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Graham was gonna be pissed.
The leg would be an even bigger problem. It was a complete fracture that required surgery, which they’d take him away for any minute now. He’d need a cast and wouldn’t be able to put weight on it for several weeks. For the most active man she knew, Claire was certain when he came to and heard the news, he’d be devastated.
Over time he’d lose muscle and to regain function would need physical therapy. In fact, his ability to get back to the active lifestyle he loved was in question. He should be able to walk again, but doing things at the level he had before...it was possible he’d never be there again.
Patient rooms in the trauma ICU only allowed one visitor at a time, so Noah, Mia, and Chris were in the waiting room. Claire had rotated with the others at first, but finally used the excuse that as the only health care professional of the group she wanted to be present as the specialists came through. She knew which questions to ask and better understood the news they passed on.
But really, she just wanted to be with him.
Her gaze traveled down his broken body and she took in a shaky breath. His jaw was a little swollen from the fall and several lacerations marred his cheek, forehead, and right arm. His leg was temporarily immobilized with a splint until surgery.
She worked her way back up and paused when she got to his eyes. They were closed, but a slight furrow of his eyebrows made him look anything but peaceful. Was he hurting even now?
Claire scooted to the edge of the chair and eyed the monitor perched behind the bed. His blood pressure was a little high, as was his heart rate. Despite the medication lulling him to sleep, it seemed his pain wasn’t controlled.
Just as she grabbed the bedside remote with the call button, a woman in scrubs knocked lightly on the door frame.
“Hi, I’m Nat—Claire?”
“Hey, Natalie.”
Natalie, a surgery tech, blinked. She glanced at the ER scrubs Claire was still wearing. “What are you doing in here?”
“This is a friend of mine.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry.”
Claire nodded. “Thanks. Are you taking him?” If he was about to go under anesthesia, more pain meds were a moot point, so she put the remote down.
Natalie nodded. “Yep. Surgery should take a few hours, plus another half hour in recovery.”
“Okay. Who’s doing it?”
“Dr. Mackey.”
“Good.” He was the best. “Take good care of him, okay?”
“We will.”
Claire rose and helped unhook various monitors and after Natalie wheeled Graham out of the room, went to the waiting room.
Three pairs of eyes looked at her when she walked in.
Claire fell into a chair opposite them. “They just took him for surgery.”
“What do they do, exactly?” Noah asked.
“I only have a basic understanding of it, but they’ll put the bones back into place using screws, plates, or rods, depending on the damage.”
“And after it heals he’ll be back to normal?” Chris asked.
“It’s too early to tell. I expect it won’t be the same, but hopefully he’ll regain near normal function.”
Noah blew out a heavy breath and Mia rubbed his back. “Being on this side of things is worse than being the one in the hospital,” she said.
Claire couldn’t compare since she’d never been admitted. She could only relate it to caring for patients in the ER, and this was way worse. At least when she was on shift, she was actively doing things. The helplessness of being a visitor at the bedside was difficult to wrap her mind around. She’d been there for Mia during her chronic illness, but Noah had usually been the one to barge his way in to guard the bedside while Claire took second, making sure everyone had changes of clothes, cell phone chargers, and snacks from the vending machines.
“Did anyone call Graham’s parents?” she asked.
