Since You've Been Gone

Chapter 3

As soon as I got to the Veteran's Hospital, I ran to the front desk. "What room is Joshua Jackson in?" She saw that my eyes were red from crying. She looked sympathetic. "Level 2, room 847.""Thanks." I ran to the elevator. As soon as the elevator stopped, I ran toward the sign that said 800-850. I found Josh's room almost right after. I ran in. He looked lifeless, as if he were already gone. I set my bag down and pulled my seat right next to his bed. I squeezed his hand and stroked his hair. In a hushed tone, I said, "Be strong. You can pull through. Pull through this for me. For you. For us." Tears rolled down my cheeks. Have you ever had a feeling like your life was about to unravel? Well, then you know how I felt. My world was unraveling. He was the piece that kept me upright. If I lost him, I lose everything.

The doctor entered the room several minutes later, followed by Josh's mom. We hugged and sat down. Glenda easily stroked his hair and said in her quietest voice, "My poor baby." The doctor then announced his lab results. "All of his lab results are good, but the bullet that the other person shot him with entered the heart's left lobe. It'd be a miracle if he survived." "Thank you, doctor. How much damage did the bullet do?" I asked, hoping he would tell me enough so I could help. I was a nurse in training, after all. I figured I'd put my skills to the use. 

"It did a fairly decent amount of destruction. The bullet practically destroyed the superior vena cava and most of the left artium." I thought for a few moments, and he added, "I don't know how he survived that." Then it hit me: "Doctor, you have to reattach the left artium back to the main cerval. Trust me. It'll work." I was positive this was it, this was the answer. The doctor agreed and sent him back for his operation. 

No one expected the outcome we got.

After they wheeled him back into the room, the doctor said, "Ms. Ferguson, your idea was right. But we were the ones who messed up." He shook his head in shame.  "You mean he won't make it?" My voice was weak, and I hadn't stopped crying since I got here. "Ma'am, we tried everything. And also, visiting hours are over." I squeezed his hand even harder. "When do they begin again?" He consulted his clipboard. "Uh, 6:05 a.m." I got up and kissed his forehead. I also, in a hushed tone, I whispered in his ear, "I'll be back in the morning. Don't stop fighting." 

The drive home seemed to take hours, even though it was only 25 minutes away. I was still crying. I was about halfway home when it hit me: I have to call my best friend and tell her the awful news. Wait, Glenda will probably tell her. This was going to be so tough. I couldn't believe he was gone. Well, not fully gone. He's lifeless. He was gone. All my friends were expecting a wedding. No longer were we both being destroyed by the moment, but we were both slowly unraveling. 

The next day, I woke up and took a shower. I quickly got dressed and did my hair and makeup. It was 5:37. I grabbed my purse and keys and left. On the way there, I got a call from Karen. "Wow," she said, as if she was surprised. "Josh is nearly gone." I started tearing up, which made my voice go high pitched. " I miss him. We are engaged. I'm so sorry." There was an awkward pause. "You guys were getting engaged? That makes this even more upsetting." She was crying now, too. So I said, "I'm on my way to the hospital. Its the Veterans Hospital in the center of the city. You should come. I know you're upset. But we both are. We'll make it, together." "I'll be there soon." We hung up.

And that's when everything started to get better.