Diary of a Girl from Seattle

Only the Good Die Young... Continued

Dear Diary,

Meredith and Arizona took Connor into surgery. They told me they had a plan but I could tell they were lying, they had no idea what they were going to find once they opened him up. I made my way to the OR gallery just as Dr. Grey made the opening incision into my boyfriend’s abdomen. I clutched the arm of the chair until my fingers turned blue as I watched my friends try to save Connor’s life.

A little while later, though it felt like an eternity, Dr. Wilson entered the gallery. I asked her if Connor’s parents were there yet.  As it turned out that’s what Jo had come looking for. They needed contact information and thought that I might have his parents’ numbers. I nodded slowly and retrieved my cell phone from my back pocket. I told Jo that I would call them; I thought it might be better to hear from me than from a random doctor. I dialed Connor’s dad’s number and took a deep breath as the phone rang.

Everett Carlson’s sweet voice came through the line giving me a lump in my throat. I told him what had happened as tears welled up in my eyes. I heard him breathing heavily into the phone as I searched for words coming up empty handed. He said that they would be there in a few minutes and then hung up the phone. I attempted to regain my composure as I turned back to watch the surgery. I sighed with relief to see that Connor was stable and things looked under control when I left to meet the Carlsons in the waiting area.

As I approached the waiting room I could see the Carlson family sitting in the corner waiting for news about Connor. I took a deep breath as I walked towards them trying my best to seem calm. Everett embraced me warmly as Dan placed a hand on my shoulder and for half a moment I wasn’t scared out of my mind. I said hi to Tori (Connor’s 12 year old sister) as I sat down next to her. Dr. Wilson entered the waiting room and headed our way with an update on Connor’s surgery. We were all thankful to hear that he was still holding on strong and that Drs. Grey and Robbins had found the source of the bleeding in his abdomen and were working to correct it. Jo and I exchanged a glance saying that she had to next discuss possible outcomes and other details of Connors case with his dads, things that I already knew and Tori didn’t need to hear, so I took Tori to the cafeteria to get something to drink for everyone.

Connor’s sister and I have always gotten along really well, most likely partially due to the fact that I’ve always wanted a younger sibling. I tried to talk about anything to take our minds off of Connor but nothing seemed to work, it was obvious he was all either of us could think of.

A few hours later we were finally able to see the man of the hour. He wasn’t yet awake but all of us were glad to see him. His facial wounds had been stitched up and bandaged and his color looked good. We all sat silently for a good 40 minutes before Connor finally woke.  He was groggy from the anesthesia and the pain meds as he looked around the room and realized where he was.

 We chatted for a few hours before Tori fell asleep in the chair in the corner of the room. The Carlsons took that as their que to head home, telling their son that they would be back first thing in the morning.

I spent the night in Connor’s room listening to the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. My mom called me at midnight to ask where I was, figuring that dinner had run late. I realized that I had forgotten to call her and filled her in on what had happened, telling her that I was spending the night. She sent her love to Connor and reminded me that if I needed anything she was just a phone call away.

That was yesterday.  Today the Carlsons returned bearing flowers, balloons, and card to brighten up the bleak hospital room. We all spent the day taking shifts at Connor’s bedside. I’m glad to say that he’s recovering well and that he should be able to be discharged in a day or two. I’m praying that it snows tomorrow so I don’t have to leave my boyfriend’s side for 7 hours to go to school.

Anyway here I am now, lounging in the chair in the corner of Connor’s room, listening to him softly snore.

                                       - Mattie