Quiet whispers coming from outside the room woke me. I opened my eyes and realized I was in a hospital room. I could hear the faint beeping of a heart monitor to my left. I looked to my right and saw a man dressed as a police officer sitting next to my bedside. He was slouched in his chair holding my hand; asleep. I had no idea who he was. He had dark brown hair that it could pass as black. His face was rugged and it appeared that he hadn’t shaved in a few days. This man was the true definition of beautiful and yet I had no clue who he was. I glanced towards the door and saw Sherry talking to a doctor. Seeing her made me remember what she had told me. I exhaled sharply. This made the police officer stir. He rubbed his face; scratching his scruff. He looked over and our eyes locked. They were the most incredible brown eyes I had ever seen. He sat up in his chair while his hand folded over his that was holding my hand. “You’re awake.” He scooted forward leaning over the bed. “I wasn’t sure when you were going to wake up. Can I get you anything?” I placed my hand over my throat motioning that I was thirsty. He popped up still holding my right hand with his left. He called out for Sherry and the doctor. “Dr. Byers, Kate is awake! Sherry could you get her some water, please?” Sherry smiled and me and nodded. The solemn expression still plastered all over her face. She did nothing wrong and yet I wanted to hate her. Dr. Byers looked at the officer and asked if he could have a moment alone with me. The officer leaned down to my ear and whispered, “I’ll be right outside if you need me. I’m going to call your mother. Don’t worry, your son is with her.” I gave his hand a squeeze and he walked out of the room. Sherry knocked on the door and handed the doctor a clear plastic cup of water. He thanked her and closed the door. He handed me the cup and I gulped it down. I cleared my throat and looked up at the doctor. “Who’s Officer Handsome?” The doctor chuckled and replied, “That’s officer Derek Hoyt. He was patrolling your neighborhood when he found you in your yard. He performed CPR until the paramedics arrived. Once you were stable; you were transferred to Sherry’s facility. You fell unconscious again after your incident with Sherry so we moved you here. Derek has been by your side since you were brought to us. He saved your life, Kate.” I sat there a moment trying to comprehend what he was saying. “How long have I been here?” “We are coming up on day ten. Your throat may be a bit scratchy. We had to put a breathing tube down your throat for the first three days. After that, you were weaned off and breathing on your own. You brain scans showed that you weren’t in a coma; just in a very deep sleep. We’ve just been waiting for you to wake up.” I nodded. I couldn’t wait any longer, I had to ask him. “Sherry said I was a ‘terminal’ patient. What did she mean?” The doctors face changed to the same look Sherry gave me. “Kate, when you were first brought in. We performed a few tests to determine what would cause you to collapse. Scans proved the worst. Your heart is deteriorating, Kate. We are still trying to determine what is causing the damage. Long story short, you need a transplant. You won’t survive this if you don’t. I want to get you on the list as soon as possible.”
Comments