Diagnosis Death by Richard L. Mabry

Author:Richard L. Mabry
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mystery, Prescription for Trouble, Thriller
ISBN: 9781410439086
Publisher: Abingdon Press Fiction
Published: 2010-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

Elena hovered behind Dr. Shelmire and admired the way he knelt to be on eye level with his patient's family. "Mr. Lambert is in the recovery room," he said. "A vessel in his brain burst, and the accumulation of blood pressed on some vital structures. Even though we got him to surgery within a couple of hours of the injury, some irreversible damage may have occurred."

The thin, elderly woman sat frozen as Shelmire delivered this news. A middle-aged man and woman flanked her, leaning in as though to keep her from falling. "How much damage?" she asked.

"We won't know until he begins to wake up . . . if he does. I don't look for him to regain consciousness for at least twenty-four hours. If he doesn't, we simply have to wait. Sometimes these patients surprise us."

And sometimes, they don't. Elena turned away and stared into the semidarkness of the waiting room. A television set mounted high in the corner, its sound muted, pelted the area around it with flickering strobes of color. Life moved on in the outside world. But here, for this family, life had come to a dead stop. Now all they could do was wait. Elena wondered if they'd pray, as she had. And if there was no apparent answer to those prayers, would these people ask her or Dr. Shelmire to end their loved one's misery?

Shelmire was patient with the family's questions, the answer to most of them being a simple "We have to wait and see."

He gave Elena a meaningful look, and she returned an almost imperceptible nod. He rose and nodded toward her. "Dr. Gardner practices here, and she'll be looking in on your husband. I'm in Denton, but I'll make it a point to come by every day. We'll consult freely by phone, and if I'm needed I'll come right over."

Elena spoke for the first time. "I haven't had time to have cards printed, but I'm entering the practice of Dr. Cathy Sewell. I'll write down my name and number for you. Feel free to call me anytime." She looked at her watch. A little past 1:00 a.m. "I'd suggest you go home, get a little sleep. This isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. We'll call you if something changes."

An hour later, Elena rubbed her eyes and yawned. Mr. Lambert's condition was stable. What seemed to be an excellent ICU nursing staff was monitoring his status. Maybe she could drive home for a quick nap—at least a shower and a change of clothes—before morning.

"If you need me in the next few hours, here's my cell phone number." Elena handed a card with the information to the charge nurse.

"Thanks, Dr. Gardner. We'll call you if there's any change. But we both know that's pretty unlikely."

Elena wove her way through the dark corridors of the hospital toward the parking lot where she'd left her car. As she stepped through the door, her cell phone chirped. Someone must have called while she was in the hospital and out of cell phone range.

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