She Belongs to Heaven - Chapter 1: Dance With Death
by xa7xgirlx
"I'm sorry to have to wake you." The nurse said as she approached the bed. "It's time to take your vitals."
"No problem." Matt replied as he sat up. "I wasn't really asleep anyways. I don't know how they expect you to get any rest in a hospital, these beds are so uncomfortable." He complained.
"Worse than the tour bus?" The nurse asked with a smile.
"Actually, yeah." Matt replied as she took hold of his arm to check his blood pressure.
"How's your head feeling?" She asked as she scribbled in his chart.
"Fine. It's just a little bump; I really don't see why I have to stay." Matt replied.
"It's just a precaution. You hit your head pretty hard, you could have a concussion." The nurse replied as she removed the thermometer from her cart. "Open wide."
Matt rolled his eyes but did what he was told.
"That's the last time I will bother you tonight." The nurse said as she placed the thermometer back in her cart and started to push it towards the door.
She stopped for a moment at the bed on the other end of the room to read from a continuous roll of paper that was coming out of one of the machines. Matt couldn't help but notice as she let out a deep sigh before letting go of the paper and allowing it to roll back up and dangle from the machine. She checked the IV hanging from the rack before returning back to her cart.
"Try to get some sleep." She said with a smile as she looked back at Matt before heading out the door.
Matt lay back down and found himself staring at the bed across the room. Looking over at her like this, one could easily think that she is simply sleeping peacefully. You would never guess that every minute was a constant battle for her. Trying to find the strength to hold on when it would be so easy to simply let go and slowly fade away.
Matt closed his eyes and started to replay the events of the day over again in his head. If only he had stayed home this morning, he could be fast asleep in his own bed right now. But instead he is here, lying in this hospital bed under 'observation' after a minor head injury. 'It will be a cold day in hell before I get into a car with Johnny behind the wheel again.' He thought to himself as he started to drift off to sleep.
It couldn't have been more than a few hours later when Matt was startled awake by a loud series of beeps coming from the machines across the room. A few moments later the door flew open as a group of nurses and doctors ran into the room.
"Her heart rate is dropping." One of them said as the other went for the crash cart that was located in the corner. "She is flat lining." The nurse yelled as she grabbed the defibrillator from the cart. "Come on Kylie, stay with us hun."
Matt was now sitting on the edge of the bed with wide eyes watching the events unravel before him.
The doctor noticed him and pulled the curtain closed. Matt could still make out their shadows and watched as they continued to try to bring her back.
"Clear." He heard one of the nurses call just before the machine let out a single loud beep before returning to continuous short rhythmic beeps.
"That's my girl." The nurse said as she gently brushed Kylie's hair from her face. "You just keep holding on."
The doctor opened the curtain back up and with the exception of the one nurse, they all left the room. Matt looked over and noticed the nurse sitting in a chair with her face in her hands. She sighed deeply before sitting up and wiping her eyes.
"Are you alight?" Matt asked caringly as she walked over to check the read out from the machine.
"Yeah, I will be fine." She said with a smile. "Sorry for waking you again and for not having another room available for you."
"It's okay, it's just one night." Matt replied, returning her smile. "So, what's her story? Where is her family?" He questioned.
"She doesn't have any family." The nurse replied as she pulled the blanket up to Kylie's chest and gently tucked it in around her.
She walked over to the night stand next to Matt's bed and poured two glasses of water. She handed one to Matt and then sat down in the chair next to his bed. "She came in almost six months ago after being hit by a car." She started to explain. "She was beat up pretty bad and the first few days were touch and go...she started to slip away but we were able to revive her but she slipped into a coma." The nurse pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped her eyes before taking a drink and continuing to explain. "I have been a nurse here for almost twenty years and I have never had a patient get to me the way Kylie does. I was on rotation in the ER on the night she was brought in. I could see the fear in her eyes and I will never forget the way her voice trembled as she begged for me to stop the pain." She paused for a moment as she looked up at Matt. "I relive that night every time this happens. I keep hoping that she will pull through and wake up...but these episodes are becoming more frequent and I'm afraid that she will always depend on these damn machines to keep her alive. I guess what gets to me the most, is that her time is running out."
"What do you mean?" Matt asked.
"Without a next of kin to sign consent for continuing life support, six months is the limit." She replied as she looked over towards Kylie.
"You mean they will just pull the plug and let her die?"
"I'm afraid there really isn't much that can be done." She said as she stood up.
"I know you said she doesn't have any family, but what about friends? There has to someone that has been missing her...somewhere."
"I'm afraid not. We have put ads in newspapers and on TV trying to find anyone that knows her, but we always come up empty. It's almost as if she didn't exist before she showed up here." She explained. "I think I've put enough weight on your shoulders for one night. There are a couple of hours before morning rounds; you should try to get some sleep." She added before starting towards the door.
Matt sighed deeply and nodded as he gave her a fake smile. How could he possibly sleep now? He felt guilty for feeling sorry for himself for being stuck here for a night. Now knowing Kylie's story, he realized how lucky he was that all he ended up with was a few stitches and a nice bruise.
