“What can I do for you, hon?”
“Is it time for more pain medicine yet? My foot and head are really hurting,” Kara explained.
“Oh, my, yes. I'll be right in.” True to her words, Stella came into the room a few minutes later, carrying two syringes. She was talking as she put them into her IV. “You should have called sooner, dear, before the pain got this bad. This should help you in just a matter of a few minutes.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Oh, you're quite welcome.” She set about checking her temperature, blood pressure and pulse, talking while she worked. “I'm so glad things turned out well with your surgery.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when you said Dr. Sherman had alcohol on his breath when he was in that accident with you I was instantly alarmed. That means he probably still had alcohol in his system when he operated on you. It must have been a small enough amount that he could still function well, and I'm so glad. I cringe every time I think about what could have happened.”
Kara was shocked. She now knew Nick was not the man that hit her and had been drinking, but she couldn't believe a nurse at the hospital was telling her this. She tried to think it through, but her head was pounding, and she was extremely sleepy, so she simply put it aside to think about later. But even though she was sleepy, she lay there awake for quite some time after Stella left before she was able to get back to sleep.
When she woke up next it was morning and a new nurse was in her room, adding medication to her IV. When the nurse saw her wake up she greeted her. “Good morning, Kara. I'm Ellie; I'll be your nurse today. How are you feeling this morning?”
“Much better,” Kara answered, glad the pain was gone. “Nice to meet you.”
Ellie smiled and went on working. “Nice to meet you, too. Are you saying you feel much better than yesterday?”
“Better than last night. When I woke up my foot and head hurt so badly I thought I was going to scream.”
“Really?” Ellie seemed surprised, and looked at her chart again. She was asking her about when she woke up in pain, when Nick came into her room.
“How's my patient, Ellie?” he asked with a smile.
Ellie looked confused, but concerned when she answered Nick. “I'm not really sure, Dr. Sherman. She says she feels much better this morning than she did last night when she woke up in pain.”
Kara watched her hand the chart to Nick, and she saw the brief look between the two of them after Nick looked at the chart. He quickly looked down at her and smiled, though. “Are you feeling okay now, Kara?”
“I feel good now, yes.”
“Good,” Nick said cheerfully. “I'm going to let Ellie check your vitals and then we'll talk a little bit and I'll check your foot.” Kara nodded, and Nick went to look out the window while Ellie checked her temperature, pulse and blood pressure.
When she was finished she hung a new IV bag and addressed Nick. “Okay, Doctor, her chart's up to date for you. Did you want me to stay while you check her foot?”
“No, that's okay, Ellie. Thanks anyway. I don't have office hours today so I've got plenty of time. I'll replace the dressings myself.”
“Okay. Call if you need me, Doctor. Kara, if you need anything at all, ring your button,” Ellie said as she was leaving.
Once Ellie had gone, Nick surprised her by leaning down and kissing her forehead. “Good morning.”
“And good morning to you, too,” Kara answered with a big smile, which Nick was glad to see.
He sat down beside her so they could talk easier. “So, tell me about waking up. When was this, and what kind of pain were you in?” He listened carefully as she told him what time it was and that she called and got some pain medicine then, which helped.
“Did it wake you up, or keep you awake when the nurse kept coming to check your temperature most of the night?” he asked.
She frowned as she thought a moment. “She didn't check it that I know of except when she came in to give me the pain medicine, and then Ellie just did.
“Stella didn't check it last night?”
“Not that I was aware of. Maybe I slept through it.”
“Maybe,” he said with a smile, although Kara didn't think he meant it. She was getting the feeling Nick wasn't a big fan of Stella's. She decided she'd ask him about that, but in the hospital was not the proper place to do it. She'd wait until she got home.
That idea gave her a thought, though. “So, do I get to go home today before lunch or are you going to make me wait until after lunch?” she asked with the most innocent smile she could muster.
“Nice try,” he said with a grin. “Probably after lunch Monday now.”
Her innocent smile instantly disappeared and she gave him a bit of an indignant glare. “Monday? You said Friday!”
He had a stern look on his face almost instantly. “What did I really say, Miss Kara Jane Kerrington?”
His sudden seriousness, along with the stern look on his face and the very authoritative tone in his voice had her answering immediately, and honestly. “Probably Saturday, maybe Friday.”
His smile returned and he took one of her hands in his. “Much better, Kara. You were listening.” Seeing the shock on her face, he tried to explain. “The truth is very important to me, Kara. I know you were kidding, wanting to go home earlier, but I'm not a good person to push.” He saw her relax a little, but was still tense. “I'm sorry if I upset you. That was an instinctive reaction. I care about you and will do what I feel I need to do to keep you safe. As we get to know each other more you'll quickly learn what you can joke about with me and what you can't. Your health is something I will not take lightly.”
Kara watched him while he spoke, and she saw the sincerity in his words. The fact that he cared for her won out over any discomfort she felt with his sternness, and she relaxed and enjoyed how he rubbed her hand with his thumb.
He continued to rub her hand for a while after he felt her relax, to be sure she was calm again. “Are you ready for me to look at your foot?”
“Sure.” As he was taking the dressing off to look at the surgical site, she touched his arm lightly. “Nick?”
“Yes?”
“I'm sorry.”
“I know you are, honey, but don't worry about it. You don't have any reason to be sorry. I'm not upset with you; I just won't allow any joking around when it concerns your health.” He watched her reaction carefully as she nodded, but when she smiled, he knew she was okay, and more importantly, he hoped it meant his take-charge attitude wouldn't be a problem.
After checking her foot he shared his findings. “Your incision site looks good and the swelling is going down. If it's down enough by this evening we'll put your cast on so we can get you up on crutches. Have you ever used them before?”
“No.”
