“Open your eyes... Miss Goodman, can you hear me?” The nurse glanced down looking for any reaction. She jotted down her observations on the chart.
“Nothing?” The consultant glanced at the sheet. “We should start to see some response soon.”
“Well she is on fifteen minute ob’s at the moment.”
Kathy had arrived at the hospital almost two weeks before and had been placed in a medically induced coma to help her cope with her injuries, finally the time had come to bring her round and so the sedatives were being reduced over a number of days. The intensive care nurses were well used to serious injuries but Kathy’s had shocked them, most of the staff felt that she would not survive and so they initially concentrated on keeping her comfortable but she had proven herself to be a fighter and was slowly stabilising.
The nurse looked down at Kathy’s broken body, she was surrounded by a scaffold of traction equipment and would have to remain that way for some months. She looked restful now, thankfully the bruising on her face and body was reducing and she was looking more human.
The slow bleep of the heart monitor was the only outward indication that Kathy was living. The nurse busied herself checking drips and feeds. It was as she checking her oxygen supply that she noticed the flicker of Kathy’s eyelids. She noted this excitedly on the chart.
***
It was some hours later that Kathy opened her eyes and more hours after this that she responded to questions, initially with blinks and swallows and finally with her first words. The nurses from the intensive care unit gathered around her bed to welcome her back.
***
Kathy looked around the room. The lights were dim and there was a slow and steady bleep constantly in the background. She was confused. The last thing she remembered was getting ready for work in the morning , snippets of her life were coming together but she was somewhat unsure what had happened or why she seemed to be unable to move.
“Hello.” A young woman came into Kathy’s field of vision. Kathy recognised her from the previous days but she was not sure who she was. The confusion was worrying her; she wished that she could know what had happened. “How are you today?”
Kathy smiled faintly. “Hello?”
“Do you feel like there is anything you would like try to eat?”
“Oh?” Kathy tried to sit up but found that she was unable to move.
“Oh no... Sorry you can’t move, you are in traction.” She paused. “Do you understand?”
“No?” Kathy frowned.
“You had an accident. Do you remember that?” The nurse watched the confusion on Kathy’s face. “Okay, well you fell from a racehorse. It has left you in a pretty bad way, but we will help you get better.”
“Thank you...” Kathy smiled faintly.
***
The coming days brought some clarity to Kathy’s mind, the fog of pain relief and sedation finally started to clear. Her memories of the events leading up to the accident were starting to come into place but still the actual incident was a blur.
Pauline sat and fed her another spoonful of food. “They are going to transfer you out of the high dependency unit and onto the main wards soon.”
“Is that a good thing?” Kathy swallowed the sloppy food.
“It means you are getting better?” Pauline sat down bedside the bed. “You will be in traction for at least a couple of months and then physiotherapy. But every day will see you growing stronger.” She smiled. “I’ll come and visit you.”
