I must have fallen asleep quickly, because I don't remember anything after placing my phone on the wireless charger on my bedside stand. It felt like I set it down, closed my eyes, and my alarm went off. In reality, over seven hours had passed. The best night's sleep I've had since before last Friday. Knowing I'd get to see Kynlee tonight, I had no problem getting out of bed this morning.
I checked with Wanda, then Hal after arriving at the hospital. I did rounds on my surgical patients, then scrubbed for surgery.
The first surgery went well but was time consuming. It was out of character for me and if I'm being honest, rather unprofessional for me to feel like I just didn't want to be here today. Normally I enjoyed the challenge that was neurosurgery. The high I got from defying the odds when I saved someone not expected to pull through, was better than any drug. That high, was exactly how some doctors developed a God complex. It makes them feel good, feel powerful, and people sing their praises. Before long they assume they are better than everyone else. Not the case, but it's never fun to get knocked back down to reality. When our egos get too big, we are more likely to make mistakes.
I tried hard to remind myself I was merely a tool for The Creator. This generally kept me humble and appreciative of the skills that God had blessed me with. I was not naive enough to think I'd survived and thrived, as a surgeon, without the help of God. I knew I was blessed by God with my abilities. No doubt it took commitment, long hours, and hard work, but it was more than that. My Native American Heritage taught me that we are all destined for a certain path. If we follow that path, The Creator supports us and helps us through. If we do not follow the path we are intended, God puts obstacles in our way to try to guide us back to the place we belong.
Of course humankind has the freedom of choice, but differentiating between obstacles set out by God, poor choices made by man, or simple accidents, could be a difficult task. Used correctly, prayer and spiritual journeys with our Shaman, had always provided me with the answers I sought. In fact, if I cannot get myself in check, I may have to pay her a visit. I'd love to know if Kynlee is a test or if she is actually a part of my life from now on. Secretly, I was hoping she would remain a permanent fixture. Of course it's too early to even consider such a thing.
"Yeah... start out with the usual after surgery protocol. If he needs something stronger, you'll have to call," I explained to the nurse who is caring for the postoperative patient from my first surgery, as I prepare for surgery number two. He continued to chatter on the phone about family concern and requesting specific narcotic medications. "Well, please tell the family that we will do our best to keep her comfortable. Remind them of the opioid crisis in this country and that we no longer give narcotics unless absolutely necessary. Thanks Nurse Thomas. Call if you need anything else."
I hung up the phone call by pushing a button with my elbow. I backed through the door into the surgical suite with my freshly scrubbed hands held shoulder height in front of me. I was careful not to touch anything and keep my hands above my waist so I didn't have to scrub my hands over again.
Surgery two was shorter, and we were done for the weekend. Since I consult for the whole hospital system, I'm left off the weekend on-call rotation. One of the perks of being a board member and consulting physician. I was also paid handsomely. Of course with the success after our tribe put up the casino, money wasn't really a concern for me anyway. Every tribe member received a percentage of the earnings, and the casino had grown in leaps and bounds since its creation. People joked about us "Indians stealing their money," but in reality, it's helped improve the quality of living for every single member of our tribe.
After talking to the family of the patient from my second surgery, I checked up on my family. I found out Wanda had been discharged to home and Mona had taken her. Alec was again at work but would pick up Kara after his shift was finished.
Mona remained at the hospital with Halian. In the time since I saw Hal this morning, he had been moved out of ICU and onto the pediatric unit. It was a very positive sign that he was stable enough to be moved from the ICU. I visited with Mom but was still slightly bothered by Hal's flat affect. I believe Yank was working again today, so maybe I could discuss it with him. Of course not knowing Hal prior to this accident, he may not realize the change in behavior. Maybe I was overreacting and it was simply from the anesthesia and medications we gave Hal to sedate him. I hoped that's all it was.
I tracked down Yank and was relieved to hear he was covering this weekend while I was away. At least he knew the circumstances and was aware Hal was acting differently from his usual jubilant personality prior to the accident. When I said goodbye and kissed Hal's cheek, he watched me and said, "goodbye," but there was no feeling behind it. He was almost monotone and lacked emotion. He was in good hands, and I had other things to attend to this weekend.
