Recovery - 14. Chapter 14

Kei slept through the day and Alex dozed at his side. Rose dragged him away for a coffee once or twice but he couldn’t bear to be away long, not now he knew Kei might be awake and waiting for him. No one saw hide nor hair of the Princes.

It was early evening and Rose had brought Alex sandwiches and coffee. “Although I shouldn’t be bringing you coffee before bed,” she said with a smile.

“Before chair you mean.”

“Why don’t you sleep in a bed for tonight. Kei will be fine and—.”

“Don’t bother, Mum. It’s not going to happen so just accept it.”

“Hopefully, it won’t be for too much longer.”

“What do you mean?” He felt the colour drain from his face and his heart turned over.

“Nothing darling, only that Kei is getting better so fast I figured they’ll be moving him out of here soon.”

“Where? Where are they going to move him?”

“Alex, what’s the matter with you? I have no idea. I just thought—.”

“I’m sorry. I…I’m sorry. Kei’s parents were in here earlier. They were talking about moving him to some kind of facility near where they live. They wouldn’t let me be with him. They didn’t care even when he got so upset he almost had a fit. I can’t believe anyone would do that. Not even them.”

“Don’t worry. No one is taking Kei anywhere he doesn’t want to go. He’s old enough to make his own decisions and if he can’t you’re his attorney so it’s down to you. Try not to worry so much about things that are going on outside these doors. Your Dad and I are taking care of things out there.”

“What things?”

“I told you not to worry. Trust us, baby. Just trust us that everything’s going to be alright.”

Alex frowned. “Mum…?”

Alex?” Kei stirred and his eyes fluttered. He sighed and his eyes flew open. “Coffee,” he said. “Oh God, coffee. Sniff me let. Oh. Hello Alex mum,” he said smiling at Rose.

“Hello, sweetie,” Rose responded with a gentle, motherly smile. “It’s good to see you looking better.”

“Thank you,” Kei said, then sniffed again. “Coffee?” he said hopefully.

The nurse, one Alex didn’t know very well, shook her head. “Afraid not, although I can get you some juice if you like.”

Kei’s eyes lit up. “Juice? Really? Orange?”

“How about blackcurrant?”

Kei frowned. “Why orange not?”

“Because I don’t think we have any.”

“Oh. Okay.”

The nurse disappeared and Kei watched enviously as Alex sipped his coffee. “Mean,” he said.

“I figured if you couldn’t have any, watching someone you love getting so much enjoyment out of it would be the next best thing”

Kei huffed.

“So, how are you feeling, my darling?” Rose said, bending forward to kiss Kei on the forehead. He looked surprised.

“Not…best…ever.”

“No, I don’t suppose so. You look so much better than you did, though.”

“Yes.”

“Is there anything you need?”

He shrugged. “Can’t have,” he said with a sulky undertone.

“You can have books and magazines can’t you?”

“Oh. Yeah.” He frowned, then brightened. “Paper?”

Rose was surprised for a moment, taken off guard, then she smiled. “To write?”

“Yes. Write. If properly speak can’t I then I write maybe can.” He growled out loud and ground his teeth. “I. Hate. This.”

“I expect you do, hun, but you’re lucky to be alive. I think having a little problem making yourself understood for a while isn’t a bad result is it?”

“Oh. No. I guess.”

Rose patted his hand. “I’ll see what I can do. I’ll get you some orange juice too, and maybe something to do like a puzzle book. You can do the puzzles with Alex, get your gears moving again.”

Kei grinned broadly at her. “Thank you.”

Before Rose returned they had another visit from the doctor. This time, to Alex’s enormous relief, it was the woman he’d grown to like so much.

“How are you doing today, beautiful?” she asked.

Kei blushed. “I…I’m…good.”

“I doubt that, but you’re looking a lot better.” She studied some notes in her hand. “I see the good doctor Butthead had been running you ragged with tests.”

“He…has?”

“It’s all relative, hun. Well, it seems as if you’re doing really well, Kei. There doesn’t seem to be too much neurological damage as far as your body is concerned. Your reflexes are sluggish but that’s to be expected. Also, your muscles haven’t atrophied and you’re grip strength is relatively good. You probably don’t feel it at the moment but, considering what you’ve been through you’re in pretty good shape.”

“Can’t speak,” Kei said, scowling.

The doctor was a little taken aback. She looked at the notes again. “Yes, I see. My colleague’s noted that you have a degree of Aphasia. That’s quite common in your situation. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“I…worry. Important.”

“It’s important to you? Speaking?” Kei nodded. “Well, we’ll be referring you to a speech therapist, so if you work hard with them there’s no reason you can’t improve considerably if not recover completely.”

Kei brightened. “Really?”

“Really.” She smiled. “Well, your vitals have been absolutely stable since you’ve been here and there’s no reason to believe that’s going to change. How do you feel if we get you off all these monitors and see how you do with standing?”

“What? Are you sure?” Alex was alarmed. It was the last thing he’d expected. “Is it safe?”

“Well, I don’t know about safe, it depends if Kei tries to run away. If you promise not to do that I’m happy to give it a go.”

“I…. Yes. Yes. I…want to. Want I stand up to.”

The doctor smiled and nodded. “Alright, the nurse will sort out the monitors and stuff and I’ll be back in ten minutes to see what you can do.”

Kei looked as if he was in shock as a grinning nurse shut down the monitors and peeled off the electrodes. It was eerily silent without the beeps of the machines and Alex found himself scared as hell, the palms of his hands sweating. He didn’t think Kei was anywhere near ready for this and hadn’t realised how reassuring he found the sound of the monitors until it was gone. How would they know if something went wrong now? Sure he’d been stable throughout, even when he was in the coma, but still….

“There you go, my sweet,” the nurse said as she wiped off Kei’s chest.

Kei heaved a sigh and smiled at the nurse then turned glittering eyes to Alex. “I…. Look…. Better I am.”

“Better, but not well yet, sweetheart. Take it easy now. Don’t push yourself too hard. You’ve got plenty of time.”

“Time what for?”

“To get back on your feet.” She smiled a sad smile, noting the hint of panic in his voice. “Look, I’m not supposed to be telling you this but the doctor is making arrangements for you to move to the main ward in the next couple of days. You’ll be seen by the physiotherapist and we’ll see how you go from there. Once they feel you’re up to it you’ll be released to home, as long as you have someone to take care of you and you’re happy to come to the hospital regularly to see the physio.”

“What…?”

“It’s okay, Kei,” Alex said, relief lacing his voice. “She means you’re not going to be farmed out to any facility anywhere. When you’re released from this hospital you’ll be coming home with me.”

“You? How know you I want you to be with?” He teased.

Alex affected a hurt expression but Kei wasn’t fooled. He laughed.

When the doctor came back both Kei and Alex sobered instantly. “How are you feeling? Ready for this?”

“I....” He looked anything but sure, then squared his shoulders. “Yes,” he said.

“Good. Don’t worry, we’ll take it step by step and if you want to stop at any time just say so and we’ll stop.”

“Okay.”

“Alex, are you okay to help?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Okay, all we’re going to do right now is see if you can sit up and then see if you can stand. No more, okay. As soon as you’re up you’re back down. This is the very first time and you’re not to spoil things by being silly now, okay?”

“Yes. Not silly. Not now.”

“Good.” She picked up the bed remote and raised it until it was totally upright. Kei gripped the rails. “How are you doing? Are you okay?”

“I feel… feel… dizzy.”

“That’s okay. You’ve been lying down for a long time. Give it a minute to settle down.”

Kei nodded and winced. Alex thought he looked awfully pale suddenly. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. “Okay,” he said eventually. “What…next?”

“Alex, can you sit on the bed just there please? Kei, the nurse will kneel on the bed behind you so don’t worry about falling back, okay. Alex will brace you, so you can lean against him until you get your bearings.”

“O…okay.”

The doctor reached behind the bed for a rather strange looking piece of equipment. It was an arm that swung out over the bed with a rubber triangle dangling from it. The doctor fixed it in place. “This is for you to help yourself balance. You hold the bar here, like a trapeze artist, but don’t think you’re going to be swinging off anywhere.”

Kei chuckled. “I…won’t.”

“Okay. Ready?”

Kei nodded. The doctor helped Kei swing his legs over the bed and Alex slid his arm under him and raised him up to rest against his shoulder. Kei cried out and threw his arms around Alex, burying his head in Alex’s shoulder with a moan.

“Is everything alright, Kei?”

He ignored her for a moment, then groaned. “Head hurts,” he said.

“Ah, I see. Okay, just stay where you are for a moment and see what happens. Or do you want to lie down again?”

“No. Try more.”

“Okay. Give yourself time then. Is it getting any better?”

“Little.”

“Can you sit up straight?”

Kei had to work hard but he managed to sit up straight, still supported by Alex.

“Can you raise your arms to hold the bar?”

Kei tried but was too weak to raise them that high.

“Alright. No problem. Hold it there a minute.” She disappeared and Kei turned his head to look at Alex. They just stared at each other.

“You’re sitting up, dude,” Alex said. “You’re really sitting up. You’re going to be on your feet in a minute. Fuck. I never thought it would be this quick. How do you feel about it?”

“Scared.”

“Yeah, I’m scared too, but it will be okay. I’m here. Hold on to me.”

Kei smiled. “Strong now. No one me to do what can tell.”

“Well, the doctors can.”

“No. Suggestions.”

