Chapter 9: Post-surgery

The first thing Eric was conscious of was the dryness in his mouth. He remembered the mud-filled awakening after the landslide, and knew this was different, but it took a moment for him to remember he was coming out of surgery.

“Hey, you’re awake,” he heard Stacy say.

Eric nodded his head, then rolled his neck on the pillow and fell back asleep. He awoke again an hour later.

“Awake for real this time?” asked a strange voice.

Eric opened his eyes and blinked several times. He could see a tall, thin nurse standing over him with a stethoscope.

“Yeah,” he croaked. “I think so.”

Stacy came into view. “Hey, how do you feel?”

Eric just shook his head.

“The doc said you’ll be as good as new, but it took a bit more work than expected to get you fixed.”

Eric hunched his shoulders silently asking what that meant.

“Your knee was mush. It took a couple of plates and ten screws. There was also signs of an infection. You are getting a bunch of anti-biotics to clear it.”

Eric nodded his head in understanding.

The nurse circled back into view. “I see you are going to get an ice-water pump later today. Those are great. Basically, we’ll circulate ice water around your knee until you are released. It really helps with the swelling. For now, you just got a dose of morphine. That’ll keep you covered for a couple of hours, but it also means you won’t get your next dose until almost 10:00.”

Eric nodded again.

“Push the call button if you need anything. The doc should be in shortly.”

“Thank you, Evette,” said Stacy.

“She’s been great,” said Stacy as Evette left the room. “Been checking on you every fifteen minutes or so.”

Eric closed his eyes and rested his head against the pillow.

“Go ahead and get some sleep. I’ll be around,” Stacy said and she tried to fluff the pillow behind Eric and pull his sheets up a touch.

She heard his breathing deepen and light snores begin. She stood and watched him sleep for a minute then left his room in search of a coffee and snack.

Stacy was back in the room when the doctor made an appearance.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he reviewed Eric’s chart.

“Given the circumstances, OK,” Eric said.

The doc continued to read and then made a few notations.

“That’s great. It looks like everything is as it should be. I see that the anti-biotics have been started, so those should also help post-surgery. We’ll keep you here through tonight and tomorrow let’s see how things look.”

“Think I’ll get out tomorrow?” asked Eric.

The doc looked him over and said, “Maybe. If I had to guess I’d say 50-50.”

When the doctor left the room Stacy said, “The funeral is tomorrow. If you don’t get out then what?”

“Maybe I could get out for an hour to make an appearance and the come back?”

“This isn’t a hotel, silly,” chided Stacy.

“It’s something we could ask about,” replied Eric. “I don’t want to miss the service.”

Stacy agreed and changed the subject.

“Here’s the menu for dinner. You missed the regular time, but they will bring you something.”

Eric scanned the list and chose a couple of items.

After Eric ate the nurse came in to check on how he was feeling. Stacy and Eric asked her if he had to stay an extra night, would it be possible to leave for a short time to attend the funeral?

“You know, it would be kind of like a patient leaving the room to go to rehab for an hour,” offered Stacy.

The nurse chuckled at the logic. “Normally, the answer would be a definite ‘no,’ but given the circumstances, the doctor may agree. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

The next morning Eric felt awful. His leg ached and he felt a whole-body weariness. When the doctor checked him out mid-morning he saw drainage coming from the incision.

“I don’t like this,” he said. “I’ll have the nurse change the wrap to get a better look, but I think we’re going to keep you overnight. It may be nothing, but let’s not risk it.”

Eric was disappointed. He asked, “OK, yeah, I get it, but this afternoon is Dalton’s funeral. Would it possible for Stacy to pick me up so I could get out for an hour and attend the service?”

The doctor pulled at Eric’s bandages to get a closer look. He stood upright and sighed.

“Normally, this would be a no, but yeah, if you are very careful, just sneak out and get back as soon as possible. Let the nurse know, but otherwise keep it under wraps.”

“Thanks, doc. It means a lot.”

The doctor nodded his head and left a few final notes in Eric’s chart. Later when Stacy arrived Eric gave her the update – need to stay but got the green light to attend the funeral.

Stacy was already wearing clothes for the service. She sat with Eric for an hour, then helped him sit up and put on a dress shirt.

“There’s no way we’re getting me into dress pants,” he joked when he saw what was next. “I’ll stay in shorts and a wheelchair, and then we can just throw a blanket over my lap.”

Stacy stepped out of the room in search of a wheelchair they could commandeer for the afternoon. When she got back Eric slid to the edge of the bed.

“Wait a sec,” called out Stacy. “Let me get closer and lock the wheels.”

She maneuvered the chair closer and set the locks. “OK, let’s get you settled.”

Eric took Stacy’s hand and twisted his waist to get off the bed. Suddenly, his ass slid off the bed and he couldn’t hold himself with his good leg. He crashed heavily to the floor as his repaired knee hit the edge of the wheelchair.