Evans Creek Book 2: In Good Hands

Chapter 28

"Do not misunderstand me, Miss Jones." The doctor gave her a fatherly sort of look. "I talked to the paramedic that brought you in. It's nothing short of a miracle that you do not have anything punctured, ruptured or broken. In fact, you're lucky to be alive at all. Your guardian angel must have been close." He winked.

"But let me explain this in a way that will help you both to put this into perspective. The car was traveling over 55 miles per hour when it hit the tree and stopped suddenly. Miss Jones kept traveling at 55 miles per hour until she hit the seatbelt and stopped suddenly."

Suzie glanced at Rowdy.

He seemed to follow what the doctor was saying alright, but she felt like she was in seventh grade math class trying to figure out one of those ridiculously stupid word problems. It made her head hurt but she needed to pay attention to this...

"...You saw what happened to the metal of the car when it hit the tree?"

Suzie shook her head slowly and swallowed as she caught Rowdy's face. He went suddenly pale, and then turned a little bit green.

"Yes, they...they had to cut her out of the car because it was smashed up...it was hard to even get to her at all..."

Suzie watched as Rowdy crossed his arms and shifted his weight. He was extremely uncomfortable and she was suddenly really glad that she had no real memories of the accident. That it was indeed an awful mess, she knew with a certainty that settled in her stomach like a lead weight. Suzie hoped those particular memories would never come back.

"Well, that same force that wrapped a metal car around a tree was behind the injuries that the seatbelt caused. The bruising is bone-deep."

Rowdy winced.

"Miss Jones was lucky. Without the seatbelt to stop her...well, in that case, I have no doubts that her injuries would have been fatal. Thankfully, Miss Jones was properly secured in her safety belt, so the force of the blow was more equally distributed. The synthetic material of the seatbelt is designed to have some give.

"I have no doubts that those two points are the reasons that she did not suffer more serious internal injuries." Doc paused and gave her another of those fatherly looks. "Never let anyone tell you that a seatbelt cannot save lives, Miss Jones. You are living proof. You are a very lucky young woman."

"But it...that is..." Rowdy swallowed and started again; worry etched in his face. "When I first saw the mark on her shoulder, I thought she was wearing some sort of monitor or strap or something. I've never seen a bruise so dark that it actually looks black." Rowdy paused and Suz felt her eyes moisten at the gentle look he gave her before he turned and said: "Doc, I'm more than a little concerned."

"In her case, as I have already assured you both, there was no hemorrhaging and nothing ruptured. But that doesn't mean there wasn't tissue damage. Her muscles and tissues, including her stomach and intestines, are severely bruised and slightly enlarged. Bruises, especially the more severe bruises, tend to swell and become very tender."

Rowdy nodded his understanding. He played football in high school and was no stranger to bruises.

"Miss Jones's bruises go through all the soft tissue and even to the bone." Doc paused a moment to let that sink in before continuing. "That is the answer to your question: Why can she not eat. Technically, she can eat. Anything she wishes, in fact. However, ..."

"The food hurts her." Rowdy frowned. "It sounds weird to say the words... So, what can we do about it? She has a baby at home. She needs to eat to get well again so she can take care of him."