Chapter 85 — The Patient's Awake

MYKAELA.

Every tick of the clock on the wall felt like a prison sentence.

I sat in one of the patient chairs, the bright lights above me seemingly buzzing louder with each passing second. This freshly painted consultation room looked bigger than the one Enzo and I sat in almost two weeks ago. The furniture looked brand new. It was Dr. Sharma's clinic—her newest one here in Schenectady.

Dr. Larissa Sharma, a family friend, was my gynecologist when I was still living here, before I got into med school. The doctor sat across from me in her swivel chair, her fairly wrinkled hands crinkling the sheets of paper on her desk.

They would end this torturous wait and determine the course of my future. Right here. Right now.

I scratched the itch under the strap of my mask, trying my best to sit still, nervously waiting for Dr. Sharma's confirmation.

She just came back with my test results. Despite her mask, I could tell she was giving me a reassuring smile. But beneath her smile, her concern was quite obvious. She knew me pretty well and probably noticed my unease.

"You feeling okay, Kel?" Her soothing voice cut through my anxious thoughts as her warm brown eyes looked into mine.

I nodded. "Yeah," I lied. "Just a little tired, Doc."

"Okay. Well, you must be. You're on ER rotations this month."

"Yeah."

"Just a few more months, right? Then you're off to residency."

Again, a nod was all I could give in response.

"Jeez. Time flies." She chuckled. "Congrats, sweetie."

"Yeah. Thanks, Doc." I mustered up some enthusiasm and put on a close-lipped smile. Deep inside, I felt like I was seconds away from spewing my lunch all over her desk. My hands were cold, my fingers intertwined in my lap as I mentally recounted the reasons why I had to see her. Why I had to be here today.

During the drive, my brain kept revisiting that late-night quickie with Lorenzio. It wasn't really a quickie, though. We had sex twice that night. Just before he popped the question. And the things we did in his workout room played vividly in my mind.

But we had been careful. We used contraception, but the nagging doubts still lingered. A second of carelessness was all it took, and, as far as I knew, we both had no reproductive health issues.

"You sure your period's late, sweetie?"

"Few days, Doc."

"Mm-kay. And you mentioned, fatigue and morning sickness?"

"I dunno if it was actually morning sickness, but... Yeah. I threw up yesterday, and, been feeling unusually lethargic all week," I confessed, my voice not as steady as I wanted.

Dr. Sharma nodded and reached for the folder on the side of her desk. After her fingers flipped through pages, she carefully slid the sheets of paper towards me.

My heart pounded faster. I felt like just breathing was difficult. My chest actually hurt a bit. My shoulders tensed up as I leaned forward and stared at the words and numbers on the pages. My test results.

When I barely moved and kept my mouth shut, Dr. Sharma looked me in the eyes again. "Inconclusive for now. Sorry."

"Oh." I let out a breath.

"You could be pregnant. But right now, I can't say for sure, sweetie."

Of course. Too soon. It was too early to tell. I knew I should've waited a few more days at least. "Right. Okay." I nodded.

Inconclusive.

The word echoed in my head, like a storm cloud stalking me, just hovering above me. It wasn't the exact confirmation I needed, but it was my fault. I let my impulsive streak take over me again.

"Kel, if you need new pills and supplements, I can give you a prescription now." Dr. Sharma's calm voice pierced through my thoughts. Her tone was gentle, yet tinged with seriousness.

"Okay, Doc." I pinched my finger and looked up to stare at her. My mind raced. My heartbeat wouldn't calm down. I couldn't even text him about this. Enzo was three hours away, stuck in the hospital, weak, hurting and unconscious. "Please. Thanks."

"Sweetie, I won't tell your mom if you don't want me to, but if you don't wanna get pregnant, you know what to do."

Of course. No unprotected sex this month. Better yet, no sex at all. Best contraceptive ever.

I appreciated her pragmatic advice, but the thoughts running through my head now only fueled my anxiety. After stopping by the small pharmacy to pay for the pills she prescribed, I said goodbye to Dr. Sharma, replied to a quick text from my mom, and left the building with a crumpled paper bag.

My chest felt heavy. Tight. I tried a few deep breaths. They didn't get rid of the unpleasant feeling.

In the corner of the parking lot, Lele waited and stood beside Enzo's Audi, ready to escort me back to Enzo's house. "Good to go?"

"Yeah." I sighed, my hands scrunching up the paper bag as I glanced around. No strangers lurking nearby. For now.

"Sure you don't wanna drop by your mother's office?"

"Next time. She's in a meeting right now. Let's just go." I thanked him when he opened the door to the backseat. I sat behind the driver's side and waited for him to start the car.

The drive to Enzo's house was a blur of city lights, some rock songs, and fleeting quiet moments. Lele attempted to ease my anxiety with small talk, but his words barely registered, and I couldn't make myself open up.

My mind was drowning in thoughts of Enzo... His health. His helplessness. His stressful job. His proposal. My career... The unknown future waiting for us...

We arrived at his house past four. It was a three and a half hour-drive from the clinic, including bathroom breaks. With my purse, I climbed out of the backseat with an achy back and leaden limbs. The cloudy weather, the nippy air, and the almost unsettling silence didn't help my mood.

Masked up with his phone on his ear, Lele stared at me with a concerned look as I walked out of the garage with heavy steps.

Before I reached the front door, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out after drawing in a long breath. It must be another email from my classmates. Or another reply from my mom.

