Part 4: Awakening to Reality

They waited longer after the transfer, but this time with higher hopes. When they arrived at Colby’s next hospital, they were greeted with a more comforting response. When they got situated and the doctor came to meet them, he was much more optimistic about Colby’s situation, even though it was still bad.

“He was surprisingly stable when he got here, they did a good job upstate, we expect that he will be awake soon,” the doctor started.

“Can we talk to him?” Avery asked quickly, peeking around the doctor, trying to get an idea of which room her son might be in.

“Of course. I am sure he will be glad to see all of you. It is reassuring to the patients when they are able to feel the love of their family, to feel their words and touch. I will notify you when we have him ready, and you can go in. There is still going to be at least one more surgery, but we have no definitive evidence upon his condition yet.” The doctor shook Bruce’s hand. “As soon as we have him ready, I will let you know.”

The morale of the three increased after the conversation. Their thoughts were not so much as to whether he would live or die now, but more directed towards his recovery, more towards helping Colby. They sat in the waiting room for less than an hour when a nurse came out.

“You must be Colby’s parents. He is ready, Doctor Corey asked me to come get you.” The nurse turned and guided them into his room.

There were still hoses running in and out of his Johnny. He had no mask on. There were still only two chairs in the room, but there was much more space here than in the Emergency room at the other hospital. Avery and Sami sat beside Colby. Bruce, again leaned against the doorway, still worried about the predicament his son was in.

There was a board next to Bruce, saying the nurse’s name. Charlotte was written in all capital letters, green marker. They were taking in the sights of the room and the scenery that the windows offered when Colby began to come to.

First, his grey world came to color, through the slit that his eyelids offered his eyes. He felt pain in his arms and chest. He could feel his mother’s warm hand around his own. He turned his head, enough to be noticed, although nobody noticed yet.

“Colby.” His father’s voice was recognized, deep, sincere. Worried. Sami and Avery both snapped their attention to Colby, realizing that he was awake.

“Hey baby,” Avery said, stroking his forehead with her free hand, wrapping it around his head as if to cradle it. The slight of her touch comforted him, raising a slight, upward curve on his right lip, but he remained silent, trying to connect the dots, trying to figure out where he was.
“Where. Am. I?” He offered, the whispery tone was hard to understand due to the phlegm buildup in the back of his throat.

It was silent for a few moments. Avery’s comforting eyes never wavered from her son’s stare, and Sami stroked his kneecap, forgetting what they had heard in the first hospital. Colby winced in great pain as he tried to get away from Sami’s touch. The movement caused more pain to run up his spine exponentially.

“Nurse! Ms. Charlotte!” Bruce’s voice shot down the hall as a nurse came out of the neighboring room and briskly came his way. “He is in pain!”

The nurse quickly came in, adjusted one of the suspended baggies, and motioned for Sami to move. “What happened?” She asked.

“He winced and tried to move! We don’t know,” Sami started to explain.

“When did he wince?” The nurse asked, looking at Avery.”

“We were just talking and –”

“Remember, when you touch him, be very, very gentle, he has broken bones and cuts and bruises all over his body. Try not to touch his abdomen or legs; they are pretty banged up, okay? He should be okay. He is back asleep for a while, I am sure he is exhausted. Why don’t you all try to get some rest? you look like you all got ran over.”

After Sami convinced Avery to go out for dinner, they returned to her house. Erin was there, thirsty to hear the news. She pulled Sami aside when they got there as Avery sat on the couch and covered up in the blanket that was thrown over it. She was asleep in moments, exhausted from this excruciating mother’s experience.

“Okay, I will tell you as long as you agree not to start anything this weekend,” Sami started after being drilled by Erin’s questions. “Colby was going back to his apartment from a day of skiing and hit a moose head-on. His car is totaled and his body isn’t far from. He has cuts and bruises. His legs are broke, and so is his lower back. He might be paralyzed.” Her voice wavered as tears introduced themselves, pooling in the bottom of her eyes, then, searing their way down her cheek before they were wiped away by Erin’s sleeve.

“Was he awake? Did you get to talk to him?” Erin asked.

“He was. Then he winced in pain when I touched his leg. It was terrible, I hurt him. I didn’t mean to!”

Erin wrapped Sami into her arms, stroking her short hair and whispering into her ear.

“On the bright side, he can feel his legs…” Erin said, realizing that fact, and smiling.

Bruce still stood, unwavering, looking at Colby. Several hours after the girls left, he finally sat beside Colby, intent on staying with his son, waiting to talk to him. Bruce had some things weighing on his mind, things that only Colby could hear.