Core Beliefs - Chapter 35 - Broken Man

Core Beliefs – Chapter 35 - Broken Man

The hospital’s doctor reached the nurses’ station at ten after the hour. Marcus asked Ling to let him make the introduction.

Ling nervously stood beside Marcus, fuming on the inside as the doctor gave her nasty side glances as he talked with Marcus. Every aspect of the doctors behavior was condescending.

Marcus presented Ling and referenced her position and her prior work with the patient. He emphasized that she had flown in from Houston to be able to accompany the doctor as he reviewed the case.

“I’ve heard of Dr. Chang,” the doctor said, “and will permit her to accompany me as long as she understands that in this facility, I am the doctor in charge.”

“I agree,” Ling said. The two moved into the critical care unit.

As Ling followed the Doctor to Matt’s cubicle, it took great restraint not to dash to his bed.

The doctor opened the chart and read aloud, “Severe cranial trauma, minor internal hemorrhaging, indications of neck and spinal damage, life support required and the patient is non-responsive.”

“Are there any X-rays or CT scans?” Ling asked.

“Too risky to move a patient in this condition. Protocol dictates we stabilize before trucking them off for such things.”

“Has any blood work been done?" Ling questioned.

The doctor glanced at the chart. “None ordered.”

“Might you order some blood work since it would not involve moving the patient?”

“I really don’t see the point, considering the patient’s condition, but I will do so to satisfy you.” The doctor smirked.

Ling asked for a rudimentary battery of tests and said she would be glad to help if it would be of assistance.

“Only staff may participate in the treatment of patients,” the doctor responded sternly, “including blood and lab work. I’m sure you understand the liability issues.” He wore a sickening smile that exuded his snobbish, egomaniacal, control-freak personality.

She wanted to smack the man, but swallowed her anger and asked, “Might I observe the patient from a little closer? Some things for my research records at Wheatley?”

“Of course, provided you administer no treatment or alter his condition in any way.”

He left, leaving Ling in the care of a nurse. This nurse had come on at six and was not one of the ones Ling had feuded with on the night shift. She also seemed willing to let Ling examine Matt without interference.

Ling wrestled to retain her composure. She began with the head wounds. He was a mess. They had shaved his head to apply dressing and tape to the worst of the cuts and gashes. On the back of his head, stitches sealed two very large wounds. By looking at the bruise lines along the scalp, she could tell where the skull had fractured.

It took minutes to determine if the crown of Matt’s cranium had fractured all the way around.

She progressed down. Matt was on a respirator but not on a pacemaker.

‘Is his brain sending signals?’ Ling wondered as she looked for any sign that brain function continued.

She determined his left shoulder was crushed and hemorrhaged under the skin. She also saw bruising to the chest and, looking closely, determined that multiple ribs were not properly aligned.

‘No wonder he needs help breathing,’ she cursed to herself. ‘This is not a brain thing. It’s a body thing.’

Further down, she recognized his right knee had significant bruising and swelling, and as she probed with her fingers, she determined it was fractured.

She probed a little harder.

“His finger twitched,” the nurse said.

Ling looked at her. “Which finger?”

“Left hand, index, bottom two joints.”

Ling smiled, “Very good observation. We still have brain function.” It was the clue she’d searched for, something to pin her hopes on. Matt was alive.

The nurse smiled back; it seemed compliments were hard to come by in this place.

Ling wanted to examine Matt’s spine but knew she could not roll him without risking additional injury. She enlisted the services of the nurse to press on one edge of the mattress so she could slip her hand under Matt and feel along the spine.

Starting at the base of the spine, she slowly worked her way up. She didn’t encounter any abnormal deflection in the lower part of his body.

At the base of the neck, she felt a definite offset in the vertebrae, pronounced but not disjointed. She nudged Matt’s head carefully, no more than half an inch. Both vertebrae moved. She smiled, not broken.

She checked his eyes. They were dilated and unfocused. She wanted to continue, but the nurse coughed, eyeing her watch. Ling realized that if she wanted another opportunity, she should leave before she crossed their line.

“I really appreciate your patience and help,” Ling smiled.

Reluctantly, Ling stepped from the room, grim yet not without hope. Anger pulsed through her. So much more could be done, but as things were, she was helpless to provide any meaningful treatment.

Marcus waited as she strode into the waiting room.

“Please,” his voice anxiously hoped for some good news.

Fuming in a whisper and at times hissing, Ling relayed her findings, blasting the hospital’s staff and doctors.

“Marcus, the bottom line is that even some of the bad is good. My biggest concern is that these people seem to have no plan for treating him and are mostly concerned with their rules and procedures.

“He is alive,” she sighed, “but will deteriorate if we don’t start taking proactive measures soon.”

“How soon?” Marcus asked.

“He will lose ground daily and can’t survive but three or four days at the most.”

“Joe will be here around 10:00, and Chris and Charlotte by 10:30.”

‘Damn Charlotte,’ she fumed inside. ‘When that bitch gets here, I’ll have words and more for her.’

“I suggest that you begin to formulate a treatment plan,” Marcus said, “and by the way, I have a new tool ready and at your disposal.”

“The Imager?” Ling asked.

“It is better than we ever hoped. Let’s get everyone here and see if we can persuade this place to cooperate.”

Ling realized why Matt trusted this man so much. He was always multiple steps ahead.

***

It seemed like forever, but at ten-fifteen, Ling saw Joe and Cynthia hustling down the hall. They were out of breath. Ling could tell they were looking for Marcus.

