The Quest for Epic

Chapter Forty Eight

Five hours.

That's how long Darryl's operation took.

How long we all sat there, breaths bated, blood pressures sky high as we waited to hear the news that would either crush us... or give us a sliver of hope.

We all waited patiently, one person left to be with his kids, it was past midnight after all. The waiting area was quiet, tension thick enough to be cut through with a knife. I glanced at Noah a couple of times, sometimes our eyes met, sometimes they didn't. I wondered what was going through that head of his, why he stayed here putting himself through this hassle and anguish when he didn't have to. He could have brought me here and dropped me off, but no, he remained.

Whenever I wasn't glancing at Noah, I spent my quiet moments withdrawn into myself, praying harder than I ever had before. I had never wanted anything more in my life than for Darryl to survive this, but with each ticking second, the dread in my heart grew.

Was it too late? Was I too late in finding him?

I was glad I did though, no matter how short... Ugh, the pain in my chest seemed to grow infinitesimally. I needed a drink of water, Noah had already brought all of us some tepid coffees from the hospital cafeteria but I was parched. I needed water. I needed something.

I got up abruptly and I couldn't help but notice Noah's eyes followed.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked

No, I was not.

"I just wanted to get some water", my voice sounded tired

He stood up, his eyes searching and I thought he wanted to come with me, but then his eyes focused on something behind me and he said, "Dr. Sullivan is here"

I whirled around just in time to see everyone else shuffle to their feet as Dr. Sullivan approached. The middle-aged doctor stopped in front of us still dressed in his surgical scrubs and wearing his surgical gloves.

I could feel the tension and apprehension in the air triple, Dr. Sullivan must be feeling a whole world of pressure right about now.

He looked at all of us calmly, and for the life of me, I couldn't read the expression on his face. What did he have to say, dammit?

"I have good news. The operation was successful, Darryl is clear and there is no imminent danger to his health at this moment in time", Dr. Sullivan said and collective sighs and cries of relief emanated around the hospital lobby. I grasped Noah's hand tightly and looked up at him, hope practically bursting out of my heart. Noah smiled down at me, a similar expression on his face. He had made it, I could just cry with relief.

"However..." Dr. Sullivan said in a serious tone, which stopped all our rejoicing right in its tracks "He remains in a coma. We as doctors have done the best that we could; now it's left to him to fight to regain consciousness. It could be days... It could be years. It all depends on him. Now, the sooner he wakes up, we will be able to decipher the extent of his injuries and prescribe suitable therapy for him. He may lose some of his memory or have impaired physical functions with that brain trauma, but we just have to wait and see. Visitation is highly recommended, studies have shown that most patients respond well to the presence of a loved one. However he is under strict surveillance right now and we cannot risk contamination, so I'm sorry to say but for the next twenty four hours, he would not be able to receive visits from either family or friends"

There were many acknowledgements of understanding shared within our little group.

"Dr. Sullivan", Sandra came forward, desperation etched in her voice "Please when do I get to see him? I don't have to go in... I just want to see him"