No. It was a new text from Berto. He and Marco had been taking turns in the hospital, guarding Enzo's private room, their shifts every twelve hours.

Carrying my duffel bag, Lele followed me to the front door. He watched me closely as I read the message from Berto.

My breath caught at the words on the screen. I gasped. The text left me frozen on Enzo's front porch, my knees about to buckle.

Gabriele cleared his throat and took a step closer. "Miss."

I glanced up to look him in the eye, my relentless heartbeat growing louder by the second. "What?"

"Boss wants to see you."

My phone buzzed again before his words could sink in. "Lele..." When I showed the message to him, I could almost feel the tension in his muscles.

Then he took off his mask, and his pouty mouth broke into a rare, genuine smile. "Yeah. He just woke up." Gabriele looked behind and gave me a slight nod. "Let's go."

***

The hospital corridor buzzed with activity, like I expected. With Enzo's bodyguards, I stood outside his private hospital room, waiting for his pulmonologist to be done with a phone call.

The doctor's muffled and slightly husky voice was quite calming, and he looked to be around 40. Lean and a few inches taller than me.

I glanced around as the scent of antiseptic mixed with unfamiliar voices of strangers passing by every ten seconds or so. The air was tense, like a wire pulled taut, and my palms were already clammy.

Lele slouched and stayed vigilant by my side. Berto, on the other hand, stood a few feet away from the private room's glass window, his shirt and pants looking too wrinkled to iron. He was also waiting to hear the doctor's update.

After pocketing his phone, Dr. Petrunich took a few steps closer to me. He looked ready and fairly excited to update us on his patient's condition. "Hi. Sorry about that."

"No problem, Doc." Wearing a mask like everyone else, I feigned a smile for the pulmonologist.

His thick brows furrowed. "No classes today? Is it your day off?"

I shook my head. "I'm on night shift. ER rotations."

"Ah. I see. Okay. So, he doesn't need to be in the ICU anymore, but rest assured we're still closely monitoring his condition. Good news is, Lorenzio's responding well to the new beds and dosage," he said in a more clinical tone, his tired but kind hazel eyes watching me.

"Thank God."

Okay.

Breathe...

Enzo's gonna be okay.

"That's really great news, Doc," I replied, the tightness in my chest and stomach finally easing.

"Now I can say he's made significant progress." Dr. Petrunich glanced down at his wristwatch. "Like I said the other day, we had to induce the coma to give his body a better chance to fight the virus. And I know you know it could've been a lengthy process, but thankfully, his lung injury's healing up fast."

"Right." I nodded a few times, my brain trying to process the information.

"He's not completely out of the woods yet, but he's not gonna need the ventilator."

I let out a sigh. A huge wave of relief washed over me, the confirmation lifting the weight that had been pressing down on my shoulders all day.

To my side, Lele watched his boss through the glass window, his creased brows seemingly stuck together.

Alone in the dimly lit private room, Lorenzio lay on the hospital bed, his chest rising and falling in a slow, deliberate rhythm. A few medical equipment surrounded him, and his face looked paler than the last time I saw him. He needed a good shave, too.

I wasn't sure if he was fully awake now. Shucks. My chest ached just looking at him.

He looked so fragile in the pale blue patient gown. A bit slimmer. And most likely barely able to talk.

"We've adjusted his treatment plan to focus on his specific needs," his doctor went on.

I nodded and tried my best not to zone out as Dr. Petrunich explained the effects of the medically induced coma on Lorenzio's health, as well as the updated treatment plan he just signed off.

"He needs to stay here a bit longer for further observation, then physical therapy. Lorenzio might need a couple of days to regain his strength."

"Okay, Doc." But how much longer? Another two weeks? A month? Two? Sheesh. I hoped not.

"Hopefully next week, his condition improves significantly. Then we can discharge him."

"Yeah. Okay."

"We're still closely monitoring his lung function, so, we may need to assist his breathing with oxygen therapy for a bit."

I shifted my weight onto my other leg. I forced myself to stay composed and not let my brain digress into a darker train of thought. The last thing I wanted to do was break down in front of the doctor and bother the strangers around us.

"He's conscious now. Just groggy." Dr. Petrunich glanced at his patient. "You can talk to him now, but you know the drill."

I nodded. Like last time, I had to wear full PPE. "For how long, Doc?"

"For now, it's best you don't stay in there longer than five minutes. Okay?"

I muttered a quick 'okay', restraining the urge to frown and complain. "Thank you, Doctor."

Dr. Petrunich gave me a faint nod. His respirator concealed most of his smile, but his eyes showed genuine understanding and appreciation, like he could sense the emotional strain I was under. "You can relax now. Lorenzio's doing better. We'll help him get through this sooner than we expected."

"Thank you, really, for doing everything you can to help him recover." I fought the tears that were already blurring my vision.

The doctor's reassurance gave me the peace of mind I'd been seeking, as well as a renewed sense of determination. I had no choice—I had to be strong for Enzo. Since he was far away from his family and friends, right now my job was to provide the emotional support he needed.

Lele took a step closer to me and glanced over at Berto, who was also listening attentively to the doctor's updates.

"I'll go ahead. You can text or ring me whenever if you have any other questions about his meds," Dr. Petrunich said in a friendlier tone, his fingers busy on his phone again.

"Okay."

"The nurses will assist you with the donning and doffing."

I smiled at him, my heart beating loudly against my ribs. "Okay. Thanks, Doc."

"Stay safe and stay healthy. See you soon."