“I can’t say with a hundred percent certainty that she won’t have lasting side effects. She’s very petite and to sustain such a blow as she did there are many concerns.”
“Those being?” Wyatt asked.
“My first concern is that she is still unconscious. The longer she remains that way the more severe her injuries can be.”
“My God! What about tests like CAT scans or MRIs,” Stacy asked.
“We are in the process of doing those. So far, it doesn’t appear that there are any contusions to the brain. Basically, brain contusions are bruises of the brain tissue that occur as a result of brain trauma. In some cases, brain contusions lead to hemorrhages that are absorbed into the brain tissue.”
“Has the swelling gone down?” Dr. Jones asked.
“The swelling has remained the same since she arrived in the ER. As you know, Dr. Jones, brain contusions are localized, a characteristic that distinguishes them from concussions, which are more spread out. Once we do the CAT scans and MRIs, we should be able to rule this out.”
“So we wait for the results of the tests?”
The doctor nodded.
“Can we see her?” Wyatt asked.
The doctor hesitated then looked at Dr. Jones.
“I suppose for a quick minute. No more than that. We should have the results from the tests soon, and then we’ll determine what we need to do to help her recover.”
The men shook his hand, then followed him to the ICU.
* * * *
The nurse told them one at a time, so Wyatt entered first, although Charlie and Ben could see her through the windows. She was covered in wires, her face battered and bruised. Wyatt’s heart pounded in his chest. The thugs had beaten her before him, and the others knew she was in trouble.
They had failed to protect her when she needed them most. He swallowed hard, finding it difficu
lt to not become emotional.
She looked so pale and fragile with all the wires hooked up to her. The beeping sounds filled the room. It was surreal and frightening. One look at the gash by her head and the swelling that the doctor was concerned about had Wyatt shedding tears.
He knew he had little time, so he wiped his eyes and leaned down to kiss her cheek below the bruise.
“I love you, baby. Please wake up and come back to us. I can’t live without you,” he whispered as the tears rolled down his cheeks and he walked out of the room.
* * * *
One look at his brother and Charlie felt like vomiting. He’d never seen Wyatt cry before.
He touched Wyatt’s shoulder as he passed him, but Wyatt’s head was down as he exited the ICU.
Taking a deep breath, Charlie walked into the room and stopped short at the sight.
“Oh, Jesus, Anna!” he whispered, covering his mouth as he absorbed the sight of tubes, bruises, and monitors beeping. The sound of her heart beating should have brought him some peace, but instead, it scared him. Her face had cuts and bruises on it, and the gash by her head had been stitched up and bandaged. He prayed that there wasn’t any internal bleeding or brain injury. He clenched his fists as the tears rolled down his cheeks. He should have killed the fuckers. They had enough time to rough her up again, and he hadn’t been there to protect her. He swallowed hard.
He slowly moved closer and touched her delicate hand then a finger that didn’t have some sort of monitoring device on it.
He leaned down and kissed her lips gently, away from the cut there.
“I love you, baby. Please pull through. We need you.”
Slowly, he stood up and exited the room, closing his eyes and inhaling as he made eye contact with Ben. Ben looked downright pissed off.
* * * *