Alex grinned. “No. Orders. You have to do what the doctors tell you to do or you’ll never be properly better.”

Kei mock frowned then grinned. “Feel…dizzy,” He said. “Funny head my buzzing in.”

“Buzzing?”

“Kind of.”

“Is that okay?” Alex asked the nurse.

“I expect so. There will be all kinds of little things that will crop up and take a while to work out. You might find things smell or taste different and certain parts of your body might feel odd when they’re touched…. NO.” She held up her hand, her face scrunching. “Bad choice of words. Very bad choice of words. Don’t say a thing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Alex said with a saintly smile. Kei just sniggered.

“Right. You know what I mean.”

They were interrupted by the doctor returning with a large male nurse. “How you doing, mate,” he said with a grin to Kei.

“Umm… Good. I. Think.”

“You’ll be better in a minute. Right. Put your hands on my shoulders. Kei tried but struggled. The nurse helped him place them. “You can hold on to the little hoops on my uniform if you like,” he said. Then he put his arms around Kei’s waist. “Ready?”

Kei bit his lips and nodded. The nurse slowly and carefully lifted him onto his feet. Instantly Kei let his head fall forward and buried his face in the nurse’s wide chest. He whimpered. “Can’t. Too.... My…. So…. Whirly. Head. Dizzy.”

“Okay, alright. Can you help him lie down again?”

The nurse carefully sat Kei down again and he sagged against Alex, his eyes tightly closed.

“What was the problem, Kei? Were you in pain?”

“No. Dizzy.”

“Dizzy? Did you feel as if you were going to faint?”

“No. Be sick.”

“Did you have buzzing in your ears?”

“Yes. Buzz.”

“That’s fine. It’s called tinnitus and it’s affecting your balance. It’s not a problem, just means we have to be a little more careful and take things more slowly. Don’t worry. It’s fine. Let’s get you back into bed.”

Kei sighed and smiled. The colour had drained from his face and, as soon as the nurses laid him down again he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

“Is he alright?” Alex asked anxiously.

“He’s absolutely fine. He’s actually quite strong considering. Problems with balance are not unusual in this kind of case. The fact he has tinnitus means the problem is with balance and not something deeper. It will take time and patience but it can be overcome.”

Alex bit his lip and smiled. He was feeling shaky inside. The big male nurse put a hand on his shoulder an squeezed. “It’s going to be fine, mate,” he said. “Your friend is going to be just fine.”

Alex had no energy to give his usual declaration that Kei was more than a friend. He found he was almost as exhausted as Kei was.

The doctor made some notes on the clipboard and hung it over the bottom of the bed. “If he’s up to it, I think he can start to eat a little tonight. I’ll get some nutrition shakes brought up and, although I shouldn’t say it, if he wants to try a little square of chocolate or something like that he can give it a go. Just a tiny bit or he’s going to be sick, okay?”

“Yeah…yeah that’s great.”

“No coffee yet though,” the nurse said with a smile.

“Was he after coffee?” the doctor asked. Alex nodded. “That’s a little while away, I think,” she said with a smile. Make sure he has plenty to drink. If his kidneys cope well enough we’ll get the catheter out in the morning and he can try sitting in the chair. He might even be up to going for a short run in a wheelchair.”

“Isn’t that moving a bit fast? I mean two days ago he was in a coma.”

“And in a couple more days he’ll probably be going home. There’s nothing to be served in having him lie in bed. He’s not ill as such anymore and it’s all about recovery now, pushing his limits, seeing what he can do.”

“Really? I mean, really, he’s safe now? Out of the woods so to speak?”

“It depends what you mean by that. If you’re asking if he’s out of danger then, yes. There’s no reason whatever to think he’s going to lapse again. He’s got little more chance than you or I of going back into a coma. However, he has a long, long way to go to build up his strength and get back to any semblance of normal. Don’t be fooled into thinking that because he’s going into an ordinary ward, or even coming home that his problems are over, that he’ll be himself again. You both have some hard slogging ahead of you because he is going to make your life hell at one time or another.”

“He’d never do that.” Alex smiled at Kei thinking how sweet and gentle he was.

“Trust me, he will. Whatever happens it’s not going to go fast enough for him, it never does and the better he gets the more he can do, the more frustration he’ll feel about what he can’t do. Then the trouble will start. Also, you might notice some personality changes from the injury. He might get angry more easily, not be able to concentrate so well, There are all kinds of things that might be different for him. You have to be patient. He might get back to the way he was before or he might not. Some people have a complete personality change that never changes back.”

“I know that hasn’t happened. He’s as sweet as ever.”

“Don’t forget he’s been ill and on a lot of medication and that’s supressing him. After today the medication will be right down and his true personality will start to emerge. Don’t be surprised if he’s a different person.”

“No. He won’t be.”

