With relentless curiosity, her thoughts clung to Adam. Not the Adam she’d seen unconscious at Vance Memorial, but the Adam she imagined as a youth and the grown-up Adam she knew in Venezuela.
Even with his moments of impudence, he had made her laugh and entertained her with his interest in nature. She remembered one evening when the clinic’s interior had become stifling, and she and Adam had run into each other outdoors, trying to catch a breath of fresh air. They’d found a gentle breeze and stood together admiring the late-afternoon sky. Appreciating the blessing, each had responded to the beauty of the sunset, its colors spreading across the horizon like pastel silk unraveling on a misty blue lake.
She recalled other days they had both marveled at the birds. Colorful parrots and tropical creatures she’d never seen before except perhaps at a zoo—large banana-curved beaks and plumage the spectrum of primary colors. Their chatter filled the daytime, reverberating with unique whistles and plaintive calls that punctuated the solitude of the compound.
One day Adam had joined her and two other staff members on a free afternoon to visit the lagoon. They saw the mangroves with their long roots extending into the water like legs on a spider. Adam had been curious that day and had studied them so closely that when an animal had skittered in the bushes, the noise had sent him flying backward. They had all laughed, and she’d felt pleased seeing Adam laugh at himself.
Kate covered her head with a pillow, then counted backward from a hundred. Finally, somewhere between three and three-thirty, she drifted off, but before the sun rose, she awakened with no hope of falling back to sleep.
Concern provoked her thoughts. She rose, took a quick shower, dressed and called a taxi. Downstairs, she found a tea bag and popped a mug of water into the microwave, figuring she would buy her much-needed coffee at the hospital.
By the time she swallowed the last of the black pekoe, the taxi’s headlights flashed across the windows. She hurried outside before he honked and slumped in the back of the cab, wishing she could catch a few minutes’ rest.
Solace finally came when Kate stood beside Adam’s bed in ICU. She spent the hours ambling back and forth between the waiting room and his bedside.
“Adam,” she whispered. “Use that attitude of yours, that self-importance I’ve seen so often, and wake up. Fight. Don’t let this get you.”
His finger was connected to a pulse oximeter. Kate touched his hand, rubbing her palm over his cool skin. “Adam. Let’s pray together.”
She leaned closer to his ear and murmured the prayer she’d said so often, asking God to renew his strength and spirit, to make him whole again.
When she’d said the Amen, she lifted her hand and touched his face. “Adam, wake up. You must make it through this. You’re loved by so many people.”
She turned away, realizing that, without question, she was becoming one of them.
Kate lifted her gaze when she heard footsteps and saw Adam’s parents step into the hospital waiting room.
When Liza saw her, she hurried to Kate’s side. “How’s Adam?”
“They did an EEG this morning. He seems to be doing a little better.”
“He’s conscious?” Liza’s eyes brightened with her words.
“No. But his vital signs are good.”
Mrs. Montgomery’s face sagged with disappointment.
“His breathing has improved,” Kate added, hoping to cheer her. “I’m guessing they’ll take the chest tube out soon.”
“That would be wonderful,” Liza said. “What were the results of his EEG?”
“Adam’s not back yet. I expect we’ll hear something soon. The doctor usually stops by once he’s read the test results.”
Liza dropped her bag on an empty seat and wrung her hands. “This waiting is so stressful.”
“It is.” Kate massaged the tension in her neck, then scooted deeper into the cushion, leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She’d fought sleep all night, and now it seemed to overtake her.
“I wonder if he’s back and they…”
Kate pulled herself upward and opened her eyes.
Liza regarded her face. “I’m sorry, dear. You look so tired, and I disturbed you. I apologize.”
“No need. I was just resting my eyes.”
“I feel so badly you couldn’t sleep last night. Was the bed uncomfortable? I know it’s difficult to sleep when—”
“It wasn’t the bed. That felt wonderful. I was just too wound up. I’ll sleep better tonight.”
“I hope so,” Liza said, sinking in the chair beside Kate. “It’s so kind of you to stay here day in and day out like this…for Adam.”
Her words charged up Kate’s back. “We were close in Venezuela…working together constantly. I can’t help but be concerned.”
“I understand,” Liza said. “You’re a kindhearted young woman.”
“Thank you,” Kate said, not knowing how to respond since her motivation was selfish.
Kate’s gaze drifted toward the door, and a doctor stepped into the room. He gave her a nod and headed their way.
“Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery?”
Kate struggled to keep from rising. Liza stood and joined her husband.
“Yes,” Frank said.
“The EEG shows no permanent damage. We’ll continue with analgesics for pain and keep an eye on him. I noted some extensive swelling, but hopefully that will subside and he’ll regain consciousness soon.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Liza asked.
“Brain stimulation. Talk to him. Patients can often hear. They just can’t respond.”
Liza nodded. “I’ll feel better once I see him this morning.”
“He should be back in his room now if you’d like to check. Once they remove the chest tube, he’ll be going up to the surgical floor later today.”
“That’s great news,” Frank said.
The physician agreed, then departed.
Liza turned to Kate. “We’ll go in for a few minutes.”
“You go ahead.”
His mother clasped her bag, then took her husband’s arm and headed toward the exit.
Kate watched them leave. She’d tried to keep her attitude hopeful, but she wasn’t as optimistic as the physician. Adam had been unconscious too long.
She’d worked with concussion patients before, but Adam’s injury seemed worse. The corner of the cabinet impacted his head above the temple. Wounds like that could cause diffuse axonal injury that resulted in disrupting the neural connections. Time could regenerate the damage, but Adam could be left with significant impairment. The possibility crushed Kate’s hopes.
Pushing herself from the chair, she rose and left the waiting room. She took the elevator to the second floor where she found the chapel empty. She stood at the back, struck by the dramatic stained-glass window at the front. Brightened by sunlight, its colors spread out along the beige carpet, leaving it dappled with red, blue, purple and green.
Kate sank into the last pew and closed her eyes.