Second Chances Chapter Seven
John Wakes From His Surgery
John opened his eyes gradually to see bright fluorescent lighting. Closing his eyes from the glare, he became aware of hushed voices around him. There seemed to be two near him, one distinctly female and the other male.
The male voice was giving instructions to the female in regards to medications during post-surgical recovery. Reese could barely make out the words, his head still fuzzy from anesthetics.
Reese was in a hospital he realized as the fuzziness somewhat cleared. He was in hospital bed, the safety rails up, the sounds of medical monitors beeping near his head. John slowly opened his eyes again. He looked down at his right hand, at the IV and the drip lines going into it. Moving his head slightly he could see his left arm covered from elbow to wrist in a blue brace. Both arms were prone to John’s sides above the creme colored blanket covering the rest of his body. His hands and right forearm were paler than the blanket they rested on.
Yes, definitely a hospital. The male voice belonged to a surgeon apparently. The female voice was most definitely the recovery room nurse as she bustled about watching the monitors and checking the bags of solutions hanging from a hook on a pole attached to an IV dispenser.
John moved his head slightly to look around. The bed he was in was the only one in an area just large enough for it, all the medical equipment and one lone recliner placed in a corner next to the windows. Was he in a private recovery room? The walls were pale blue; windows to his right were shuttered against the bright sun light trying to filter through. The door to his left was now closed.
The nurse noticed her patient's movements and came to the side of the bed. “Good you’re awake. My name is Heather. I’ll let Dr. Pradipta know you are conscious. He should be back here shortly.”
John tried to ask, but his mouth seemed to be filled with saw dust. All he could croak out was, “Harold?”
It was in that moment that the memories of what had happened, why he was in a hospital, became all too clear. Reese could hear the sounds of metal colliding with metal and of shattering glass once again. He remembered the pain he felt as his body was buffeted about while still being held in check by the seat belt restraints. And then there was the stillness, more agonizing pain, and looking over at Harold, reaching for him. Then there was nothing. They all came flooding back.
Heather, knowing her patient was still groggy from the anesthetics, reassured John he would be able to speak better in a few moments. Dr. Pradipta would be back to check on him soon and the surgeon could answer all of his questions.
Reese then tried his best to focus, to clear the haziness from his mind, and to swallow down the cotton that seemed to cover his tongue. He had to know, he needed to find out about Harold. John really didn't care about his own injuries; the only thing that mattered to him was that he had to find out what had happened to Harold. Was he badly hurt, was he…dead?
As the anesthetics left his system, John became aware of the dull throbbing in his abdomen, his ribs, as well as his left arm. Heather noticed his reaction to the those drugs wearing off. She told him if it he was in too much pain to let her know and she would increase his pain medication.
When John was about to tell her no, he was fine, that what he really needed was to find out about Harold, Dr. Pradipta came back into the room, wordlessly dismissing the nurse.
After the nurse left, the first thing the doctor told Reese was that he was aware of who John was, who his employer was and their need for secrecy. It was Dr. Pradipta who had been alerted immediately of the accident. The surgeon did not understand how but he and others were contacted moments after the accident. That allowed them to be ready at the hospital when John and Harold arrived in the ambulance.
There were a series of emergency implementations that had been set up three years earlier if Mr. Wren was ever seriously injured again. Eighteen months later John Reese was included in the emergency protocol. That was all Dr. Pradipta knew about it.
Reese understood then that majority of the medical staff caring for John and Harold were retained by the billionaire for their outstanding medical reputations and their extreme loyalty and trustworthiness. No one outside the group would know who Harold Wren and John Reese truly were, only as the cover aliases Harold had created for both the men.
When John tried to ask about Harold, the doctor told him Mr. Wren was alive, but he really needed to discuss John’s injuries first, then he would answer Mr. Reese's questions.
Reese nodded his assent. The surgeon went on to tell John that he sustained severe trauma to his ribs and lower abdomen causing some internal bleeding and damage to his spleen.
Reese was told he also had five broken ribs, three of the ribs having multiple breaks. Another surgeon used titanium plates to stabilize John's ribs while they knit back together.
Dr. Pradipta had been able to repair most of the damage that caused the bleeding, but he had had to remove John’ spleen. If everything went well Reese could be released in the next week. But John wouldn’t be able to exert himself for six weeks at least and it could be at least two to three months before he could resume his normal activities.
The arm that was in the brace was not broken but there were hairline fractures in both the bones of his forearm and Reese needed to wear it for a few weeks until the cracks mended themselves.
When the doctor finished speaking, the first thing John did was ask about Harold; Reese still had no concern about his own health.
Unfortunately, although they were no longer life threatening, his boss’s injuries were quite severe. Mr. Wren sustained trauma to the head and non-repairable damage to his left eye.
They did not know the severity or the the side effects caused by the trauma to Harold’s brain, as the doctors have had to keep him in a medically induced coma until the swelling goes down.
As for Finch’s eye, the ER doctors could not save it. A plastic surgeon could repair can the physical damage cosmetically in the future. Mr. Wren could eventually look like he once did, but he would be blind on that side permanently.
Harold also received some severe lacerations to his face, as well as his arms and chest. Mr. Wren will need cosmetic surgery on some of these as well when the time comes.
The doctor tried to comfort John by telling him that even though both men had been severely injured they were both very lucky to be alive. From what the surgeon had been told about the horrendous crash, it was a miracle.
When Reese nearly pleaded to go see Harold, the surgeon asked him to give it a few days to get better himself, and then the physician would arrange for John to see Mr. Wren. Also in a few days there would be more known of the extent of the after-effects resulting from Harold’s head injuries.
The doctor the left the room and the nurse returned. She injected something in the patient’s IV and soon John drifted off to sleep.
Reese’s dreams were filled with cries from Harold for John to help him, “I can’t see!” When he tried to move, the pain in his gut became excruciating. Hearing more of Harold’s pleas, John tried to run towards the shouts, his belly was on fire, his chest tight, his breathing labored, yet he had to help.
John kept hearing the cries but no matter how fast or far he tried to run the calls came no closer.
All at once he was in a bright room. Harold was there sitting on the floor, his back against a wall.
“I’m here Harold. I’m here now.” John reached out.
Harold turned his head towards the voice, his face covered in blood. “Who are you?”
Reese woke up shouting “It’s me, John!”
~*~
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen