Insecurities

Chapter 17.

"Mr Stabler?"

A man calls from the hallway.

Kathy's procedure went well yesterday but she'd expressed that she'd been having some pain in her leg today while trying to do her exercises, which were standard procedure after surgery. 

When they inspected her just a bit ago it was tender to the touch and swollen.

"Yes?" He asks as he steps into the hallway, glancing at Kathy on the bed before focusing his attention on the doctor.

"We think your wife might have a blood clot in her leg."

"A blood clot?" Elliot asks, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yes sir, she has the symptoms of a blood clot forming in her right leg." The man says.

It's not really a doctor, he's a nurse practitioner or something, young and nervous.

"I'd like to speak to the doctor on my wife's case." He says, widening his stance.

The gentleman nervously fidgets with his clip board.

"Mr Stabler I--" "Now." Elliot interrupts- his voice firm and his fists clenched.

"Yes sir."

A few minutes go by and he nervously looks at Kathy and then at the nurses standing at the counter in the center of the room staring at him and whispering.

"Hello again Mr Stabler." The doctor who did Kathy's surgery says, extending a hand.

He shakes it firmly and gets right down to business.

"What this talk about a blood clot?" His voice is low. "I thought you said the risks were minimal?" He asks.

The doctor sighs and motions towards a line of chairs a few feet away. 

Elliot reluctantly takes a seat.

"They are. The risk factors are minimal and usually not severe but these things do happen. Rarely, but it happens." He advises and Elliot nervously rubs a hand across the stubble of his chin.

"So what now?" He asks.

"We treat the blood clot with blood thinners and hope it doesn't get any bigger or move."

They hear monitors going off in Kathy's room and several nurses quickly file into the room.

Elliots rushing to his feet and trying to barrel through into her room but the doctor stops him.

"Sir you need to wait here." The doctor asserts. "Let us do our jobs." He closes the door leaving Elliot to watch from the hallway.

A moment later a nurse comes.

"Sir maybe you should wait in the lobby" the lady pulls his hand slightly. "No!" He says jerking away. "I'm not going anywhere." He steps closer to the door and watches through the tiny glass window the same height as his head.

A moment later he sees them quickly wheeling Kathy towards the door he's standing in front of.

He steps out of the way for them to open the door.

"What's going on?" He says as soon as it's opened.

"She has to have emergency surgery the clot traveled to her lung." The doctor says, hurrying past Elliot to the large elevator and pushing a button.

"She's gonna be okay thought right?" Elliot asks and when the doctor doesn't respond he presses further. 

"She's gonna be okay...right?" He repeats eyes pleading with the mans. "You guys are gonna get it..." None of the other doctors are making eye contact with him.