Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story
- Автор: Lister Ann
- Серия: Sheet Music #1
- Год: 2011
- Язык: голландский
- Год: Lulu.com
- ISBN: 9781105173578
- Жанр: Прочая древняя литература
Электронная книга - «Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story». Краткое содержание книги:
“Never,” Brian quickly answered.
“That’s because I’ve never been in love with anyone before Annie. Not even my God damned ex-wife! I can’t lose her now. It took me too long to find her.”
“Trust me, you’re not going to lose Annie. You’ll see. She’ll pull through this.”
A long silence fell between the two men until Brian finally spoke.
“Listen. I called Sammy’s parents. They’re going to meet me here. I told them Thrust would pay for all the funeral arrangements,” Brian said, his voice a somber whisper. “I thought it was the least we could do for all the help Sammy has given us through the years.”
“I agree. How’d they take it?”
“Not too good. I think they’re in shock. Sammy’s older brother is going to drive them here so at least they won’t have to come alone. Before I left, I also contacted everyone else I thought needed to know about the situation. Hopefully, the press won’t get wind of this. Otherwise, we’ll be dealing with a major circus event here.”
“Shit. I hadn’t even considered that. What about Annie’s band?”
“I was told someone from the promotion office would contact each of them.”
Suddenly a man dressed in full surgical attire stood before them.
“Are you the man that came in with Annie Logan?” a young doctor asked Michael.
“Yes, I’m Michael Wade,” he replied attempting to stand.
“No, please sit,” the doctor insisted, and took a seat opposite Brian and Michael. “Annie is out of surgery,” he sighed, then he shook his head. “I’m sorry, I wish I had better news for you, Mr. Wade.”
“Please, I want you to give it to me straight.”
“Okay. Annie has sustained several serious injuries. Any one of them could have killed her. But she’s young and she’s still hanging in there. She has a skull fracture and there is some swelling of her brain; which we’ll have to watch. If it continues to swell then we’ll have to consider another procedure to reduce the pressure before there is brain damage.”
Michael sighed softly. Skull fracture, brain damage, he couldn’t even consider the reality of it.
“She received severe blunt trauma to her stomach area, probably from wearing her seat belt. I was able to repair a substantial laceration to her liver, which stopped her internal bleeding. But we had to remove her spleen.”
“Does she need that?” Brian asked.
“No, thankfully, you can live without a spleen,” the doctor answered, then returned his eyes to Michael. “I’m not sure if you noticed her leg injury?”
“Yes, I did.”
“At this point, that has me the most concerned. Usually, when the injury is that substantial, we are unable to save the limb.”
“What are you saying? Did you amputate her leg?”
“No. For the moment, we’ve stabilized the bones in her ankle by surgically implanting steel plates and screws which are literally holding all the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle. Hopefully, it will be enough to stimulate the healing process but I can’t guarantee normal mobility or that she will be able to walk on it again. And if the bones don’t show adequate healing, we may have to consider other options.”
“Can I see her?”
“Well, she is still under anesthesia, but if you keep the visit brief.”
Suddenly, the doctor pulled the beeping pager from his pocket and quietly read the message. “I’m sorry, Mr. Wade, but your visit with Annie will have to wait.”
Michael turned to Brian, anger and frustration distorting his facial features. “I can’t take much more of this. Either someone is going to let me in to see Annie or I’m going to find her myself.”
“Let them do their jobs,” Brian tried to soothe.
Moments later, Sammy’s parents arrived through the emergency room doors. Brian escorted them down to the morgue to identify their son, leaving Michael alone to wait for word on Annie. Two hours later the same doctor reappeared. Michael stood up to greet him.
“Annie had a seizure in the recovery room and has slipped into a coma,” the doctor said cold and matter-of-factly.
Michael fell back into his seat. “So, what does that mean?”
“There is swelling of her brain. We inserted a drainage tube into her skull to try and relieve some of the pressure. Tomorrow we should be able to give you a better prognosis. But for now, it’s a wait and see situation. In most cases, once the pressure is released, the duration of the coma is a matter of a few days. But like I said, we’ll know more tomorrow. The next twenty-four hours for her are critical.”
“Can I see her now?”
“Yes, please follow me,” the doctor instructed.
CHAPTER TEN
The doctor took Michael down a cluttered corridor and stopped outside a swinging door. “She’s in intensive care so we can monitor her injuries around the clock. But there are other people in this room, so please keep your visit short.” With that said, the doctor opened the door and motioned Michael inside the room. “Annie is in the third bed on the left,” he said. “If you’ll excuse me, I have another emergency coming in downstairs.”
Michael stood frozen for a moment. Beeps, buzzers and other mechanical noises echoed throughout the room. Several nurses and doctors rushed about attending to the dozen or more patients. Suddenly a nurse whooshed back the white curtain surrounding Annie’s bed and then moved to her next patient. A narrow crack remained open in the curtain, making Annie visible to Michael. He stood outside the curtain and stared at her for several minutes, unable to move. He swallowed hard and balled his hands into tight fists.
Annie lay motionless; machines were doing everything for her from breathing to eliminating waste. Her mangled right leg now hug in traction above her bed, heavily encased in a white cast. The right side of Annie’s face and head was obscured beneath heavy gauze. What skin he could see was deeply bruised and puffy.
A nurse walked past and stopped beside Michael. “It’s okay. Go on in. There’s a chair beside the bed.”
He was reluctant at first, but forced his feet to move forward. Behind the curtain he found an empty chair to the left of Annie’s bed. Careful not to touch any of the machines keeping her alive, he squeezed past and sat in the chair. Besides a one-inch stitched wound above her eyebrow, the left side of Annie’s face was unharmed. Michael cautiously reached for Annie’s tiny hand. Gratefully, it was warm to his touch. Using his thumb, he tenderly rubbed her palm. She looked so peaceful to him. As badly bruised and broken as she was, she appeared to be sleeping, unaware of the fight her body had just endured.
Michael leaned forward and pressed his face against her cheek. Her appearance was completely different but her sweet feminine scent was the same. Remnants of it still lingered on her skin. Inhaling deeply he tried to force a smile. Inside he choked back a sob. “Annie, I’m here, right beside you and I’m not going to leave,” he whispered, then sat back in his chair.
“Excuse me, sir,” a nurse said, pushing back the privacy curtain. “There’s a man in the hall asking for you.”
“Well, let him in,” Michael replied.
“I’m sorry, I can’t do that. You’ll have to speak to him out in the hall.”
Reluctantly, Michael left Annie to speak with Brian. “How’s she doing?” Brian quickly asked.
“She’s alive, but that’s not saying much. The doctor said she had some swelling in her brain which caused her to have a seizure and now she’s in a coma. It’s supposed to be temporary. I tell you what though, I’m getting her moved out of there and into a private room!”