The Bridge Repair. Misty MaloneЧитать онлайн книгу.
it's been well over two hours since the accident,” Nick said. He thought a minute, then sighed and agreed. “But you're right. If I was even close to the legal limit then, a blood test would still show at least a small amount four hours later.” He sighed and shook his head. “Miss Kara Kerrington and I are going to have a talk about her part in my day off once she's feeling better.”
Dr. Stone laughed. “You were off today?”
“I didn't have any office hours today because I'd planned on going to the Continuing Education seminar today and tomorrow. When that was canceled yesterday, I told Dr. Smith I'd cover for him as the orthopedic surgeon on call today so he could spend more time with his wife and their new baby. I was hoping it would be quiet and I'd actually have a few days off. When I saw her foot, though, I knew she needed surgery, and I knew I'd be the one they called, so I went from the scene of the accident straight here.”
Dr. Stone smiled as he nodded. “And you're still here because? We both know the nurses could take care of her after the surgery, and they'd call you if there was a problem.”
Nick actually blushed a bit, but answered honestly. “I'm not sure exactly. I just felt like I needed to stay here with her for a little while.”
Dr. Stone just chuckled. “She is pretty, Nick. I hope it works out for you. Now go get that blood test just in case, while I talk to Miss Kerrington.”
Nick shrugged his shoulders. “Yes, she is pretty. I guess we'll see what happens.” He was shaking his head as he headed to the hospital lab.
Dr. Stone went back in to talk to Kara. He was concerned when he saw her and the nurse whispering. He knew that nurse liked to gossip. He quickly stepped over to the bed, effectively interrupting their conversation. “Okay, Kara, let's talk about how you're feeling.”
“My head hurts,” she said, “and if I move it much I get dizzy.”
“Anything else that hurts?”
“My leg or foot, but it's not bad. I'm confused, though, Doctor. Could you answer some questions for me?”
“Sure, if I can. What would you like to know?”
“That guy that was just here, the one that hit me; is he a doctor?”
“Kara, that man is a doctor, but we'll talk about him in a minute. Let me tell you what's happened the last few hours first. How much of the accident do you remember?”
“I remember seeing him in a Mustang, blowing through a stop sign. Then he was at my window asking if I was all right. Then I saw him in the car with me and he was holding something on my arm.”
Dr. Stone glanced over at the nurse, who was paying close attention to what Kara was saying. He was glad Nick was getting the blood test. It was the quickest and easiest way to put any gossip to rest. He looked back at Kara and tried to put the issue to rest for now. “I can tell your head's hurting, so don't worry about that now. We can talk more about it when your head feels better. Dr. Sherman is the man that was in here, Kara. And yes, he is a doctor. As a matter of fact, he's the orthopedic surgeon that operated on your foot just a little while ago.”
“He operated on me?”
“He did,” Dr. Stone confirmed. “You had four broken bones in your foot. Two of them were misaligned and needed surgery, and as luck would have it, Dr. Sherman is the orthopedic surgeon on call today in the emergency room. You're lucky, Kara, because Dr. Sherman is an excellent surgeon.”
“But he'd been drinking! He operated on me drunk!” She tried to sit up, but immediately grabbed her head.
Dr. Stone gently laid her back down on the pillow. “Calm down, Kara. It's okay. Dr. Sherman was not drunk when he operated on you.”
“How do you know? He was at the accident.”
She again tried to sit up, but Dr. Stone stopped her. “Kara, calm down. Listen to me a minute. You banged your head in the accident and you have a concussion. That's why your head hurts, and why you're getting dizzy and nauseous when you move much.”
“A concussion,” she said, as if trying to understand.
“Yes,” Dr. Stone confirmed. “A concussion is a head injury and it can cause confusion. It can make you remember things differently. That's not your fault; it's from the concussion.”
“But I know I saw him. He was at my window asking if I was okay.”
Dr. Stone sighed, a bit frustrated. “Kara, you'll have to talk to Dr. Sherman about what happened out there, but please try to keep an open mind about this. From what I'm told, he called 9-1-1 and the police came to investigate the accident. There was a man there that said he was driving the other vehicle that was smashed up and had obviously hit your car, and that car was registered in his name. My understanding is that man had been drinking, and the police took him to jail. Dr. Sherman was a witness to the accident and went to your car right after it happened to see if you were okay, and he says he stayed with you until the ambulance brought you here.”
Kara looked at the doctor, and he could tell she was considering his words. “For right now,” he suggested, “why don't you just keep an open mind. I'm sure as your concussion starts to heal you'll remember things a little differently. Some things will be clearer to you. Some things you'll remember the same way, some things differently. That doesn't really matter, though. I'm more concerned about you and how you're doing right now. I'd like to do a few simple tests to see how your eyesight is, and your coordination. Is that okay?”
He waited until she agreed before taking a flashlight from his pocket. “For starters, I want you to follow this light with your eyes.” She cooperated while he did a few simple tests. Afterward, he relayed his results. “Okay, the good news is I think you'll be fine. It will take a few days of healing before you start feeling back to yourself, though, so rest will be very important. We're going to keep you here for a couple of days to watch it and make sure it doesn't become a problem, but I think in a few days you'll be feeling much better. Dr. Sherman is going to be following your post surgical care for your foot, as well. Now that I know you don't have a more serious head injury I can give you something to help your headache, and I'll give you something for your nausea.”
He turned to the nurse and ordered some medication, then made a notation on Kara's chart. Once the nurse left he turned back to Kara. “Try not to think too much or worry about Dr. Sherman and the accident, Kara. All the evidence says he was just a witness. His car doesn't have any dents. There's even a man that confessed he was the driver. I'm sure you don't want to get Dr. Sherman into trouble here, accusing him of driving drunk, if it wasn't him. In a couple of days your head will be doing much better. Then if you still feel sure it was him driving, you can do something about it if you choose. But as your doctor for this concussion I have to suggest you wait until then, and don't push your brain to remember things right now. Your brain has an injury and it needs to rest so it can heal.”
Again he could tell she was considering his words carefully. “Okay, Doctor. Thank you.”
The nurse came back into her room shortly after Dr. Stone left. She had two syringes, which she emptied into Kara's IV. “This should help you feel better, Kara. One's for your headache, and the other should help keep you from feeling nauseous or dizzy when you move your head.”
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. I hope it helps. You've had quite a day, what with the accident, seeing a man at the accident you thought was drunk, and then finding out he operated on your foot.”
“Yeah. Dr. Stone says the concussion may have me confused, though, and I may have seen both men at the accident and have them confused. I'm thinking he may be right.”
“Maybe. But you saw what you saw, and I wouldn't just take his word for it. I'm sure one doctor is going to cover for another doctor.”
Kara's eyebrows rose. Was this nurse suggesting Dr. Sherman was drunk? “Maybe, but Dr. Stone said a man admitted he was driving, and the police