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"Thank you, detective. I appreciate you updating me. I do have your card. Is this your cell on the back here?"
"Yes, it is. Call me anytime." He shakes my hand. "I'll be in touch."
I nod and thank him again. I look over at Mr. Melvin, who looks ready to punch something.
"They will get whoever did this," I tell him. We each take one of Erica's hands, both saying silent prayers of the heart.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Erica
"Weneedadoctorin here!" we yell in unison.
Erica's and fetal monitors go off like crazy with different bells and sounds. Two nurses and a doctor come running into the room. They yell at us to get out.
"You need to leave right now." They pull the bed forward, put a stethoscope to her abdomen, and yell things like, "Push epi, blood pressure dropping, the pulse is thready."
We stand outside the room, wondering which phrase belongs to whom and praying for a miracle.
A few minutes later, everything is silent, and the nurses leave. We peek in, and Erica's eyes are open, and the doctor is smiling.
"Come on in," he says.
We look at each other, then at Erica. Her eyes are closed again, and the panic comes back.
"What happened, doctor?" We ask at the same time.
"Well, Erica was starting to breathe on her own, and when she started coming into consciousness, her body was reacting to the tube in her throat. She was trying to come around but was choking. This was causing the baby stress. This is a normal response to the tube when a patient can breathe independently. We have taken it out. Since then, vitals have returned to normal, and now, instead of being unconscious, Erica is just sleeping. She will be in and out of sleep, which is also completely normal until her body starts to regulate itself. We also will know more about the injuries to her torso and extremities as she begins to move her muscles.
I nearly collapse with relief. "So, Erica's going to be okay, then?" I'm almost afraid to ask.
"She is alive. The extent of the damage done to her brain won't be known until she wakes up, and we can assess her." The doctor jots down a few notes and walks out of the room. Mr. Melvin stops him.
"Thank you for taking good care of my daughter." He wipes his eyes with his sleeve. The doctor nods and leaves.
We smile through our tears and hug each other. "Erica's going to be all right. Doesn't matter what she has to face going forward. She is alive."
I nod at Mr. Melvin and whisper to myself,thank God.
Afraid to leave the room, we watch her sleep in case she wakes up. She looks peaceful. Now and then, I put my hand under her nose just for my peace of mind. It's silly, but machines have been known to break down, and I'm not putting my faith in faulty wiring.
Finally, Erica opens her eyes again. She blinks several times and looks from one side of the bed to the other. As she fully awakens, I see panic in her eyes.
"The baby, what happened to my baby?" She can't put her hand on her abdomen because both arms are cast.
I put my hand on the tiny bump and whisper, "The baby is okay."
She smiles at me with droopy eyes and falls back to sleep. We have nearly the same conversation each time she wakes up. I worry that something might be wrong with her brain, affecting her memory. I call for the doctor, who comes in later and explains that what is happening is normal.
"She suffered severe head trauma, with swelling in the brain. Though the surgeon relieved that pressure, we expect to see some minor memory problems as she begins the waking-up process. We hope that's all isolated there and that it will correct itself the longer she stays awake, but like I said earlier, we won't know the full extent of it until she is fully awake."
"Thanks, doctor." I feel a little better knowing it's normal.
"How about some food, Mr. Melvin? I'm going down to the cafeteria to stretch my legs."
"A sandwich and soda would be great. Thank you, Aaron."
I bring back turkey sandwiches, a Coke for him, and a Dr. Pepper for me. We have been living on coffee. Neither one of us knew how hungry we were. We devour our sandwiches like starving street urchins. It could have been a pretty sight. In the middle of laughing about how hungry we are, we hear a tiny voice. We both turn our heads to Erica, who is giving us a half smile.
