steady. You have a lot of bruises, especially to your chest and abdomen. As well as finger shaped bruises on your left arm. Someone must have held you quite firmly to have caused them. Those were probably pre-accident, but no one seems to know how they were caused. You have a compound fracture of your left leg, which we repaired surgically, along with the damage to your femoral artery. You also dislocated your left knee, so the cast is a full length one from your toes to the top of your thigh.”
She scrunched up her nose. “That’s going to make walking and bathing interesting. Do I have a metal plate in my leg?”
He smiled wryly. “Yes, so you’ll have to warn the airports before you travel. We’ll give you a note to put in your current passport and a letter for the passport agency. You’ll be on crutches for between four and six weeks. Even with them, you can’t put any weight on your leg until the physio clears you to do so. We had to remove your spleen, but most people manage pretty well without it.”
“What about bathing? I can’t avoid washing for weeks.”
There was a wry smile on his face as he checked the stiches. “My wife asked the same thing when she dislocated her kneecap. Cover the cast in a black bin liner, to keep it dry when you shower. Or strip wash.”
She winced as his gentle touch sent white hot pain shooting through her tortured body. “That hurts.”
“It will for a while, but I’ll get the nurse to give you some pain meds.”
“Thanks.” Her mind went back to the firefighter. Surely she’d remember if she were married to someone as drop dead gorgeous as Jared? Wouldn’t she? It was like turning on the TV to find the film had already started, the hero in the middle of a heavy duty action scene, and she had no idea what was going on. “Why can’t I remember?”
“You had a severe concussion. That bump to your head was enough to knock you out for a while. It’s not uncommon to lose your short term memory.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t just what happened yesterday. If that firefighter is right and we’ve been married for eight years, then it’s everything in the last eight years if not longer, isn’t it?”
Dr. Anders nodded. “And because of that, I want you to see a neurologist in the morning.”
“Wait a minute. I’m not crazy. Just because I don’t remember a few things, doesn’t mean I need a shrink.”
He smiled. “A neurologist, not a psychiatrist. A neurologist is a brain specialist. It’s standard procedure in cases like yours. He’ll run a few tests, should be able to give you an idea of when you’ll start remembering things again. Meanwhile, would you like your husband to come back in?”
She shook her head. “No. I want my brother. Not a total stranger.”
“OK. Try to get some rest. If you have any worries get the nurse to give me a shout.”
“OK, thank you.” She leaned back as Dr. Anders pulled open the curtains, his swift long strides taking him to the nurse’s station. He put the file on the desk and made a few notes before picking up the phone.
She turned her attention to the ceiling, trying to remember something concrete, anything at all about the last eight years and the tall man she was married to, but there was just a big black hole where her memory used to be. She rubbed a cautious hand over her stomach. It hurt more since he had poked and prodded and changed the dressing.
The nurse reappeared. “I’ll bring you the pain meds and something to drink. Tea, coffee or water?”
“Tea please. Milk, two sugars.” Niamh smiled. Silly, I can remember that, but not important things .
“Sure.” The nurse left and she leaned back against the pillow. A noise from the door caught her attention and she twisted her head to see what was going on.
Dr. Anders appeared to be having a very heated discussion with Jared. He didn’t like what the doctor told him, his facial expression and hand movements made that all too clear, before he
She scrunched up her nose. “That’s going to make walking and bathing interesting. Do I have a metal plate in my leg?”
He smiled wryly. “Yes, so you’ll have to warn the airports before you travel. We’ll give you a note to put in your current passport and a letter for the passport agency. You’ll be on crutches for between four and six weeks. Even with them, you can’t put any weight on your leg until the physio clears you to do so. We had to remove your spleen, but most people manage pretty well without it.”
“What about bathing? I can’t avoid washing for weeks.”
There was a wry smile on his face as he checked the stiches. “My wife asked the same thing when she dislocated her kneecap. Cover the cast in a black bin liner, to keep it dry when you shower. Or strip wash.”
She winced as his gentle touch sent white hot pain shooting through her tortured body. “That hurts.”
“It will for a while, but I’ll get the nurse to give you some pain meds.”
“Thanks.” Her mind went back to the firefighter. Surely she’d remember if she were married to someone as drop dead gorgeous as Jared? Wouldn’t she? It was like turning on the TV to find the film had already started, the hero in the middle of a heavy duty action scene, and she had no idea what was going on. “Why can’t I remember?”
“You had a severe concussion. That bump to your head was enough to knock you out for a while. It’s not uncommon to lose your short term memory.”
“Yeah, but this isn’t just what happened yesterday. If that firefighter is right and we’ve been married for eight years, then it’s everything in the last eight years if not longer, isn’t it?”
Dr. Anders nodded. “And because of that, I want you to see a neurologist in the morning.”
“Wait a minute. I’m not crazy. Just because I don’t remember a few things, doesn’t mean I need a shrink.”
He smiled. “A neurologist, not a psychiatrist. A neurologist is a brain specialist. It’s standard procedure in cases like yours. He’ll run a few tests, should be able to give you an idea of when you’ll start remembering things again. Meanwhile, would you like your husband to come back in?”
She shook her head. “No. I want my brother. Not a total stranger.”
“OK. Try to get some rest. If you have any worries get the nurse to give me a shout.”
“OK, thank you.” She leaned back as Dr. Anders pulled open the curtains, his swift long strides taking him to the nurse’s station. He put the file on the desk and made a few notes before picking up the phone.
She turned her attention to the ceiling, trying to remember something concrete, anything at all about the last eight years and the tall man she was married to, but there was just a big black hole where her memory used to be. She rubbed a cautious hand over her stomach. It hurt more since he had poked and prodded and changed the dressing.
The nurse reappeared. “I’ll bring you the pain meds and something to drink. Tea, coffee or water?”
“Tea please. Milk, two sugars.” Niamh smiled. Silly, I can remember that, but not important things .
“Sure.” The nurse left and she leaned back against the pillow. A noise from the door caught her attention and she twisted her head to see what was going on.
Dr. Anders appeared to be having a very heated discussion with Jared. He didn’t like what the doctor told him, his facial expression and hand movements made that all too clear, before he
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