Two days ago

 

It was already evening and Jamie was not yet home. Elisa was alone doing the laundry when she heard the distant ringing of the telephone. She walked to the living room to answer the device.

 

"Hello this is Holy Queen Children's Medical Center. Is this Mrs. Elisa Carlton?" A woman at the other end spoke.

 

"Yes, this is her.”

 

"You are listed as the emergency contact person for Jamie Carlton. Your son - "

A feeling of dread washed over Elisa as the hospital staff’s voice faded in the background. Everything in the room spun around her. She lost her balance and fell to the floor. It took a few moments for to get her bearings. With unsteady knees, she stood up. Immediately she took her purse and snatched her keys. She kept on praying as she quickly drove to the hospital. Her mind denied the truth.

 

Jamie only had a small cut and they were just patching it up. Why did the hospital staff sound so grave? Her son was fine! She was going to bring Jamie back home from the hospital.   

 

She made a beeline to the emergency room. On the third bed had a glimpse of her son surrounded by many people dressed in scrubs.  Everyone was busy saving Jamie while she stood there watching, unable to do anything.

 

See, they were wrong. Her son was alive. How could hospital lie to her about this matter? The person who called her should be reprimanded.

 

An intern with a chart in her hand approached her.

 

“How could you lie to me and tell me my son was dead?” Elisa could not hold her anger. They had put her in grave distress with their call.

 

The intern had a complicated look in her face. In a calm and patient voice, she explained what happened.

 

Elisa trembled and sobbed when she heard the truth.

 

“I’m sorry.” The intern spoke softly and placed a comforting hand over Elisa’s shoulders. She asked Elisa a few questions when she was calm enough.

 

Somehow the admission procedure kept Elisa from another breakdown. She had to be strong for her son. She followed after the nurses who transferred her son to the ICU. He was placed under close observation. When she felt she was calm enough she called her husband, Rick, but the man did not pick up. She tried and tried again, but at the twentieth missed call she gave up.

 

Distraught and disappointed she turned to the only person she could count on. She called her younger brother, Jared, who picked up on the second ring.  She asked him to come to the hospital.

 

An hour later Jared arrived. He inquired at the admission officer on the counter, and was told that the patient was in the pediatric ICU. He went there quickly and made a beeline for the nurses' counter.

 

A female nurse was kind enough to accompany him to the pediatric ICU. The nurse asked him to wait outside the door. She came out later with Elena. He smiled and thanked the nurse who excused herself.

 

Elisa did not look too well. Her face was botch with tears and she was wearing only a thin sweater. It was not suitable for the winter. Jared quickly took off his coat and placed it over his older sister’s frail shoulders.

 

Elisa thanked him. She rubbed her swollen eyes.

 

"What happened?" Jared asked. He was filled with worry for his nephew.

 

Elisa recounted what had been told to her.

 

Jared pulled his older sister for a hug. He had never seen her cry before. Looking at her now made his heart ache. Elisa was a strong woman. She took care of him when their parents could not. She practically raised him by herself. It has always been them two against the world when he was young.

 

Elisa pulled away and asked, "Do you want to go inside and see him?"

 

Jared nodded.

 

He disinfected his hands with soap and water before putting the PPE for visitors. After he was all set, he entered Jamie's room. He pulled a chair and positioned it where both he and Elisa could see Jamie.

 

He took a deep breath and with a moment of hesitation he leaned forward. He was afraid any movement might hurt his nephew. Thus, he only placed his hand over Jamie’s pale hand that was hooked to the IV. His nephew hated needles. He would be horrified when he wakes up seeing this.

 

Jamie's hands felt cold against his own when he covered it with his warm ones. Gently he squeezed the boy's palm and ran his thumb at the back of his hand. For a while he did that but stopped when he felt the boy's finger twitch.

 

He was surprised.

 

A few seconds later Jamie's fingers moved again. He looked at Jamie's face then turned around to look at Elisa who was looking at them through the glass window.

 

He turned his attention back to his nephew when he heard a strange sound.

 

An alarm went off from one of the machines. Worried, he pressed the emergency button.

 

Elisa seemed to have sensed something since she tapped on the window to call his attention.

 

He looked at her worried face before turning his attention back to Jamie.

 

In less than a minute people in scrub suits rushed into the room.

 

Jared was ushered out of the room by one of the nurses.

 

"Sir, would you mind stepping outside while we work."

 

Jared moved out of the room and hurried to the glass window. He did not care that he had to disinfect his hands first or that he had to remove the visitor's scrubs. He only cared about watching what was happening inside the room.

 

"What are they doing to him?" Elisa asked as soon as she saw him approach.

 

His attention was focused inside the room. "I don't know."

 

He spoke no more as he intently watched the doctor and nurses work. They were blocking his view of his nephew but occasionally he could see Jamie's face.

 

After a few minutes the siblings saw the doctor place a nasal cannula on Jamie's nose. The nurse moved away as they watched Jamie's chest move up and down. He was breathing on his own now. Behind the clear glass wall, the doctor gave them a thumbs up.

 

The siblings both breathed in relief. They remained where they stood as they watched further. Somebody approached them a few moments later.

 

"Hi, I'm Dr. Seville," the man in a scrub suit said. He pulled down his mask and explained the situation.

 

"Jamie is now breathing on his own. Though we removed the ventilator we placed a nasal cannula as a precaution. We left the endotracheal tube to suction any remaining fluid. We need to make sure that all fluid has been removed from his lungs before we can remove it. He would regain consciousness soon. If all goes well and his breathing remains good, he could be transferred to a private room after one day."

 

Elisa thanked the doctor. Her trembling hands were clasped together as she prayed.