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I’d freaked out briefly earlier in the day, realizing I’d missed bringing the band to the island. The marina couldn’t afford to lose a single penny. But Allen had given me his usual shrug, then assured me one of his guys brought the band over.
“How long has it been?” I asked Bobby, who’d stayed in the waiting room with me. “Shouldn’t he be out by now?”
“Yeah, the nurse came in a few minutes ago and said he would be out soon.” Bobby flipped through a magazine.
“When? How did I not know that?” I rubbed my eyes. “Did I fall asleep?”
“Yup, but you didn’t miss anything.” Bobby looked at me. “You need to get more rest, Jade.”
“I know, I will. Why didn’t you wake me when the nurse came in?” I stood and paced.
“Because she said not to. All she said was he’d be out soon.” Bobby stood and grabbed me by the shoulders to stop my pacing. “You needed some sleep. She was here like fifteen seconds.”
The doctor turned the corner into the waiting room before I could respond.
“Jade, I’m sorry that took longer than expected, but he’s doing good. We did have to give him a few pints of blood and he’s going to have to stay in the hospital for at least a week,” Dr. Johnson explained. “It’s going to be a long recovery, especially if he doesn’t listen. He had two fractures and, of course, the damaged blood vessels.”
“Will there be any loss of use of the leg?” I wrung my hands. “Will there be rehab?”
“We have a way to go before we know about loss of use, but I’m not expecting any. As for rehab, I’d like to keep him in the hospital so we can get to that.”
“That is best. I can’t physically hold him up.” I hugged myself.
“The leg injury is a big medical hurdle, but the bigger one is his alcoholism.” Dr. Johnson rubbed his neck. “He’s going to start into withdrawal within forty-eight hours of his last drink. There’ll most likely be delirium tremens.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that. Is there a way we can get him rehab for the alcoholism while he’s here?” I asked. “If he doesn’t get sober, I’m going to lose him, and we can forget about the leg.”
“I understand, and that’s what I was referring to. If he leaves before physical rehab, then he won’t do it. Plus, I know you’ve been struggling for some time now with him on the drinking.” Dr. Johnson stood closer and put his hand on my shoulder. “Jade, eventually his PTSD will have to be addressed as well, but let’s get past the next few days, then we’ll talk again.”
“Thanks, Dr. Johnson. Can I see him soon?” I swiped at a tear.
“They’ll let you know when he’s going to his room. But Jade, I want to keep him groggy so we can get past the delirium tremens. He has enough confusion as it is.” Dr. Johnson smiled. “I’ll stop in later to check on him.”
“Thank you.” I sat and took a few deep breaths. “Bobby, do you think you can either sit with Admiral or help me find someone to go over to Sandpiper, I mean Cloud Nine, and pick up the band?” I asked. “I’d rather go myself. I don’t have any money to pay someone to help.”
“You go. Do what you have to do. I’ll make sure one of us sits with him.” Bobby hugged me. “Hey, here’s the nurse.”
“Your father is awake in recovery and asking for you.” The OR nurse waved for me to follow her. “Dr. Johnson wants to keep him in recovery a bit longer, but as soon as you see him, you should go up to his room to wait.”
“Hey, Dad, you done showing off in here?” I kissed his forehead. “They gave you a big drink of blood, so maybe you’ll be sweeter now.”
“Why sweeter? Was is female blood? Am I gonna want to wear dresses now?” Dad mumbled.
“Yeah, he’s doing okay if he can make jokes. Dad, you go back to sleep, I’ll be here with you.”
“Lieutenant, did they take my leg?” He tried to open his eyes fully.
“No. Admiral. Both legs are there. One’s just a little messed up for now.” I squeezed his hand and walked away as he fell back asleep.
For three restless hours I paced. I made some phone calls to a few of his buddies, then laid back and dozed off.
“Jade, rise and shine,” Allen called out, “Admiral is here.”
“Dad! Is he alright?” I jumped up. “Hey there, Dad, you doing okay? You need anything?”
“No, honey, you get some more rest. I saw you sleeping over there.” Dad gave me a wobbly smile. “You don’t get much sleep at home, so get some now.”
“Look at you being bossy already,” I teased. “I went home and got you a few dresses.”
