Strange Courtship of Abigail Bird by Blumenthal John

Author:Blumenthal, John
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Regal House Publishing
Published: 2019-12-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Four days later Balthazar was compelled to return to Newburgh. He was most distressed at having to leave his daughter’s bedside, but I assured him that, should there be any new developments, I would alert him immediately.

Unfortunately, nothing of import changed regarding Abigail’s condition. She remained in a coma following the completion of another minor surgical procedure during which Dr. Bird was present, and Dr. Van Buren was at a loss regarding the possible duration of said coma, although he postulated that it would probably not continue for more than a week or two in spite of her low score on the Glasgow Coma Scale. Sadly, this optimistic prognostication proved inaccurate. Abigail stirred from time to time, but she did not regain consciousness.

Of course, I was present at Abigail’s bedside nearly every day, usually in the early evenings and on weekends. Constance, who was also concerned, joined me on several occasions, a gesture that greatly touched me. The vague prognoses offered by Abigail’s neurologists had left me in a state of despair, tempered by the hope that one day she would magically awaken.

Dr. Bird made regular appearances at the hospital and on one such occasion, I questioned him regarding Abigail’s condition and what developments might be expected. He was not a neurologist, of course, but he had studied the subject in medical school and had conferred with Dr. Van Buren a number of times.

“I’m afraid the prognosis is unpredictable, Professor,” Balthazar said. “It’s my understanding that people who suffer traumatic brain injuries that result in a comatose state, even with no verbal or optical responses, can wake up and act normally within a short period of time.”

“And if that is not the case?”

He took a deep breath. “The most common consequence of brain injury is memory loss but it’s usually manageable. Reminders of the past such as old photos, music, or common odors can often jog the memory back to normalcy. This is what Dr. Van Buren told me.”

I braced myself. “Please continue.”

“A second possibility is a form of delirium characterized by hallucinations. The patient hears voices or sees things that aren’t there.”

Dr. Bird seemed reluctant to continue, but perhaps he sensed that I was adamant. “One of the rarest outcomes is a type of paranoid delusion in which the patient believes that a loved one is an imposter.”

Although the information he had imparted placed me in a state of profound anguish, I asked him to continue.

He paused . “Dr. Van Buren also described another reaction in which the patient believes that every person is the same person in disguise.”

“This is most upsetting.”

“Apparently, it, too, is extremely rare.”

Once he had finished, I gave forth a sigh and said, “I suppose we must simply hope for the best.” Balthazar responded with a somewhat forced smile and a pensive nod.

We were stationed in Abigail’s room at the time of this dispiriting discussion, and for a moment both of us watched her as she slept. I glanced over at Balthazar and noticed the liquidity in his eyes.

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