The Sound of Broken Ribs(34)
“Now for the worst of the damage. It is unfortunate that my colleagues and I could not save your left arm. My sincerest apologies. The fact of the matter was, the impact of the car shattered every bone in your arm causing irreparable damage to the extremity, turning it into—if you’ll pardon the metaphor—a sack of broken glass.”
Lei cringed.
“The collision also caused compound fractures of all seven of what we in the business call ‘true ribs’. Three of these true ribs pierced the skin, and another one pierced your lung. You will have a chest tube for the next two weeks.
“Your left knee was pulverized. One of the ortho doctors on call that night—Dr. Barrington—replaced the knee. No more MRIs for you. You’re now kin to the Bionic Woman.” Peas pulled the chart from under his arm and flipped it open. “Just so I don’t forget anything… Your hip on that side suffered three fractures. That’s why you’re in traction. That’s what this bar over your bed and the weights are for. But do not worry. You will walk again. The road will be painful, but I expect a full recovery from the waist down, and there’s always prosthetics to replace your missing arm, if you’d like. You don’t have to, but most people do. Do you have any questions?”
Lei nodded.
Harry got up and went to the end of the bed. He uncapped the marker and stuck it between her toes. Then he held the board while Lei wrote.
The marker’s tip squeaked across the smooth surface, spelling out: PAN PUMP NOT NUFF.
“Gotcha. I’ll order a higher dose. I see that they overrode the dosage earlier, which is fine. I had that written in for breakthrough pain. Have you been taking the OxyContin, too? Through the tube? Little green pills?”
Lei nodded.
“Are they not helping?”
Lei wasn’t sure how to respond to that with her head, so she wrote: NOT LL TH TIM.
“Sorry,” Peas said. “What does she mean?”
Harry glanced over the board. “Oh. She says, ‘Not all the time’.”
“Gotcha. All right. I’ll up the frequency of that one. Don’t really want to up the dosage yet. These medicines can effect the respiratory system, and one of the most dangerous things to worry about with broken ribs is pneumonia, because it hurts so badly to try to take deep breaths. And, on top of that, narcotics can suppress your breathing. But don’t worry. We’ll get your pain under control.”
“Thank you,” Harry said. He stuck out his hand and Peas shook it.
“All right. If I can do anything else for you, Mrs. Duncan, please let your nurse know. You have a long way to go, but we’ll get you fixed up and back at your computer in record time. I’m a big fan, by the way. I read you and H.R. Chatmon—or should I say Donald Adams—almost exclusively.”
“We know Donald. He’s a good guy.”
“So I’ve heard,” Peas said, beaming. “A true philanthropist. That little man’s heart is twice the size of men… well, of men twice his size.” Peas laughed and slapped Harry lightly on the shoulder. “You two behave yourselves. Have them call me if you need me. I’m going to get these orders written out. Do you need anything for the pain now?”
Lei wasn’t in a tremendous amount of discomfort, but she nodded anyway. Couldn’t hurt to get a head start on the pain.
“I’ll get them on that. Bye now.”
“Thanks again, doc.”
Peas smiled and shut the door behind him.
“I like him. Seems like a nice enough dude.”
U LIK VRYON
“Vryon?” Harry’s brow ceased in puzzlement.
Come on… see what isn’t there…
“Oh! Everyone?”
Lei nodded.
“I’m getting good at this.”—Yeah. You are.
The voice. Was she asleep? She shoved her heel into the bed. Once. Twice. A third time. She didn’t wake up. The only thing that changed was the expression on Harry’s face.
“Are you okay? Never mind. Of course you’re not. You’re hurting. Lemme see if I can get them to rush those meds. Be right back.”
Harry dipped out into the hallway, glanced left and right, then squeezed through the crack and disappeared.
Lei’s eyes caught movement in her peripheral vision.
The cabinet next to the television was open a crack. Four black and tapered fingers like spiders legs grasped the edge of the door. In the darkness of the crack was a single yellow eye.
Soon…
Lei’s bladder loosed a stream of urine into her catheter. Threads of blood ran through the otherwise yellow piss. Had the tube not been inserted, Lei believed she would have wet herself.
*
Belinda was sitting in the living room, watching FOX News report on the most recent mass shooting in America when her brother’s voice boomed from the direction of the bedrooms. “Goddamn it!”
Belinda twisted on the couch cushion and called, “What?”
“I still gotta go into town to get paint!” Tony stalked out of the master bedroom, which was across the hall from where Paul had died. He was tugging on a flannel shirt. “I’m not going to feel like going out after I eat. I’m already tired as shit, and food is just gonna make that worse. Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes. When the microwave timer goes off, take the pot pie out and leave the foil on it until I get back. I won’t be long.”