Page 1 of Tempting Tessa

Tessa

5 Years Ago

Today has been just one of those days. Every L&D room has been full and as soon as we get one patient moved out, another one arrives. Talk about a baby boom! I love being a nurse on the L&D floor. Helping bring new life into this world is so amazing and I love every minute of it. I’ve been on my feet for the past 7 hours straight and by the looks of it, the rest of my 12-hour shift will be the same. I am so looking forward to getting off tonight, as both Matt and I have the next 5 days off. We’re taking Tyler out to my parents’ cabin on the lake to just get away and have some quiet family time together. We have been looking forward to this mini-vacation for weeks now, and I can’t wait to get away with my boys!

It is almost 3pm when I come out from settling a new patient in and come up to the nurses’ station. Dr. Scott is there writing out orders for some of her patients, as is Bridget, my charge nurse. She’s on the phone when I arrive and by the look she is giving me, she isn’t receiving good news on the other end of the phone. As soon as she hangs up, she turns to me and I immediately know something is wrong.

“Tessa, that was the ER, they need you to head down there immediately. Matt was hurt in a fire and is being treated. Don’t worry about your patients, I am calling in Michelle now to come cover the rest of your shift.”

I immediately run toward the elevator bank and head to the ER. I’m scared shitless. Once I make it down to the ER and make my way to the nurses’ desk, I am surrounded by Matt's fellow firemen. By the looks on their faces I know something is seriously wrong. I just start praying in my head for him to please be okay. I can’t imagine what I will do if he doesn’t make it. How will I explain to my one year old that his daddy isn’t coming home? I inwardly tell myself to stop thinking the worst and to not go to that place mentally until I find out more details and talk to the doctors. A few minutes later a doctor- I don’t even catch his name- approaches me and asks if I’m Matt’s wife. I don’t even remember answering him when he asks if I will follow him into a private room so he can discuss my husband’s injuries with me.

We enter a consult office and two other doctors and a nurse come in with us. By the number of medical professionals in the room, I quickly realize that the news isn’t going to be good.

“Mrs. Daniels, I am sorry to tell you that your husband is in critical condition. He was trapped for over an hour after the roof collapsed in on him and one other firefighter. He has sustained multiple injuries and is currently on a ventilator and is being prepped for surgery. He has multiple broken bones, a brain bleed and internal bleeding. We are doing all we can to keep him alive, but I need you to know how serious his condition is.”

I’m in too much shock to know what I’m feeling or thinking but I know I have to see him. “Can I see him before he is taken to surgery?”

After agreement between all the doctors, the doctor tells me what will happen in surgery. Their priority once they get him into the OR is to stop the internal bleeding and then they will bring in the orthopedic team to start working on his broken bones. I sign all the forms approving his surgeries and the charge nurse takes me where he is so I can at least see him for a few minutes while they are waiting on the OR.

As soon as I step into his room, I gasp. I can’t believe what I see in front of me. My life as I know it will never be the same. He is bloody everywhere, has IV lines running into both arms, and there is a breathing tube coming out of his mouth.

The doctor steps back in. “Mrs. Daniels, it’s time for us to take him to the OR. We have assigned family waiting room C to him for you and anyone else you would like to wait with you. We will come find you there when we have updates.”

As soon as they wheel him out, I drop into the chair and start bawling. The love of my life was just whisked away. Matt’s fire chief comes in and gathers me in a hug.

“Tessa, everyone at house 48 is here for you and Tyler. Please let me know what we can do to help you during this time. Do you need me to call anyone to come sit with you?”

I’ve been so distracted up until this point it hadn’t even crossed my mind to call either of our parents or siblings.

“Thank you for the offer. I will call our families now. The doctors said I can wait in family waiting room C on the surgery floor if anyone from the firehouse wants to move to there to wait for his surgery to be completed. They estimated it will take hours.”

I leave the room to go call our families. That’s when I realize I left my phone and purse up in my locker. As soon as I reach the L&D floor, Bridget runs up to me and engulfs me in a hug. I break down even more while she’s hugging me, not knowing if my husband will be making it out of the OR alive. I finally pull myself together enough to tell her his known injuries and update her that he is currently in the OR. I tell her I just forgot my stuff and will be heading down to the family waiting area.

After grabbing my stuff from my locker, I decide to call our parents from the break room. I have a feeling the family waiting room is going to be full of Matt’s co-workers. I call my parents first since they have Tyler today. My mom picks up and I can hear my dad and Tyler busting up laughing in the background. This makes me smile, but burst into tears once again.

“Tessa, what’s wrong?” my mom says to me.

“Mom, it’s Matt…. He was hurt in a fire and they don’t know if he is going to make it. He’s in surgery right now.”

“Oh, honey, we are on our way. Do you need us to bring you anything?”

“Not that I can think of. I need to call Aubrey and Dave. Can you call Brian and David and let them know what is going on?”

“Of course, I will. We will be there shortly. Love you, Tessa.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

After hanging up with my parents and allowing myself to cry for a few minutes, I finally get the courage to call my in-laws. Thankfully, Dave answers on the first ring.

“Hey, Tessa, what’s up? I thought you were working today?”

“Hey, Dave, I am…”

I think he can hear the break in my voice as he immediately asks me, “What’s wrong?”

“Dave, it’s Matt. He was hurt in a fire and is in surgery. The doctors are not giving him a very good chance of surviving. Can you and Aubrey please get down here as soon as possible?”

“Of course, we will. I will go get her now and we’ll be on our way. Do you need anything? Where is Tyler today?”

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