Free She Belongs to Me by Carmen DeSousa Page A

been rather flirtatious. Maybe he could glean some information from her. “Is there anything new? Is Jaynee out of surgery yet?” He felt his eyes fill with tears again. He had to keep himself together. He had to remain strong for Jaynee.
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Monroe. There is nothing new I can tell you. Dr. McMullen will notify you the moment your wife is out of surgery. Please go back to the waiting room.” The nurse’s eyes were kind, but demanding. She would not share any information even if she had any.
    Jordan felt alone. His sisters had come earlier but had to return to their families. His mother had stayed beside him, but she had to check on his grandmother who was too sick to leave the house. He informed Jaynee’s family, but then begged them not to come. They would allow only two people at a time in her room, and he couldn’t imagine having to deal with his mother-in-law’s drama. Certainly, she would make everything about her. The one person who he wouldn’t mind coming was her grandmother, but she just had surgery and wasn’t able to walk yet. Jordan assured them he would call if there was any change, but now he didn’t feel like talking to any of them. They were just as much responsible for Jaynee’s situation as he was.
    He recognized the same people who had been in the small waiting area designated for ICU earlier. The one couple had come, gone and returned. But one visitor, like him, seemed to be a fixture. He stared at a magazine as if he wasn’t actually reading it, his face in a trance.
    If Jordan had to endure one more endless loop of news broadcasting on the local channel , he would go insane. It was the identical transmission over and over. At least they hadn’t picked up Jaynee’s story yet. Reporters would have a field day with that tidbit of information. He could hear it now, cop’s wife suspiciously found shot in their home after argument.
    Jordan was about to lose his sanity, when finally, Doctor McMullen stepped into the handkerchief-sized waiting area. The other man looked up in anticipation. He’d obviously been waiting as long as Jordan for information on a loved one.
    “Jordan, you can come with me now.” The doctor’s tone was monotone. Jordan was unable to read if the news was good or bad.
    Doctor McMullen walked in silence alongside Jordan as they headed toward Jaynee’s room. As much as Jordan wanted to pummel him with questions, he held his tongue. If Jaynee had died, the doctor would be walking toward his office not her room he assured himself.
    “Jaynee is stable now, Jordan. You can go inside.”
    Jordan searched the doctor’s eyes for the truth, fearful he might discover it. “What happened? All the monitors were normal. Her eyes were moving under her lids, and she looked as though she were coming around.” He spat the questions out, hoping the doctor would give him some assurance.
    “Jaynee’s ICP, short for intracranial pressure, shot up. To give you an example, a normal ICP reading for someone who has a bad headache is around four to five. The worst headache you’ve ever experienced is around eight to nine. After surgery, Jaynee’s ICP has been hovering around twelve to fourteen. That’s the reason we’ve kept her in an induced coma. The alarms sounded because the pressure on her brain increased to over forty.”
    Jordan dropped his head, shaking it, hoping he was still in his nightmare. He looked back up at the doctor whom hadn’t continued. The doctor had more bad news. Jordan could sense it in his eyes.
    McMullen took a breath before continuing. “We had to remove a piece of her skull and some fluid to lower the pressure, Jordan. S he is stable now. Not where we would prefer, but we’ll take it considering the alternative.”
    The alternative. Dead. He couldn’t imagine it. Jaynee couldn’t die. Jordan dropped his head in his hands. This couldn’t be happening. These things happened to other people. Not them. Was the doctor hiding something else?