Blink Of An Eye

Chapter 2

The wait at the hospital was excruciating. I had no concept of how long we had actually been here, but it was agonizing, and I could not stop myself from thinking the worst.

The initial shock had finally worn off, but now I was left just feeling numb and sick to my stomach.

All we had been told was that Ryan had been rushed into surgery for a brain bleed. That was all of the information we had been given, and hearing those words were absolutely terrifying.

My mom sat down next to me and handed me a cup of coffee and placed her arm around my shoulder. "Where is Makenna?" I asked, suddenly realizing I had not even thought about my daughter since I came to after my blackout, and I immediately felt like the worlds worst parent.

"Nicole has her. She's fine. She said not to worry about her. She will be by in the morning before she and Alex have to fly back to Charlotte. She and Alex sent along their prayers." My mom replied. I let out a small sigh of relief knowing my daughter was in good hands. Even though I wanted nothing more than to cuddle her in my arms, I knew she was better off with Nicole and Alex. My focus had to be on Ryan for now.

"Thanks mom." I said softly.

I looked around at the crowded waiting room. Ryan's entire team was here, his family, his teammates, his friends. Chase and Carly, Bubba and his girlfriend Amanda were huddled together in a corner. Everyone restless and anxious, but not much conversation was going on. It was almost as if everyone were afraid to speak.

"Have you eaten anything at all Olivia? Can I get you anything?" My mom asked, concerned.

I shook my head. The last thing on my mind was food. "I'm not hungry." I said. My mom frowned, but thankfully did not push the issue any further, and we went back to sitting in silence.

Another hour had passed, and now I was pacing anxiously in the waiting room. Wringing my hands, biting my nails. Why was it taking so long? What the hell was going on?Was no news good news or was the fact that we had yet to hear an update cause to fear the worst?

My dad wrapped his jacket around me again, and gently guided me back to a chair. I realized I was shivering again. Well, this damn waiting room was uncomfortable and freezing. I knew I should say something to Dave and Lisa, but I couldn't make myself walk over to where they were sitting. My dad pulled me into his arms and held me tightly, and I just let myself go.

"He's going to be fine sweetheart. He's young and he's strong, and he has so much to live for." My dad tried to console me, but somehow, his words did not make me feel any better. No one knew that for sure.

Several more agonizing minutes passed, and I willed myself to hold it together. I was on the verge of completing falling apart, but I had to stay strong.

"Family of Ryan Blaney." A doctor in pale green scrubs stepped into the waiting room and announced. I stood up on shaky legs, as did Dave and Lisa, and walked over to the doctor.

"I'm his wife, and these are Ryan's parents." I said to the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Steven Williams, the neurosurgeon assigned to Ryan's case. Would you follow me please?"

Dave, Lisa and I followed Dr. Williams to a conference room, and we all waited with bated breath.

The doctor took a deep breath before speaking, and my heart began to race in anticipation. "Ryan suffered significant head trauma from the accident. Initial tests indicated an intracranial hemorrhage, or a brain bleed in layman's terms. We went in and were able to stop the bleeding and stabilize his condition. Unfortunately, Ryan has slipped into a coma. We are hopeful that this is only temporary as his brain is healing, but it's too early to tell at this point. We will not know the full effects from his injury until he regains consciousness. We have moved him into ICU. His condition remains critical, and we will need to monitor him closely for any swelling. The next twenty four hours are crucial, however his vital signs are stable." The doctor explained.

My heart sank hearing the news. I knew I should focus on the fact that he had survived and take comfort in that, but all I could think about was him lying there in a coma in ICU with a traumatic brain injury.

"Are there any other injuries?" I asked.

"Some bruising, mainly to his ribs and torso, but remarkably no other injuries." Dr. Williams replied.

"Can I see him?" I asked, my voice quivering.

"Yes you may. Only two visitors at a time." The doctor smiled gently. I guess he was trying to look sympathetic, but I took it as pity, and my heart sank further.

"You go ahead Olivia. We'll inform everyone else of what is going on, then we'll see him later." Lisa squeezed my hand, and I gave her a weak smile.

I walked into the room, and immediately jumped from the sound of the heart monitor. The blips and beeps of all of the machines seemed to echo so loudly in the small room. All of the wires and tubes attached to him were terrifying to see, but necessary I knew. The former medical student in me checked his vitals. Heart rate, blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rate all looked good, so I tried to find some solace in that.

I sat down next to him, and took his hand, careful not to jostle any of the wires feeding vital nutrients and fluids into his body. It broke my heart into a million pieces to see my strong, healthy, young husband like this. I looked at his perfect face, and the tears began to flow again. Other than the white gauze bandage wrapped around his head, he looked completely normal.

I sniffled and choked back my tears. "Don't you dare leave me Ryan Michael. I love you too much to lose you. We have a lot of big plans in our future and so many things we haven't done yet, so you need to come back to me. Makenna and I need you so much. So does your other son or daughter. I'm sorry I didn't get to tell you this earlier, sweetheart, but we are going to have another baby."