“Over here!” Ling called.

Joe saw her and waved as they hurried to her.

“I am so glad you’re here,” Joe said. “When Marcus told me this morning you’d made it, I was so relieved.”

“Joe, I wish I could say that I feel like I accomplished something, but I haven’t been able to help Matt at all.”

A puzzled expression was etched on Joe’s face.

“Glad you made it safely.” Marcus strode up behind Joe. “You said Charles was with you?”

“He’ll be here in a minute,” Cynthia answered. “He dropped us at the door and is parking the car.”

They claimed seats, and Ling began explaining her concerns regarding Matt’s condition.

Charley hurried into the room. Marcus stepped forward and greeted him, inviting him to take a seat.

“I saw Chris and Charlotte pulling in,” Charley said. “They should be here in a few minutes.”

Joe looked at Cynthia, who seemed to be reading his thoughts. “Let’s hold up until they’re here,” Cynthia said. “We can all hear the story at the same time.”

Ling didn’t mind seeing Chris, but Charlotte was another matter.

Chris and Charlotte rushed in and joined the group. Folks exchanged hugs, except Ling and Charlotte. Instead of hugs, Ling’s eyes hurled daggers at Charlotte.

Marcus communicated what he knew, much of it related to the arrogance displayed by the hospital staff.

Ling finished giving her assessment of Matt’s physical condition. She explained how the non-treatment of specific conditions was a factor in Matt’s declining health, and if they didn’t take corrective action soon, the opportunity would be lost.

“Who do we talk with to get treatment going and get permission for Ling to help!” Joe stared at Marcus, fire in his gaze, his voice rising, and anger accentuating his last words.

“Honestly,” Marcus said, “I think it’s a lost cause to try to get these people to cooperate. They’ve dug a hole and won’t do anything that opens them to second-guessing. I think you should first let them know you are here and make sure they understand that you are Matt’s closest living relative.”

“If we could get the doctor and the hospital administrator to sit down in a conference,” Ling said, “maybe we could persuade them.”

“Great idea,” Joe blurted. He and Marcus set off to contact an administrator. The rest settled into seats in the waiting room.

***

Chris observed as Ling glared at Charlotte. The look increasingly nasty. Letting the situation fester was the wrong path.

“Enough!” he stood. “You two with me!” He grabbed both Charlotte and Ling by their wrists and forcefully dragged them away to an empty room, roughly shoved them in, and slammed the door behind them. Placing himself between them and the door. “One way or another, we’re going to settle this!”

“Oh, so now it’s two against one?” Ling shouted. “Well, bring it on!”

Charlotte stood silent, hands at her side, and her head bowed.

Ling didn’t know what to make of it. At wit’s end, she yelled, “How dare you say I didn’t care about Matthew! How could you say that I don’t care? How could you even think that!” she raged. “Who jumped on a plane last night, flew to Dallas, took a puddle jumper to Oklahoma City, and then another prop before catching a flight to St Louis from Tulsa? Who rented a car and slid through every back street to get here!” Ling glared, face red, eyes brimming.

“I got here, and you show up this morning after a sweet night’s sleep,” she snarled. “You tell me who loves this man. Who? Me! That’s who!” she shouted. Hard heaving breaths, fists clenched to the point that her knuckles were turning purple. Her eyes were puffy and swollen, and her face was tense.

Charlotte raised her head. Tears flooded her eyes as she gazed sorrowfully at Ling.

“You love him the most,” her voice quivered, “I know you love him. I’m so sorry about last night. I wanted to comfort you and console you. I really did, but you needed to be here,” Charlotte gulped a sob. “If I had been kind or gentle, you might still be in Houston this morning, and our chances for helping Matt would be lost.”

Silence ruled. The room felt saturated with emotion.

“Please forgive me, please? But even if you can’t forgive me, help Matt. That’s the only thing important right now.” Charlotte choked the words out.

***

Chris watched as Ling’s tenseness slowly released. Charlotte’s tears soaked her cheeks, and her eyes begged Ling.

“Ling,” Chris said, “we’re desperate, and desperate people do stupid things. The one thing Charlotte knew above all else was that any hope we have for Matt demanded that you be here as soon as possible. Right or wrong, smart or dumb, all she was trying to do was get you here.”

He spoke softer, “Now, you can stay mad, and you probably have the right, but I think you know Charlotte, and you know she never wanted to hurt you.”

Ling turned, placing her back to Chris and Charlotte, plopped to the floor, and cupped her face in her hands as muffled sobs filled the room.

Charlotte slipped forward and sat, wrapping her arms around Ling. There they sat, crying and rocking, then hugging, followed by “I’m sorry” from each to the other.

Chris slid to the floor with his back to the door and watched as the anger melted. Restoration happened before his eyes. He was prepared to be patient, but about five minutes later, a knock on the door disturbed them.

“Is everything okay here?” Joe asked, sticking his head around the edge of the door.

Ling and Charlotte looked at each other and smiled.

“Yes, everything is okay,” Ling said.

“We have a 1:00 p.m. meeting with the hospital administrator and the doctor,” Joe said.

Ling sprang to her feet. “Let’s get ready!”

When they reached the others, they could tell from the expressions on Cynthia and Charley’s faces that their friends were wondering what was going on.

Ling quietly said, “I needed to get straightened out about something, and now that that is done, we need to focus on how to get Matt the treatment he needs.”

“We have an hour to prepare,” Marcus said, “so let’s make it come across as much a benefit to them as to us.”

Ling, Joe, and Marcus would go to the meeting.