Mom attempted to question me about my weekend, but I kept my answers to a minimum. If Kynlee agreed to stay indefinitely, I'd have to tell my family. If she was only there until Kedron was discharged, there was no need. I excused myself with a hug and kiss to Mom's cheek and headed to the locker room.
I decided a run would go a long way in keeping my libido in check. Lord knows I need all the help I can get while in the cabin alone with Kynlee this weekend. I warm up and am ten minutes into my run when my cell phone begins to buzz. I answer and put it on speakerphone so I can continue running, "Dr. Teton, how May I help you?"
"Wam, it's Yank. Are you still at the hospital?"
"Yeah. I'm on the...treadmill. Cant you... hear me running?" I am still able to talk, but am breathing rather quickly at this point.
"I think I just witnessed Halian have a seizure. I was hoping to discuss it with you before you left," Yank replied as more of a question than a statement.
"Of course Yank. You can either...talk now, come down to the gym, or.. wait for me to shower, dress, and come back.. up there."
Yank entered the gym several minutes later and stood next to the treadmill, describing what he witnessed, "Hal was looking straight ahead when I walked into the room, but did track me with his eyes. Your mom went to grab coffee since I was there, so I began my assessment. Suddenly, Halian's head moved to the right and his eyes were in a fixed, upward position. It lasted less than 30seconds, but he was unresponsive during that time. I tried to talk to him but he didn't answer or respond to stimuli. Afterwards he didn't seem to realize anything happened, but he appeared lethargic."
"Sounds like..a good catch.. Yank. Did you give him anything?" I inquired.
"I ordered a low dose of lorazepam with a slightly higher PRN dose. I also had the nurse put seizure precautions in place. I'm guessing the next step is an EEG," Yank explained.
"I'll be out of town... for the..weekend, but if the EEG...doesn't reveal anything, we may need...to do ...brain mapping. If needed, please...put him on ...my schedule...first thing Monday," I directed, but not without some effort, due to my exercise. "Remember... no more lorazepam, until after...testing is completed. Unless... absolutely...necessary."
"Okay Wam. Thank you. I'll leave you to it," Yank said before he exited the gym.
Seizures from the frontal lobe damage made total sense. It could also explain the change in affect and mood. Halian, the poor kid, didn't deserve all these issues. Hopefully if it is seizures, he will respond well to medication. Just maybe, it could also improve his mood if the change was indeed caused by seizures.
After all the interruptions, I finished my run, and took a shower. Once dressed, I headed home to pack for the weekend. I set out a self feeder and self waterer for Sammy for the weekend, but would still hear complaints when I arrived home Sunday night. About 5:30pm, I was loading up my SUV for the drive. I fired off a text to Kynlee just before I pulled out of the driveway.
Dr. Wam Teton: I should be at the hospital in a little over an hour. Leaving Red Wing now.
Kynlee: See you soon!
Highway 52 was busy and I drove with the radio blaring. In spite of Hal's issues, it made me happy to be heading to Red Wing. Hal was in good hands with Yank, and without testing, it was hard to know exactly how to treat the issue. With more information, an informed decision could be made.
I'd always loved the peace that being at the cabin brought me. Now the cabin was even more enticing, knowing Kynlee was staying there and I wouldn't be alone all weekend. It's ironic... I never thought of myself as lonely, but now I was happy to not be alone anymore when here.
I parked in the VIP area and turned off the SUV. Never in my life have I felt nervous about entering the hospital. Usually I was excited to see what mysteries I could solve and what odds I could overcome. Today, I was nervous about keeping my attraction to Kynlee repressed so I can be the friend and support person she needs. She doesn't need someone who wants to ravish her body and take advantage of her predicament. I was not that kind of man, and needed to prove it to myself if no one else.
I exited the SUV, pressed 'lock' on my key fob, and headed into the hospital entrance. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, as I watched the elevator display numbers climb on the way to the ICU where Kedron's room was located. The elevator dinged, and I took a deep breath before stepping off into the hall, and hearing the doors close behind me. Looking at the ground, my hands in my pants pockets, I walked down the hall until I heard a voice say, "well Wam... I wasn't expecting to see you tonight."
I looked up and froze. What was she doing here on a Friday evening? Now what do I do?