apotheosis : the climax of something's development or deification
Georgia fiddled with the blanket over her as she waited for Dr. Rodriguez and her team to come and brief her before they went to surgery. Antonio had been with her the whole time sitting on the edge of the bed, keeping her calm. They had come to get checked in last night so they could begin preparing her for the surgery, and it was now one in the afternoon the next day, and they were scheduled to start surgery at two. The surgery was six hours long, but hopefully, it would be worth it. Flowers had already started to line the room from her teammates, colleagues, and family, and it was comforting.
"Good afternoon, Georgia." Dr. Rodriguez greeted as she walked into the room. Her surgical team was waiting for the signal to take her up to surgery outside the room.
"Hey." She responded nervously. She had never been so nervous in her life.
"Ready for this?" She asked in response. Georgia gave a firm nod. "Well, I'll walk you through the surgery, okay?" She informed as she sat on the other side of the bed from where Antonio was sitting. "So, we're going to go in where I took out your spleen last year. What this clinical trial consists of is a soft tissue sack, I guess you can call it, that will work in place of your spleen. We're going to surgically insert it and replenish the arteries and veins that originally were attached to your spleen. The soft tissue that we're using has been modified and perfected to work the same as your spleen did, but, of course since it is not your actual spleen, we have to keep you under observation and it's why you can be out of the game for at least six months." Dr. Rodriguez explained, and she had a whiteboard with her so she could draw it out. She continued onward, and Georgia was fascinated by the clinical trial work they were doing. Even if it did not work, she would be honored to have this opportunity to be a part of the trial. "Do you have any questions?" She finally asked when she was done.
"I know you said I wouldn't be able to play soccer for at least six months, but what about my job at the firehouse?" She asked with eager eyes.
"Well, as you know you're going to be here in the hospital for another month for extremely close observation, but if all goes well and since being a paramedic is drastically different in pace than playing professional soccer, you can be back on the job in about two or three months." She explained, and Georgia felt a sigh of relief escape and she smiled. "But, you have to promise me you will come in twice a week, take your medication, and take it easy. Although you're just riding around on an ambulance and saving lives, there are some cases where paramedics are asked a lot of. I'm sure you know this."
"I promise, Dr. Rodriguez. I just can't stay on the sidelines from both for six months." She said excitedly.
"I know, Georgia. This is going to be difficult, but by the looks of it, you have a ton of people in your corner." She assured with a hand on her shin. "Ready for surgery?" She asked. Georgia took in a deep breath and exhaled.
"Let's do this." She said firmly with a nod. Antonio squeezed her hand as her doctor waved in her team, and they went to work on unplugging her from the machines and getting her ready to transport two floors to the operating room. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was surprised that no one else could hear it beating in her chest. Antonio held her hand as long as as he could, and when they came to the elevator, they paused to wait.
"I love you, you're going to do great." Antonio said, looking down to her.
"I love you, too. I'll be out of there before you know it." She grinned, and as the doors opened, Antonio planted a passionate kiss on her lips. She kissed him back, and pecked his lips once more before they got into the elevator, leaving Antonio behind. He gave a soft wave as the elevator doors slid closed.
"Didn't you guys tie the knot a couple weeks ago?" Dr. Rodriguez asked, and Georgia nodded. "And you're still Jacobson?"
"I did take his last name, but everything like hospital records, soccer jerseys, paramedic uniforms are all in Jacobson, so I just left it." She explained. "Plus, I've been called GJ and Jacobson for so long, it'd be weird."
"Understandable." She agreed as the elevator doors slid open. This was it, she was doing this. She was wheeled into the operating room and put in place. She was hooked back up to all the monitors as the surgeons went and scrubbed in. At two o'clock as scheduled, the surgeons came back out and were ready to go. Dr. Rodriguez's smiling face was the last thing she saw before going under.
--
Antonio had stayed in the hospital room instead of waiting in the waiting area. They had gotten a private room on the third floor of the hospital, and he was thankful, for the media had been all over them since she announced that she was also a paramedic. They both knew it would have gotten out eventually and she was glad she had gotten ahead of it, but ever since, both Lifetime and the National Women's Soccer League had wanted to do a feature on her before the season started. While she was sitting the sidelines for the next few months, Laura Harvey had made a temporary spot for her in the coaching staff so she could still be involved with her team, and Dr. Rodriguez had cleared. She would be able to start as soon as the season started in March, and by then, she would only have three months until she could be cleared.
He had signed with Real Salt Lake FC last month to play the next season, and they started in March as well. He was excited, for he had been doing training with them while he had been coaching, and he was still as good as he had been in high school, and Mike Petke had said if he continued to show like he was, he would start during preseason matches and be on the preliminary roster. He was glad that a coach like him saw something in just his time on the field the past couple of years.
It had been seven hours since his wife had gone into surgery, and the surgery was supposed to be six hours, and he had grown worried. She should have been back by now. As if right on cue, the team that had taken her away came wheeling a bed back into her room, an unconscious Georgia laying in it. She looked pale, but other than that she looked as she did when they left. Dr. Rodriguez followed, waving him to come out of the room while they got her situated.
"You said that the surgery would take six hours." Was the first thing he said, and the doctor put her hands up defensively.
