6. A Bumpy Road to Recovery

Ian does what he can to help Chrissy get better.

“I'm sorry, Mr. Stewart,” said Dr. Weisz, “but those are the rules! Children are not permitted in the Critical Care Unit!” Dr. Weisz had been assigned to be Chrissy's primary physician while she at was St. Al's Hospital recovering from a serious motorcycle accident. Ian was amazed at how young the man seemed. He looked barely more than a kid to Ian! But the fact that he wore his hair in a ponytail made Ian hopeful that he might be enough of a rebel to bend the rules occasionally.

“Doctor,” he argued, “my wife is in there fighting for her life! A visit from Emily would really help her in that battle! You want what's best for your patient, don't you?”

Dr. Weisz was thoughtful for several seconds. Ian thought he might be about to give in. “No!” he finally said emphatically, “I have to enforce the rules! I'm sorry.”

Ian nodded dejectedly. He could see that there was no point in arguing any further.

“However,” Dr. Weisz continued, “if you were to do something foolish, like sneak your daughter past us into your wife's room, see to it that she's scrubbed up and wearing a surgical mask! And allow her no more than five minutes!”

He turned and walked away. Ian was perplexed. Did Dr. Weisz just suggest that he sneak Emily into Chrissy's room? He was never good at picking up on hints. He looked at the nurse behind the counter for clarification, but she just smiled and walked away. On the counter next to where she had been standing lay a fresh surgical mask. He grabbed it and hurried out to the waiting room where Emily sat, waiting patiently.

~*~

Initially, Chrissy seemed to take everyone by surprise with the speed of her recovery. In less than a week she was moved out of the Critical Care Unit into a regular room. It was at that point, however, that her progress seemed to stop. Ian grew concerned that her condition might even be getting worse. He suspected that he knew the reason and decided to consult with her doctor about it.

“Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to talk to me, Doctor,” he said, “I know how busy you are.”

“It's no problem, Ian,” Dr. Weisz replied, “What's on your mind?”

“First, you have to promise me that this conversation is in the strictest of confidence,” said Ian.

Dr. Weisz smiled. “Federal law prohibits me from discussing Chrissy's health with anyone that isn't directly involved with her care.”

“I know that. What I mean is... Chrissy can't find out about this conversation.”

Dr. Weisz furrowed his brow. “I don't know if I can make that promise, Ian. But if there's something I should know about Chrissy's health, I strongly urge you to tell me!”

Ian thought for several seconds before he replied, “Okay... I'll have to trust you. Chrissy's nurses tell me that she's been refusing her pain meds.”

“Yes, that's true,” Dr. Weisz nodded, “She claims that she's not in pain, though I find that quite remarkable considering the extent of her injuries.”

“She's in pain all right!” Ian replied, “In fact, I'm guessing she's in agony right now!”

“Why would she lie about it?”

Ian paused for several moments before he continued. “She's a former drug addict. She's probably afraid of getting addicted to her pain meds, so she's refusing them.”

“I see,” said Dr. Weisz, “That makes sense. It's a valid concern, some of our pain medications can be highly addictive.” Then he chuckled. “It's rather strange, though. Usually, I have patients lie about their pain so that they can get more pain meds, not less. Well, we have to do something about it! Pain management is an important part of the recovery process. We have other pain medications available that aren't habit forming, though they're not as efficient at managing pain. There's also non-pharmaceutical methods such as cold compresses and acupuncture. I'll have a talk with her about it.”

“You can't let her know I told you about this!” said Ian, “She'd kill me!”

“I'll be discreet,” he assured him. Then he added, “I suppose that would also explain why she won't take any of the sleeping pills I've prescribed for her.” Ian nodded. “Well, she needs her rest if she's going to get better,” he continued, “I'll tell you what. I'm going to prescribe a cup of chamomile tea at bedtime for her. That will help make her drowsy and she shouldn't have any objections about it. But you'll have to bring some in since I'm sure we don't have that in our hospital pharmacy.”

“I'll bring some tomorrow,” Ian replied, “Thanks, Doc!”

Author's Note

Criticisms and suggestions are always welcome.

Reviews

[Tina Kline]

Excellent chapter. I can see where she'd be concern about taking those addictive pain pills. Lucky Ian understood and talked to her doctor. He seems like a nice doctor. I enjoyed this chapter.

[Craig2591]

Yes, the young doctors seem to have more idealism while the older ones are wiser but more cynical. The ones with both qualities are rare.

Thanks for the review.

[Tina Kline]

I agree!