| |
When I walked back into Kelly's room, I was immediately alerted by beeping coming from her monitor.
Seeing the concern on my face, my mom rushed to assure me. "Don't stress, she moved her arms, and it dislodged her IV and oxygen monitor. The nurse just ran to get her a new bag of fluids, which will stop the beeping."
"But she moved?" I asked, hopeful that maybe she'd be awake soon.
"She did. I thought I saw movement on her face too, but I can't be sure. By the time the nurse came in, she had started breathing as if she were sleeping again."
Armed with my new knowledge of the anesthesiologist's errors, I turn to my dad. "Dad, I think I'm okay with all of those settlements as well, but I'd really like a second opinion about the anesthesiologist. Do you think you can ask Judge Caldwell if he knows anyone who could review Kelly's records?"
"That shouldn't be a problem son," my dad said trying to ease my concern with a pat on the shoulder.
"What's going with Kelly's records?" asked a confused Joan, who had just walked in followed by Kelly's friend Nichole.
Once we had brought them up to speed, Nichole walked to the hospital door and closed it.
"I'm an employee of this health system, so what I am about to tell you is as a friend and not as Kelly's doctor," Nichole said cryptically. "I'm the reason he was transferred here after I noticed him ignoring patient and medical history warnings of aesthetic issues. He's older, and only a couple of years from retirement, so the hospital system sent him here. You may be able to request an amendment to his probation that he be asked to retire."
In light of this new information, my father went ahead and said his goodbyes, taking the settlement files with him in the hopes that his friend could offer more insight into the case.
As the day wore on, Kelly remained out of consciousness. To help pass the time, Nichole and Joan kept me company till about 8:00 pm when the doctor came in to explain that they still weren't concerned about her unconscious state. With the combination of her trauma, the pregnancy of twins, and the sensitivity to anesthesia, they suspected that her body was trying to get some much-needed rest. The fact that she had moved her arms earlier today was a good sign, and the doctors were hopeful that she would be awake soon.
With the hopefulness that tomorrow would show more signs of wakefulness, Joan shoed me out of the door so that I could run home and shower.
When I returned two hours later, I was thankful to see that Polly was back on duty for the evening and that she had been assigned to Kelly's room once again.
By 3:00 am, I was once again restless when Polly came in to check on Kelly's IV and administer some medication. Since it was her lunchtime, she decided to stay for a chat, and since I was beginning to look like a caged bear separated from their young, I was willing to take a pity conversation to keep my sanity.