Moving Forward

eleven || apotheosis

apotheosis : the climax of something's development or deification

Georgia fiddled with the blanket over her as she waited for Dr. Rodriguez and her team to come and brief her before they went to surgery. Antonio had been with her the whole time sitting on the edge of the bed, keeping her calm. They had come to get checked in last night so they could begin preparing her for the surgery, and it was now one in the afternoon the next day, and they were scheduled to start surgery at two. The surgery was six hours long, but hopefully, it would be worth it. Flowers had already started to line the room from her teammates, colleagues, and family, and it was comforting.

"Good afternoon, Georgia." Dr. Rodriguez greeted as she walked into the room. Her surgical team was waiting for the signal to take her up to surgery outside the room.

"Hey." She responded nervously. She had never been so nervous in her life.

"Ready for this?" She asked in response. Georgia gave a firm nod. "Well, I'll walk you through the surgery, okay?" She informed as she sat on the other side of the bed from where Antonio was sitting. "So, we're going to go in where I took out your spleen last year. What this clinical trial consists of is a soft tissue sack, I guess you can call it, that will work in place of your spleen. We're going to surgically insert it and replenish the arteries and veins that originally were attached to your spleen. The soft tissue that we're using has been modified and perfected to work the same as your spleen did, but, of course since it is not your actual spleen, we have to keep you under observation and it's why you can be out of the game for at least six months." Dr. Rodriguez explained, and she had a whiteboard with her so she could draw it out. She continued onward, and Georgia was fascinated by the clinical trial work they were doing. Even if it did not work, she would be honored to have this opportunity to be a part of the trial. "Do you have any questions?" She finally asked when she was done.

"I know you said I wouldn't be able to play soccer for at least six months, but what about my job at the firehouse?" She asked with eager eyes.

"Well, as you know you're going to be here in the hospital for another month for extremely close observation, but if all goes well and since being a paramedic is drastically different in pace than playing professional soccer, you can be back on the job in about two or three months." She explained, and Georgia felt a sigh of relief escape and she smiled. "But, you have to promise me you will come in twice a week, take your medication, and take it easy. Although you're just riding around on an ambulance and saving lives, there are some cases where paramedics are asked a lot of. I'm sure you know this."

"I promise, Dr. Rodriguez. I just can't stay on the sidelines from both for six months." She said excitedly.

"I know, Georgia. This is going to be difficult, but by the looks of it, you have a ton of people in your corner." She assured with a hand on her shin. "Ready for surgery?" She asked. Georgia took in a deep breath and exhaled.

"Let's do this." She said firmly with a nod. Antonio squeezed her hand as her doctor waved in her team, and they went to work on unplugging her from the machines and getting her ready to transport two floors to the operating room. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was surprised that no one else could hear it beating in her chest. Antonio held her hand as long as as he could, and when they came to the elevator, they paused to wait.

"I love you, you're going to do great." Antonio said, looking down to her.

"I love you, too. I'll be out of there before you know it." She grinned, and as the doors opened, Antonio planted a passionate kiss on her lips. She kissed him back, and pecked his lips once more before they got into the elevator, leaving Antonio behind. He gave a soft wave as the elevator doors slid closed.