after the first couple of hours, when Barbara had finally told them that there would be no more news that night—Alex was undergoing a series of tests, but the results would be unavailable for an indefinite period.
Now, at five o’clock, she could at last go home. Everything that needed to be done, or could be done, was finished, and she realized she was bone weary. All she had to do was check the waiting room, and she could go. She pushed the door open, expecting the room to be empty.
It wasn’t.
Sitting on the couch in the far corner was Lisa Cochran, her parents flanking her. She was dry-eyed now, and sitting straight up, her hands folded quietly in her lap. Barbara hesitated, then went into the waiting room, letting the door swing shut behind her.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked. “Some coffee, maybe?”
Lisa shook her head, but said nothing.
“If you can think of a way to convince her to come home with us, that might help,” Carol said, rising toher feet, stretching, and offering the tired nurse a resigned smile.
“I can’t, Mama,” Lisa whispered. “What if he wakes up and asks for me?”
Barbara crossed the room and sat next to the girl. “He’s not going to wake up tonight, Lisa.”
Lisa regarded her with bloodshot eyes. “Is … is he going to wake up at all?”
Barbara knew it wasn’t her place to talk to anyone about Alex Lonsdale’s condition, but she also knew exactly who Lisa was, and how Alex felt about her. God knew he’d spent enough time perched on the edge of Barbara’s desk telling her how wonderful Lisa was. And after watching her through the last several hours, Barbara was convinced that Alex was right. She sighed heavily. “I don’t know,” she said carefully; then, when Lisa’s eyes turned suddenly frightened, she went on: “I said I don’t know. That doesn’t mean he’s not going to wake up. All it means is that I don’t know, and no one else does either.”
“If he wakes up, will that mean he’s going to be all right?”
Barbara shrugged. “We don’t know that, either. All we can do is wait and see.”
“Then I’ll wait,” Lisa said.
“You could go home and try to get some sleep,” Barbara suggested. “I promise I’ll arrange for someone to call you if anything happens. Anything at all.”
Lisa rubbed at her eyes, then shook her head. “No,” she said. “I want to be here. Just in case.” She looked at the nurse beseechingly. “He
might
wake up.”
Barbara started to speak, then changed her mind. She’s right, she decided. He damned well might wake up. And as she absorbed the thought, she realized that she, like most of the staff at the clinic, had only been going through the motions of administering to Alex.
For all of them, all the trained medical people who had seen injuries like Alex’s before, it was a hopeless case. You did what you could, tried not to overlook anymeasure, no matter how drastic, that might save the life, but deep inside you prepared yourself for the fact that the patient wasn’t going to make it.
And at the end of your shift, you went home.
But Lisa Cochran wasn’t going home, and Barbara Fannon decided she wasn’t going home either, even though her shift had ended long ago. Coming to that decision, she stood up. “Come on,” she said.
The Cochrans looked at her uncertainly, but followed her down the hall. Without knocking, she opened the door to Marshall Lonsdale’s office and led them inside. “If we’re all going to stay, we might as well be as comfortable as possible.”
“This is Marsh’s office,” Jim Cochran said.
“Nobody else’s.”
“Should we be here?”
“You’re his friends, aren’t you? It’s been a long night, and it’s going to be an even longer one. I was going home, but if you can stick this out, so can I. But not out there.” She lowered the lights a little, and closed the blinds to the windows. “Make yourselves comfortable while I go find some coffee. If you
Now, at five o’clock, she could at last go home. Everything that needed to be done, or could be done, was finished, and she realized she was bone weary. All she had to do was check the waiting room, and she could go. She pushed the door open, expecting the room to be empty.
It wasn’t.
Sitting on the couch in the far corner was Lisa Cochran, her parents flanking her. She was dry-eyed now, and sitting straight up, her hands folded quietly in her lap. Barbara hesitated, then went into the waiting room, letting the door swing shut behind her.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked. “Some coffee, maybe?”
Lisa shook her head, but said nothing.
“If you can think of a way to convince her to come home with us, that might help,” Carol said, rising toher feet, stretching, and offering the tired nurse a resigned smile.
“I can’t, Mama,” Lisa whispered. “What if he wakes up and asks for me?”
Barbara crossed the room and sat next to the girl. “He’s not going to wake up tonight, Lisa.”
Lisa regarded her with bloodshot eyes. “Is … is he going to wake up at all?”
Barbara knew it wasn’t her place to talk to anyone about Alex Lonsdale’s condition, but she also knew exactly who Lisa was, and how Alex felt about her. God knew he’d spent enough time perched on the edge of Barbara’s desk telling her how wonderful Lisa was. And after watching her through the last several hours, Barbara was convinced that Alex was right. She sighed heavily. “I don’t know,” she said carefully; then, when Lisa’s eyes turned suddenly frightened, she went on: “I said I don’t know. That doesn’t mean he’s not going to wake up. All it means is that I don’t know, and no one else does either.”
“If he wakes up, will that mean he’s going to be all right?”
Barbara shrugged. “We don’t know that, either. All we can do is wait and see.”
“Then I’ll wait,” Lisa said.
“You could go home and try to get some sleep,” Barbara suggested. “I promise I’ll arrange for someone to call you if anything happens. Anything at all.”
Lisa rubbed at her eyes, then shook her head. “No,” she said. “I want to be here. Just in case.” She looked at the nurse beseechingly. “He
might
wake up.”
Barbara started to speak, then changed her mind. She’s right, she decided. He damned well might wake up. And as she absorbed the thought, she realized that she, like most of the staff at the clinic, had only been going through the motions of administering to Alex.
For all of them, all the trained medical people who had seen injuries like Alex’s before, it was a hopeless case. You did what you could, tried not to overlook anymeasure, no matter how drastic, that might save the life, but deep inside you prepared yourself for the fact that the patient wasn’t going to make it.
And at the end of your shift, you went home.
But Lisa Cochran wasn’t going home, and Barbara Fannon decided she wasn’t going home either, even though her shift had ended long ago. Coming to that decision, she stood up. “Come on,” she said.
The Cochrans looked at her uncertainly, but followed her down the hall. Without knocking, she opened the door to Marshall Lonsdale’s office and led them inside. “If we’re all going to stay, we might as well be as comfortable as possible.”
“This is Marsh’s office,” Jim Cochran said.
“Nobody else’s.”
“Should we be here?”
“You’re his friends, aren’t you? It’s been a long night, and it’s going to be an even longer one. I was going home, but if you can stick this out, so can I. But not out there.” She lowered the lights a little, and closed the blinds to the windows. “Make yourselves comfortable while I go find some coffee. If you
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