Page 10 of Geordie

She smiles down at me. “A little high, but nothing unusual in your condition. The doctor will have more detailed answers to your questions when she arrives.” She picks up a remote next to my hip. “If you need anything, use this and someone from the nurses’ station will help. Try to rest. You’re the next patient the doctor will see.”

“Thank you.”

She nods before leaving through the curtained barrier.

“Mr. MacTavish?” someone calls on the other side of the curtain. “I’m Dr. Barry. May I come in?”

“Aye, please enter.”

A woman with a white coat over her regular clothes enters the small cubicle. She’s a little over five feet, a long black braid down her back, glasses, and a sympathetic smile. She moves around the bed to clean her hands with antiseptic gel from a pump jar, then slips on gloves. “I hear you had a misadventure. Can you tell me how it happened?”

“All I remember is that I was riding my dirt bike and, after rounding a corner, I think I hit something.”

“Do you know what day it is?”

“Thursday.”

“Do you know who the president is?”

I answer and she nods.

“I’d like to do a physical exam.”

“That’s fine.”

She runs her hands over my body, noting her observations as she works. I wince at the sharp pain when she gets close to my right ankle and knee.

“That’s all. I just needed to do a quick assessment. It appears you sustained trauma to the right ankle and knee. I need to understand the extent of your injuries, so we’ll need to send you to radiology for some tests.”

“I’m badly bruised. I don’t think I’ve broken anything,” trying to get onto my elbows.

“You’re probably correct,” she assures me, “but I’ll need to confirm it with X-rays and scans. And I’d also like to do a brain scan.”

I can feel my face tightening. She holds up her hand. “Because you lost consciousness a few times, complained of a headache, blurry vision and you couldn’t recall all of the accident, I suspect that you might have a concussion. I just want to rule out any serious problems.”

“Will I be able to go home today?”

She pulls off her gloves, depositing them in the bin. “There’s a possibility you could go home today if you have someone who can watch you for the next two days. It’s standard when we suspect a concussion.”

I say nothing for a moment, thinking. “You said I didn’t recall all the accident. What was I missing?”

Her eyes narrow a bit, trying to decide if she should answer. “Why don’t we talk more about that when you’ve completed the scans and X-rays?”

I dislike not knowing. It will gnaw at me until I get answers, so I press a bit. I give her a pleading smile. “I’d appreciate it if you’d fill in the gaps now.”

She gives a resigned sigh. “Alight, I spoke to the men who brought you out of the park. They said when they found you, you were dangerously close to the cliff’s face. If those trees hadn’t stopped your tumbling, you would have landed on the sharp rocks below. If that had happened, it would have been a recovery, not a rescue. You are a very lucky man.”

My mind tries to step back into that memory. I don’t recall a steep drop, although we were high enough. Then a chill snakes through my body with a notion that I could have lost my life on that trail today.

“Mr. MacTavish?” Dr. Barry’s voice brings me back to our conversation. “Are you alright?”

I nod. “Aye, thank you for the information. That was helpful,” and disturbing.

“Good. Why don’t we continue this discussion once I have more information? “Are there any more questions?” What else can I ask until they’ve finished their evaluation? I shake my head. She leaves me with a last smile, then closes the curtain.

A male attendant enters my room a few minutes later to escort me to my tests. It’s difficult not to be mobile. I have a strong urge to go out the door, find my truck, and go home. Instead, I lie here helpless, navigating this experience alone.

Dr. Barry returns along with her sunny disposition. Even if she has bad news, at least Dr. Barry will deliver it with a smile.

---