Safe Word: Rosé

Chapter 2

Narrator- 

Cara sat in the wooden armchair placed in the small hospital room her father currently resided in. On the way to the hospital Joe loss consciousness and had to be revived. In the emergency room, he was stabilized, and the doctor ordered a stat CT scan. Cara entered the ER just as they were taking her father away. She was allowed to go to the imaging bay with her father's caretakers, and after the scan was completed, Joe was instantly admitted to the hospital, in the neurology department. 

Cara now waited for the doctor to come in with the results with a churn of anxiety arousing the pits of her stomach. Her father was sleeping soundly, meanwhile Cara found her heart beating with unexplainable fear. Cara nipped away at the inner lining of her bottom lip and inner cheeks. Her fingers slick with sweat played with one another, meanwhile her right leg bounced uncontrollably. The image of her father's helpless form continued to play in her mind, and as much as she hated it, she couldn't help but fear the worse. Cara shook her head and blinked away the tears that suddenly pricked the corner of her eyes. She couldn't lose her father, not when he was going to retire and they were finally going to have a chance to spend more time together. 

Cara's heavy thoughts were disturbed when a string of brief knock sounded from the door. Cara looked towards the door, her thumping harshly with every pulse, practically denting her ribcage.

Cara cleared her throat, then said, "Come in." 

The heavy wooden door was pushed open and in walked an elderly gentleman with thin rectangular glasses, greying hair, dressed in a long white coat with a blue stethoscope hanging from his neck. Behind him was a pair of two younger doctors. Their short white coats held a school logo on the left breast, but both the blonde girl and the tall brunette man sported yellow stethoscopes around their necks.  

"Miss Thompson?" The doctor greeted upon entering the room. 

Cara stood to her feet and shook the doctor's extended hand, "Yes, hello doctor."

"I am doctor Jonas, this doctor Hansen," he pointed to the blonde, "and doctor Pratt," he pointed to the man, "they are medical students, and if you don't mind, I'd like it if they were present during this consult." 

"Yes, that's fine." Cara replied with a swift nod and quick smile in the students' direction. 

The blonde returned the smile, and the brunette simply nodded. 

"Thank you," The elderly doctor nodded with a smile, then he began his report, "In the case of Mr.  Thompson, it appears that your father suffered a mild stroke due to a cerebral atherosclerosis."

"Oh my Gosh." Cara whispered, her hands flying to her mouth. 

"There is no need to panic," the doctor quickly said, "it's just a small plaque buildup in one of the vessels of the brain that restricted blood flow and resulted in a delay of some of the electrical responses of the brain. Thankfully the damage is not extensive, but he will have to undergo surgery and afterwards he may need therapy for some of the motor functions which may have been affected by the stroke. This all will be determined after the surgery, once he wakes."

"Okay." Cara nodded and gulped, flashing her eyes in her father's direction before looking back at the doctor. 

"I have to say Miss Thompson, if it wasn't for your quick response, he probably would've suffered much greater damage, but thankfully, that can be avoided. Do you have any questions?" The doctor offered. 

"How long will the surgery take? And How soon does it need to be done?" Cara asked, while crossing her left arm over her chest, and hooking her hand in her right elbow.