Along Came Zoe by Janice Macdonald

Author:Janice Macdonald
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2013-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

“…BULLET GRAZED THE SKULL, above the left temple,” the resident was telling Phillip. “The other one went through the back of the neck, CAT scans indicate it penetrated the spinal cord…”

“I don’t want to hear any more of your damn excuses,” Molly had screamed at him the night before. “You’ve always got some reason that’s more important than me. Just let me come home, I hate it here.”

“…C-three vertebral segment, the guy should be dead.”

“Why did you even have a kid?” Molly had demanded.

Phillip took the X-ray envelope from the resident, pulled out the films and pinned them up on a lighted viewing box. The degree of damage done by a bullet to the back depended largely on where the bullet entered. Nerves were usually severed below the injury—a shot to the lower back would probably paralyze the hips and legs, but not the arms. A bullet in the thoracic region would paralyze the chest. As he looked at the films, Phillip slowly shook his head. The bullet had entered near the base of the neck, traveled upward through the spinal column, lodged through the skull and into the back of the brain. The resident’s assessment was right on the mark.

Phillip walked over to look at the patient, who lay on a gurney in the middle of the trauma bay squinting at the bright overhead lights. With a quick glance at the clipboard at the foot of the bed, he leaned over the stretcher so the boy didn’t have to turn his face. “Tim,” he said, “I’m Dr. Barry. We’re going to do a few tests, okay? Can you move your right arm?”

Thirty minutes later, he stepped out to the waiting area to look for the family. They were huddled in a corner. The father, probably about his own age, had his head back, eyes closed. As soon as Phillip approached, he opened his eyes.

“It doesn’t look good,” Phillip said. “Unfortunately, the damage was very high in the spinal column. At this point, we’re not sure he will survive. During the next few days there could be any number of complications that could kill him.”

“But if he pulls through…is he going to be okay? Will he walk?”

“I can’t tell you that for certain, but I think it’s very unlikely.”

The family sat silently and listened. From experience, Phillip knew that they weren’t hearing or understanding most of what he was saying. That’s why he’d learned to keep these speeches simple, short. For now, all they could do was let the words wash over them. Reality would sink in soon enough.

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