If Only for the Summer
Seventeen
“Hey,” a nurse spoke softly. Josh stirred and slowly moved to sit up on the couch in Henley’s room. She was the same as she had been since he got there four hours ago: asleep and hooked up to a handful of machines. He looked at the nurse who gazed at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry to disturb you sir, but may I ask your relation to the patient?”
Josh cleared his throat and rubbed at his eyes, “Uh, I’m her boyfriend. Can you tell me what’s going on with her? How’s she doing?”
“Miss Craig overexerted herself before she came down here. She had used up all her oxygen in the tank she was carting, and she collapsed because of it.”
“She’s going to be okay, though, right?” he asked, keeping his eyes on Henley as the nurse responded exactly what he didn’t want to hear.
“We’re doing everything we can.” Josh shook his head when she asked if he needed anything, then moved to sit in the chair beside Henley’s bed. He took her hand, running his thumb over her fingers as he looked to see it was almost midnight. He was expected at work in the morning, and he still needed to make the drive back to Bethel. He decided to let Pat know.
I’m not going to be able to make it into work in the morning. Hen’s down in Minneapolis in ICU. Tell Annie for me.
-
Josh arrived the next evening at seven, once he knew that Henley’s parents and her dad’s family had cleared out. Annie met him up at the room, having already been there since three. She offered him a small smile and told him that Pat would be there soon too. “Henley’s mom was here today.” Josh nodded as he pressed a kiss to Henley’s forehead and sat down in a chair next to her.
“What's she like?”
“Really nice. She and Henley’s dad argued almost the entire time, though.” Josh shrugged and didn’t respond. No one talked until Pat showed up ten minutes later. He went immediately to Annie, looking over Henley and Josh with a sorry expression.
“You never told me. Did anything happen? How is she?”
Annie shook her head, “Josh...”
“What?” he asked, bleary eyed, never looking away from Henley.
“They had to drain her lungs again this morning. That’s the second time in as many days. They were almost completely full. Henley kept...Miller won’t confirm anything about the effectiveness of their treatment plan, or even release. But he said her only option at this point is transplant.” Annie was holding back tears at this point. Josh had brought Henley into her world, and now this damned disease was pulling her out of it.
Annie squeezed Pat’s hand before letting go and moving to Josh. She stood behind him in the chair, rubbing his shoulder as they all simply looked at the girl in the hospital bed.
-
Henley’s condition had only deteriorated in the time she was in the hospital. The nurses were draining her lungs daily. Josh watched on helplessly every time the nurses rushed in and ended up waking him up when something went wrong in the middle of the night.
Josh and Annie took up residence in two hotel rooms in the week that followed whenever they weren’t with Henley in the hospital. The two hour drives both ways had taken their toll and Josh had stopped going to work altogether so he could at least make sure he was in the building in case something happened. Annie had hardly let him be alone since Henley was admitted.
They both wandered to her room, but were met with a closed door with a nurse posted outside. “What’s going on?” Josh practically yelled, turning toward the nurse’s station. Annie grabbed his arm, looping her own through his.
“We think Miss Craig has developed pneumonia because of her ventilator. For the time being, since she is already weakened with her preexisting condition, you won’t be allowed to go in until we get clearance from her doctor.”
“Are you kidding? What are we supposed to do then?” Josh was getting angry so Annie pulled him toward the waiting area at the end of the hall, throwing a sympathetic look behind her at the nurse. “They can’t do that.”
“Pneumonia is contagious, Josh, and you know that Henley’s more susceptible to infections because of the CF. Give them some time.”
-
They left that day with no further information on the tests for Henley, or on her condition beyond the statement of, “She’s holding on.”
Annie and Josh went back to the hotel, and as they got back to the room Annie got a call from Henley’s mom. Once they hung up, Annie looked at Josh, “She said they didn’t let her see Henley either. But she said if they get any information, they’ll call me.”
