Adopted

Chapter 77

While Jess was having an x-ray done, I called my parents and let them know all was, well mostly the same. But that we'd made it to LA safe. They let me know Sarah had gotten an earlier flight and they'd just dropped her at the airport. I texted Zack to make sure he'd been in touch with Sarah and he said he had.

After that it was just wait for Jess to come back from her test and then to talk to Doc.

They brought Jess back in just under 45 minutes and hit her resettled. I looked over and noticed the chest tube was gone. So was the ventilator.

"They took her off the ventilator and took the chest tube out?" I asked the nurse getting her settled.

"They did. Dr. Robert's felt it was safe to take out and while she was still under some sedation, it would be less painful, and he unhooked her ventilator and she was breathing fine on her own. Her lungs are much clearer. Dr. Roberts will discuss everything with you shortly."

I went over to my daughter who still lay, sleeping, or unconscious, and smoothed her hair.

"You're doing great baby girl," I said. "You're gonna be just fine." 

I sat down beside her and put my head in my hands.

Something tapped me on the shoulder.

I looked up and Pete was standing there with a smile on his face and a Starbucks cup in each hand.

"Hey. Zack filled me in. He said Sarah probably won't be in before 2 and no one wanted you to be here alone," he said, handing me a coffee and giving me a hug.

"Thanks, man," I said.

"What happened?" Pete asked looking at Jess.

"Pneumonia and salmonella, believe it or not. The pneumonia was the biggest concern. Her lungs were full.  I'm surprised she could breathe at all from the images we saw."

"Poor kid. And you guys had no idea?"

"None. She just complained she was tired and said her cough gets worse in the winter. It's November, so..." I said.

"So you all figured her cough was just what it was. Poor kid."

"Doc says he expects her to make a full recovery, but that she'll probably still be a bit tired. Looks like she's getting excused from PE again," I smirked.

"Always got a silver lining, huh?" Pete smiled.

We sat and talked for a while.

"Dad?" I heard a small voice ask. I looked up and Jessica's eyes were open. She looked scared. I jumped up and moved into her line of vision. 

"Hey there, baby girl. Good morning."

"Where?" She asked and then coughed. It sounded better. Less... thick.

"We're home, baby. We're at LA Children's. Mom's on her way back from Vegas but loon who's here to visit," I said indicating Pete, who stood up and went to her other side.

"Hey there, kiddo," he smiled.

"Uncle Pete," she smiled.  Suddenly tears formed in her eyes and she sobbed.

"What's the matter, baby?  Are you in pain?"

She shook her head and hitched a breath.

"I ruined Thanksgiving!" She cried.

"Oh, Jess. No you didn't. Thanksgiving isn't ruined. In fact you gave us the best Thanksgiving ever. Do you remember what you said at the table."

She nodded. And smiled a bit.

"It's true," she whispered.

"And we're thankful to have you in our lives, too. Now, you've been through the wringer. You rest up, okay? Pete and I are here and Mom will be here later, okay?"

She nodded and drifted off into what looked like the first restful sleep she'd had in a few weeks. Her breathing was regular.

"What did she say at the table?"

I told Pete what Jess had said when we went around the table saying what we were thankful for.

"Aww. That's sweet man!" He said. "Have you eaten? I'm hungry and could use another coffee. Want anything?"

"I could go for a sandwich," I said. "Tuna or turkey."

"On it," Pete said.

I watched my daughter sleep while Pete went downstairs.

Doc walked in a few moments later. He was all smiles. He was easy to read.

"Well, how's our girl?" He asked.

"Taking a nap. She sounds so much better than she did in Vegas. And better than she sounded all week, really. We didn't realize how congested she'd gotten."

"That's our Jess. She likes to go from 'I might be getting sick' to 'and now I'm critically ill',"

"So, I'm guessing the x-rays were okay, you took her off the ventilator and the chest tube is out," I said.

"Yes. There's some scarring on her lungs from, well, the broken ribs back in September and from this pneumonia. But she should make a full recovery and be able to resume her regular activities pretty soon. She's resilient. And she's on much better medications now. Those are helping treat things better."

"What about school? PE?"

"Well, I expect we'll keep her here another day or two, so long as she continues to improve. I would suggest she stay home at least this week to recover and recuperate. See how she feels by the weekend and she can decide if she feels up to going back to school next week. I hesitate to tell her to avoid PE, but I can write her a note saying she needs to be able to take breaks when she needs to."

"Okay. Thanks," I said.

Doc left and Pete came back in a few minutes later.

"Saw Doc leave. What's the good word?"

"She might be able to go home in the next couple of days and he suggests she stay home this week and see how she feels about going back to school next week."

"Good news," he said. I smiled.

Pete and I just sat and chatted. Nurses came in and out checking on Jess, who slept on.

After maybe an hour, Jess stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hey there sleepyhead," I said. She smiled at me

"Feeling better?" I asked. She thought for a second.

"Yeah. I am," she said.

Pete sat on her bed and chatted with her. He had her laughing easily and it was great to see after a weekend where smiles had been hard to come by and sleep was all she'd wanted to do.