A Narrow Escape
The Prognosis
We all turned around when we heard someone say, "Ms. McGuire's family?" We all stood up quickly. The doctor looked at the size of the group and said, "Perhaps we should talk in the family conference room. This way please." We followed him back to the room where we immediately started asking questions.
"How is my sister?" asked Susan.
"Has she regained conciousness?" asked her other sister Cathy. My God she really looked so much like Anne they could have been twins.
"Please tell me the results of the sexual assualt kit were negative." I said.
The doctor asked us to hold our questions and give him the chance to talk. "I'm Doctor Nicklin the attending physician here in the ER. I apologize for the length of time you have had to wait for answers but Ms. McGuire was beaten up pretty badly and it appears that she took several blows to the face and abdomen. First of all let me tell you that the sexual assualt kit was negative." he said looking straight at me. "There were no signs of penetration, however, we still ran testing for all known sexually transmitted diseases including the AIDS virus and all testing has come back negative at this time. So that is good news. We were able to close up the laceration on the back of her head with 24 stiches and the bleeding has stopped. She suffered a broken nose, which we have reset and also has two black eyes which may be attributated to the broken nose. She sustained a broken jaw in two places and we had to wire it shut. She has multiple cuts and bruises on the right side of her face indicating that she may have landed on that side when she fell. She has sustained a severe concussion and has been in and out of conciousness. We did a full body MRI and found she also has several bruised ribs. Given the exent of the bruising she was fairly lucky that none were broken. Now does anyone have any questions before I give you a recovery time frame?"
We all looked around at each other trying to absorb all we had heard. I looked at her sisters who were crying and saw that Zacky and Johnny were trying to comfort them. As for me I was too fucking pissed off to cry. I wanted to find that son of a bitch again and beat him to death this time. What kind of a man beats a woman up? A fucking pussy that's who. I looked at the doctor and asked if we could see her now. He looked reluctant and said, "Let me give you a overall recovery time frame and then three of you may see her. I must warn you again that she was beaten up very badly. It's not a pretty sight and she may or may not be concious."
"We understand Dr. Nicklin." said her sister Susan. "Please continue."
"What we are most concerned about now is the severity of the concussion. Ms. McGuire has not been concious long enough for us to adequately assess this. During the periods of time when she was lucid she did recall her name and was able to tell us what year it was which is encouraging. Ahh, here is Dr. Stone, our neurologist. She will be able to give you a better idea of her mental facilities. Dr. Stone."
"Hello as Dr. Nicklin has probably already told you Ms. McGuire has sustained multiple injuries. She has been in and out of conciousness but she recently regained consciousness long enough for me to make a better assessment. She has sustained a severe concussion and needs to be closely monitored for the next 24 hours. For this reason, along with her other injuries, she will be admitted to the hospital. We will repeatedly ask her routine questions such as her name, the date, when she was born, etc. She is able to recall this information which is extremely encouraging. What we will be watching for is sustained periods of conciousness. The longer she remains concious and lucid the better the prognosis and I will be able to sign off on her release. Does anyone have any questions for me?" she asked.
"Is she concious now and can we see her?" her sister Cathy asked.
"She was concious when I left her and I see no reason why she cannot have visitors provided that it is in small groups of say no more than three as not to overwhelm her. Dr. Nicklin is this okay with you?"
"Yes that is fine with me, answered Dr. Nicklin. Thank you Dr. Stone. Now I just have a few remaining items to discuss with all of you before you can see her. As I said her nose was broken and has been reset. This will take four to six weeks to heal completely. During this time her bruised ribs should also heal up nicely. It will take several weeks for the jaw to heal and possibly 2-3 months before all the hardware is removed. During this time her diet will be limited to a liquid one. Solid food may be pureed and it is essential to make sure that adequate amounts of calories, protien, vitamins and minerals are consumed. She will be taught how to care for the mouth, teeth, and injured areas while the wires are in place. Weight loss is expected with this type of injury so do not be alarmed by it. While Ms. McGuire is hospitalized she will be seen by a psychiatrist to determine if there is any post traumatic effects from the attempted rape. The need for follow up visits and medication cannot be ruled out. I know I have given you a lot of information. Does anyone have any questions?"
"Yes Dr. Nicklin. Will she be able to live on her own and care for her children? Or will it be necessary for someone to help with her care?" Susan asked.
"Good question. She will need help for the first few weeks while her ribs heal as it will be difficult for her to move about but after that she should be able to care for herself and her children just fine."
"How long do you anticipate her being hospitalized?" asked Cathy.
"Anywhere from 24-48 hours barring any complications." he stated
"Was there any damage to the facial nerves as a result of her jaw being broken? Susan asked.
"There was no damage noted at this time. However, we cannot rule out the possibility as she starts to regain consciousness and begins to heal. Any other questions?"
"Can we see her now?" I asked
"Yes but no more than three at a time as we have stated. If you'll follow me I'll take you to her room. The rest of you may return to the waiting room."
