Mysterious

Chapter 48

The next morning Bruno walked into the hospital still completely dazed. He had, unlike he predicted, managed to take a shower, shave and change his clothes. He walked into the hospital without his signature hat and sunglasses. He tried to blend in, walking in the building with Arissa's mother who had frantically found a way to get to Los Angeles overnight.

"This way, Kelly..." he told her as they walked together to the ICU.

"Bruno...she will be okay. You know she's a fighter. " Arissa's mother reassured her son-in-law. "She likes to keep us waiting. She probably never told you that I was 42 weeks pregnant when she was born. Boy, did she make us wait to see her. She tested us. And it wasn't the last time..." he listened to her talk about Arissa never did anything on their terms as a child, and even today, she doesn't do things the way they should be done. She's right. She's always doing things her way.

They walked into the room where a nurse, Hilary, smiled at Bruno pointing to her room that was open. A nurse named Michael, who Bruno had seen the night before, stood next to Arissa filling out a piece of paper on a clip board as Bruno and Kelly walked into the room. "How is she?" Kelly asked.

"She's getting better. Her oxygen levels are going up and you can see her muscles move. She can hear us. She's been moving her hands and eyes as I ask her questions. Dr. Miller will be in shortly to do a full assessment." he said turning around out the door.

"How do I talk to her?" Bruno asked cautiously.

"Just talk to her. Hold her hand and tell her you're there. She will respond." Brandon told him heading out the door to his next patient.

Kelly motioned him to go sit down next to her. He took her hand lightly, as he would take her hand if she was standing next to him on a normal day. He leaned down next to her ear to make sure she heard him. "Rissy...I'm here for you. I'm here forever, and ever and always. You're my angel, my heart, my soul, my everything. And my heart is aching from not being able to hear your voice, your breath, your laugh, your cry, even for one day. I need you to stay with me. " he felt her squeeze his hand tightly as he finished. "Arissa. Just hold on to me. Just take my hand and never let go. Please." he felt her hand grip his again.

"Bruno..." Kelly tried to get his attention. "She's opening her eyes, sweetheart."

He looked over at her to see her squinting her eyes to look at him. Don't cry Bruno. Please. I am going to be okay. It hurts. But, it's not the worst thing in the world. Just please. You crying makes me want to cry. I know I look really shitty right now, but trust me....I'm here. And you need to quit being so damn sappy...Arissa was thinking as she watched tears fall from his cheek onto the bright white sheet she was laying on."Ris? Oh my goodness. I...." he said in shock. "Arissa...I love you." he said kissing her on the forehead.

**

"My throat hurts..." Arissa coughed after her mother and Bruno came back in the room from being escorted out as the medical staff took out the breathing apparatus.

"Shhh...don't talk..." Bruno said running his fingers through her hair. "Shhh..." he repeated. She closed her eyes as he comforted her. "Go back to sleep, baby doll. We'll be here when you wake up." He continued to hold her hand as she slept. She tried to turn to the side several times and started to toss and turn in the middle of a dream but was stopped by her leg and arms. He could hear her continue to struggle with her breathing as she slept. Hilary came back in to check on her vitals a few hours later.

"Hilary, she sounds like she's having an asthma attack...like I can hear every breath she's taking."

"That's normal, Mr. Hernandez. Her ribs are still trying to reconnect and heal. She's going to be like that for a few days, maybe even a few weeks. If she starts breathing any faster or slower than she is right now, though...come and get me right away."

**

Later in the day the doctor decided that Arissa was stable enough to move her back downstairs to the room she was in the day before, which also meant he could stay with her longer

"Mr. Hernandez...." a woman in her mid thirties came into the room dressed in black dress pants, a purple top and black heels with her hair in a ponytail. She obviously wasn't a nurse or a doctor, but she had a hospital badge hanging on the bottom of her shirt.

"Yes?" he asked turning from Arissa.

"There will be a press conference in a few minutes about those injured in yesterday's events. We wanted to get your consent to disclose certain aspects of your wife's recovery..." she handed him a form to look over.

"What does this mean? That everyone in the world will know what happened?" he asked.

"Well, certain things..." she explained the HIPPA Act to him as he read over the sheet again.

"Just tell them she's here and is going to be okay. They don't need to know anything else. Nothing more than she's here and okay..." he told her handing her the paper checking no to all the disclosure statements.

Bruno grabbed the remote from the side of the bed to watch the press conference.I'm just curious. I don't know what's going...it's only human...

Anderson Cooper interrupted a late night documentary about Earhquakes to introduce the press conference. "We're going to hear from the doctors at Cedars Sinai as they discuss the status of several of their patients who have been injured in the San Bernadino Earthquake...." the camera cut to a live feed. The doctors explained how many people had been brought to the hospital..124...most of them had left the hospital already. However, they still had 51 in care. There were various injuries and various seventies. After the doctors wrapped up their statements they asked the audience for questions.

One young reporter caught the spokesperson's attention. "Can you tell us about Arissa Henderson? How is she?" The doctor looked down at his sheet to check to see what information could be shared. He looked confused for a few seconds before someone came over to point at a different name.

"Mrs. Hernandez is in good condition." the doctor answered.

Another reporter walked quietly over to the spokesperson to clarify what she had just said. Bruno watched her walk over to the side, unable to make out what she was saying.

**

"Was that the right name?" the reporter asked the woman in the purple top.

"Yes. Yes, it was. Arissa Hernandez. 24 year old Caucasian female...stable condition...." the lady in the purple shirt said.

**

"Shit." Bruno heard Arissa respond to the statement made on TV.