"I said there are risks." She countered, and he sunk back. "The surgery went well, no major complications. She should be awake soon, but let her get her rest. Her body has to adjust to having basically a spleen again. She has a rough road ahead of her, but I'm sure she'll be okay." She continued once she saw him surrender. He held out his hand.
"Thank you for everything you have done for her this past year." Antonio said softly as she shook his hand.
"It's my job, Mr. Rivera, but your wife's case has been extraordinary. I'm glad I have gotten to know such a wonderful individual." She responded, then excused herself to go check on her other patients. By the time they had finished their conversation, the surgical staff had cleared the room. He went back into the room and sat down on the chair, laying his hand in hers and sat there for a while. She was peaceful, no oxygen masks and tubes. He took her ring out of his pocket and slid it back on her finger. She did not want to wear it in the operating room, just in case anything had happened. Thankfully, nothing did, and he was able to put it back on her finger. He planted a kiss on the back of her hand, then sat back in the chair, closing his eyes to wait for her to become conscious once again.
A few hours had passed, and she had not stirred yet, but Dr. Rodriguez had personally come to do rounds on her, already commenting on how much her cell count was improving and fighting off the bacteria that might have formed around the incision site. Since she did not have a spleen before the surgery, her body would have had no chance to fight the bacteria off, but now that it did, it was kicking ass.
Georgia woke the next morning, her body catching up on all the rest that she had lost due to her busy schedule. She was happy that she did not have to deal with the oxygen mask on her face, and she was able to breathe normally. She looked around her hospital room, finding it the same as when she left hours ago. She found Antonio's hand on the edge of the bed and reached for it, wincing at the pain in her stomach. She finally got a hold of it, then squeezed, and he started to stir.
"Hey, sleeping beauty." She muttered to try and coax him awake.
"Says you." He shot back with a chuckle, happy to see his wife awake and already feeling like her old self. "Welcome back."
"Where'd I go?" She sneered, and he laughed again.
"A place without a spleen, it was quite an adventure, truly." He commented, and it was her turn to laugh, but then she hissed out in pain.
"Don't make me laugh." She warned through clenched teeth.
"I'm sorry you think everything I say is hilarious." He drew on sarcastically, causing her to laugh again. Dr. Rodriguez came back like she had every other hour, a smile coming to her face when she saw her favorite patient was finally conscious.
"How are you feeling, Georgia?" She asked, checking her medical statistics, seeing they were still improving.
"Well rested." She commented, hoping that she would catch onto the humor, and she did, giving a soft chuckle.
"Well, the surgery went flawlessly, and your immune system is already showing improvement. If your body continues to show reports as amazing as this, you could be back to living your regular life in three months instead of six. I'm joking, of course, but I'm just trying to prove that your recovery is already going remarkably well." Dr. Rodriguez responded, Georgia grinning at her words. "But, you might not have to spend the next month in the hospital, we might be able to knock a week or so off." She added.
"So it's already working?" She asked, and her doctor gave a firm nod. "Thank you." She humbly said, reaching her hands out to her.
"You're welcome." She answered, squeezing her hands. "I'll be back in a couple hours to check on you. It looks like you have some more visitors." She informed, looked back towards the doors as Robert and Chief Brian Hawthorne stood at the doorway. Dr. Rodriguez left the room and the two of them walked in, Antonio shaking their hands in greeting.
"How you doing, GJ?" Robert asked with a smile.
"Great, actually. Just don't make me laugh." She warned, and that made her laugh anyhow, and she winced. "Dammit." She muttered.
"It doesn't help if you make yourself laugh." Antonio inquired, and she shot him a playful glare.
"The boys behaving at the firehouse?" She asked.
"Yeah, they're doing fine. Missing their favorite paramedic." Brian said with a shrug, and now it was Robert's turn to glare.
"Hey, not fair. I've been there longer." He complained.
"Do you have long hair and stunning features?" Antonio asked with a chuckle. They joked about her being the only woman in the firehouse all the time, so at this point, he just joined in.
"No, but nothing a little plastic surgery and missing a few haircuts can't fix." He shot back, and they all started laughing.
"Well send them my love, of course." Georgia answered with a pained grimace. As much she loved all the men in the room, at that moment, she hated them for making her laugh so hard.
"We will. We just wanted to come check up on you." Brian said, and she nodded.
"Doc says I'm doing great, better than expected." She informed with a proud smile.
"That's awesome GJ. You'll be back behind the wheel of eighty-five in no time." Robert said optimistically, and she agreed with him. The two of them stayed a little longer, but eventually they were called back to the firehouse to answer a call that was broadcasted over the radio. She wished that she had been leaving with them, but she knew that if she ever wanted to get back to the form she was in before the accident, she knew that she had to take things easy for the next six months. She was going to follow Dr. Rodriguez's orders to a tee so she could make a full comeback without any complications.
She asked Antonio to take a picture of her in the hospital bed, both her thumbs up and a huge grin on her face. Those who followed her on social media knew that her surgery had been yesterday, but she texted the picture to Allison and the group chat she was in with Alex, Ali, Carli, Becky, and Kelley first before posting it to her Twitter and Instagram.
Surgery was a success, now it's comeback season! I'll be back on the field before you know it!