"No problem." Matt replied as he sat up. "I wasn't really asleep anyways. I don't know how they expect you to get any rest in a hospital, these beds are so uncomfortable." He complained.
"Worse than the tour bus?" The nurse asked with a smile.
"Actually, yeah." Matt replied as she took hold of his arm to check his blood pressure.
"How's your head feeling?" She asked as she scribbled in his chart.
"Fine. It's just a little bump; I really don't see why I have to stay." Matt replied.
"It's just a precaution. You hit your head pretty hard, you could have a concussion." The nurse replied as she removed the thermometer from her cart. "Open wide."
Matt rolled his eyes but did what he was told.
"That's the last time I will bother you tonight." The nurse said as she placed the thermometer back in her cart and started to push it towards the door.
She stopped for a moment at the bed on the other end of the room to read from a continuous roll of paper that was coming out of one of the machines. Matt couldn't help but notice as she let out a deep sigh before letting go of the paper and allowing it to roll back up and dangle from the machine. She checked the IV hanging from the rack before returning back to her cart.
"Try to get some sleep." She said with a smile as she looked back at Matt before heading out the door.
Matt lay back down and found himself staring at the bed across the room. Looking over at her like this, one could easily think that she is simply sleeping peacefully. You would never guess that every minute was a constant battle for her. Trying to find the strength to hold on when it would be so easy to simply let go and slowly fade away.
Matt closed his eyes and started to replay the events of the day over again in his head. If only he had stayed home this morning, he could be fast asleep in his own bed right now. But instead he is here, lying in this hospital bed under 'observation' after a minor head injury. 'It will be a cold day in hell before I get into a car with Johnny behind the wheel again.' He thought to himself as he started to drift off to sleep.
It couldn't have been more than a few hours later when Matt was startled awake by a loud series of beeps coming from the machines across the room. A few moments later the door flew open as a group of nurses and doctors ran into the room.
"Her heart rate is dropping." One of them said as the other went for the crash cart that was located in the corner. "She is flat lining." The nurse yelled as she grabbed the defibrillator from the cart. "Come on Kylie, stay with us hun."
Matt was now sitting on the edge of the bed with wide eyes watching the events unravel before him.
The doctor noticed him and pulled the curtain closed. Matt could still make out their shadows and watched as they continued to try to bring her back.
"Clear." He heard one of the nurses call just before the machine let out a single loud beep before returning to continuous short rhythmic beeps.
"That's my girl." The nurse said as she gently brushed Kylie's hair from her face. "You just keep holding on."
The doctor opened the curtain back up and with the exception of the one nurse, they all left the room. Matt looked over and noticed the nurse sitting in a chair with her face in her hands. She sighed deeply before sitting up and wiping her eyes.
"Are you alight?" Matt asked caringly as she walked over to check the read out from the machine.
"Yeah, I will be fine." She said with a smile. "Sorry for waking you again and for not having another room available for you."
"It's okay, it's just one night." Matt replied, returning her smile. "So, what's her story? Where is her family?" He questioned.
"She doesn't have any family." The nurse replied as she pulled the blanket up to Kylie's chest and gently tucked it in around her.
She walked over to the night stand next to Matt's bed and poured two glasses of water. She handed one to Matt and then sat down in the chair next to his bed. "She came in almost six months ago after being hit by a car." She started to explain. "She was beat up pretty bad and the first few days were touch and go...she started to slip away but we were able to revive her but she slipped into a coma." The nurse pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped her eyes before taking a drink and continuing to explain. "I have been a nurse here for almost twenty years and I have never had a patient get to me the way Kylie does. I was on rotation in the ER on the night she was brought in. I could see the fear in her eyes and I will never forget the way her voice trembled as she begged for me to stop the pain." She paused for a moment as she looked up at Matt. "I relive that night every time this happens. I keep hoping that she will pull through and wake up...but these episodes are becoming more frequent and I'm afraid that she will always depend on these damn machines to keep her alive. I guess what gets to me the most, is that her time is running out."
"What do you mean?" Matt asked.
"Without a next of kin to sign consent for continuing life support, six months is the limit." She replied as she looked over towards Kylie.
"You mean they will just pull the plug and let her die?"
"I'm afraid there really isn't much that can be done." She said as she stood up.
"I know you said she doesn't have any family, but what about friends? There has to someone that has been missing her...somewhere."
"I'm afraid not. We have put ads in newspapers and on TV trying to find anyone that knows her, but we always come up empty. It's almost as if she didn't exist before she showed up here." She explained. "I think I've put enough weight on your shoulders for one night. There are a couple of hours before morning rounds; you should try to get some sleep." She added before starting towards the door.
Matt sighed deeply and nodded as he gave her a fake smile. How could he possibly sleep now? He felt guilty for feeling sorry for himself for being stuck here for a night. Now knowing Kylie's story, he realized how lucky he was that all he ended up with was a few stitches and a nice bruise.
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