All My Life

Chapter 68

The next morning, Don and Meryl had just changed the babies after she nursed and placed them in their bassinets. They had just settled back down in their large hospital bed after the nurse hooked up Margaret and Bradley's IVs; they learned it was better to have them hooked up to the IVs when they were asleep and couldn't mess with the tubing even though they had bandaged the IV sites so the babies wouldn't mess with them when they were awake. Meryl was about to ask her husband how he was feeling now that they had been awake for a little while and had breakfast; but she was interrupted by a knock at the door and she nodded at Don when he looked at her. "Come in."

"How are 4 of my favorite patients this morning?" Dr. Abbott walked in. "Oh, and Happy New Year."

Don gave their doctor a small smile. "Happy New Year."

"2 of us are milk drunk and passed out." Meryl smiled. "They just hooked their IVs back up. "

Dr. Abbott nodded. "The cocaine levels in their system is going down; I got the results from their labs they took earlier this morning."

"Oh, thank God." Don breathed. "How's Meryl?"

Dr. Abbott nodded. "Labs are looking better; I still want all 4 of you in here until at least the end of the week."

"How's Don?" Meryl asked worriedly. "Besides the babies, he is the one that went through the most."

Don shook his head at his wife. "You have been through absolute hell as well; that fucker tried to get to you again. Our worst nightmare."

"Then my best dream rescued me." Meryl said trying to calm her husband down. "What did his brain scans show? Do you have those results back?"

Dr. Abbott nodded with a smile. "No new swelling."

"But the swelling from the damn accident is still there?" Don asked as Dr. Abbott nodded causing Don to lean his head back against the pillow. "Damn it!"

Meryl looked at Dr. Abbott. "I'm so glad there is no new swelling; but did the original swelling at least go down?"

"It did." Dr. Abbott smiled. "You're getting there, Don."

Meryl brought her husband's hand to her lips. "See, baby? It's getting better."

"What about my other tests?" Don asked as he wrapped his arm around Meryl. "I need to know if I have a disease that I could pass onto my family."

Meryl turned to Don. "Remember what I said last night; no matter what, it's us together in everything."

"Let me get through everything; okay?" Dr. Abbott asked as they nodded. "Don, first of all you have NO STDs."

Don breathed a huge sigh of relief. "No HIV or anything?"

"Nothing." Dr. Abbott said with a smile. "I promise."

Don needed to ask again. "I don't have ANYTHING that I could pass on to my wife or our children?"

"Baby, he said you were clear." Meryl smiled through her tears. "I just knew you would be; I just knew it."

Dr. Abbott smiled. "I promise; other than the drug she gave you and healing from that, you both are clear."

"She didn't give Meryl HIV from the needle?" Don asked worriedly. "I was hoping the needle was clean but I didn't know."

Dr. Abbott shook his head. "You are both clear from any diseases."

"You're clear." Don said looking at his wife; as he felt like he was going to explode in relief. "You're really okay; I was so scared."