Chapter 17: The Vigil Begins

The following morning, Annie slept in. When she joined Fred in the kitchen it looked as though she had not slept all night. Her swollen eyes and red cheeks were proof she cried most of the night. Fred was staring into his coffee looking for hope when Annie came in. She walked over to Fred and put her head on his shoulder. Annie was deeply hurt.

“Do you want coffee?” Fred asked her. She nodded yes.

When she picked up the cup, she looked at Fred. He could tell she was holding back her tears. So was he. It was six-forty-five, and they would not be able to see Samantha until ten at the earliest. Fred thought to himself, this is what eternity must be like.

Annie was just staring at her coffee. Every so often, she would shudder when she inhaled. Fred knew she was fighting tears. He didn’t know how to ease her hurt.

“Annie, do want to have a bath this morning?” Annie just shook her head “No”.

“I’m going to shower. I won’t be long if you change your mind.” Annie just nodded.

When Fred got into the bath, he looked at himself in the mirror and began to cry. The lady he loved was so battered and bruised. He cursed under his breath wishing it were him in that hospital bed. Samantha didn’t deserve this.

The walls were closing in on them and the hands of the clock refused to move at times. It was close to nine and they were both dressed. Annie didn’t even try to put on her makeup. She sat at the counter sipping her coffee. Suddenly she just burst out, “Let’s go, Fred. I want to go to the hospital now. Please, let’s go.”

Fred was not about to try to change her mind. Annie was like a mama bear when it came to Samantha. As far as Annie was concerned, Samantha gave her a place to live and saved her. Fred helped Annie with her coat, put his on and they left for the hospital.

When they got to the hospital the nurse at the desk was the same one who was so kind to them. Annie struggled to smile at her.

“You’re here to see your friend, Samantha Conners,” the nurse said. “It will be a few minutes. Doctors Franklin and Murphy are reviewing her now. It shouldn’t be long.”

Fred and Annie went down to the waiting room. As Fred was going in, he saw the nurse go into Samantha’s room. He was certain she was telling the doctors that they were waiting. But the nurse was in there for several minutes.

When the nurse came out of the room, she walked over to Fred and Annie. Fred’s heart was starting to pound. He was getting very nervous.

“You can go in to see your friend. The doctors are still with her, but they will try to answer all of your questions.” Fred thanked her and the nurse left.

When they walked into Samantha’s room, Annie knew something was wrong. Her mood changed and the mama bear was coming out.

“Is she going to be all right?” Annie’s tone was demanding.

“Miss Clemens, Mr. Gibbons,” Doctor Franklin began, “last night Miss Connors drifted into a coma. We are trying to ascertain how deep of a coma she is in. These things are hard to diagnose. She is breathing on her own, which is good. We have her on oxygen, so it is easier for her to breathe.”

“Will she come out of it?” Fred asked.

Doctor Murphy looked at Doctor Franklin, “I’m sorry to say but to be truthful, we don’t know. A coma is a phenomenon. It’s like a short circuit in the brain. We never can tell the outcome. I wish I could be more positive.”

Annie looked at the doctors, she was devastated. She was holding on to Fred just to stand. Annie’s heart was slowly and brutally being ripped to shreds. Fred tried to comfort her as best he could as he dealt with his pain.

Fred and Annie turned to look at Samantha. They could barely detect her breathing. If it weren’t for the machine she was hooked up to, they couldn’t tell if she was still alive. They stood there holding each other up, physically and emotionally.

Doctor Franklin said, “For now, all we can do is hope and pray.”

The doctors left the room. Fred and Annie stood there looking at the person they loved so dearly. Annie was sobbing softly, and Fred had tears slowly tracing their way down his cheek.

They stood there frozen in place. They were feeling total despair and loss. Neither could fully support the other as they tried to deal with their pain. All that they could feel was the doctor’s haunting words before he left the room, “For now, all we can do is hope and pray.”