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

Chapter 8

"Come on, Abby. Try. Try again," Brendon encouraged her.

"I can't!" she wailed.

Abby had been moved out of the ICU over a week prior onto a regular post-surgical medical floor. She was getting physiotherapy every day, moving her arms and legs and using weights to try and counterbalance. She still didn't seem able to move anything below her upper chest. She could breathe on her own, which the doctors said was the most important thing right now.

MRIs and CT scans showed the swelling along her spine was slowly coming down and just today, Abby said she thought she could move her thumb. Brendon was trying to encourage her to try moving it again. But so far, she hadn't managed it and was getting discouraged and frustrated.

Of small relief, the cervical collar came off about three days after her surgery and she could move her head more. And the nurses let Brendon raise the head of her bed, so she wasn't staring at the ceiling anymore. But she still wasn't moving. A few times, Brendon had thought she was, but it turned out to be a muscle spasm.

She was still in a fair amount of pain from time to time, and the doctors were encouraged that she had pain signals still making their way through but concerned that she wasn't feeling her arms and legs still. They'd tested using a pin and Abby didn't feel when they poked her toes, calves, arms or legs. At one point, they poked her shoulder, and she felt that.

"Just concentrate. Think about your thumb and move it," Brendon smiled at his daughter.

"I can't! I was wrong! It won't move."

"Abby," Kala said. "Look at your hand."

Abby looked down at her left hand, the thumb she was trying to lift off the bed was off the bed.

"Abby!" Brendon cried out happily. "Abby! You moved your thumb!"

Abby broke down into tears. Brendon grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"You're gonna do it, baby. You're gonna get better!" he said.

Because Abby was no longer in life-threatening condition, the hospital and Brendon were making plans to bring her back home to L.A. She needed to be home. She needed to be where her friends were. Hopefully, they'd be able to take her home in the next few days. She'd be admitted to the hospital in L.A. where she'd continue her recovery. But Brendon and Abby were both eager to get out of Chicago and get home.

Patrick had been visiting almost every day, when he'd been able to, and Andy Hurley, who lived in Milwaukee also drove down a few times and stayed over at Patrick's to visit Abby, since it wasn't that far to Chicago.

But everyone had either gone home or had other projects to get on with. Patrick still visited because he lived in Chicago. And he was planning on being in L.A. next month, and promised he'd visit when Abby was back in L.A.

Brendon looked at his daughter and smiled.

"So, how should we celebrate this milestone?" Brendon asked. "Should we order dinner? I'm sure it can't possibly be worse than the hospital food."

Abby smirked.

"How about I order us pizza, and we watch a movie?" he asked.

"Okay," Abby said.

When the pizza arrived Brendon helped Abby eat her slice. They were interrupted by a jovial voice.

"Aw. You got pizza?"  It was Andre, Abby's night nurse. He was Abby's favourite. The other nurses were nice and Abby liked them, too, but at night, when Abby sometimes couldn't sleep because she was in pain or just wasn't tired, Andre and Brendon both helped her and kept her entertained.

"You want a slice?" Abby asked. "It's pepperoni and mushroom."

"OMG I would love one!" He smiled. Brendon offered the box to him. Andre took a slice and then sat in the extra chair by Abby's bed.

"So," he said, scrutinizing Abby.  "I hear there was some excitement this afternoon."

"Not that exciting. I moved my thumb," Abby smirked.

"Your thumb!?  Amazing!  But I'd have been more impressed if you'd moved your pinkie. But what do I know."

"Gee, thanks for the encouragement, Andre," Abby joked back. "And I shared my pizza with you."

Abby pretended to be hurt and turned her head away from Andre.  Brendon smiled as the two joked. Keeping Abby in good spirits was hard.

The trio finished eating their pizza, Brendon or Andre helping Abby and wiping stray pizza sauce off her face. They laughed and joked and for a little bit, Abby felt normal.

As soon as Andre left, Brendon climbed up into Abby's bed, wrapped his arms around his daughter and turned on the TV. They found something to watch and Brendon relaxed while he and Abby watched the movie they'd found and agreed on.

Part way through the movie, Brendon noticed Abby had fallen asleep. He quietly got off her bed and left her room. He didn't go far. Just outside. He needed a minute to himself. He was happy Abby seemed to be getting some movement back, at least in her left hand, but he was so worried for her, and he internalized a lot of things. He still felt so guilty for Abby getting hit by that car.

The driver had settled with Brendon's lawyers. He'd been speeding, doing 35 in a 20 mph area, right near a park where children could run out. Plus he hadn't stayed until the police arrived. Someone had gotten the license plate and that was how Brendon's lawyers and the police were able to find him.

The mother of the family that Abby had been sort of trailing had come to visit a few days after the accident, too. She had held Abby's hand while they waited for the ambulance to come. She'd comforted this small girl who she had been sure was not going to make it. She'd been thrilled to find out that Abby had survived the accident and wanted to check in on her, to see her not covered in blood and struggling to breathe.

Brendon had thanked her profusely for sitting with Abby while she lay injured in the road. He'd made a significant donation in the family's name to the United Spinal Association, which provides support to people with spinal cord injuries and disorders. He'd also had a ton of swag sent to their house and collected their information. To ensure that the next time he came to Chicago on tour, if ever, he'd comp them VIP tickets and passes. They were all appreciative and Brendon still felt like it wasn't enough.

"You doing alright, Brendon?" Andre asked as he passed by Abby's room on his way to check on another patient.

Brendon rubbed his face and looked at Andre.

"I don't know," he said, tears coming to his eyes. "I feel so guilty that Abby's here. And I can't make it better. What if she is paralyzed? What are we gonna do?"

Andre looked at Brendon and made him look him in the eyes.

"Brendon, what happened was an accident. You didn't send her out to get hit by a car. She didn't run intending to get hit by a car. If she has some paralysis, I have no doubt you'll support and care for her to the best of your ability. I watch you with her. You're devoted and patient and caring. She's responding to that. Just remember, it's okay for Abby to know if you're scared or worried. She is, too.

Brendon nodded and thanked the nurse. He went back into Abby's room, checked she was asleep, kissed her forehead and crawled into his makeshift bed where he fell into a dreamless sleep.