Page 67 of More than a Memory

“Hi, I’m Doctor Leonard.” He looked at Darcy and asked, “Are you his wife?”

“No…no…I’m a friend, that’s his sister, Casey,” she said, pointing to Casey who looked almost gray.

“Hi Casey. The good news is that he only suffered a couple of fractured ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion. We completed a CT scan as well as an MRI of the head, and we detected no bleeding or clots. I have no reason to believe that he won’t make a full recovery. However, the next twenty-four hours will be critical, and he will be monitored closely. He was fully conscious by the time we took him in for testing. At this point, I would diagnose his brain injury to be mild, but the concern we always have with brain injuries is a buildup of fluid. Brain swelling can continue and it increases the pressure in the cranium, which can cause further complications. With mild concussion we don’t expect to see any permanent brain damage, but we will have to wait and see how his body responds. He is heavily sedated right now, and I have him on an IV drip to control the pressure within the brain.”

“Thank God!” Casey said, as she sobbed with relief.

Darcy felt as if she were about to faint. All the blood seemed to drop down to her feet, and she had to close her eyes and grip the chair she was sitting on for fear of falling off.

“When can we get in to see him?” Gabe asked.

“Probably another half hour, but he will be so heavily sedated that he won’t be able to talk to you. He will be almost in a coma-like state. Just want you to know what to expect.” He smiled at the small group. “He was one lucky guy. I’ll send a nurse in to get you as soon as he is set up in his room,” he told them as he departed.

“Thank you, Dr. Leonard!” Casey called after him.

“It’s always nice to deliver good news,” he smiled.

31

After a lengthy discussion, it was decided that they would leave a car at the hospital for Darcy and the other three sisters would go home and get some sleep. Emma and Charlotte would wait until the morning to decide whether or not they needed to postpone their return flight to California. If Sam was out of danger, Darcy had insisted that they keep their original plans to leave the next afternoon.

Gabe had to return to the farm to take care of the critters. Charlie left as well, to hold down the fort at home, which left Casey and Darcy, neither of whom had intentions of leaving anytime soon. They agreed to take shifts staying awake so that if Sam woke up, someone would be there. Casey had just left the room, leaving Darcy alone with Sam for the first time since the accident.

Earlier, when she had first entered the room, she had not been prepared for how vulnerable he would look, all hooked up to monitors, needles and tubes coming out of him from everywhere. He looked so fragile. She had thought, my love, I almost lost you, and shuddered.

After Casey left, she pulled her chair up close to his bedside and reached across the rail to hold his hand, tenderly caressing his palm with her thumb.

“Oh Sam,” she whispered, “I’ve been such a fool. Here I have been running for fear of losing you, and the irony is I lost you because of my fear. I love you, oh Sam, please get better. Let me make it up to you.”

She lowered the bedrail and carefully rested her cheek against his belly. Talking in a barely audible voice, she continued, “Please, don’t leave me. I beg of you, don’t leave me now.”

“Hey, Shamrock, I’m not going anywhere,” he said in a weak, raspy voice. “I’m right here.”

Then he fell back into a deep sleep, leaving Darcy to wonder if her mind had been playing tricks on her. She began to cry quietly into the covers, hope blossoming in her heart for the first time in many years.

* * *

“Have a safe flight, and call me after you land,” Darcy said from her phone, still at the hospital.

“We will. Now don’t do anything foolish, like letting this guy go again!” Emma said.

“I won’t make that mistake again,” Darcy said, suddenly serious.

“Our flight is boarding, so we’ve got to go. Bye Sis,” Emma said.

“Bye Darcy,” Charlotte called from the background.

“Love you, thanks for everything!” Darcy said.

She hung up the phone and got up to return to Sam’s hospital room. The nurses seemed to love Sam, and who could blame them, but it did make her a little jealous. As usual, there was a pretty young nurse fussing with his bandages. She had her thick brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and was wearing the standard scrubs that nurses are usually required to wear. Darcy knew they were just doing their jobs, but she had visions of them fighting over jurisdiction of his care when rooms were assigned.

Sam looked up when Darcy entered the room, his eyes hungry for her. “Where have you been? It’s been all of five minutes,” he joked.

“Saying goodbye to my sisters,” she said. “They were getting ready to board their plane. They said to say bye.”

The nurse had finished checking out Sam’s bruised and broken ribs and was now checking his vitals.

“Everything is good,” she said reassuringly. “You’ll be out of here in no time.”