Voices of Conflict

Chapter 18

Gary felt exhausted. He could feel the effects of the medication Bushard had given him immediately, or so he thought. Everything seemed so muddled…confusing. He felt jittery and restless, but tired…really tired.

Dr. Bushard looked over at Charlie and motioned him back over. "I need to get that leg back up on the table. Based on the way the cast looks it's going to hurt a lot. I want you to be close in case I need you to help keep him on the table." He whispered to Charlie who nodded his understanding and positioned himself beside the table. "Gary, I'm going to move your leg." Gary didn't give any indication that he had heard him. "Gary can you hear me?" Dr. Bushard gently shook Gary's shoulder. Gary moaned a little and cracked his eyes open to a slit. "I'll take that as a yes." Dr. Bushard nodded to Charlie and reached for Gary's leg.

As he raised the leg up, damaged cast and all, the movement caused Gary's eyes to spring open, and he tried to rise up off the table. A gasp and a weak scream let everyone in the room know how much the movement hurt. Charlie leaned over his friend and grabbed his shoulders. "Okay, Junior, I know it hurts. I've got ya. It's all right now. Dr. Bushard is done for now. Take it easy; just calm down." He continued to speak calmly and softly. Gary relaxed a little, but the restless movement of his hands and uninjured leg started again as he calmed. "Doc when will he stop the constant movement?"

Dr. Bushard looked at Charlie and rolled his eyes. "Gary not moving?"

Charlie smiled. Dr. Bushard rarely made jokes about a patient, but then Gary wasn't a 'normal' patient, in more ways than one. "Well yeah…I know, but the restlessness brought on by the drugs that guy gave him."

"I know what you meant Charlie, but when has Gary ever been still." Dr. Bushard patted Gary on his good knee. "I think once we have everything figured out we can give him something to counteract some of it. I need to get X-ray down here to see about those bruises on his face. It looks like he was hit a few times, and really hard. I don't think anything is broken, but I want to be sure. From what I can tell his eyes are still in rough shape. We may need to wrap them again."

Even though he was in a fog and barely conscious, Gary heard that comment. "NO! you…you can't…I…no."

"Gary, you need to give your eyes time to finish healing." Dr. Bushard tried talking with him.

"I…I don't…I can't…you can't." Gary gasped out. His body began trembling. A genuinely fearful look came across his face. He reached for Charlie. "Don't let him…Please, I can't…no."

"Okay Gary, we'll figure something out. Just calm down." Charlie took Gary's hand and gripped it for a minute then laid it back down on the table. He rested his hand on Gary's arm. "Doc, we need to find another way. Maybe we could just keep the lights down low in his room."

"Maybe." Dr. Bushard flashed the lights in Gary's eyes again. Gary batted his hand away. "I know it's uncomfortable Gary, but I need to see what's going on in there." He looked at Charlie who took Gary's hand in his again keeping it from batting Dr. Bushard's away.

Dr. Randy Myers helped Gail onto the exam table. She smiled at her dear friend "Don't say a word."

Randy cocked his head and smiled, "Me? Now Gail, why would you think I would say anything about the lovely way you have your hair styled today?" Thankful for her friend's attempts at lightening her mood, Gail reclined on the table. "Looks like you had an eventful night." Randy quipped as he leaned over his patient and looked into her eyes with his pen light. She tried to pull away, but his expert hands held her head still. "What did you hit your head on?"

"I think it was the table." She said quietly.

Randy stood up and looked at her. "You don't remember?" She nodded. "That's okay, you're obviously alert and oriented. What about nausea?"