Growing

Growing Part 10

Ag's POV:

       Running. Feet hitting the ground in loud slaps. It reminded me of when my cousins and I would jump off of our grandparents' dock in Kentucky. We would sprint out of the cars and jump straight into the water. The feeling was amazing to hold your breath and then burst out of the water, filling you lungs with air. Except this time was like I was continuously getting pulled under the water and the growing burning in my lungs consumed me.

       I rushed through the hospital doors and located Anna's mom standing close to the ER doors. I ran to her and she hugged me. "Is... is she-"

"She's going into surgery, they said it's really bad. I don't know what to do. The nurse said a doctor will be out soon to give an update."

       I nodded and blinked rapidly a few times. "What happened Ag? Why was she out driving by herself? Where were you?"

"We got into a fight. I overreacted and I just didn't let something go." I fought a sob "It's my fault."

       Anna's mom grabbed my shoulders "I don't know what you two fought about I know without the shadow of a doubt that you love her and she loves you. She might not have said it to you because she's so scared of it, but she does love you. You guys just need to truthfully and calmly talk about it."

"But what if we never get a chance to?" She just looked at me and then at the floor. I know what this implied.
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Anna's POV:

       What the hell was going on? I was in an all white room laying on the floor in all white clothes. Did I die? Was I in a weird hospital? No of course not, they wouldn't have me laying on the floor with no monitors. Was I supposed to do something?

       I'm sat up and screamed as loud as I possibly could but nothing changed. Maybe I should try walking. Nothing hurt as I got up and I seemed to be fine. I waked for quite sometime but I wasn't going anywhere. I looked up at the ceiling "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"

No answer.
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Ag's POV:

       I was rocking myself in a basic hospital chair with my head in hands and elbows on my knees. The tears were gone it was time for the panic. It had been 3 hours already. What was taking so damn long? That was a good sign though it meant they were working on her. Just then a set of double doors opened and a middle-aged woman, dressed fully in scrubs and a protective gown, walked out.

"Can I speak with Anna Shumate's parent or guardian?"

Anna's mom and I shot up. "What's going on? Is she okay?"

"Hello ma'am are you her mother?"

"Yes."

"I'm Dr. Swant. I have been assisting Dr. Monroe. First off Anna is alive but still in surgery. She has extensive serious injuries both internal and external. We have been working to repair multiple serious bleeds including with a hemothorax, which is where there is a cumulation of blood between the chest wall and the lung. She also suffered very severe head injury that we are currently monitoring. At this time I would like to know how much detail you want me to go into regarding your daughter's injuries."

       Anna's mom looked to me seemingly asking if I was ready to hear more, I nodded. "I want to know all the details please."

       Dr. Swant continued "We had to resuscitate her two times. One of the times she was down for only 45 seconds and the other she was down for 8 minutes. We won't immediately know the effects that this has caused on her brain. With brain injuries and low oxygenation to the brain it can be really inconsistent. We had to remove a portion of her liver due to a large bleed. Dr. Monroe and his assistants are working to do a last check before closing her and moving to her left leg."

"Oh my god." Anna's mom said. I could barely breathe let alone speak, so I stayed silent. Anna died and they were able to bring her back. "What's wrong with her leg?"

"It was fractured in 3 places. One in her mid to lower femur, one in her tibia and then one in her fibula. We have to stabilize the break in her femur because it was displaced and can cause damage to the major arteries. She's going to have a plate, rods and screws secured to ensure proper healing. After we finish that surgery she will be closely monitored in the ICU until she can hopefully be moved to a less intense care unit."

"So she's going to be okay?" I didn't recognize the voice that crawled out of my hoarse throat.

"She isn't out of the woods yet. The type of internal damage she received was harsh and it's hard to know how her body will handle the stress. Then there's the most important worry of brain function. We know she hit her head very hard and also she wasn't getting oxygen to her brain for the 8 minutes that she was flatlined. Unfortunately if she stays in the coma for an extended period of time, the possibility of a full recovery drops significantly. But like I said, we don't know how she will react it can take hours, days or even weeks to really know."

       At this point I knew I was losing it. She could still die she wasn't safe yet. I just wanted to see her and hold her. Tell her I'm sorry and never leave again. I wanted to kiss those perfect lips. Gaze into her chameleon eyes. Caress the soft skin just below her ear along her jaw. I fell into the chair and heard a loud ringing in my ears.
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