Page 28 of Amadeo
The EEG machine next to Deacon’s bed started beeping loudly.
I swung my attention over to it and stepped closer. I checked it, then his EKG monitor. His heart rate had ticked up. I glanced down at Deacon.
His eyes popped open.
I stared at him.
“Oh, my God!” Valen shouted as she tore herself from Tito’s grasp and moved over to the bed.
I stepped up to the other side and took my penlight out to check for dilation in his eyes. I’d seen many patients wake up from deep comas and he had all the signs of it now. I checked his other monitors. His vitals were fluxing and that meant he was transitioning to an awakened state.
Deacon moved a bit in his bed.
“Oh, he is waking up!” Valencia exclaimed as she grabbed his hand.
The machines were beeping and Nurse Jocelyn was tapping buttons to adjust them. Finally, the sounds were either lowered in volume or stopped altogether.
I waited for a moment to see how far this went. Meaning, would he entirely awaken? Or was this temporary. It sometimes happened that they would go from a coma to a worsened state. A vegetative one, unfortunately. I didn’t wish to upset Valencia by giving her any false hope as she had already been emotionally compromised today.
Looking up, I noted that Amadeo stood close to me now. He stared at Deacon.
They all stared at Deacon.
Finally, Amadeo gazed up at me. “Is he waking up?”
“Perhaps?”
“Perhaps?” Valencia repeated.
I nodded. “There are several different states he could be in. When a patient awakes, it could mean—”
Deacon raised his hand and grasped his NG tube then yanked on it.
Nurse Jocelyn and I gasped and jumped forward to grab his hands.
He actually paused to stare at us.
“He wants the tube out,” Valencia informed us.
I leaned closer to him and said, “You need to wait for a few minutes and please do not just pull that tube out. It may do damage if you do.”
He stared at me, his eyes full of sudden intensity.
I nodded at the nurse. “Keep a close eye on him. I will get ready.” I headed to the bag I had here. I opened it and grabbedmy gloves. I was happy to see the man wake up and he didn’t seem to be unaware. Snapping my gloves on, I grabbed what I needed.
Amadeo and Tito stared at me, watching my every move.
Nurse Jocelyn asked Valencia to move back.
Tito stepped closer and tugged her away.
The nurse assisted me and it took a minute or two but we got the tube removed.
Deacon was coughing and spitting up which was normal. Breathing hard, he closed his eyes.
With a concerned gasp, Valencia stepped forward. “I-is he…?” Her voice fell away.
I tapped Deacon’s hand.
