‘We’ll do X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound, a full blood count, coagulation factors and CRP,’ I say to the nurse who is assisting me with the treatment. ‘He also needs antibiotic prophylaxis.’ A tetanus booster isn’t necessary; he gets that regularly in his job anyway.
Jaden doesn’t deny it. A bad sign.
‘And call a surgeon as soon as the images are ready, have them take a look at his shoulder.’ I nod to the nurse, who immediately gets to work.
When she leaves the room, I sit down next to Jaden and take his uninjured hand. ‘How do you feel?’
His eyelids look heavy. ‘Give me five minutes, then we can get back to work in the garden.’
‘That’s probably not going to happen today.’ I give him a smile. ‘Maybe tomorrow.’
‘Maybe tomorrow,’ he agrees with an extended yawn.
The shock seems to be subsiding. I glance at the monitoring screen. Sure enough, his readings are edging back into the normal range.
I grab a pillow and place it under his head. His eyes close, I gently kiss his forehead, then I sit back down on the stool and lace my fingers through his.
Two hours later he’s already feeling so much better that he even protests half-heartedly against the prescribed tests, and as twisted as it is, I’m glad about that.
‘Well, unfortunately I’m the doctor here, so only what I say counts,’ I reply with a wink and signal to the nurse to take Jaden for X-ray, CT, MRI, and ultrasound. It wasn’t easy to get Dr. Franks’s approval for all the tests, but I argued cleverly and in the end he agreed. Maybe he sensed that this is something personal and has nothing to do with some generally overblown sense of medical duty of care.
Jaden gets up from the wheelchair he was supposed to be transported in. ‘Fine by me, but I can walk on my own,’ he says, grabs an IV stand, and hooks his IV bag onto it.
The nurse throws me a questioning look. Reluctantly I nod; Jaden should be able to manage that. The most important thing is that he gets his tests.
‘All right then, you superhero,’ I say, whereupon Jaden chuckles in amusement.
We leave the room; Jaden and the nurse turn right, I turn left. Only now do I notice how tired I am. It’s no wonder—after all, I’ve got an ambulance shift, the gardening, and then Jaden’s accident and treatment in my bones.
It’s been a demanding day. I briefly listen to my body. Does my head feel feverish? Is my heart beating too fast all the time? Am I sweating or shivering?
No. I’m just tired.
Hopefully Jaden’s tests will be finished soon and the results will be good enough that we can go home and get some rest.
Stifling a yawn, I step up to the emergency coordinator’s desk. ‘Has the lab sent over the bloodwork for patient P140424-069 yet?’
‘You mean for your lover, Jaden?’ he asks with a wink.
Wow, that rumor spread fast. ‘That’s exactly who I mean,’ I reply—after all, relationships between doctors and paramedics aren’t forbidden. And everyone’s allowed to know how happy I am.
My thoughts are with Jaden and the garden where we’ll sit together one day. A dog is romping around between the apple trees, we’re eating crazy stuff. Then I’ll count the stars in the Greenland sky with him, walk hand in hand with him over hot coals, and get up in the middle of the night to watch the sunrise from a mountaintop with him. Once we reach the top, we dance a tango.
I want to believe in all of that, despite my doubts that never completely fall silent. We’ll make it, make Lilly’s dreams and our own dreams come true. One after another.
‘Nyla?’ Someone clears their throat.
‘Hm?’ I say absentmindedly.
‘The test results.’
I look up, recognize the emergency coordinator and right after that the file in his hand. ‘Thanks a million.’
Shaking his head, he hands me the documents. ‘Love must be wonderful…’
Oh yes…
Grinning broadly, I take the file from him. Hemoglobin slightly lowered, lymphocytes slightly elevated, blood coagulation minimally altered. With an injury like this, that’s to be expected, no cause for concern.