Almost Me

Chapter 25; Cursed Tubes

Liam

I was startled awake by curtains being flung open, squinting my eyes I look over and see the nurse, Sam, the one that had figured out that Claire was blind. She was a short plump woman with a round kind face. She had tired hazel eyes; her disheveled hair was pulled back in a poor attempt to keep it out of her face. She must have colored it a lighter brown at some point and given up on maintaining the look. From what I could tell of the nurses we had met so far they all worked hard, tirelessly and largely unappreciated. Nurse Sam had stood up to Claire's dad after he exploded at her saying he wanted a second opinion on her condition. He called her an incompetent fool. She sure proved her worth by having him escorted from the building.

"Good Morning Sunshine!" she brought over a coffee for me and patted my head. "Claire has become our Christmas miracle. Our sweet girl." Sam doted on Claire more than any of the other nurses.

"Sam, did you say Christmas? What day is it?"

"Liam," she answers me in an exasperated tone. "It's Christmas day! Now you go and get cleaned up, maybe get her something special." She winks at me knowingly. Claire is stirring in my arms. Despite all the tubes that still remain attached to her we had some how managed to remain tangle free. Her grip was finally loosening as she stretched. Her eyes flew open and she quickly sat up. She must have finally noticed the tubes; she starts yanking on them frantically. As I attempted to reposition myself to help calm her down she had managed to grab the oxygen tubing and flung it across the room I grabbed her wrist closest to me that had a little IV in it but nothing running in at the moment, while Sam reached for the central line in her chest. But that wasn't what Claire's focus is on at this moment; her upper body distracted us until her knee made contact with Sam's shoulder. She stumbled back from the shock and I quickly reached over Claire to try and secure her other wrist as she continues to buck and kick. She was trying desperately to reach between her legs. I was at a loss. I looked up at Sam in time to see the dawning look on her face. Sam turned to a supply cart and pulled out what looked like a syringe.

"Please don't sedate her I can calm her!" I yelled louder then I meant to at Sam.

"Claire baby it's OK, you're safe, it's me, its Liam I am here."

"Liam I am not going to sedate her but your going to have to keep her upper body still it's the Foley that's freaking her out."

"The what?"

"It's the tube running into her bladder!" It dawns on me that she has a tube there to drain her urine while she was in a coma, I remember there being some concern about the color and how much was coming out at one point. I could see why this tube distressed her considering its location and the trauma she has survived.

"Why hadn't she noticed it before?" Sam shrugged her shoulders while she went to work trying to get to the tube without getting kicked. "It might have been pulled at some point in the night or maybe she is more awake and aware enough now to notice today." I try in vain to help Sam but there was only so much I could do, restraining her was making it worse, it was probably bringing her horrible flashbacks. This was torturing her and I was apart of it. I look at Sam with pleading eyes. She reaches over and hits the button on the wall and calls out, "We need some help in here!"

A rush of people came into the room including a male nurse but that was the least of my concerns since the Le Valle's and some other person behind them were attempting to enter. Mr. Le Valle was yelling demands into the room. I didn't even have to look at Sam. She turned on her heel and yelled at the male nurse.

"Greg I need you to leave and take them with YOU!"

"What?" he sounded offended and ready to argue with Sam but thought better of it and resorted to glaring at her.