Hold My Hand (Sequel to Saved: Adopted by Brendon Urie)

Chapter 9

"Welcome home, Abby," Brendon smiled as the plane touched down at the private airport just near LAX. Abby was strapped to a stretcher on the private plane that had flown them from Chicago to L.A.  They had a nurse with them to help Abby stay comfortable.

Abby looked out the window. She was happy to be back in L.A., but not happy that she was being taken immediately to another hospital. She just wanted to go home. She wanted her dogs. She wanted her bed. She wanted to be her old self. She did not smile that they were back in California.

Once they pulled up to the terminal, Abby was offloaded and taken to a waiting patient transport ambulance waiting to take her to the hospital. She sighed.

Brendon climbed in beside her and the EMT who was riding in the back with Abby and Brendon.

"Hey. My name's Brian. Your chauffeur is Tristine," Brian introduced himself.

"Hi," Abby said quietly. Brian smiled at her.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. Abby stared at the ceiling of the ambulance. She couldn't see out the window and the windows in the doors just showed where they'd already been.

Half an hour later they pulled up to the hospital and Abby was taken out of the ambulance. She didn't say a word as the stretcher was pulled through the hallways. The paramedic checked in with an admissions person who had Abby's info and came out to affix a bracelet to her wrist.

"I just need your wrist hon," the lady said to Abby.

"It's right there on the blanket," Abby said.

"She isn't able to move her arms," Brendon said, frowning. Didn't they have her diagnosis in their file?

The admin person smiled, lifted Abby's hand and affixed the bracelet to her wrist.

"And one for Dad," she said. "Part of our safety protocol."  Brendon gave her his wrist.

Once that was done, the paramedics were given directions and Abby was brought to her new room. The paramedics helped move Abby into her bed and the nurses helped her get settled.  Brendon was right there beside her, helping her and covering her with the blanket Nicole, Dan and Mike had given her. 

The paramedics left, the nurses went to check the file and the  notes that had travelled from Chicago with them, and Brendon and Abby were left alone in her hospital room. 

"Not a bad view, considering," Brendon said. 

Abby didn't respond. Brendon looked over at her and saw she didn't look terribly happy. 

"What's going on, baby girl?" He asked, sitting on the bed and picking up Abby's hand. 

"I'd rather be home in my own bed," she fumed. 

"Soon," Brendon smiled. 

Abby blew out a frustrated sounding breath. 

"Look, Abs, I know this isn't where you'd like to be. It's not where I'd like to be either. But it is where we are, and we'll get through this as well."

"But what if I never walk again?" Abby said.

"Then I'll get you the coolest wheelchair known to man. But, Abby, I know you're worried about that. But you still have a lot of swelling in your spinal canal. We don't know for sure what the outcome will be. Let's take it in stride. Small goals, remember? We got out of the ICU, and we got out of Chicago, even if we're still in a hospital. You're doing great. Better than I think you're allowing yourself to believe you are. Sweetheart, nothing will change how much I love you.

Abby smirked a little. 

"Hello there," a voice said, coming into Abby's room. "I'm Dr. Pendleton. I'm a neurologist and I am going to be checking out your back, running a few tests, and seeing where we're at.  From what I've been told, we have some movement in the left hand? But we still aren't able to move arms or legs?"

Brendon looked at Abby and then at the doctor. 

"That's pretty much it. She's been able to move her thumb and her index finger on her own, but that's the extent of it," he said. 

"Okay. I see the last MRI showed that the swelling, while still significant, is coming down.  The good news is that if we're seeing intentional movement, that's a good sign that the spinal cord is still intact. Signals are getting through.  I'm going to schedule an MRI and a CT scan for tomorrow. Give you guys tonight to get settled. Once I have those images and reports, I'll have a good idea of what we might need to, or be able to do. I'm going to get physio to come assess you tomorrow as well.  You're going to be one busy and popular young lady for the next couple of days."

"Will the images be able to give you a better idea of whether the damage is permanent or not?" Brendon asked.  He knew Abby would want to know.

"I honestly can't answer that until I've seen the images. But I'm pretty optimistic. Abby's getting feeling and movement back in her arm, I think we might be looking at, at the very most, a parapalegia, which would be paralysis that affects the legs."

Abby looked shocked. The doctor noticed. 

"Abby, I'm not saying you will be paralyzed. I'm saying from what information I have now, that might be the worst case."

That didn't make Abby feel much better.

"Alright. So, I'm going to leave you to get settled. I'll see you tomorrow after your tests. I don't know if I'll have any results, but I'll do an exam, check you out, and then we'll start talking about a treatment plan. I'll look through what Chicago sent over, and go, partly, from there."

Brendon thanked the doctor, who squeezed Abby's hand. She didn't squeeze back. 

Once the doctor was gone, Brendon continued his upbeat monologue.  Abby just looked out the window, wishing she was anywhere but in the hospital. 

"Abby," Brendon said, his mouth hung open. 

"What?" she asked, tersely. 

"Abby, your hand. Your left hand. Look at your hand!"

Abby looked down at her left hand. She'd made a fist.  Her hand was curled into a fist.