Page 41 of Doctor Second Chance

She squeezes my hand tighter as if afraid I might slip away again if she lets go. I can see the exhaustion etched on her face, and the worry lines are more pronounced than I remember. It's strange seeing my usually composed mother so visibly shaken.

"What day is it?"

"It's Monday, July 15."

"Monday? What day did I come in here?" My mind is reeling. This is the weirdest feeling of losing days of my life.

"You came in before dawn on Thursday. You were intubated almost immediately. You were in an induced coma, Elle."

I frown, trying to process her words. "Intubate? What does that mean?"

"It means they put a tube down your throat to help you breathe," she explains, her voice soft but steady. "You weren't breathing deeply enough on your own, so they had to do it to ensure you got enough oxygen."

The idea of a tube down my throat makes me shudder. I reach up instinctively, touching my neck as if I can still feel it there.

I try to sit up but feel weak and achy all over. "Where am I? What happened?"

The last thing I remember is being with Shep on his patio, our bodies entwined under the stars. But I keep that part to myself.

Mom strokes my hair. "You developed a severe infection, sweetheart. Shep found you with a dangerously high fever and rushed you to the ER at UAB."

"Days?" I whisper in disbelief. "I've lost days I know nothing about?"

She nods solemnly. "You gave us quite a scare. You were on a ventilator for three days, and I have never prayed so hard in my entire life."

"Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry I scared you. I'm just pissed I keep missing all the fun. The ambulance ride after the accident and now the coma and the ventilator."

"Trust me, you don't want to remember the coma. I'll never forget what you looked like on those machines."

A tear falls down her cheek. I've only seen my mom cry one other time in my life, and I'll be fine if I don't see it again. It ripped my heart out.

"Your stats slowly started improving Saturday, and early this morning, they were ready to test your ability off the ventilator."

I struggle to process this information. "But how did you know to come?"

"Shep called us," Mom explains. "He tracked down our number somehow and let us know what was happening. We flew in right away."

My head spins, trying to piece together the missing time. How could this have happened?

Dr. Hampton strides into the room, a warm smile lighting up his face as he sees me awake. "Elle, it's great to see those eyes open. How are you feeling?"

He comes directly at my eyes with a pen light, moving it up and down.

I blink, still trying to orient myself. "Honestly, Dr. Hampton, I feel like I'm in some kind of time warp. Everything's a bit fuzzy. It's quite bizarre to go to bed in one place and then wake up in another days later."

He nods understandingly. "That's to be expected. Our brains are amazing organs. Any pain?"

"Not really," I reply, my voice still scratchy. "Just a sore throat."

"That's from the intubation," he explains. "It should improve soon."

Dr. Hampton begins a neuro exam, asking me to wiggle my toes and pinch his fingers with my free hand. As he works, I can't help but glance at my bandaged left hand.

"What about my hand?" I ask hesitantly. "Mom said there was an infection that started there, and that is what made me so sick."

“Elle,” he begins, his voice steady. “You had an infection that started in your hand. It spread rapidly and caused your blood to become septic. The condition is called sepsis.”

I nod slowly, trying to keep up. “What exactly is sepsis?” I ask, my voice still weak.

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