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“Tomorrow afternoon at three o’clock. He doesn’t know yet. Jeremiah doesn’t know. I didn’t tell him yet.”
“I’m sure he’ll be grateful. They both will be.”
I wasn’t sure about that.
“I really want to see him, Mum. When can I get in to see him?”
She checked her watch. “It’s almost seven.”
The double doors opened and I was surprised to see who walked in. Rowan and Zoe. They stopped when they saw me, their eyes going to Mum.
“Is he...?” Rowan asked.
“We haven’t been allowed in yet,” Mum answered. “All we know is that he’s stable.” She gave my knee a shake. “And that he’s in good hands.”
I must have looked like a wreck because Rowan walked over to me, pulled me to my feet, and hugged me. Strong and warm, he patted my back. Then Zoe gave me a quick hug too.
It just made me all teary again.
“Ellis called us,” she said, her eyes full of concern.
I nodded just as a doctor came out. I hadn’t seen him before. “Mr Larson?”
I turned, my stomach in knots, my heart banging to the point of pain. “Yes.”
He smiled, taking in all the expectant faces staring at him. “Am I talking to everyone, or...?”
“Yes, please.” I doubted I’d hear or understand any of it.
He gave a nod as though he assumed as much. “Last night, his ECG revealed an irregular wide complex tachycardia with a variable—”
“In English, doc,” I said. “Please.”
He smiled again. “Last night, his heartbeat became so fast and irregular it caused him to lose consciousness. A delayed electrical shock reaction, more than likely. He was treated with defibrillation.”
Oh my fucking god.
“You had to shock him back to life?”
I suddenly felt faint. Or like vomiting.
My mum tightened her hold on me.
The doctor gave a nod. “He was lucky the doctor was with him when it happened. His heart rate is now back in the normal range, though he’s weak and we can expect him to be tired and lethargic for some time.”
“But he’ll be okay,” I tried again.
“His heart has sustained some muscle damage,” he said. “His recovery will be slow, and I’m hesitant to say he’ll make a full recovery, because the truth is the full extent of lightning injuries aren’t often known for weeks or, in some cases, years.”
“What do you mean muscle damage?” I asked. “The whole heart is muscle, so what does that even mean?”
“The MRI also showed signs of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. More than likely brought on by the tachycardia and the defibrillation. That’s not unheard of.”
Tako... cardiomyopathy.
I’d heard of the cardio part, but I didn’t know what it meant.
“Is that... takesumo-something. What is that?”
