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She poured herself a cup of coffee and drank it right away, and then filled a thermos to take with her. It was already one a m. Would Matt be done with the surgery?
Brenda cradled her head in her trembling hands, urging herself to calm down and assess the situation. There was nothing to be done for broken ribs. The fractured arm wouldn’t take long to secure in a splint. The internal hemorrhage could be a major issue.
Oh God, she hoped Matt could suture the punctured organ, stop the hemorrhage, and repair the damage without unexpected complications. Her heart hammering in her chest, she opened her phone and looked at the pictures she’d taken this afternoon. Mia had looked so lovely in her homecoming outfit, so excited and eager to have fun…
Her little girl was only sixteen, with her whole life ahead of her. Hopefully…
Dabbing at the tears rolling down her cheeks with the back of her hand, she called the hospital. Dr. Winston was still in surgery.
Too worried to wait at home on her own, she grabbed her handbag, the thermos of coffee, and locked the door behind her.
Reluctant to meet the other parents, she parked the car but slumped in the seat, leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. Thirty minutes later, she called again.
“Mia Hammer Clark is in Recovery,” the information volunteer said.
She called Matt. “Give me news please.”
“She’s going to be okay. I’ll come and tell you everything.”
“I’m in your car in the parking lot.”
A moment later, she saw him coming through the revolving door, and she stepped out of the car. He pulled her into his arms and held her against him, comforting her with his solid chest and warm body.
“You took a long time. Why?” Her pulse raced as she waited for details.
“Come, let’s sit on the bench.”
She let him drag her to the wooden bench under a tree. They sat, and he kept his arm around her shoulders.
“Her fractured arm and wrist were easy to fix. Unfortunately, the origin of the hemorrhage was more difficult to locate.”
“The spleen? No?”
“I sutured the spleen, and then discovered the problem. One of the three broken ribs had dislocated and punctured the lung. The jagged edge of the broken bone had damaged a blood vessel and embedded itself in the lung, causing a pneumothorax, a collapsed lung. I suspect that the front passenger airbag didn’t open properly. The impact caused the chest trauma.”
“Oh no, no. And now?”
“In most cases, broken ribs usually heal on their own in a month or two. We’ll see that she has adequate pain management. Thankfully, it’s a small pneumothorax, and she should only require oxygen and rest for a full recovery.”
“She’ll get back to normal, right?”
He hesitated for a couple of seconds. “Yes, eventually.”
“There’s something else?”
“Brenda, I haven’t evaluated the extent of her facial injuries, yet.”
Her head swirled with doubts. “What facial injuries?”
“We’ll deal with them later when her general health improves.”
“Matt, for heaven’s sake, what’s wrong with her face?”
He inhaled and exhaled. “Okay… She has a broken nose and a fractured jaw as a result of the force with which the airbag deployed.”
“Isn’t the airbag supposed to protect?”
“Yes, but if it malfunctions, it can cause a lot of damage.”
