Doctor's Orders

60. Surgical Procedures

"I'm better than okay," he said, trying to smile, but he was restricted by the stitches and bandages. Only that small dimple folded in as a sign of his happiness. Ian greeted him as well, just grabbing his right hand for an awkward handshake. "I look pretty bad, huh?" Harry asked him.

Ian shrugged. "I've seen worse." We all laughed quietly, conscious of the fact that we weren't allowed to make too much noise. 

"Thanks for coming," he said, his voice fading. "Oh, wait. Did Ellie tell you?" 

They both looked at me with wide eyes as I raised my ringed finger for them to see. 

"Holy shit!" Bridget gasped. "You brought a fucking ring with you to the ICU?" She asked Harry, making us all laugh, again much louder than we should have. 

"Nice work, man," Ian said with a smile. "Well, we'll leave you two alone since we promised we wouldn't stay long. Ellie, I assume you're staying."

"Hell yes," I replied. "I'll catch a cab home when his parents get here in the morning. I'll be fine." 

"Sure you don't want us to bring you anything from your place?" Bridget asked as she hugged me.

"I have everything I need right here," I smiled. And then they were gone and I was alone with my fiancé.

A reclining chair became my bed after Harry drifted off with me holding his hand. The nurse had brought me a warm blanket and a small pillow. I had pushed the chair close enough to his bed that I could resume holding his hand once I got settled. And there we slept, side by side, awakened hourly for his vitals checks, of course. But I was still more peaceful than I'd been in a long time. 

His parents came shuffling in some time early in the morning. It was his mom's gasp that woke me up. "Oh, sweetie," she said, instantly in tears, rushing to his side.

He forced his good eye open and looked at his shell-shocked parents. "Hi." His voice sounded especially raspy. I got up and pushed the chair back to the corner while his parents doted on him for a few minutes. Anne gradually tore herself away from Harry's side and hugged me. "Oh, you poor thing. You must have been scared out of your wits!"

"Never been so frightened in all my life," I agreed, hugging her back with just as much intensity. 

Des hugged me, too, but said nothing. When he turned back to Harry, he asked, "What happened?" I was so glad there was nothing accusatory in his tone.

"I took a drive," Harry said slowly. "I was just working through some things. I got on I-90 and I lost control of the car on the first turn," he said. "I don't remember anything after that." 

Just hearing that brief description made my stomach turn, thinking about his car flipping with him inside. I wondered how long it took for someone to get to him, for the ambulances arrive. I almost made myself cry at the thought of him, lying in a mangled car, broken and bleeding in the dark.

Des stared hard at Harry. I was nervous for what he might say. "Were you drinking?" 

"Yeah," he mumbled.

I actually expected Des to freak out or yell or something, but he just stood there, not saying anything. I broke the awkward silence, asking Harry's parents, "I'm...going to get some coffee. Can I get you some?" 

"Please," Anne smiled back. 

With three coffees in a drink carrier, I returned to find both Anne and Des sitting down, looking a little more relaxed. Harry's day nurse, Julianna, had popped in to introduce herself. When she was giving his parents a rundown on his injuries, she mentioned a hairline fracture in his femur.

"What?" I gasped. "His nurse didn't tell me that last night." Or had she? I was in quite a state when I'd first arrived. "They didn't do surgery right away?" 

"No, but that's the other thing I came in to tell you. I'm surprised she didn't mention it last night."

"She probably did," I admitted. "I was just a basket case when I got here so I probably didn't hear everything she said."

Julianna nodded in understanding and then continued. "We've been waiting on the surgeon to be able to schedule his surgery, and it's a go for 9:00 AM." She turned to Harry and said, "I'm going to start prepping you for that." Harry nodded.

I was still slightly shocked. A hairline fracture wasn't usually a big deal, unless it was in the femur. Every break is a big deal for the femur, and almost all cases required surgery. I was sure everything would be fine, but now with surgical recovery, he would require more help at home. His hospital stay might be longer, too. He would have to do physical therapy, and the bone would take a long time to heal. 

After Julianna left, I looked at Harry and said, "I didn't know about your leg, baby." 

"I didn't either. I'm sure I was on some heavy doses of medication and they probably told me once they got me situated. I just don't remember everything. It was all kind of a blur."

"Well, before we decide to tell your parents, I should make sure that you remember what you gave me last night," I said.

His face was blank for a few seconds and I panicked, thinking maybe he didn't really remember. But then he said, "Oh, of course!" He began to laugh but then stopped because it hurt. "Of course, I remember." He took my left hand, covering the ring for a moment and kissing my knuckles. Then he spoke proudly. "We're engaged." 

"Ohhh!" Anne cried out in joy. "That's fantastic! Oh, come here and let me hug you," she said, coming around the bed to where I stood. "I'm so happy that you'll be part of our family." 

"Thank you," I said, my heart swelling with happiness. Des congratulated us, too, and soon Harry was wheeled away for his surgery. 

I couldn't decide whether I should wait until Harry emerged from surgery before I went home to get a change of clothes at least, and maybe a shower and some food. Bridget must have telepathically sensed my dilemma because she texted me not five minutes later. Can I bring you anything from your place? How's the doctor? :)

I replied: He's in surgery. Night nurse didn't tell me he had a broken femur. Then: A change of clothes, some deodorant and a toothbrush.

Her reply was quick and to the point: Done!

"Well," Des said. "Maybe we should find some breakfast." We all agreed and went towards the cafeteria. After breakfast and a surprisingly short surgery, the doctor came to tell us that it was a fairly easy fix. He would have a physical therapist come in as early as tomorrow to help Harry get moving again. 

"Can I see him?" I asked, and then, "Can we see him?" Not wanting to exclude his parents.

I didn't often get the chance to see someone just coming out of surgery, so it was a little comical when Harry flopped his head towards us at the mention of his name. He hadn't opened his eye yet, but he was mumbling, trying to ask if the surgery was over. 

"It's all done, sweetie," his mom said, squeezing his hand. After he was transferred back to ICU, his parents decided to head home to get settled since they had just flown back from Phoenix and came straight to the hospital. I was planning to spend another night; luckily CMI allowed me to have a personal day, otherwise, I would have had to leave his side, which I wasn't ready to do yet. 

In fact, I never wanted to leave his side again.

* * * * *

There are only a few chapters left, just to give you a head's up.

Will you all forgive me for ending the story in a few chapters if I tell you I'm thinking about posting another Harry story? It's based on "The Bachelor" with Harry being the bachelor, but his identity is kept top secret until the women arrive at the mansion. And of course, the shit will hit the fan with a bunch of women vying for Harry's love and attention. I want it to be kind of light-hearted, so not as much drama as DO. I started it a few years ago on Wattpad, but then took it down since I lost inspiration for it. But now the inspiration is BACK! 

Let me know if you'd give my Bachelor story a chance! :D