A Time of Innocence

I went out in the hall and talked to some of his friends for a few minutes staying in sight and then I notice that a Dr. was standing beside the bed. He was waking up and how they knew it I don’t know. The doctor was asking him questions and he would shake his head no. Where he was from, etc. Doc asked if he knew his birthday and he did. He was pulling at the contraption they had on his neck wanting it off. The Dr. told me that until he could answer some of the questions he asked, he couldn't take it off, because he needed to be able to ask him if he felt any pain any where to know if there was any neck injury. I told him that he needed to try and answer, but he still couldn't. The Dr.'s last question was if he knew his name and he thought for a moment and said his first name and after about four or five more seconds said his last.

I can still remember the Docs look as called me out in the hall. Doc told me that he had come on duty at six p.m. and got his chart to review. He said that he had been brought in thought triage. He said that when someone is unconscious and cant answer questions as to what happened they give them a full cat scan. He said that they have a coma scale of 1-15. 15 is me and you talking, a three is a two by four. He had come in as a six. He told me as a matter of precaution when someone is an eight they automatically put them on life support, because they figure they aren't breathing well enough on their own. He said that when they did that he popped up to a thirteen. Doc said he checked out fine with the scans and x-rays and except for him being unconscious he checked out fine. He said in fact that when he had gotten his chart, he had went to release him until he discovered he was unconscious.

I remember trying to focus on what all the Doc was saying, glad my parents were there in case I missed something, and my chest muscles were cramping up, hard to explain, but like I was try to inhale and exhale at the same time and neither set of muscles could move. I just stood there trying to focus and listen.

He said that he had a concussion and that based on how he had answered the questions that he was pretty serious. He told me that his pupils were slow to respond to light and that how some one answers the questions let them know if someone was faking or uncooperative. He didn't say faking, I cant remember what he said, but I misunderstood him and blurted out "Are you trying to say you think he is faking"? Doc said no he was trying to tell me that he wasn't. They ask a set of questions to indicate the extent of the injury. That someone who is being uncooperative wont know anything, but he knew the year he was born and his name. He told me that your name is the last thing to go and that he probably wasn't going to wake up and be himself and that I was going to have to be very patient. He told me that he could possibly have coordination problems and "you're going to have to be patient, he probably wouldn't know everyone and you're going to have to be patient, he would get frustrated easily and a list that went on and on.

He must have told me I was going to have to be patient at least fifteen times. And when he got finished Mom said you are understanding what he's trying to tell you, that you are going to have to be patient with him.