Detour by Greaniis

Chapter 2.

Rebecca and Ruth returned to the floor where Greg's room was located. The floor was usually busy, the doctors and nurses talking with each other and looking at patients. Today was no different. Rebecca was getting used to the organized chaos, finding comfort in all the voices around. She was even beginning to recognize some of the people in lab coats. They never seemed to notice her.

She rounded the corner to Greg's room. The first thing she saw was her father-in-law standing in the hallway. He looked very worried.

"Dad, what's wrong?" she asked, panic rising in her heart.

"They were taking the usual vital signs and just started doing stuff. They told me to move to the hallway."

The door was open wide and Rebecca could see into the room. The doctors that had talked earlier in the room were surrounding his bed. When Rebecca had left him, Greg's sheets were up at his waist, mainly so she didn't need to look at his stump. Now, the sheets were off, leaving everyone to see the splinted leg and the empty side of his bed. Rebecca saw that his leg was swollen, red and very shiny. She left her in-laws and ran inside.

"What's going on?" she yelled to anyone who would listen.

Diane appeared next to her. "Let's go back out to the hallway and I can catch you up."

Rebecca didn't want to leave, but followed Diane out of the room.

"I just went downstairs to get something to eat," Rebecca reasoned out loud. "I knew I shouldn't have left him. What's going on?"

"I called the doctors to the bedside," Diane explained. "Greg's temperature spiked. Remember, he had been having low grades yesterday and last night. I gave him IV Tylenol with no effect. Upon examination, his leg was showing some signs of infection, but that has gotten increasingly more severe in the last half hour."

"Is he going to be OK?" Rebecca asked, craning her neck to try getting a better look into the room. She knew things could go from bad to worse very quickly with Greg. She couldn't get the last emergency at his bedside out of her head- and that's when they amputated one of his legs. She couldn't go through something like that again.

"When the doctor knows what is happening, he will be out to talk to you," Diane reassured. "For now, I need to get back in there and help them take care of your husband. Why don't you and your in-laws go to the family room? We can find you there."

Greg's parents' faces were white with worry. They nodded and took Rebecca's hands. They lead her to the closed door lounge away from the action. Rebecca couldn't think. She couldn't imagine more happening to Greg. He hadn't even woken up from the last surgery and now his body was under attack again. They sat on the sofa, all thoughts on what was happening around the corner. It didn't take long for the doctor to come in with Diane.

"Mrs. McBane?"

"Please call me Becca," Rebecca said tiredly.

"Becca, Greg's temperature is rising," the doctor sits in one of the chairs facing the sofa. "We have started him on aggressive IV antibiotics. In another hour, if there is no improvement, or further deterioration of his condition, we will have to go back into surgery."

"How are his pulses?" Ruth asked. Rebecca was no longer able to say anything.

The doctor smiled. "Those are strong. Blood supply is not the issue in this leg. The concern is that he has been running a low grade temp since coming in. Now that temp has risen to dangerous levels. I figure he picked up something while in the car after the accident. If that's the case, this may be very hard to get a handle on."