamp was on call, and within a few minutes, Sam and another nurse had followed him into the room. They asked me to wait in the hall so they could work on him. I stayed outside his door and watched them hurriedly work on his ventilator and the tubes down his throat. I could hear Dr. Beauchamp talking to Mason, but his voice was muffled through the open doorway into the hall.

I was startled when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that Eli had sent a text.

Eli: How’s the patient tonight?

I felt that required more than a text, so I dialed his number as I walked down the hall. He answered immediately. “He’s…he’s waking up!” I exclaimed. My throat was tight with emotion.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he replied, then ended the call.

I paced the hallway, too nervous to sit down. Eli arrived about fifteen minutes later, and I filled him in with what I knew. After about forty minutes, I saw Sam come out of Mason’s room. We hurried to meet her. “How is he?” I asked.

Sam could tell I was in a state of craziness and said, “He’s doing fine, dear. After the doctor did a breathing test, he’s now breathing on his own. Dr. Beauchamp just removed the intubation tube; they’re taking his vitals and getting him settled. Give them a few minutes, and the doctor will come out and talk with you both.”

Another twenty minutes passed before Dr. Beauchamp walked down the hall to greet us. He smiled when he approached. “Mason is doing well and breathing on his own,” he said. “He can’t talk right now because the tube down his throat irritated his vocal cords, which is normal. The sore throat will go away in the next day or so. He has significant pain, and we’ve adjusted his medications now he’s not under sedation.” He paused and looked directly at me. “And yes, you can go in and see him. Just don’t let him try to talk right now. He’ll be monitored closely through the night.”

I shook the doctor’s hand, as did Eli. Mason was resting peacefully when we walked into the room. The other nurse had arranged his IV tubes and gave us a wink before leaving us with him. I stood next to his bed, and Eli sidled up next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders.

“Told you he’d pull through,” Eli said as he bumped my hip with his. “When was the last time you ate?” It made me chuckle because it seemed we always worried about how our stomachs were doing.

“I had a late lunch in the cafeteria, but I’m tired of eating there,” I said as I crinkled my nose. “I’m not that hungry. I just want to stay here with him until visiting hours are over.”

Eli hummed in agreement. “The doctors will tell us more tomorrow about his condition and planned rehab, but let’s try to hit a great seafood place for dinner tomorrow night. This is Seattle, after all, and I’ve been itching for some fresh salmon.”

I turned toward Eli, and his hand dropped from my shoulder. I looked at him with gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you for being his friend and for letting me be part of everything over the past couple of weeks,” I said.

Eli nodded and smiled. “I’m going to go grab a quick bite. I’ll see you later at the hotel.” With that, he headed toward the door.

I realized it was far quieter in Mason’s room as I took his hand in mine.