She Taught Me Everything by Amy Smith Linton

Author:Amy Smith Linton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lifted Board Press, LLC

Chapter 28

I put my chilly fingers against Viv’s neck, the way she used to rouse me in the middle of the night. I called her name with goofy exaggeration. “Oh Viiiiiiiv-ian.” I spelled GOOD MORNING SLEEPYHEAD into her palm. She did not stir.

I was flipping through the notes on the clipboard at the foot of her bed when Dr. Wilsey and a gaggle of others in white coats—Viv’s OB/GYN team—filed into the room.

Feeling oddly furtive, I surrendered the clipboard, but Dr. Wilsey didn’t even glance at it.

“We’re somewhat concerned,” she began.

My stomach dropped.

“There is very little precedent to judge, but we’re worried that the baby’s growth is not advancing as vigorously as we’d hope to see.” Dr. Wilsey nodded gravely and added, “We think it’s time to insert a feeding tube.”

I pressed a hand against my side, willing my guts to settle as the team explained how it would be done. They told me that it had been ten days since the accident, a number that surprised me, and that while the initial trauma care had focused on Viv, ongoing care would address the needs of Viv’s baby as well. A feeding tube would benefit both Viv and the baby.

“And when Viv wakes up?” I asked.

Dr. Wilsey gestured to one of the other doctors, who piped up. “Removal of the endoscopy peg is very straightforward, with almost no risks of side-effects. It will leave a tiny scar.”

I asked what Viv would be eating, imagining dinner poured from a blender. Dr. Wilsey tagged another doctor to answer: “A polymeric formula that includes vitamins, protein, fats, sugars, minerals—similar to a protein shake.”

When I ran out of questions, Dr. Wilsey said, “Someone will stop by with paperwork for you to sign.” When I nodded, she said, “We’ll do the insertion later today.”

Dr. Wilsey was the last to leave, and she stood with a hand on my sister’s arm before following the group down the hallway. I didn’t expect to ask, but the words were out before I could stop them.

“Is she going to be okay?”

Dr. Wilsey’s little smile heightened her resemblance to a Renaissance Madonna.

“We don’t know,” she said. “We just have to give her time.”

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