Fatal Attractions

XLI

"Sir, please stop moving!"

"Page Dr. Arnold!"

"His heart rate is one forty over sixty!"

"Give him one of natolol!"

I rushed inside the room, all of the nurses snapping their heads in my direction as they struggled to hold his flailing limbs down.

"You can't be in here!" One shouted at me.

I ignored her and rushed to his side, grabbing his thrashing hand.

His head jerked towards me and his muscles relaxed a little. Soft moans that he tried to form into words came from behind the tubes inside his mouth.

"Shhh," I said softly, putting a hand on his cheek. "Don't try to talk. It's ok, just calm down." My mind raced as I tried to figure out whether or not this was real. He was alive. He was alive and his heart was beating and he was breathing and I was here trying to calm him down.

He was alive.

Despite everything everyone had told me, he was alive. Against all odds, his heart could beat just fine on its own now and he was trying to speak.

And I was in some deep shit.

My fingers started to turn purple he was holding my hand so hard. With shaking fingers, I brushed back his hair from his face.

He started gagging and the heart monitor went wild.

"Take them out!" I shouted, trying to calm him down, tears gathering in my eyes. "You're hurting him!"

"Ma'am, please step back." One nurse said as she pushed a vial of liquid into his IV.

He stopped flailing a moment later, his grip loosening.

"W-What happened? Why isn't he moving?"

"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to take a step outside for a moment. It's a sedation drug-"

"He just woke up why would you sedate him?!" I shouted, squeezing his hand.

"Please calm down and wait outside." She said sternly.

I let go of his hand reluctantly, not wanting to negotiate with her anymore because she had this crazy look in her eyes.

The doctor rushed in and I stared into the room from my spot in the hall, biting my nails.

I took a sigh of relief as I saw them begin to take the intubation out, and his heart rate didn't drop. The doctor checked his vitals and chart, then said some things to the nurses. Soon, they began unhooking him from the feeding tubes and extra things he didn't need before wheeling him out.

"Where are you taking him?" I asked.

"To CT so we can check his lungs and heart, ok?" The nurse said, annoyed.

The doctor came out after them, smiling, which was a good sign. "Why don't you come sit?"

He led me into the waiting room with the shitty coffee and poured himself a cup, offering me some.

"Is he ok? Will he be able to breath on his own? Why did he wake up?"

He took a deep breath, stirring cream into his coffee. "He should've died two weeks ago, he shouldn't have lived past twelve hours. The stress on his heart and lungs was phenomenal, but," He sighed. "He beat the odds. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but he did. It was a good thing you didn't sign that DNR."

I took a sigh of relief, still nervous although I wasn't sure why.

"So he is going to be ok?"

He took a sip of coffee, then grimaced. "Yes, he should be able to make a full recovery, but we will have to monitor him for the next few days to make sure everything is ok."