The Free Pass

Chapter 45

Shawn

I felt like I'd been run over by a freight train when we landed. Andrew and I ran to the long term lot and got in my car. I broke the speed limit on every road trying to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.

I'd gotten my mom's texts after we landed. Mallory was still unconscious and the test results were expected at any time. The Everetts were on their way, too.

We pulled in front of the hospital, and I sprinted to the fourth floor where my mom had said the ICU was, leaving Andrew behind to park the car. A nurse directed me to Mallory's room but said I needed to wash up before I could go in. She took me to a station to do this. She then gave me a mask to put on my face.

When I entered the room, I was shocked to see my wife laying lifeless on the hospital bed hooked up to all sorts of monitors. My mom was by her side, wearing a mask like mine.

"Oh god, is she going to die?" I blurted out.

My mom stood up and put her arms around me. I started to cry. How could this be happening?

"The doctor just stopped in and said he'd be back in ten minutes to go over the results," she said.

There was a knock at the door. Andrew popped his head in. "Can I get you anything?" he asked us.

We both shook our heads.

"I'll be in the waiting room down the hall," he said before closing the door.

"Where's Gracie?" I asked as I realized she wasn't in the room.

"Your dad and Aaliyah are watching her at your condo. They were going to take her to our house, but we decided they needed to be close by."

I nodded. Poor Gracie must be so confused.  She'd never really been separated from either of us. I left and now she wasn't with her mama, either.

"We're going to have to give her formula, Shawn. There aren't enough bottles of milk in the freezer. I called her pediatrician and he recommended a brand. I hope that's okay."

I took my eyes off Mallory and looked at my mom. "Of course. And thank you."

"Why don't you sit down," she said.

I took the seat she'd occupied right next to the bed.

"What happened?" I asked.

My mom filled me in on the chain of events that landed Mallory here. She passed out at our condo after being sick, and my mom had called an ambulance. She hadn't been conscious since then. It was hard to understand how things could have gone bad so quickly. What if Mal had been alone with Grace when she'd passed out? Things were bad, but they could have been much worse.

The door opened and a tall older gentleman walked in. He extended a hand to me.

"Mr. Mendes? I'm Dr. Sutton. We've just gotten all of your wife's results."

I braced myself for whatever he was about to tell me.

"Your wife has bacterial meningitis. She has profound swelling along her spinal cord and brain, which is why she's unconscious."

"How did she get that?" I asked.

"We've pinpointed pneumococcal bacterial in her bloodstream. That's the culprit. She probably had an infection that escalated quickly."

"She'd been to the doctor already and was on antibiotics," my mom said.

"It was probably too late by then, or the antibiotics were not strong enough. She's on very strong meds right now, so we'll hopefully see some reduction in swelling soon," he explained.

"So she's going to be okay?" I asked.

"I'd like to tell you yes, but bacterial meningitis, especially a case that is this advanced, has potential to be critical. She's a strong healthy young woman, which works to her advantage. We should know soon if she's responding to the treatment. I'm not going to mince words here. Anytime you have severe brain swelling, you have potential for long term issues. We're taking this one step at a time, though. Let's get your wife well and then we'll go from there."

The floor had dropped out from under me. Mallory was in much worse shape than I'd prepared myself for.

"What about Grace?" I asked, my anxiety spiking. "Our baby. Is she at risk?"

"You need to keep an extremely close eye on her. If she seems uncomfortable or fussy, you need to get her to the doctor, and you need to explain that she was exposed. I understand that your wife was breastfeeding. That could help protect your baby."

My mom spoke, "I'm going to go out in the hall and call my husband to tell him this. He's watching the baby."

After she left, I turned to the doctor. "What can I do?"

He looked at Mallory. "It's possible she can hear you. Sit with her and talk to her. The only other thing I suggest is that you take care of yourself. Eat, drink plenty of fluids, and sleep. The last thing we need is for you to fall apart. You need to be strong for your wife."

~~~~~~

Mallory's parents arrived and stayed several hours. My mom insisted they go to the condo where they could get some sleep and see the baby in the morning. My mom was headed there, too, to swap places with my dad.

The Everetts were understandably distraught. It was selfish of me, but I was relieved when they left. I was struggling and having to constantly reassure them wasn't helping me at all. Plus, I wanted to be alone with Mal.

I sat next to the bed holding her hand, gently stroking the back of it with my thumb. I was hoping to elicit some sort of response. I wanted a sign that she was there with me.

"So I figured out I loved you on the flight here. I was looking at pictures and it just hit me. I know you're probably thinking that I only feel that way because of what's happened. I swear to god that's not true. You know I'd never lie to you, Mal. I'm not lying now. I'm in love with you."

I watched as she breathed in and out. She wasn't on a ventilator, which the nurse said was a good sign. Her brain may have put her in a coma, but it still knew to keep her breathing.

She was so pale. Had she been that way when I'd left? Had I just not noticed?

I continued to watch her. The beeping of the heart monitor was constant in the background. I had a love/hate relationship with that machine. The sound was aggravating, but as long as it was beeping, she was alive.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out. My mom had texted to tell me they were at the condo and that Gracie had woken up to eat a few hours ago according to my dad. She was fine and had given him lots of smiles. There were no signs of illness. My dad would be here later.

I saw that Andrew had texted at some point. He'd gone to a hotel near the hospital and said if I needed a quick nap or a break, to come there. I needed to remember to thank him later for arranging the flight that got me here so quickly. I'd need to thank the higher-ups at the record label, too.

I put my phone away and picked up Mallory's hand again. I kissed it for the fiftieth time, though it wasn't quite right with the mask I was wearing.

"Please wake up for me, baby. I love you so much. I want to tell you while I'm looking into your eyes. I want to know you heard me."

That's when she squeezed my hand.