AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Morla would want you to grab every chance at life you get.”
“I could die on that operating table,” she responded tersely. “This is me taking that chance.” She looked at the doctor, “what are my other options doctor?”
“Well,” she leafed through Gia’s chart. We could wait to see if the swelling will go down over the next couple of days. If it does, you can leave, but there’s a high likelihood that it will happen again in the near future. You might not be as lucky the next time.”
“Gia, listen to me…” but she wasn’t looking at me, she was looking at the doctor. “What if the swelling doesn’t go down?” I asked.
“If it doesn’t go down, Gia you’ll experience excruciating headaches, possibly even difficulty understand speech. It’s pressing on an area we call, the Wernicke area. You would hear and say words, but nothing would make sense to you or whomever you’re communicating with. If the swelling grows, it could even put you into a coma that you’ll likely never come out of.”
“We wait,” Gia crossed her arms over her chest.
“Are you insane?!” my voice erupted before I could control it. “Didn’t you hear what she just said? You could die!”
“I don’t know why you think you know me from somewhere or why you care so much. I could die today, out there on the road going back to your house. They are going to cut open my brain, Julian. Anything can go wrong. It could be a monster tumor that erupts during surgery killing me anyways.” She looked at the doctor, “how lon-“
“My god Gia,” I interrupted. “We know-“
“Shut up,” she growled.
“Is there something else?” Dr. Wilson asked.
“No. Julian’s just being overprotective. How long before it gets really bad…if it does that is.”
“That’s hard to say, Gia. Bodies can respond in mysterious ways. It really depends on the swelling. I would really like to get in there and see what’s causing all of this ruckus if you’ll let me.”
“Thanks doctor,” her eyes moved to the doctor’s name tag. “Thanks Dr. Wilson. Just give me some paid meds and I’ll be on my merry way.”
“No, no…” I yelled. “No. You are doing that operation!”
“I don’t want to argue with you Julian.”
“You don’t have to. Just listen to me. You’re getting that thing removed!”
“No!” She fired back. “Stop acting like you know me, or like you matter in this situation Julian! Damn! Just let it fucking be!”
The room went silent. I shifted from one foot to the other, and the doctor excused herself.
“Right”, I paused thoughtfully for a moment. It was not like she remembered me or anything. I had to keep paying for my sins. “I don’t matter.”
I turned and walked out of the ICU back to the waiting area so she could work through the discharge process and I would not have another slip of the tongue.
***
We drove back home in silence with her looking out the window to her right while I was looking at the road straight ahead. I told Orson to sit with her in back while I sat with Drummer up front.
Once we got home, I stepped out of the car and went straight to my office. I was upset at myself because all of this would not have happened in the first place if I protected her and Jules. I grabbed a bottle from the bar cart and poured it into a glass cup. I raised it to my lips but could not bring myself to drink it because I was infuriated.
I clenched my teeth and threw it across the room. It shattered against the wall. I picked the entire bottle and threw it too. I looked around for something else to throw but there was not anything else to break, the only thing left was my heart.
There was a light knock on the door, but I did not want to see anyone, not even her.
“Go away!”
I stood at the window and stared into the distance.
Hours passed as I buried my feelings in my work. Suddenly, I heard Orson talking to someone, a woman.
I walked out of my office towards the noise and was met with her fiery eyes. Those eyes then fell to the bruises on my knuckles then back to my face.
