Chapter 23: The Recovery

Dave's mind sluggishly processed his mother's words as he tried to remember what happened. He could remember golfing in Vancouver but he was struggling with details. His whole body felt strange and his head and mind felt foggy. He slowly tried to open his eyes but stopped as painfully bright light again flooded through the small slits. He kept his eyes open just a bit and his mother's face came into focus as his eyes slowly adjusted to the light. Her beautiful face was full of concern as she stood beside him staring into his eyes. Dave sensed someone holding his left hand. When he tried to move his head to see who it was he felt a sudden jolt of pain in his right shoulder.

The pain actually seemed to let him see around more clearly. Everything was white or light blue; he was in a narrow bed. He could see his mother's hand tightly clasped to his; a tube was attached to his left arm. As if in a dream, he tried to speak but his mouth was incredibly dry. Slowly, he moved his tongue around and swallowed to get his speech working. He looked back into her eyes and asked, in almost a gasp, "What happened? Where am I?"

She seemed surprised by his question and, in a panicked state, looked sideways towards the foot of the bed. Dave's eyes had finally adjusted to the light and he followed his mother's gaze to a man standing in a long white coat. He heard the man say, "It's okay, Mrs. MacDonald. Dave is probably just a bit confused because of the shock and the pain killers in his system. He should slowly regain his memory."

Dave's mind was finally piecing the information together. He was in Vancouver at the Nationals. He had gone to Tim Horton's to get a hot chocolate and prepare for his final round. He spoke to the pretty British girl on the way back to the motel. What was her name? Sandra? Susan? Sarah? Yes, Sarah was her name.

The memories were slowly getting clearer. He was remembering running down a narrow alley when a voice called him back to the present, "Dave, I am Dr. Clarke. Can you tell me if you feel any pain, and where?"

Dave looked at the man in the white coat who was now standing on Dave's right side marking on a clip board. Dave replied groggily, "If I move my upper body, I feel pain in my shoulder." Dave tried to move his legs but again felt pain. He added, "It hurts when I try to move my legs, too. And there's something holding down my left arm."

The doctor wrote something on the clipboard as he replied, "Don't try to move anything. Just relax. You've been shot twice and needed surgery. You lost a lot of blood and you were unconscious for two days." The doctor paused to let the information sink in. "We were initially concerned about the amount of blood you had lost before you arrived at the hospital; you've had two blood transfusions and a steady intravenous drip. The wounds needed repair and you will need time to recover."

The doctor watched Dave's face and he could see Dave was trying to formulate more questions. He slowly continued, "Dave, you will be all right. Don't try to talk all at once; let your mind finish waking up." Dave let his tensed-up body relax and he could clearly hear the doctor talk, "Your steady progress over the last forty-eight hours has been very positive. We have been limiting you to one family visitor at a time but there are four more very anxious people outside. Do you feel like a few extra visitors for a few minutes? I'll let two more in at a time, if you are up to it."

Dave nodded yes groggily. The doctor walked out of the room. The door wasn't closed for five seconds before Roger and Julie rushed into the room. Carol stood back to give Julie room as she rushed to his side and peered at him tentatively. Roger was right beside Julie and also staring into Dave's still slightly hazy eyes. Dave smiled at his father and slowly spoke a full sentence, "I guess I won't be National Champion."

Roger just nodded, "Right now I could care less about any golf title. I'm just relieved you are going to be okay." Dave could see tears running down his father's face and soon Julie and Carol were crying as well.

Dave obviously didn't have a clue what they had been through the last few days so he just closed his eyes and said, "I'm okay. I'm sorry I worried you but I'm okay now."

Roger held Dave's hand as Julie slowly moved back to allow her father to get closer. Roger spoke softly, "Dave, you never stop surprising me. I am so proud of you and I am so relieved you are okay. When we got a frantic phone call and were told you were shot, we all assumed the worst. You were in surgery most of Saturday and, when we arrived that night, you were in recovery but unconscious. We have been taking turns sitting with you for the last two days and waiting for you to come back to us. I am so glad you are okay."

Dave's father hugged him very lightly and tenderly. Dave whispered in his father's ear, "I love you, Dad. I'm really sorry I worried you. Has it really been two days?"

Roger pulled back and again Dave saw tears running down his cheeks, "I love you, too, son. Yes, a very long two days."

Roger stood back and then motioned towards the door "There are still two very anxious people outside so we better let them in."

Julie and Roger waved to Dave as they walked outside.

Dave felt very tired so he closed his eyes to get a few seconds of rest. He heard the door open and the shuffle of feet across the floor. He was about to open his eyes when he felt a body bump into him and the pain in his shoulder got suddenly much worse. Dave sucked in his breath to fight the pain as he heard his mother scold, "Be careful, Beth; he is still very sore."

