Love is Silent

Chapter 17

            Darkness.

            Complete and total darkness. That was the first thing I became aware of when my mind slowly started to function once more. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was only dark because I had my eyes closed. Once I was aware of that, I forced my lids to open. A strange feeling of déjà vu surrounded me as I realized I was in a hospital room. I once again had an IV in my arm, but I wasn’t surrounded by machines this time.

            I tilted my head to the side and saw my parents talking quietly to a doctor in the doorway of the room. I shifted in the bed slightly and noticed that my left leg felt a little heavier than it had before, but the horrible pain was gone. It was still sore, but it was bearable now. My movement caught the attention of the three people in the doorway, and they hurried over to me.

            “How are you feeling?” my mom asked.

            “A little groggy,” I replied. “What happened?”

            The doctor stepped forward, and I recognized him. It was Dr. Green, the same doctor I’d woken up to all those months ago. He smiled down at me. “Hello Dana. You had a blood clot in your leg, which is what caused the pain. Normally it wouldn’t have hurt so much, but since the leg is so damaged already, it affected it a lot more. We did a minor surgery to remove it and we also placed an IVC in the vein to prevent that from happening again.”

            “How did I get a blood clot?”

            “It happens sometimes after surgery or trauma. Normally it happens a lot sooner after these events, but it’s not unheard of for it to take this long. Did you feel any pain before you went to bed?”

            “A little, but it wasn’t that bad. Will I have to use my crutches again?”

            “Maybe for the first couple of weeks, but then you should be able to go back to your cane. We’re going to keep you in here for a few days for observation and to give you a few injections. We’ll also give you a prescription of blood thinners for you to take once you’re released. You’ll have to come in for regular blood tests for a while though.”

            I grimaced. “Ugh, I hate needles.

            He patted my right foot. “I don’t blame you. But hopefully we can prevent this from happening again. You need to take it easy for a little while.”

            I hesitated for a moment. “I’ve started riding again. How long will it be before I can do that again?”

            He thought about it for a moment. “I’d say a month to be safe. You might be able to get away with three weeks if your physical therapist says it’s okay. We’ll just have to play it by ear.”

            I sighed. “Okay. Thanks Dr. Green.”

            “Anytime. I’ll leave you with your parents now. I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours.” He left the room after making a couple of notes on my clipboard.

            I turned to my parents. “Sorry if I scared you guys.”

            My dad sat down heavily in the chair beside my bed. “Scared is putting it mildly. I nearly fell down the stairs in my hurry to get to you.” He put his hand over mine. “Why didn’t you tell us your leg was hurting you earlier?”

            “It really wasn’t that bad. I didn’t think anything was wrong with it.”

            He rubbed his hands over his face. “Well, I think I may have lost five years of my life, but I’m glad you’re okay.”