It was 3 am and Becky had left about an hour ago. Tobin and Kelley we're asleep on the couch and Christen fell asleep in the chair next to Mal when a loud beeping woke them all up.
It seemed like it all happened in a flash. Just as they opened their eyes to the sounds of Mal's alarms going off, nurses started flooding the room. Christen ran to the couch area to give the nurses as much space as possible. One of the nurses explained to the three women that Mal needed to be taken back into surgery because the internal bleeding had worsened.
The next few hours felt like an eternity until the doctor walked back in at 6 am with the nurses wheeling Mal in behind him. Christen immediately went over to Mal's side.
"We were able to stop the bleeding but unfortunately we did have to take out her appendix. The bleeding on it had worsened over the course of the night. However, we got it all situated during the surgery and she should be awake in the next few hours" the doctor explained.
"How long is she going to have to be in the hospital?" Christen asked.
"We're guessing about 5-7 if all goes according to plan. In about 4 days we're going to start gently moving around her legs. In order to be discharged we need her to be able to get into a standing position without bending her hip too much. However, she isn't going to be allowed to put any weight on her right leg for about 2 weeks and that's when her rehab will start. Until then, you guys will be given a list of easy stretches she has to do daily. Before she leaves she will also be fitted for a brace to prevent her from bending at the hip too much" the surgeon said before he left.
