Finding Sam (Featured)

Chapter 36 - Baby

I was shivering when I awoke in the recovery room. A nurse came in and placed two more sheets over me and waited till the shakes abated and finally disappeared. She told me that they were waiting for a room to be available and until then, I had to stay in the recovery room where they could monitor my blood pressure and other vitals a bit more.

After she had left, I looked down at my right hand, the back of it encased in a rigid plaster splint that limited movement though I could see the inside of my hand beneath the light covering of bandages. They had set my arm up on a pillow, and I could see the stitches in my palm, its tiny knots all lined up perfectly along the incision. Along the middle of the forearm was another incision, although this one had no stitches to keep it together at all. Small butterfly bandages lined the scar, as if holding them together, and in the semi-darkness, I could see a slight coating of something shiny over the skin. Some glue maybe, I thought.

It took me a few moments, but I got a hold of myself and calmed down. It was only a tendon, I told myself again and again. And Doctor Samuels was the best. It was a mantra I repeated till I found the courage to look at my arm again.

This time, I wanted to touch the incisions, mainly to remind myself that what had just happened - me duking it out in the bathtub with Serena and losing miserably - did happen.

I tried to lift my arm, but it felt heavy. Still I did what I could, relieved when I saw my arm leave the pillow despite a gnawing sensation in my forearm.

When I tried to move the tips of my fingers towards my palm, the splint prevented any movement at all, and the effort was painful. But as my good hand touched the exposed tips of fingers of the bandaged hand, I bit my lip in relief as I felt sensation still there.

Noise outside the door brought me back to the present, and I wondered whether I could paint again, fear to grip me for I knew the answer would allude me till I spoke to Doctor Samuels - or Erik.

The thought of Erik made me realize that I hadn't seen him since I awoke. He'd been there with me from the beginning, I thought, remembering the sound of his voice just before I passed out at the sight of the lacerations in my arm. He'd been there just before I closed my eyes as I went under the anesthetic, trying to answer his question about the titanium plate on my right wrist, holding the carpal bones together. I remembered mumbling something to him then before the anesthetic finally did its work.

Ten minutes later, they wheeled me into a private room, and a woman came in to have me initial a few forms even though all I could manage were scribbles with my left arm. After she left, a nurse assistant named Marina came in, asking if I would like any help.

"Am I spending the night or-"

"No, you're outpatient, dear, and you're going home," she said in her strong Filipino accent. "But since no one's here yet to pick you up, would you like some help getting around? Do you have a ride?"

I stared at her, the meaning of her words suddenly clear to me. My phone was broken, and I had no way to contact anyone. And even if I did input Anna's phone number into my phone last night, I hadn't had it memorized so I could call her and ask for help. If Rosie were alive, she'd have been there to drive me home, I thought. But this time, I was alone.

"No, but I can call someone," I said, dreading having to call David to have him pick me up. "Can I take a shower at least?"

She smiled and nodded her head. "Sure, I can help you with that. You cannot get your arm wet, - and your foot - so we'll have to cover them up with plastic. We may end up doing just a sponge bath, but I'll help you get clean. Let me get you some towels from the linen cabinet outside," she said, leaving the room for a few moments.