A Vow of Love, A Friessen Family Christmas by Lorhainne Eckhart

Author:Lorhainne Eckhart [Eckhart, Lorhainne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-12-09T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“I’m not about to give you false hope about your mother,” Dr. Cortes said. “With stroke victims, time is of the essence. Every second a decision isn’t made works against your mother. Your father thought quickly, calling for help, and the ambulance driver and paramedics knew that stopping at the wrong hospital meant life or death for your mom. They got her here. We’re the only hospital in Mexico with a department specializing in strokes. Your mom had a massive brain bleed. That’s why she passed out. She would have had symptoms days, weeks before—dizziness, headaches, confusion, slurred speech. The fact she’s here at this hospital is the only reason she’s still alive.”

Neil was standing beside Brad, their father between them. Neil thought this doctor had an arrogance he’d never heard before. “So you’re saying you’re the best in this field?” he said. Why the hell did it sound like he was challenging him? Maybe because Neil hated false confidence, and if this guy thought he was good, he had to be the best.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am,” Cortes replied. “Now, the fact that your mother hasn’t woken up can mean many things. We won’t know the extent of the damage until she does wake up.”

“You mean if she wakes up,” Neil snapped.

“Neil, let the doctor finish,” Brad said.

“I want to know my wife’s chances,” Rodney interjected. “You promised you wouldn’t give us false hope. Tell me what you do know.”

The doctor reached out and touched Rodney’s shoulder. “Mr. Friessen, as much as we know about the brain, it is still a mystery. All we can do now is take it one day at a time. Your wife is still here. She made it through the night. If your family is all here, you need to bring them in to see her.”

“Is my wife going to make it?” Rodney asked. It was first time Neil had heard his dad sounding as if something was breaking inside him.

“Her chances aren’t good. She has a ten percent chance only, based on the type of stroke she had. Is there no hope? Absolutely not. There’s always hope. However, you need to prepare yourself for the worst, and your family, too. I’ll be back to check on her.” The doctor walked away, and Neil watched as his dad seemed to sag. Brad grabbed his arm.

“Dad, come and sit down.” He led him over to a chair in the waiting area, which was now empty.

“Your mother never said anything,” Rodney said. “Yes, she’s been forgetful lately. I know this week she was doing some odd things. She was confused. I just thought she was doing too much. She’s always had so much on her mind, always worrying about one of you. You know, we were getting ready to go see Diana and Jed for Christmas this year. I didn’t know something was wrong. She said she was fine. I thought she was…” Rodney glanced up at Neil as he stood in front of his dad.

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