It was currently Jake's tenth day in the hospital.
And things may have finally taken a turn for the better.
Royala smiled as he listened with his stethoscope, nodding, as he pulled up the test results he had ordered earlier today.
"That smile must mean something good, right?" Nick asked, with a smile of his own.
"It sure does," Royala said. "His x rays look clean. No infiltrates. He seems congested now which is normal. I've had some patients who rid themselves of the dryness of the cough but then the mucus started producing again. I'll have some heavy decongestants on hand if it gets bad but I don't expect it to."
He gave an even bigger smile as he set the tablet down, looking at Nick. "I would say I'm informed enough to believe he'll wake up either tonight or early tomorrow morning. When that happens, I can extubate him."
"Wait... what?" Nick asked.
"Jake's gonna be fine, Nick," Royala said. "I got the meds to work. He's gonna be fine."
Nick could have cried with relief.
"Now I have to warn you. When he wakes up, whenever that is, he's probably gonna still feel pretty crappy. Just because he'll be awake doesn't mean he's not still sick, alright?"
"Well, how long will this period last?" Nick asked.
"He's on his what... tenth day? Okay, so... I would guess he'll be fine in a few days or so but I can't put a time stamp on it. Things could change, Nick."
"Thank you, Jack. Thank you so much," Nick said, hugging the doctor.
"Of course. I'm as happy as you are. This was a big win," Royala said, smiling.
"Say hi to Erin and the kids for me," Nick said, as Royala walked out of the room.
"Will do. It's always a pleasure, Nick."
Royala left, shutting the door and Nick bear hugged Mac.
"Oh sweetheart, I'm so relieved this turned out okay," Mac said.
"Now I can marry you with Jake by my side," Nick said, kissing her.
"Nick!"
Nick turned around and Riley was standing in the doorway.
"Oh, shit," Nick thought.
Jake was okay but he sure wasn't gonna be after this...
"Riley, I already told you. Royala said it couldn't have been prevented," Nick said. Riley scoffed as she sat in the chair Mac once occupied.
"He probably got it from you"
" Wha...I'm fine! It was the pandemic, Ry! No one is to blame," Nick said, incredulous as to her behavior. As Nick was staring at her, tears started to form in her eyes and Nick sat down with her.
"When I said that I wanted to be his girlfriend, I didn't mean that I wanted his best, Nick. I wanted him at his worst, when things were messy and when nothing seemed to be going right. I wanted him at three am when his eyes are sore and red from crying. I... want him when we fight and when we feel like we don't want each other anymore. I want him, Nick. All of him. Which is why it's so hard to watch him fight for his life in front of me and all I can do is just sit here and think about how love maybe doesn't conquer all...I just love him so much, Nick."
"I do too, Riley. But Ry, I talked to Royala. Jake's gonna be fine."
"Nick... we got to hold off saying that," Royala said as he appeared in the doorway.
YOU ARE READING
Catching Faith
General Fiction**SEQUEL to "The Gift of a Coach: A Novel of Baseball and Friendship** Jake Wolff has been Brennan's saving grace. He took a team that meant nothing into a team that is feared by every competitor they come up against. Everyone at the school cannot t...
