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Authors: Dianne Emley
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she’ll have any aftereffects if she does. But Rory’s prognosis is promising. She’s young and in good health. Until Rory completely wakes up, we can’t assess whether there will be any lasting effects.”
“Meaning brain damage,” Tom said.
“Many patients who’ve had a concussion completely recover within a few days of the injury, although amnesia about events immediately before and after the injury is common. Some patients have issues that we call post-concussion syndrome, which can include headaches, anxiety, irritability, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, vertigo, insomnia, hearing loss, vision changes, and sensitivity to light and noise.”
“The nurse, Joy, said that Rory might be able to understand what we’re saying to her,” Tom said.
“She might. We now know that coma is not the black hole we once thought it was. There are people who have awakened from a deep coma who can repeat entire conversations that took place at their bedsides. I had a patient who awakened and was angry with me because I had said to her husband in front of her that she should lose weight. She told me she wanted to yell that she was clearly on a diet now.”
Evelyn and Tom chuckled nervously.
“So, it’s important to interact with Rory. Talk to her. Tell her about everyday things, about good times, friends, and favorite topics. Bring in her favorite music. The brain has many redundant cells. By stimulating the patient’s five senses, we encourage the extra cells to take over the functions of the damaged cells. When enough cells have been rewired, the brain will wake itself up, much like a computer rebooting. Try to do whatever you can to stimulate her mind and encourage her to come back to us.”
“I’ll have Graehme clear my schedule,” Evelyn said. “We’ll create a human chain. Won’t we, Tom?”
Tom nodded. “She won’t be alone.”
They were startled when they saw Rory raise her head off the pillow and clearly call, “Junior!”
19
It was three-thirty a.m. Auburn and Rodriguez left the villa and drove meandering streets past the formidable homes that lined the Arroyo Seco overlooking the Rose Bowl. They crossed the Colorado Street Bridge. The bridge’s antique street lamps cast warm circles of light.
Houses became more modest the farther west they traveled. The old L.A. neighborhood of Eagle Rock was being gentrified, but between the pockets of chic shops and restaurants were longtime businesses with hand-painted signs and barred windows.
Auburn passed the giant rock shaped like an eagle’s head. He headed to the top of a steep hill and parked at the curb in front of a small house that was set back on a narrow lot like the others on the street. Hearty shrubs encroached on the windows.
The detectives got out and went through a gate in a chain-link fence. A dog inside the house started barking. Bugs buzzed around a porch light. The drapes were closed over the front picture windows.
Little had physically changed since Auburn had first approached that front door five years before. Through a gap in the drapes, he saw a TV’s flickering glow. Someone inside was channel surfing. Auburn guessed that Danny’s sister, Sylvia Torres, and her husband, Elias, had already heard about Danny on TV and were waiting for the police to come to their front door.
Auburn pressed the doorbell. The button sank under his thumb and remained stuck in its casing without making a sound inside the house. The dog began to bark more vigorously. The TV’s volume dropped. Auburn heard Sylvia say, “Vanessa, go back to bed. Take the dog.” Two blinds in a kitchen window to his right parted almost invisibly. He looked in that direction and raised his hand in greeting.
A bolt lock in the front door slid open.
Elias Torres opened the door wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt. His thick black hair was rumpled. Sylvia stood behind him, clutching a fleece bathrobe close around her neck.
Elias unlocked the screen and pushed it open.
“Meaning brain damage,” Tom said.
“Many patients who’ve had a concussion completely recover within a few days of the injury, although amnesia about events immediately before and after the injury is common. Some patients have issues that we call post-concussion syndrome, which can include headaches, anxiety, irritability, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, vertigo, insomnia, hearing loss, vision changes, and sensitivity to light and noise.”
“The nurse, Joy, said that Rory might be able to understand what we’re saying to her,” Tom said.
“She might. We now know that coma is not the black hole we once thought it was. There are people who have awakened from a deep coma who can repeat entire conversations that took place at their bedsides. I had a patient who awakened and was angry with me because I had said to her husband in front of her that she should lose weight. She told me she wanted to yell that she was clearly on a diet now.”
Evelyn and Tom chuckled nervously.
“So, it’s important to interact with Rory. Talk to her. Tell her about everyday things, about good times, friends, and favorite topics. Bring in her favorite music. The brain has many redundant cells. By stimulating the patient’s five senses, we encourage the extra cells to take over the functions of the damaged cells. When enough cells have been rewired, the brain will wake itself up, much like a computer rebooting. Try to do whatever you can to stimulate her mind and encourage her to come back to us.”
“I’ll have Graehme clear my schedule,” Evelyn said. “We’ll create a human chain. Won’t we, Tom?”
Tom nodded. “She won’t be alone.”
They were startled when they saw Rory raise her head off the pillow and clearly call, “Junior!”
19
It was three-thirty a.m. Auburn and Rodriguez left the villa and drove meandering streets past the formidable homes that lined the Arroyo Seco overlooking the Rose Bowl. They crossed the Colorado Street Bridge. The bridge’s antique street lamps cast warm circles of light.
Houses became more modest the farther west they traveled. The old L.A. neighborhood of Eagle Rock was being gentrified, but between the pockets of chic shops and restaurants were longtime businesses with hand-painted signs and barred windows.
Auburn passed the giant rock shaped like an eagle’s head. He headed to the top of a steep hill and parked at the curb in front of a small house that was set back on a narrow lot like the others on the street. Hearty shrubs encroached on the windows.
The detectives got out and went through a gate in a chain-link fence. A dog inside the house started barking. Bugs buzzed around a porch light. The drapes were closed over the front picture windows.
Little had physically changed since Auburn had first approached that front door five years before. Through a gap in the drapes, he saw a TV’s flickering glow. Someone inside was channel surfing. Auburn guessed that Danny’s sister, Sylvia Torres, and her husband, Elias, had already heard about Danny on TV and were waiting for the police to come to their front door.
Auburn pressed the doorbell. The button sank under his thumb and remained stuck in its casing without making a sound inside the house. The dog began to bark more vigorously. The TV’s volume dropped. Auburn heard Sylvia say, “Vanessa, go back to bed. Take the dog.” Two blinds in a kitchen window to his right parted almost invisibly. He looked in that direction and raised his hand in greeting.
A bolt lock in the front door slid open.
Elias Torres opened the door wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt. His thick black hair was rumpled. Sylvia stood behind him, clutching a fleece bathrobe close around her neck.
Elias unlocked the screen and pushed it open.
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