It was a given that her sisters would be the first to see her. I asked them if they minded if I went in with them at first. Susan said she didn't have any objections so I followed them and the doctor to Anne's room.
"How is my sister?" asked Susan.
"Has she regained conciousness?" asked her other sister Cathy. My God she really looked so much like Anne they could have been twins.
"Please tell me the results of the sexual assualt kit were negative." I said.
The doctor asked us to hold our questions and give him the chance to talk. "I'm Doctor Nicklin the attending physician here in the ER. I apologize for the length of time you have had to wait for answers but Ms. McGuire was beaten up pretty badly and it appears that she took several blows to the face and abdomen. First of all let me tell you that the sexual assualt kit was negative." he said looking straight at me. "There were no signs of penetration, however, we still ran testing for all known sexually transmitted diseases including the AIDS virus and all testing has come back negative at this time. So that is good news. We were able to close up the laceration on the back of her head with 24 stiches and the bleeding has stopped. She suffered a broken nose, which we have reset and also has two black eyes which may be attributated to the broken nose. She sustained a broken jaw in two places and we had to wire it shut. She has multiple cuts and bruises on the right side of her face indicating that she may have landed on that side when she fell. She has sustained a severe concussion and has been in and out of conciousness. We did a full body MRI and found she also has several bruised ribs. Given the exent of the bruising she was fairly lucky that none were broken. Now does anyone have any questions before I give you a recovery time frame?"
We all looked around at each other trying to absorb all we had heard. I looked at her sisters who were crying and saw that Zacky and Johnny were trying to comfort them. As for me I was too fucking pissed off to cry. I wanted to find that son of a bitch again and beat him to death this time. What kind of a man beats a woman up? A fucking pussy that's who. I looked at the doctor and asked if we could see her now. He looked reluctant and said, "Let me give you a overall recovery time frame and then three of you may see her. I must warn you again that she was beaten up very badly. It's not a pretty sight and she may or may not be concious."
"We understand Dr. Nicklin." said her sister Susan. "Please continue."
"What we are most concerned about now is the severity of the concussion. Ms. McGuire has not been concious long enough for us to adequately assess this. During the periods of time when she was lucid she did recall her name and was able to tell us what year it was which is encouraging. Ahh, here is Dr. Stone, our neurologist. She will be able to give you a better idea of her mental facilities. Dr. Stone."
"Hello as Dr. Nicklin has probably already told you Ms. McGuire has sustained multiple injuries. She has been in and out of conciousness but she recently regained consciousness long enough for me to make a better assessment. She has sustained a severe concussion and needs to be closely monitored for the next 24 hours. For this reason, along with her other injuries, she will be admitted to the hospital. We will repeatedly ask her routine questions such as her name, the date, when she was born, etc. She is able to recall this information which is extremely encouraging. What we will be watching for is sustained periods of conciousness. The longer she remains concious and lucid the better the prognosis and I will be able to sign off on her release. Does anyone have any questions for me?" she asked.
"Is she concious now and can we see her?" her sister Cathy asked.
"She was concious when I left her and I see no reason why she cannot have visitors provided that it is in small groups of say no more than three as not to overwhelm her. Dr. Nicklin is this okay with you?"
"Yes that is fine with me, answered Dr. Nicklin. Thank you Dr. Stone. Now I just have a few remaining items to discuss with all of you before you can see her. As I said her nose was broken and has been reset. This will take four to six weeks to heal completely. During this time her bruised ribs should also heal up nicely. It will take several weeks for the jaw to heal and possibly 2-3 months before all the hardware is removed. During this time her diet will be limited to a liquid one. Solid food may be pureed and it is essential to make sure that adequate amounts of calories, protien, vitamins and minerals are consumed. She will be taught how to care for the mouth, teeth, and injured areas while the wires are in place. Weight loss is expected with this type of injury so do not be alarmed by it. While Ms. McGuire is hospitalized she will be seen by a psychiatrist to determine if there is any post traumatic effects from the attempted rape. The need for follow up visits and medication cannot be ruled out. I know I have given you a lot of information. Does anyone have any questions?"
"Yes Dr. Nicklin. Will she be able to live on her own and care for her children? Or will it be necessary for someone to help with her care?" Susan asked.
"Good question. She will need help for the first few weeks while her ribs heal as it will be difficult for her to move about but after that she should be able to care for herself and her children just fine."
"How long do you anticipate her being hospitalized?" asked Cathy.
"Anywhere from 24-48 hours barring any complications." he stated
"Was there any damage to the facial nerves as a result of her jaw being broken? Susan asked.
"There was no damage noted at this time. However, we cannot rule out the possibility as she starts to regain consciousness and begins to heal. Any other questions?"
"Can we see her now?" I asked
"Yes but no more than three at a time as we have stated. If you'll follow me I'll take you to her room. The rest of you may return to the waiting room."
It was a given that her sisters would be the first to see her. I asked them if they minded if I went in with them at first. Susan said she didn't have any objections so I followed them and the doctor to Anne's room.
4/6/13