Read Online Loving A Firefighter (Loving Series) by Susan Leigh Carlton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Susan Leigh Carlton
Ads: Link
know the impact of it. There was one bullet in the liver that caused extensive damage. We removed part of the liver, but it will regenerate and I don’t expect any impairment. We’ll have to watch the heart function carefully. It stopped twice during surgery but we were able to resuscitate both times. We did not remove the bullet since that would have caused more trauma. A neurosurgeon will be monitoring the spinal injury for any impairment.
He’s not out of the woods yet. He lost a lot of blood and received several pints during surgery. Here at Parkland, we believe in telling the family the true condition of the patient. If your son makes it through the night, he has a fifty-fifty chance of recovery. Our nurses are directed to not sugar coat the answer, so if you don’t want to know how bad the situation is, don’t ask.”
“Can we see Chip?”
“He’s in ICU recovery and will be going into CICU when we’re sure he is stable enough to move. You’ll be able to see him initially when they take him into CICU. He’s going to be heavily sedated. Then it’s ten minutes every hour and two visitors at a time. Your son was in excellent physical condition and we got to him in fairly good time. Eighty percent of patients with a bullet wound to the heart that show signs of life when they arrive, survive. Cling to that statistic. It’ll help give you hope. He is getting excellent care. Parkland is one of the best trauma centers in the country. This where they brought JFK when he was shot.”
“But he died any way.”
“Yes he did, but he had extreme trauma to the head.” Dr. Walters left the room, leaving a stunned family with the enormity of what had happened to their son and the possibility he might die during the night.
Chapter 9
“Have you ever visited anyone in an ICU?” Cheryl asked the Reynolds.
“I don’t think so,” said Mr. Reynolds.
“It can be a shock. The patient will have a catheter in the bladder; I would imagine Chip will have at least two drainage tubes that will be draining blood, and sera. There will probably be two IV’s, oxygen tubes and vital sign measurement leads. More than likely he will be heavily sedated for several days. They want to take as much load off the heart as they can. You should be prepared for what you will see. He won’t know you’re there either.”
A nurse led the Reynolds’s to the CICU where Chip was fighting for his life. The nurse said, “Ten minutes only, please.”
Mrs. Reynolds caught her breath when she saw her son, unmoving with tubes disappearing under the sheets. She could see the bloody discharge in the drainage tubes. It looked as if the very life was draining from his body. Tears streamed down her cheeks, smearing the mascara into black streaks down her face. Her husband remained stone-faced in shock. “Oh God,” whispered Mrs. Reynolds. “Don’t take my boy,” she prayed.
She walked out of the room just as a nurse came in. “The numbers on the monitor, are they good or bad?”
The nurse looked across the room and said, “They’re steady and that’s good. They’re slow due to the sedation and that’s to be expected. Right now, he’s holding his own. He’s fighting and as long as he does that, he has a chance.”
“Take care of my boy, please. Don’t let him die.”
“We’re giving it all we have. We don’t give in easily.”
Mr. Reynolds walked out of the room, and put his arm back around his wife’s shoulder again. “Come on honey. You need to eat.”
“I don’t want to eat. I don’t want to leave Chip.”
“It will be an hour before we can go back in. We’ll let them know where we are. We have to be strong for him. ”
* * *
Carrie’s eyes fluttered open, closed and reopened. “Mama?” in a thin and weak voice.
“I’m right here, baby. I’m right here.”
“Mama, how…how’s Chip?”
“He’s out of
He’s not out of the woods yet. He lost a lot of blood and received several pints during surgery. Here at Parkland, we believe in telling the family the true condition of the patient. If your son makes it through the night, he has a fifty-fifty chance of recovery. Our nurses are directed to not sugar coat the answer, so if you don’t want to know how bad the situation is, don’t ask.”
“Can we see Chip?”
“He’s in ICU recovery and will be going into CICU when we’re sure he is stable enough to move. You’ll be able to see him initially when they take him into CICU. He’s going to be heavily sedated. Then it’s ten minutes every hour and two visitors at a time. Your son was in excellent physical condition and we got to him in fairly good time. Eighty percent of patients with a bullet wound to the heart that show signs of life when they arrive, survive. Cling to that statistic. It’ll help give you hope. He is getting excellent care. Parkland is one of the best trauma centers in the country. This where they brought JFK when he was shot.”
“But he died any way.”
“Yes he did, but he had extreme trauma to the head.” Dr. Walters left the room, leaving a stunned family with the enormity of what had happened to their son and the possibility he might die during the night.
Chapter 9
“Have you ever visited anyone in an ICU?” Cheryl asked the Reynolds.
“I don’t think so,” said Mr. Reynolds.
“It can be a shock. The patient will have a catheter in the bladder; I would imagine Chip will have at least two drainage tubes that will be draining blood, and sera. There will probably be two IV’s, oxygen tubes and vital sign measurement leads. More than likely he will be heavily sedated for several days. They want to take as much load off the heart as they can. You should be prepared for what you will see. He won’t know you’re there either.”
A nurse led the Reynolds’s to the CICU where Chip was fighting for his life. The nurse said, “Ten minutes only, please.”
Mrs. Reynolds caught her breath when she saw her son, unmoving with tubes disappearing under the sheets. She could see the bloody discharge in the drainage tubes. It looked as if the very life was draining from his body. Tears streamed down her cheeks, smearing the mascara into black streaks down her face. Her husband remained stone-faced in shock. “Oh God,” whispered Mrs. Reynolds. “Don’t take my boy,” she prayed.
She walked out of the room just as a nurse came in. “The numbers on the monitor, are they good or bad?”
The nurse looked across the room and said, “They’re steady and that’s good. They’re slow due to the sedation and that’s to be expected. Right now, he’s holding his own. He’s fighting and as long as he does that, he has a chance.”
“Take care of my boy, please. Don’t let him die.”
“We’re giving it all we have. We don’t give in easily.”
Mr. Reynolds walked out of the room, and put his arm back around his wife’s shoulder again. “Come on honey. You need to eat.”
“I don’t want to eat. I don’t want to leave Chip.”
“It will be an hour before we can go back in. We’ll let them know where we are. We have to be strong for him. ”
* * *
Carrie’s eyes fluttered open, closed and reopened. “Mama?” in a thin and weak voice.
“I’m right here, baby. I’m right here.”
“Mama, how…how’s Chip?”
“He’s out of
Similar Books
