The Headturner

The Recuperation

Chapter Twenty Seven - The Recuperation

The whole journey was torturous to Adam. It felt like he had left something important behind and he felt so lost. But his mother needed him more than anything. They needed to be strong and stay with each other. He needed her to understand and keep holding on.

The only thing that kept him going on was the thought of seeing Anne again. Seeing her smile in the most angelic way.

"I am smiling now. Just make sure you return safely."

He read her text again and again. He could almost hear her speaking those words to him.

When he reached at the hospital, his weariness grew even more. When he saw his mother with tubes inserted all over, it took him all his might, to not cry. She looked so helpless. The nurse who was tending her asked if he was her kin.

"I'm her son."

"Oh. I will get Dr. Evans. He is the attending. He will brief you."

Adam nodded and walked gingerly towards his mother. She was asleep, probably sedated. He tucked her hair aside and sat down beside her. He wanted to hold her hand, but with all the needles sticking inside her wrist, he thought it would hurt her.

The doctor entered the room with a clipboard. Flipping the pages, he greeted Adam.

"Hello, Mr. Carson. I'm Dr. Evans and I'm looking after your mother's case. Are you her only kin?"

"Umm... my dad is on his way. You can talk to me."

Dr. Evans nodded. "I'm sure I can. Your mother had a spike in her blood pressure. Probably due to work-related stress. Due to that she had a stroke. Blood has leaked into the right side of her brain, which led to a drop on her blood pressure. However, due to blood clot, the left side of her body is now paralyzed."

"So, what is the treatment for it?"

"Well, surgery is too risky in her current condition..."

"What about other options?"

"Yes, we are trying to reduce the clot through medication. We have to wait for the results to show. But don't worry, there is a high chance your mother will be walking by the end of next month."

Dr. Evans smiled reassuringly at him. Adam nodded as Dr. Evans patted his shoulder.

"Don't let her get stressed though. Her BP was 220/160 when she was admitted."

Adam nodded in understanding. He could not wait for his father to show up. He would make it right somehow. He would know what to do.

He called Anne. He hadn't even called her to let her now he reached safely.

"Hello?" She answered in three rings. She sounded relieved and worried at the same time.

"Hey girlfriend." He tried to smile.

"Oh Adam. Are you at the hospital yet?"

"Yeah. I was just talking to the doctor."

"How is mom... uh... Mrs. Carson?"

Adam chuckled. "You can call her mom if you want. She is sleeping right now." He paused, contemplating whether to tell her or not.

"How is she?" Anne asked again. Translation: Tell me as it is, no sugar coating bullshit.

Adam sighed, desolate, "I don't know baby. It hurts to see her like this. She looks so fragile."

"Oh Adam. We really want to come."

"I know. I'll let you all know when you can come, okay?"

As soon as they hung up, she texted him. "xoxo"

Adam smiled genuinely now. That was all he needed from her right now, warm hugs and sweet kisses.

Adam was woken up by his father. He had flown in from Hongkong. He was there for business and had come as soon as he could.

"Dad." Adam felt relieved. He had somebody to share the pain with.

His father hugged him. "It's okay, son. Everything is gonna be okay. I'm here now."

"I'm scared for her."

"I already talked to the doctor. He says Mel is out of danger. The blood clot has been reduced now. Their treatment is working."

"But the stress is taking a toll on her."

"Yeah. About that... We need to keep her away from stress. I need you to handle the business for mom okay? Keep her away from all business-related matters."

"But dad, I don't... I have no idea about the business."

"You'll get the hang of it. I'll guide you. For now, we need to focus on getting Mel back on her feet, right?"

Adam nodded desolately, "Family comes first, doesn't it?" He thought.