Josh nodded and flopped down on the bed. He was grateful at least that he had been able to talk to her and get her to forgive him before all this happened. “She has to be okay,” he mumbled to himself as Annie went back to her own room.
Josh cleared his throat and rubbed at his eyes, “Uh, I’m her boyfriend. Can you tell me what’s going on with her? How’s she doing?”
“Miss Craig overexerted herself before she came down here. She had used up all her oxygen in the tank she was carting, and she collapsed because of it.”
“She’s going to be okay, though, right?” he asked, keeping his eyes on Henley as the nurse responded exactly what he didn’t want to hear.
“We’re doing everything we can.” Josh shook his head when she asked if he needed anything, then moved to sit in the chair beside Henley’s bed. He took her hand, running his thumb over her fingers as he looked to see it was almost midnight. He was expected at work in the morning, and he still needed to make the drive back to Bethel. He decided to let Pat know.
I’m not going to be able to make it into work in the morning. Hen’s down in Minneapolis in ICU. Tell Annie for me.
-
Josh arrived the next evening at seven, once he knew that Henley’s parents and her dad’s family had cleared out. Annie met him up at the room, having already been there since three. She offered him a small smile and told him that Pat would be there soon too. “Henley’s mom was here today.” Josh nodded as he pressed a kiss to Henley’s forehead and sat down in a chair next to her.
“What's she like?”
“Really nice. She and Henley’s dad argued almost the entire time, though.” Josh shrugged and didn’t respond. No one talked until Pat showed up ten minutes later. He went immediately to Annie, looking over Henley and Josh with a sorry expression.
“You never told me. Did anything happen? How is she?”
Annie shook her head, “Josh...”
“What?” he asked, bleary eyed, never looking away from Henley.
“They had to drain her lungs again this morning. That’s the second time in as many days. They were almost completely full. Henley kept...Miller won’t confirm anything about the effectiveness of their treatment plan, or even release. But he said her only option at this point is transplant.” Annie was holding back tears at this point. Josh had brought Henley into her world, and now this damned disease was pulling her out of it.
Annie squeezed Pat’s hand before letting go and moving to Josh. She stood behind him in the chair, rubbing his shoulder as they all simply looked at the girl in the hospital bed.
-
Henley’s condition had only deteriorated in the time she was in the hospital. The nurses were draining her lungs daily. Josh watched on helplessly every time the nurses rushed in and ended up waking him up when something went wrong in the middle of the night.
Josh and Annie took up residence in two hotel rooms in the week that followed whenever they weren’t with Henley in the hospital. The two hour drives both ways had taken their toll and Josh had stopped going to work altogether so he could at least make sure he was in the building in case something happened. Annie had hardly let him be alone since Henley was admitted.
They both wandered to her room, but were met with a closed door with a nurse posted outside. “What’s going on?” Josh practically yelled, turning toward the nurse’s station. Annie grabbed his arm, looping her own through his.
“We think Miss Craig has developed pneumonia because of her ventilator. For the time being, since she is already weakened with her preexisting condition, you won’t be allowed to go in until we get clearance from her doctor.”
“Are you kidding? What are we supposed to do then?” Josh was getting angry so Annie pulled him toward the waiting area at the end of the hall, throwing a sympathetic look behind her at the nurse. “They can’t do that.”
“Pneumonia is contagious, Josh, and you know that Henley’s more susceptible to infections because of the CF. Give them some time.”
-
They left that day with no further information on the tests for Henley, or on her condition beyond the statement of, “She’s holding on.”
Annie and Josh went back to the hotel, and as they got back to the room Annie got a call from Henley’s mom. Once they hung up, Annie looked at Josh, “She said they didn’t let her see Henley either. But she said if they get any information, they’ll call me.”
Josh nodded and flopped down on the bed. He was grateful at least that he had been able to talk to her and get her to forgive him before all this happened. “She has to be okay,” he mumbled to himself as Annie went back to her own room.