“We’ll see. Well, I have to go finish my rounds. Take care of him and don’t let him try too hard to get anything else done today.” Taking the remote she lowered the bed a little again to help Kei rest.

When she’d gone, the nurse fussed around a little, straightening the bedclothes and moving the equipment away from the bed. Before long the hospital room was looking a lot less like a hospital room and more like a bedroom. Even Kei, as he slept, found his colour again.

“Are you alright?” the nurse asked.

Alex had been starting dully at the floor. He looked up and smiled. “I’m fine, just thinking.”

“What are you thinking about?”

He laughed ironically. “It’s strange. When he was in a coma all I could think about was him waking up and I didn’t think past that. Everything seemed to be on pause or going really slowly and now suddenly it’s speeded up like crazy and I feel like I’m being swept away. Suddenly ‘he might die’ has turned into ‘he might have changed into a completely different person’ and I’m wondering if that’s really much different.”

“It might be. It might not be. I told you often enough when he was asleep that you shouldn’t look too far ahead. At this stage it doesn’t help if you look too far into the future and start running all the possibilities through your head because for every good one there’s a bad one. Take one day at a time. At the moment, Kei’s doing really well. Not only is he physically stronger but he’s still the adorable, sweet little thing you always told me he was. Why panic about something that might never happen?

“Yes, sometimes people’s personalities change, sweet people can become angry and abusive but it doesn’t usually last and a lot of it is about the frustration at being so helpless and having limitations they never had before. And don’t forget, no matter what Kei might say to you he’s going to be scared stiff sometimes.

“He’ll wake in the darkness of the night and panic that nothing will ever be any better than it was the day before. Sometimes there will be setbacks and unforeseen difficulties that will terrify him and instead of holding your hand he’ll beat it away. Let him. Just let him get on with it. Leave him alone for a while, come back and the chances are thing will all be okay.”

“I know. I know. I just… It’s all new. It’s scary and new and I don’t know what’s the best to do to help him.”

“Exactly what you’re doing now… being there for him.”

“I don’t know.” Alex smoothed the blanket. “I just don’t know if it’s enough.”

“Well, there’s not much else you can do so it’s going to have to be enough.”

“I guess.”

Not long afterwards Rose returned with a thick writing pad and packs of pens, pencils and coloured pencils, as well as a selection of puzzle books, a bottle of orange juice, a large bar of chocolate, bags of fruit and a tub of ice cream.

“Good grief, what’s gone on here?” she asked walking through the door and breaking into a grin.

“The doctor came,” Alex said, not being able to help mirroring it. “Kei actually got out of bed and tomorrow he might be able to go for a ride in a wheelchair.”

“Well hell’s bells this is all going rather fast. It’s got my head spinning.”

“You think? Mine’s going round in circles. Kei’s struggling bad thought. He gets really dizzy when he sits up and he can’t stand.”

“I’m not surprised. It’s moving fast but it’s still very early. Give him time, darling.”
“I will. I am. It’s just…” Alex shook his head. “I think it’s overwhelming me a bit.”

“Then go and lie down. I’ll stay here with Kei. He’s not as confused now and he trust me. If he wakes up I’ll tell him you’re resting and he wouldn’t begrudge you that. Besides, I’ll be feeding him and I’m sure that will take his mind off you. Will he be allowed to have a little ice cream?” she asked the nurse who nodded and smile.

“I’d say ice cream would be just about perfect. Only a little to start with. He’s not eaten for over a week and it’s going to take a time to build up.”

“I’ll be careful. Right you – off to bed.”

“is it busy in there?”

“No, not at all. You’re father’s had to go home to take care of some business. Frank and Bonnie have disappeared somewhere and Maria and Jace have gone out for the evening. They’ve been staying here, you know. Every night. Bonnie and Frank are not impressed, either with Jace or that he ‘encourages her’ to stay here and not go back to school. As if anyone could change that girl’ s mind when it’s made up.”

Alex chuckled. “Well, I never have and as far as I’m aware neither has Kei.” He stood up and stretched. His joints popped and he yawned.

“You really need that sleep. Go on. I’ll call you if we need you but I think I’m perfectly capable of keeping Kei company for a while.”

“I know that it’s just…”

“I know, hun, but things have changed now. Kei’s on the mend and he’s going to need you strong and well to help him through what comes next. You need sleep. Over and above anything else at the moment you need sleep.”

“Yeah, I know. I do know… it’s just…” He sighed and stared at Kei who was sleeping peacefully. Now he was safe, without the puffiness from the drugs and all the medical paraphernalia there was nothing to distract from the fact that he was, quite simply, beautiful. He had the face of an angel with full lips and long curly eyelashes, framed by thick, straight black hair. His eyes, when they were open, were large and an unusual shade of green. He was…. Alex sighed. Then he gave in to the inevitable, got up and headed for the waiting room.