As the pain faded, Dave could feel lips on his cheek and he heard Beth crying in his ear. As he opened his eyes, everything seemed black but he realized it was only Beth's hair covering his face. He wanted to move his left hand to pat her on the back, but the tubing and some kind of splint limited him to just a touch of his arm. "It's okay Beth; I'm fine - very sore, but fine. I love you, too."

Beth's sobbing seemed to ease as she heard these words. She looked in Dave's eyes, and spoke in mock sternness, "You scared the hell out of me, big brother. You have to stop all this macho bullshit before you get killed."

Dave started to laugh but that jolted his shoulder and legs, so he just teased, "Yes, Beth dear. I promise I will only save you from now on, okay?"

Not thinking clearly, Beth automatically tapped Dave on the chest as she responded, "Stop teasing me."

But, when her hand hit his chest harder then she intended, Dave let out a shriek of pain and Carol quickly jumped in again, "Jesus, Beth, be careful."

There were tears in Dave's eyes from the pain. After Dave caught his breath, he looked at Beth, "Okay, okay you win. No more saving any damsels in distress, even you."

During this whole exchange with Beth, Dave had forgotten about his other visitor who was hidden behind his mother. Dave had half-expected John to walk into view but was pleased and surprised - mostly very pleased - when he saw it was Jennifer. She was standing just inside the door with tears running down her face. She looked frightened and unsure. At first Dave was curious why she didn't rush right to him as Beth had done; but then he realized she might be uncertain if he wanted to see her or not.

As Beth moved back, Dave looked Jennifer in the eyes and moved his one good arm up as if to invite her into his arms. He didn't have to ask twice -- Jennifer flew across the room to his side and she sobbed, "Dave, I'm so sorry; I love you and can't live without you. I'm so sorry. I was such a bitch. Please forgive me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

His shoulder again felt the pain with the sudden contact but he was so happy to finally have Jennifer back in his arms that his shoulder was the farthest thing from his mind. He savored her closeness as he smelled her beautiful blonde hair. Her skin was so soft. Dave had felt unsettled and frightened since he woke up; he had been trying to seem brave for his family but with Jennifer back in his arms he now knew everything was going to be truly okay. He whispered, "I am so glad to have you in my arms again. I love you and have missed you so much." The two best friends and re-united lovers breathed in each other tenderly as both cried into each other's shoulders.

Dave heard the door open again and he soon saw the doctor walk into view. Dr. Clarke said, "I think you better get some rest now, Dave. Please give Dave and me a few minutes privacy then Dave needs to rest for a while." For the first time Dave noticed that Dr. Clarke had a strong British accent like Sarah's; he said priv-e-cy, not prive-a-cy.

Beth nodded understandingly and said, "I'll see you soon, Dave" as she walked out the door.

Carol put her hands on Jennifer's shoulders to help move Jennifer off Dave. Dave didn't want her to leave; but regretfully let her go as Carol coaxed her towards the door. Jennifer was still crying as she said, "I'll see you again as soon as I can." Dave nodded as she and his mother went out the door with Beth in tow.

The doctor looked at Dave, "You have a quite loving and supportive family." He then inclined his head toward a beautiful young nurse. "This is Samantha Thomas, she has been your nurse since you left the recovery room. Just now, Nurse Thomas will be helping me give you a bit of a checkup." The nurse began performing a series of mobility and response tests on Dave. She also checked his vital signs and his temperature. Dr. Clarke asked questions as she worked on Dave.

After what seemed like an hour, but was actually only fifteen minutes, had passed, Dr. Clarke explained, "Dave, you are evidently recovering nicely. Your excellent physical condition and strong young body are fighting the infection caused by the bullets. You had good fortune, neither bullet hit any vital organs although the muscle and tissue damage was significant. You will feel some degree of pain for at least a month. If your wounds heal at a normal pace I would expect you to be able to leave the hospital under supervised care in about a matter of weeks. Because your mother is herself a nurse, that may be a little sooner -- but assume at least a fortnight."

Dave was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed and very tired so he just nodded as if he had understood everything. As the doctor and nurse left the room, Dave closed his eyes and relaxed.

Dave again began to play the whole incident back in his head. He now remembered talking to Sarah when he encountered her as she went to Tim Horton's to get her mother a coffee. Dave remembered she was dragged into the alley and he ran to help her. He could see her lying on the pavement partially naked with tears running down her cheeks. Dave could hear the crack of the tall thug's jaw break, then the smack of his foot hitting the asshole on top of Sarah in the face. He remembered punching the fat guy in the face before he felt a sudden pain in his shoulder. He was dozing off as he pictured the asshole with the gun standing over him and saying he was going to shot his cock off.

