The next few days were a blur to Alice as they all took turns staying in the Mater Hospital to be near Sean, watching and hoping for some sign of recovery.
Liam, to give him credit, rarely left their son’s bedside. None of them could face the prospect of something happening to Sean. When they were beside him they talked about all his favourite things: music, pizza, rugby, his friends, Lizzy Nolan, his first girlfriend, himself getting expelled from Irish college for speaking in English, himself going to Paris for two months to learn French, his computer and all his games … anything that might bring him back to them. As the hours and days passed Alice tried to stay positive, and believe that Sean would come back. The neurology team were regularly checking Sean and ensuring that he was getting adequate fluids and nutrition intravenously and maintaining a good circulation.
Having Jenny and Dylan staying for a few days was great, and she could see the strong bond that had developed between her daughter and her boyfriend. Conor and Lisa had been wonderful, too, and were bending over backwards to help and support her. Her dad and her brother Tim and his wife Patsy, Liam’s family and Sean’s close friend Becky had all visited the hospital and stayed constantly in touch; even Elaine had come discreetly with Liam to visit Sean at a time when Alice was not around. All her friends were praying for him and sending messages and texts. Jack and Molly Cassidy next door had even volunteered to take over minding the dog.
She had called over to Catherine O’Loughlin to ask about Dara. ‘We’re waiting, too … waiting to see about his liver. They say he may need a liver transplant,’ Catherine said, breaking down in the kitchen. ‘He keeps asking about Sean, wanting to see him. We told him Sean can’t walk, and is too sick to come and see him. Dara looks awful: he has a collapsed lung and they had to remove his spleen, and he’s in a lot of pain. His liver was badly lacerated and torn. I just can’t believe the two of them … they always did things together … even being in a bloody accident!’
‘Will you let me know, Catherine, if there is any news?’
‘Of course,’ said Catherine. ‘Please God, the two of them will recover and get up to their old antics.’
It was early on Sunday morning and Alice was at home asleep in bed when Conor phoned her with the good news that the doctors felt that Sean’s coma was easing, and that he was beginning to show some reactions.
Alice got dressed immediately, and she and Jenny went to the hospital.
‘On the Glasgow Coma Scale he is showing more responses,’ explained the doctor on duty. ‘He opened his eyes when the nurse called him loudly. She had noticed he seemed to be reacting when she was changing the dressings on the cuts on his knee, so she tested him. It is a small sign but it is a good one.’
Alice and Liam tried not to get too excited about it, but felt like they had been given a present. Within twenty-four hours Sean was opening his eyes for a few minutes at a time, and seemed to be trying to pull at his IV drip.
On Monday Professor Murray told them Sean’s coma was definitely lifting.
‘We will be monitoring him very carefully,’ he explained, ‘but my hope is that by the end of the week Sean may be out of intensive care. A lot will depend on his respiration, though.’
Alice cancelled the Tuesday night class, and got get-well messages for Sean from everyone in the class.
‘We’re all still going to meet up, so we’re going to the pub in Monkstown,’ Lucy texted her, ‘and we’ll all be thinking of Sean.’
They really were such a great group of people!
On Wednesday night Sean tried to talk. He was agitated and moving, trying to ask about Dara.
‘It’s all right,’ Liam assured him. ‘Dara is all right.’
Professor Murray and Doctor Collins both came to the unit to examine Sean, and the next time Alice saw him he had been taken off the respirator.
‘What will happen if he stops breathing?’ she said, concerned, frightened now if he wasn’t on the machine.
‘Well, we’ll know all about it because the alarm will sound,’ explained Doctor Collins, ‘and then we will have to reconnect him to it. But let’s hope that won’t happen!’
Twenty-four hours later Sean had been moved out of the intensive care unit and into a small four-bedded room beside the nurses’ station.
‘We want to be able to keep a good eye on him,’ the staff nurse explained.
He sounded hoarse, and sometimes a bit like he was drunk, but Sean was finally out of his coma and able to see his family around him and – with difficulty – talk a little.
‘I can’t believe it,’ cried Alice. ‘We got him back!’
‘Take things easy and slow with him,’ advised Doctor Collins, ‘but you should see a difference every day.’
Alice was content to sit by Sean’s bed and simply hold his hand. He was getting better. They had been given a second chance.