In the spotlight

71

Sofia Christensen

"Here you go dear, your last antibiotics for the week." The older woman and my favourite nurse ever opened the door of the trauma ward room I was placed in after leaving the ICU. I sat down carefully, Matteo supporting my back and helping me move. 

I shot a grateful look towards my boyfriend which he returned with a smile on his face. He was sticking with me through the entire week, requesting emergency leave from his trainings - even after hours of me trying to reason why he shouldn't - to stay at my side during the day. 

The nights however were just pure buredom. From 7 in the afternoon until 8 in the morning visitors weren't permitted in the ward, not even my parents could stick around for a little while. For the first two days I was absolutely hammered by the heavy painkillers and insane amount of inflammatory medicines so at least I slept through those ones but afterwards, I just couldn't sleep anymore.

During the first few days I had company, a girl few years of my younger Elena. She was hit by a car on her way to university, broke a leg and her pelvis and stayed with me for three days but after she got her cast done she was basically released home for recovery.

Me, unfortunately, wasn't in such a lucky situation. I was monitored simultaneously by trauma and internal medicine, due to the loss of my entire kidney after the attack. I needed a few days to entirely understand these few words.

I couldn't really understood at first. I mean, losing a vital organ is not something people do every day. Apparently I was stabbed in a very unlucky position, and the fucker sliced it in half before the surgeon removed it.

According to them, I shouldn't experience any physical restrictions while living with only one kidney which stayed pretty strong and healthy, other than having to drink some more water to support it's function. And since I wasn't planning on getting stabbed anytime soon on my other side, I slowly accepted and understood the fact that this is my life now. 

The thing that was bothering me a lot however, was the huge and pretty nasty scar running along my left side from around my pelvis up almost until my lower ribs. The spot where the knife actually cut me was surprisingly small compared to what it actually felt like, the rest was a surgical scar.

The nurses reassured me that it will most likely dim even if not disappearing completely, plus they offered me lots of options to deal with scarring later on. Right now, I'll have to make sure to keep the wound and all of my 30 stitches clean. 

Carmen, - my favourite nurse - stood in front of me, holding her hand out with three different pills in her palm and a glass of water in her other one. I took the glass first, and then the pills, one of them at a time.

A swallowed them with big gulps, panting slightly as I finally finished. God did I hate those stupid pills. At times like these, I cried after the good old times when I was struggling with the green juice rather than medication. 

"Aand with that, you're all done." She clapped her hands together cheerfully while Matteo took the glass away from me. She leaned in as we hugged tightly, paying extra attention to my wound. 

"Ah I really can't wait to go home finally." Excitement buzzed in me we separated. The doctor finally gave me the green light yesterday, told me to take my last course of antibiotics and I'll be able to spend my night at home for the first time ever since the attack happened, exactly a week ago. 

"I can imagine." She laughed, her catalonian accent audible. "I will notify the doctor that you are ready to depart, she will be here in about an hour or so." She informed me.

"Thank you so much, for everything." We exchanged a quick hug again. 

"And don't forget the mantra!" She looked back for a second before exiting through the door.