Page 50 of Someone to Call My Own
“He’s good for another three now,” Deanna said proudly. John hooked his arm around his wife’s neck and pulled her close so he could kiss her temple.
The longer I waited, the harder it became to sit still. “Em’s doing great,” Memphis softly said. “I promise you that he’s much stronger than we realize.”
“Thanks, Memphis.”
Around one o’clock most of the group decided to head to the cafeteria to grab some lunch. They offered to bring me something back, but I wasn’t hungry. I heard Gabe warn Josh about being on the lookout for loser ex-boyfriends before his husband left. Memphis had chosen to stay with Gabe and me.
“I appreciate you guys being here for Emory,” I told Gabe. “It’s going to mean the world to him.”
“We’re here for you too, Jon.”
I nodded because I was too choked up with emotion to say anything without making an ass of myself. I hadn’t given them many reasons to want to be my friend, yet there they were supporting me. I vowed to become a better friend to each them. Emory wasn’t the only one who built a fortress around him to protect himself from unwanted emotions. Corbin and Beau had always been with me, but it was time I opened the gate and let others get to know the real me. I would do it as soon as I figured out who the real me was.
Emory’s surgery took six hours and forty-five minutes. I relaxed a little when I saw his patient number move from the operating room to recovery. I wasn’t aware of how tensely I sat in the chair until my muscles ached after I relaxed the tension in them.
“It won’t be long now,” Memphis said in relief.
It had taken another forty minutes before the pager went off signaling that it was time to meet with Dr. Rosenau. “Here,” I said, handing it to Memphis since he was Emory’s medical power of attorney, “you’ll need this.”
“Hang on to it because you’re coming with me.”
Memphis and I approached the desk and handed the buzzer to the guy who had checked Emory in when we arrived that morning. He thoroughly matched the buzzer to his computer and a written patient roster in front of him. He placed some stickers with a barcode on the roster and then gestured for us to follow him back to the room where Dr. Rosenau would speak with us.
My legs bounced nervously while we waited for her, but luckily, she entered the room not long after we sat down. She introduced herself to Memphis first, who identified himself as Emory’s cousin and POA, and then she turned to me.
“Jon Silver,” I said, shaking her hand. “I’m Emory’s boyfriend.”
“It’s good to meet you both,” she said cheerfully. “I have good news and great news. Which would you prefer to hear first?”
“Great news!” Memphis and I both said at once.
“Okay, the great news is that Emory’s tumor tested benign. The good news is… Hell, who am I kidding? It’s all great news today. The other great news is that I was able to remove all of the tumor so he will not have to undergo additional treatments to remove tentacles that might’ve attached to inoperable parts of the brain. We also discovered that his tumor wasn’t compressing the brain as severely as we first thought. Emory should make a full recovery without any side effects. However, it might take him a while to get there. He could be tired and weak for several weeks, possibly months. His speech and motor skills might also be impacted. We’ll provide any kind of therapy he needs while he stays in our Neuroscience Critical Care Unit. He’ll be taking medication for at least the next six months or longer to minimize swelling and inflammation. He may require additional physical therapy for an extended period. We won’t know that until we examine him. We’re also going to restrict driving until we’re sure he isn’t having seizures.”
Relief washed over me, and I slumped back in the chair. “That is great news,” I said. “How long before we can see Emory?”
“He’s sleeping off some pretty serious sedation, so it might be a little bit longer still. I promise you that we’ll call you back as soon as possible.
“He has quite a few people waiting to see him,” I told her.
“We have to limit them to two visitors at a time for the first twenty-four hours, but tomorrow he can have as many as he’d like. We’ll take you back to see him in recovery before he’s moved to his room in the NCCU,” she told us.
“Okay, but you need to know something very important, Dr. Rosenau. I’ll sleep in the waiting room if I must, but I’m not leaving this hospital without Emory.”
“That won’t be necessary,” she assured me. “I’ll make sure a cot is brought into Emory’s private room for you. I’m sure that knowing you’re close by would make him feel better and rest easier.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Do either of you have any more questions for me right now? I will be by Emory’s room to check on him after I make my rounds.”
Memphis looked at me, and I shook my head. “I guess we’re good for now, Dr. Rosenau.” We both shook her hand again before she headed off to check on her patients.
Our friends rose to their feet when we returned to the waiting room. The smiles on our faces must’ve told them that we had great news because they were hugging us in relief before we even told them anything.
“He can only see you guys two at a time, but I know he’ll be so happy to see you when he wakes up.”
“I’ll have my phone ready in case he says something funny,” Adrian said, but we could tell he was joking.
I was a lot more talkative once I knew Emory was out of the woods. I took the first steps at making a real connection with the people who cared enough about us to give up their day to hang out at the hospital. I opened the gate and welcomed them in.
I jumped out of my chair when the buzzer went off because I was minutes away from seeing Emory again. “We’ll let you know when we learn his room number so you guys can come see him.”
I handed the device to the nurse who met us at the door to escort us back to Emory. She double-checked the buzzer number against her patient roster and smiled. “I’m sure he’s going to be thrilled to see you guys. He’s mumbling quite a bit as he comes out of anesthesia. Which one of you is River?”