Reva’s voice was shaky but calm. “They’re repairing some of the damage now—concentrating on the femoral injury. She’s doing well. The nurse said she’d call with another update when she can.”
Jake thanked her, then buried his attention in his phone where he researched orthopedic techniques and recovery times for Capri’s injuries. Like always, there seemed to be conflicting information. One respected medical site said healing time could extend into months, with even more months of rehab.
Capri would not like that. Being laid up and unable to do what she loved would be hard to take. Then there was the fact she couldn’t live on her own without some sort of help, at least in the near interim.
Reva seemed to have come to the same conclusion. “You know, Capri is not going to be able to remain alone at her house. She’ll have to move in with one of us.”
“I’ll move in with her,” Jake stated plainly as he gathered empty Styrofoam cups. “I’ll take care of her.” His tone left no room for discussion.
“I have a feeling she’s going to be in the hospital for a good while,” Lila offered. “I broke my wrist playing soccer in high school. It took forever to heal. Capri’s injuries are much more extensive. That leg break may require traction.”
A noise from down the hall caught their attention.
In all the commotion, they nearly missed seeing a man with graying hair at the temples enter the waiting room wearing blue scrubs. He was followed by two women, one with a clipboard and deep-set eyes that scanned the room, taking inventory of those seated and waiting for information.
He cleared his throat. “Excuse me. I’m Dr. McCord, Capri’s surgeon.”
Their talking immediately ceased. Jake and Reva simultaneously moved for him. “Doctor?” Reva said, her voice revealing how grueling the wait had been for her.
“Let’s everybody take a seat.”
The doctor pulled his surgical cap from his head. “First, Capri is out of danger. At least for now. Femoral breaks like this can be gnarly and cause havoc with the circulatory system. So, it’s always important that these situations be remedied as quickly as possible.”
Relief swept through the group like a wave. Reva covered her face with her hands, shoulders shaking. Charlie Grace hugged Lila tightly. Bodhi let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for hours.
“And the surgery?” Jake ventured.
“This surgery was fairly arduous and will be one of several before we’re through. We’ve placed an intramedullary rod to stabilize the femoral break and did what we could to repair the structural damage to her knees. She had a torn meniscus and damaged ligaments. The ankle repair will happen tomorrow. We don’t like having patients anesthetized for long periods of time when we can help it.” He drew a deep breath. “Capri is young. She’s strong and otherwise healthy. While the road to full recovery will be a challenge and will take time, I have every reason to believe this young lady will get through this and will eventually be walking like normal, barring complications.”
“How much time?” Lila asked, voicing the question running through everyone’s mind.
“That can depend on a number of factors. But likely we’re talking months,” the doctor told them.
Reva reached for Jake. “Can we see her?”
“She’s being moved to recovery now,” the doctor told them. “She’ll be groggy but stable. I’ll have a nurse come get you once she’s settled.”
“Thank you, Doc,” Jake said, his voice gruff with emotion.
The surgeon nodded. “She’s tough. That helped her a lot today.”
In that brief moment, emotion rolled over Jake like ocean waves pounding the shoreline.
He couldn’t help himself. In relief, he flung his arms around the doctor’s broad shoulders. “Thank you for taking care of my girl. You don’t know—” He let his voice fade.
Dr. McCord gently patted his back. “I do know.”
Minutes later, a nurse appeared on the scene and offered to take them to see Capri.
“You coming?” Reva asked, pulling at his arm.
“C’mon,” Lila demanded. “Let’s go see her.”
Jake followed Capri’s friends down a hall and through a large circular area. In the center was a nurses’ station with bleeping monitors mounted on the counter. Beyond were individual areas cordoned off by glass walls. Those with patients were dimly lit. Some were darkened and had empty beds, neatly made up for the next people unfortunate enough to need them.
Finally, they came to a stop.
Beyond the glass, Capri was positioned in a bed. Her leg was suspended midair with a steel bar and chains. The ankle was wrapped with ice packs. Machines with blinking lights stood sentinel on either side of the hospital bed and an IV dripline was attached to one of her hands.
