Chapter 20
The doctor came in about nine o’clock. “Morning Katie. Sleep well?”
“Morning doctor. I slept about as well as I could.”
“Well, I understand that. We are going to take him for more tests in a few minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll go for a walk and be back later.”
Katie gave Mark a kiss and went out for a walk. She walked up and down the halls and then outside for some fresh air. After about an hour, Katie decided to go back in. When she got back to the room, Mark hadn’t returned from the tests yet. She sat down to read and after a few minutes the doctor came in with Mark.
“Well Katie, I have good news and bad news. Good news is the swelling has not increased. Bad news is that it hasn’t gone down.”
“What does that mean doctor?”
“It means he isn’t getting any worse but he isn’t getting better either. There should be one or the other. If something doesn’t happen in the next 12 hours, we will have to go in and see why.”
Katie knew that things couldn’t be good. She knew something had to change. She decided she needed to get away from the hospital for awhile, so she headed back to the ranch. She would go spend the day there, eat dinner, and then be back before the next round of tests. She told the nurse, and they promised to call if anything changed. Katie called for a taxi to take her back to the ranch. It was about a 30-minute drive. She arrived at the ranch just before lunch. Everyone was glad to see her.
Katie filled them in on what the doctor said. They decided to say a special prayer for Mark before lunch. Katie enjoyed everyone’s company and seemed to get her mind off Mark a bit. After lunch, she helped Sue clean up the kitchen and then went out for a horseback ride.
Katie rode back to the river to where Billy’s ‘hide-out’ was. She looked at the tree where she saw the ribbon before, and now there was a bright red ribbon on it. Katie thought it strange, so she crossed the river for a better look.
As she looked at the ribbon she saw written in black letters, “BILLY LOVES KATIE.” Katie didn’t need this now. She had just put Billy behind her, and now what was this? She looked down on the ground and there was fresh dirt as if there was something just buried there. Katie started digging. After a few minutes she uncovered a metal box.
Immediately Katie took it out and opened it. Inside was an envelope with Billy’s name on it. Katie pulled it open to find out what it was. As she read the paper inside, it said, “LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.” She knew this couldn’t be right. Billy didn’t have time to write a will. She looked to see what lawyer had done it and decided she would pay him a visit as soon as things with Mark were better. She looked at her watch and realized it was almost dinnertime, so she rode back to the ranch. Katie didn’t tell anyone about finding the will. She decided no one needed to know. After a good dinner, Katie got in the truck and went back to the hospital to check on Mark.
Chapter 21
When Katie got back to the hospital, the nurse said the doctor had been waiting on her to get back. She said for her to go on in Mark’s room, and she would tell the doctor she was back. After a few minutes the doctor came in.
“Hello Katie. I hope you enjoyed your break. I am glad you took it. I waited on you to get back before running the tests again. I want you to go with me this time so I can show you what is going on. So if you are ready, let’s go.”
“Well, okay doctor, I’d like that.” Katie went with the doctor, nurse, and Mark down for the CAT Scan. She watched as they carefully put Mark on the table. The doctor came back into the room where she was watching through the window.
“Okay, Katie. What we are going to do is turn this on and it will take him into that tube and take a picture of his brain. He’ll be in there for a couple of minutes and then we will get the pictures and compare it to the one I took this morning.”
He pushed a few buttons and Mark moved into the tube. After a few minutes, he came back out. Two men went in and put Mark back onto his bed and rolled him back to his room.
“Katie, I want you to stay with me a few minutes so I can show you the pictures.”
“Sure doctor.”
“Okay let me go get them. I’ll be right back.” He left for a bit and then came back with the pictures. “Okay, now here are the ones from this morning. Look right here. See where this dark area is? That is the swelling. It should be clear. Now let’s look at the ones from now. What do you see, Katie?”
“Well, it looks like the dark area is smaller.”
“Right. That means the swelling is going down.”
“Really? That’s great. That means he’s going to be okay, right?”
“He isn’t out of the woods yet. He is still in a coma and could still have some brain damage from the swelling, but this is a good sign.”
“What now Doc?”
“We hope that the swelling continues to go down and it should now. Also, we hope that he comes out of the coma. When he does we can tell if there is any permanent damage. Katie, he’s got a great chance of making a full recovery.”
Hearing that made Katie jump for joy inside. As she walked back to Mark’s room, she thanked God for what He had done. She also prayed for his continued recovery. When she got to his room, Katie kissed Mark and said, “You’re going to be okay sweetheart.” She called the ranch and told them the good news. They were all very glad to hear.
Katie spent the night again at the hospital. She just knew that Mark would wake up soon. And she wanted to be there. She sat in her chair and just watched him for hours until she fell asleep.
The next morning the nurse woke her up for breakfast. Katie ate, then showered and changed. While she was reading the paper, Jeff walked in. “Hey beautiful. How is he?”
“Well, the doctor hasn’t come in yet but it shouldn’t be too long. Have a seat.”
“Thanks. How are you?”
“Well, as good as could be expected. I mean it isn’t comfortable sleeping in a chair or even the hospital cot they gave me, but I am fine.”
“Everyone misses him and you, so you better get back before too long.”
“Oh, believe me, I want to but I am not leaving him.”
“I understand.” Just as Jeff hugged Katie, the doctor walked in.
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