When he looked back up, Robert was holding her close, calming her. She finally thrust her tongue for a moment, then her head went back, and she fell asleep. Dr. Young let out a long breath.
Ric got up and left the unit.
Debbie sat down on the kitchen chair. “Oh… my! What a horrible trauma for her. Is she going to be okay?”
Robert pulled her head up onto his shoulder. “I don’t know. Have you ever seen her react like that?”
“No, but remember she was hit by a motorcycle. That sound probably sent her right back to the accident.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. I thought she was going to have a seizure.”
“I know… I know.”
He got up and put Gini on the bed. As Debbie followed him, Lisa arrived.
“Debs, what’s going on? You look like you saw a ghost.”
“Gini had another one of those attacks, but this one was bad.”
Debbie cleaned Gini’s face and changed her clothes. She was limp, in a deep sleep.
“Debbie, I want to put her on monitors. Let’s check her all night,” Dr. Young said.
It was nearly eleven-thirty. “Robert, go on to your party. She seems to be fine. I can page you if anything happens.”
“I’m good. I just want to make sure this hasn’t damaged her brain.”
“Her EEG looks good. Lisa and I can monitor her. Go on.”
He walked to Gini and held her hand on the bed, staying there for a long time.
Debbie went back to the living room where Lisa was waiting. “I don’t know what happened to Ric. He was here when it happened, and then he left when she said the babies had died.”
“Oh, Debs, so sad. I saw him in the waiting area when I came in. He was standing at the windows staring out. I’ve never seen anyone look so defeated.”
Robert left a little after one.
The next morning at exactly nine o’clock, Debbie heard a sweet voice call, “Dee… bee.”
“How are you this morning, baby?”
“Dee… bee… lah… uff.”
Debbie hugged her. “I love you too. Maybe you should just stay in bed and rest today.”
“No… uff. Guiney… waa… awk. No… uff… bead.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Oh… yes…”
Robert checked her chart all night and in the morning. When he saw Debbie’s entry that Gini was up and like her old self, he was relieved.
He contacted Debbie and told her she could take the monitors out of the room.
“Are you coming by today?”
“Probably not unless you need me. I have plans with Vicky and John.”
“Okay, good. Have a great day this first day of the year. I think this is going to be a very good year with lots of surprises.”
“Oh, really? What kind of surprises?”
“I don’t know; I just feel it in my bones.”
Robert had lain awake most of the night. He was worried about Gini, but it was more than that. He was getting too close to her. She didn’t need much medical attention anymore; however, the attack was a bit scary—and not just because she was his patient. Who was this person, this woman, so helpless yet pulling them all in? It was like being sucked through a straw. He had such strong feelings for her, he couldn’t even describe them. It wasn’t love, or was it…? No, he was not going down that path again. He should probably stay away unless Debbie needed him. He’d made a promise to Ric, and he would keep it. Ric loved her, and Robert knew Gini loved Ric. Why was this feeling so strong? How did he get there so fast? He’d thought he was beyond that… mature… professional. He shook his head. He’d seen this in other doctors, the belief that they weren’t subject to ordinary human weakness.
Well, he might be, but he also knew how to keep his word and do the best for his patient.
Ric was still shaken to the core from the night before. He couldn’t work; he could barely eat. Thank goodness Dr. Young had been there. Ric would have never known what to do, and even Debbie seemed a little rattled. It still bothered him how affectionate Robert was toward her, but he was a professional, and he had given Ric his word that he wouldn’t come between Ric and Gini.
He choked up each time he thought of her pathetic cry that the babies had died. Would the hurt in his heart from losing them ever go away? The worst part was that seeing her was just as painful as it was beautiful. Every time he went, he looked forward to her face, her smile, her body next to his, but every time it reminded him of how she used to be. He wondered what she experienced—how much she understood of what she had lost of herself. It made him shiver. He couldn’t imagine it.
January was always such a long month. The weather was dreary, and it was so cold. Gini continued progressing, walking steadier, talking a lot both verbally and signing. She asked lots of questions about her head and her hands not working. And was more frustrated than ever about not being able to talk right. She started to act depressed.
After the holidays, few people stopped in to visit, mostly Tracy from the nurses station. Lisa spent most of her time off with Lenny—although Lisa hadn’t told Debbie she was seeing him again. She was lonely, and when their paths crossed in the cafeteria she immediately showed interest in him. Lisa knew it wasn’t right, but she was lonely.
Ric traveled a lot more and visited less. Dr. Young hadn’t stopped in on his way home for over a week.
The unit seemed so quiet now, not like the holidays when there was a constant stream of
