herself.
“You might want to rest while we drive,” the Lance Corporal suggested. “It’s about an hour and a half drive.”
“No,” Libby whispered, though she was utterly exhausted, she was too worried about Cole. “Do you know Cole?”
“Corporal Andrews?” The Lance Corporal gave her a sympathetic smile. “Everybody knows Andrews.” She smiled again. “He’s one of the best squad leaders in the 2nd. And a crack shot. He gave a sniper training course a few months ago… hit a 2-centimeter target almost 2 miles away with high winds. Dead center…” she trailed off when she saw a tear sliding down Libby’s face. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“Call me Libby, Lance Corporal,” she whispered, wiping the tear away. “I’m sure Cole has a much better gun now but he used to shoot tin cans from that far away with his old 30.06.” She smiled when the woman’s jaw dropped in shock. “He tried teaching me but I could only shoot about half as far with the same accuracy.”
“I’m so sorry, Libby,” the Lance Corporal whispered.
“Do you know how bad it is?” Libby questioned as she watched the trees flash past.
“Some of the guys from my unit were talking the other day. One of them has a cousin in Andrew’s unit,” she paused before continuing. “Look, Libby. They don’t fly family over here unless it’s pretty serious.” Libby only nodded and stared out the window. She wouldn’t lose hope. Cole needed her to be the strong one now.
Chapter 11
Libby was surprised at how quickly her escort got her through security and to the intensive care unit of the hospital. Her heart began to race as she signed in at the nurse’s station. Lance Corporal Carlton squeezed her arm in sympathy before turning away. Libby watched her walk down the hallway for a moment, feeling utterly alone. A young nurse with a German accent led her to a room down the hall that was darker than the rest of the unit. Libby tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she stepped into the room.
There were so many bandages on his body that she wouldn’t have been able to tell it was him if she hadn’t seen his name on the chart hanging at the end of the bed. Wires and tubes seemed to be coming from everywhere, leading to multiple monitors and machines. Cole’s body was trembling, his arms and legs twitching beneath padded restraints. Libby stopped, bile rising in her throat. The nurse continued to pull her forward towards the bed.
“He looks better now than when he first got here,” she murmured, laying a hand on Libby’s back. Libby’s hand was shaking as she reached out to touch Cole’s fingers. His hand twitched and she pulled her hand back quickly.
“It’s a pseudo-seizure,” the nurse explained.
“A what?” Libby’s voice was shaking.
“A pseudo-seizure,” she repeated. “They have the physical symptoms of a seizure except that the EEG is completely normal. He’s being kept sedated but his muscles are still able to twitch.”
“What is wrong with him?” Libby asked, reaching again for Cole’s hand as it continued to quiver. His hand stilled when she finally touched him. “In layman’s terms, please.”
“There’s quite a bit wrong at the moment, I’m afraid,” the nurse answered as she pulled a chair closer to the bed for Libby to sit in. “We’ll start off with his head and work our way down.” Libby nodded, unable to speak.
“Corporal Andrews sustained a traumatic brain injury as a result of an explosion. The impact caused his brain to bounce in his skull and swell. Luckily, in Corporal Andrews’s case, he sustained a skull fracture as well but it has actually helped relieve the pressure on his brain by giving it more room to expand. Dr. Heinrich did drill a small hole to insert a probe for monitoring the pressure. It started dropping yesterday so the swelling is going down.”
“Will there be any permanent damage?” Libby’s voice was barely a whisper. Broken bones, damaged
“You might want to rest while we drive,” the Lance Corporal suggested. “It’s about an hour and a half drive.”
“No,” Libby whispered, though she was utterly exhausted, she was too worried about Cole. “Do you know Cole?”
“Corporal Andrews?” The Lance Corporal gave her a sympathetic smile. “Everybody knows Andrews.” She smiled again. “He’s one of the best squad leaders in the 2nd. And a crack shot. He gave a sniper training course a few months ago… hit a 2-centimeter target almost 2 miles away with high winds. Dead center…” she trailed off when she saw a tear sliding down Libby’s face. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“Call me Libby, Lance Corporal,” she whispered, wiping the tear away. “I’m sure Cole has a much better gun now but he used to shoot tin cans from that far away with his old 30.06.” She smiled when the woman’s jaw dropped in shock. “He tried teaching me but I could only shoot about half as far with the same accuracy.”
“I’m so sorry, Libby,” the Lance Corporal whispered.
“Do you know how bad it is?” Libby questioned as she watched the trees flash past.
“Some of the guys from my unit were talking the other day. One of them has a cousin in Andrew’s unit,” she paused before continuing. “Look, Libby. They don’t fly family over here unless it’s pretty serious.” Libby only nodded and stared out the window. She wouldn’t lose hope. Cole needed her to be the strong one now.
Chapter 11
Libby was surprised at how quickly her escort got her through security and to the intensive care unit of the hospital. Her heart began to race as she signed in at the nurse’s station. Lance Corporal Carlton squeezed her arm in sympathy before turning away. Libby watched her walk down the hallway for a moment, feeling utterly alone. A young nurse with a German accent led her to a room down the hall that was darker than the rest of the unit. Libby tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she stepped into the room.
There were so many bandages on his body that she wouldn’t have been able to tell it was him if she hadn’t seen his name on the chart hanging at the end of the bed. Wires and tubes seemed to be coming from everywhere, leading to multiple monitors and machines. Cole’s body was trembling, his arms and legs twitching beneath padded restraints. Libby stopped, bile rising in her throat. The nurse continued to pull her forward towards the bed.
“He looks better now than when he first got here,” she murmured, laying a hand on Libby’s back. Libby’s hand was shaking as she reached out to touch Cole’s fingers. His hand twitched and she pulled her hand back quickly.
“It’s a pseudo-seizure,” the nurse explained.
“A what?” Libby’s voice was shaking.
“A pseudo-seizure,” she repeated. “They have the physical symptoms of a seizure except that the EEG is completely normal. He’s being kept sedated but his muscles are still able to twitch.”
“What is wrong with him?” Libby asked, reaching again for Cole’s hand as it continued to quiver. His hand stilled when she finally touched him. “In layman’s terms, please.”
“There’s quite a bit wrong at the moment, I’m afraid,” the nurse answered as she pulled a chair closer to the bed for Libby to sit in. “We’ll start off with his head and work our way down.” Libby nodded, unable to speak.
“Corporal Andrews sustained a traumatic brain injury as a result of an explosion. The impact caused his brain to bounce in his skull and swell. Luckily, in Corporal Andrews’s case, he sustained a skull fracture as well but it has actually helped relieve the pressure on his brain by giving it more room to expand. Dr. Heinrich did drill a small hole to insert a probe for monitoring the pressure. It started dropping yesterday so the swelling is going down.”
“Will there be any permanent damage?” Libby’s voice was barely a whisper. Broken bones, damaged
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