Startled at the image, Dave eyes shot open as a sudden panic raced through his mind. I feel pain in my legs because he shot my cock off. Dave started to call out, "Help. I need help." When no one came into the room, he looked around in a panic for a nurse's call button. He found it and began pressing it.

Within a few seconds, Nurse Thomas came running into the room with an alarmed look on her face. Dave was frantic and she immediately ran to him to calm him down, "It's all right Dave, you're okay. Just relax and tell me what's wrong."

Dave looked into her eyes, in total panic he just blurted out, "Is it gone? Did he shoot it off? Please, for God's sake, tell me it's not gone."

Nurse Thomas looked confused and asked, "What Dave? What are you talking about? Did he shoot what off?"

Frustrated with her seemingly stupid questions, Dave half yelled, "My cock. Did he shoot my cock off? He said he was going to shoot it off."

Nurse Thomas finally understood, "No, Dave he didn't shoot anything off. Your penis is fine and untouched. He must have aimed at it and missed because he shot you on the inside of your thigh near your groin. That is why it hurts if you move either leg. We couldn't understand why you were shot in such a strange place; but now we know."

Dave felt a little better but he had to see his dick to make sure. He pushed at the sheet covering himself and started trying to pull his flimsy little gown up so he could see it. The only problem was he was lying flat on his back, his arm movements were restricted, and every time he lifted his head up to look down there he got a shooting pain in his shoulder. Nurse Thomas could see the panicked look still on his face and finally asked, "What are you doing?"

Dave gasped -- all this effort was quickly tiring him out, "I have to see it. I believe you; but I have to see it for myself!"

Nurse Thomas lifted his gown and exposed his large soft penis to her view; it dwarfed the thin catheter tube that ran out the end. She had seen hundreds of men in just her first years as a nurse but this young hunk of man meat looked unblemished and especially appealing. She quickly refocused back to the task at hand and asked, "Can you see it?"

Dave was squinting in pain as he tried to peer over his gown but he couldn't see anything. Finally Nurse Thomas took the head of his flaccid dick in her fingers and held it up so Dave could see it clearly. He looked at his most prized body part and exhaled in relief as all was seen to be normal, except for the tube. He looked up at the nurse and asked, "What's that tube?" The nurse explained that, since he could not get out of bed, had an iv line running, and was not conscious, they had put in a catheter to deal with the fluid. Dave muttered, "Thank you. And thank God that asshole had rotten aim."

The nurse smiled at Dave as she thought, 'I am definitely going to enjoy this special duty. He is a very handsome young man and very well equipped. He also has a beautiful girlfriend and family. I can't believe I'm going to get double pay just to take special care of him." She pulled his gown back down and placed the sheet over him, then she told him to get some rest as she walked out of the room with a slightly unprofessional but nice tingling feeling between her legs.

As she walked out of the room she saw Carol walking quickly down the hall towards Dave's room. Carol had a panicked look on her face, "Is he okay? The head nurse said he pushed the alarm."

Nurse Thomas put her hands on Carol's shoulders and looked directly in her eyes, "He's fine. He panicked because he thought the rapist had shot his penis off."

Carol looked at her in horror. Nurse Thomas nodded understandingly, "Yes, that is why he was shot in such a strange place. The rapist must have tried to shoot his penis off as revenge for stopping their assault. As Dave said himself, "Thank God he had a rotten aim."

Carol was so emotionally drained that she impulsively hugged the tall red headed special duty nurse tightly in her arms. Nurse Thomas could feel the much shorter woman's large breasts push into her upper stomach. She hugged Carol tenderly and enjoyed the feel of her full body as she patted Carol lightly on the back to sooth her. Carol whispered, "Thank you, Nurse Thomas, for all your help. Dave is so lucky to have someone as caring as you looking after him."

She replied, "Please call me Sam." Carol nodded as the two women parted. Carol continued down the hall to Dave's room. She peeked into the room and saw Dave resting comfortably, then she left to get some rest of her own, knowing he was in good hands.

Dave slept soundly for six hours; when he awoke it was still daytime. He looked over at his smiling mother. She was staring back at him intently and asked, "Feeling better?"

Dave smiled back and replied, "A little but I can't seem to shake the foggy feeling in my head."

His mother explained, "That's the pain killers. The doctor has prescribed you some strong stuff because of the multiple wounds. Sam told me you had a little scare this afternoon. Do you feel up to telling me every thing that happened on Saturday?"

Dave looked at her questioningly, "Who's Sam?"

