Gem Atkinson and Forsythia Brown didn't spend the anticipated three days in Venice; they rushed back to River State a day early.
Because Daniel Atkinson had fallen ill.
River State First Hospital.
Dr. Hill had been Daniel Atkinson's primary physician for many years and knew his condition inside out.
He was examining an X-ray when he said, "The old gentleman's cerebral hematoma has shifted, which is what caused the fainting."
In his lifetime, Daniel Atkinson had survived two car accidents. Although he had escaped death both times, the second accident had left a hematoma in his brain.
As Daniel Atkinson was elderly, he wasn't a good candidate for craniotomy. Furthermore, the hematoma hadn't been pressing on any major nerves at the time, so the doctors had advised against surgery, suggesting it would be best to let it dissipate on its own.
For many years, the hematoma indeed gradually shrank, but unexpectedly, it had shifted and now was pressing on a major nerve.