"Oh, your nurse. Nurse Thomas -- Samantha Thomas."

Dave now understood and started spilling his long story about the events of Saturday morning. When he was finished, he had a sudden question, looked at his mother, and asked, "How is that girl Sarah doing? Was she badly hurt? Is she okay?"

Carol replied, "Yes, she is doing remarkably well -- thanks to you. She has been here to see you every day. She wanted to come up and visit this afternoon but you were sleeping. There were also three, dressed-alike Asian girls here to see you yesterday but when they were introduced to Jennifer they gave her a polite smile and haven't returned since. They have Jennifer very curious; but, after everything that happened with Cindy and Ann, she is patiently waiting for you to tell her about them."

Dave chuckled about the reference to Lynn, Tina, and Kim trio; he could see how they would trigger questions. He then told his mother most of the story about them, only leaving out the graphic teasing, and explaining that he didn't and couldn't sleep with them because of his feelings for Jennifer. He also explained that they had become very good friends and, if they returned he would very much like to see them, but not before he had a chance to explain everything to Jennifer. Dave started to ask more questions as they occurred to him, "Do you know how I got to the hospital."

Carol sat and replied, "Sorry, dear; I keep forgetting that you don't know what happened the last two days. I'll tell you everything I know. After you freed Sarah, she ran back to the hotel. Her dress was badly torn and she was very upset but she was even more frightened for you. She didn't think you knew they had a gun. They had waved it in her face and threatened to kill her in order to force her to go with them. Sarah, her mother, and some hotel security rushed back to help you after they called the police. By the time they got to you, the three thugs had been chased off by shouting neighbours who had heard the gunfire. Sarah's mother tried to hold Sarah back but she rushed to help you and is partly responsible for you surviving the gunshots. She pressed her hands to both of your wounds and slowed the bleeding until the ambulance arrived.

"You were rushed to this hospital where two surgeons had already been called and told to be waiting for your arrival. It seems that Sarah's father, Lord Thurlow, is a very influential man and he had arranged for the best surgeons available to be waiting. He has also arranged for twenty-four hour special duty nursing care and he has visited everyday hoping to find you awake so he could thank you for saving his daughter.

"We got a call from your very upset coach and flew out on the first flight available. Jennifer begged her parents to let her come and, after we assured them she would not be in our way, they finally said yes. She had been getting more thoughtful and rational all last week and, when she saw you say hello to her on TSN, she finally put all the pieces together and realized that Ann had been manipulating her. When she woke Saturday morning she was at our trailer first thing, apologizing to us for acting as she had and asking when your flight was returning. She was as devastated as the rest of us were when she found out you had been shot but she was also frightened you couldn't forgive her.

"We all arrived late Saturday night to find you had done well in surgery but that you had not yet regained consciousness. The doctors assured us that everything went well but we were all very worried. On Sunday your vital signs improved significantly and the doctors were confident there was strong brain activity but it was incredibly unsettling when you wouldn't wakeup. The doctors continued to tell us to be patient but, until you opened your eyes today, I thought there was a chance I was going to lose you." Carol was now in tears as she held Dave's hand and kissed his cheek, "I love you so much. I couldn't imagine what I would have done if something had happened to you."

Dave kissed his mother, "Mom, I'm okay now. Sore but okay. I love you, too." Then Dave thought about the three thugs and asked, "Did they catch the three assholes?"

His mother replied, "Yes, they are already in custody. Sarah's father said they confessed to the whole thing. He also said he went to the police station to see the perpetrators himself and was shocked to see how beaten up they were. One has a broken jaw, one has a broken nose with both eyes swollen shut, and the third - the one that shot you - has a badly bruised cheekbone. Lord Thurlow said they looked as if they had been in a gang fight. He also said if he ever needs some security, he'll call you."

Dave interjected, "Sarah's father is a Lord?"

His mom answered, "Yes, he is Lord Andrew Thurlow, a very prominent British diplomat. His prominence is the other reason there are so many camera crews outside the hospital."

Dave looked surprised, "Camera crews? What camera crews?"

His mom suddenly looked as if she had let the cat out of the bag, "Well, we were trying to keep it from you so you wouldn't get worried; but there has been a media circus here ever since you were shot. It seems the whole western world wants to know everything about the young golf star who risked his life to save a British princess. We have been accosted by reporters since we arrived here Saturday and Lord Thurlow even had to appoint special security at out hotel so we could get a little peace and quiet when we weren't here with you."

Dave questioned, "What's this talk about a princess?"

Carol continued, "Dave, you know how the media are; they blow everything way out of proportion and have labeled Sarah as a princess and you as her brave knight."