Day ten: “Laura! Are you there ..?” She opens her eyes. A hint of recognition crosses her face and she smiles faintly at everyone looking anxiously down at her. “Can you tell us where you are right now ..?” “Umm, church.” “No, you’re in the hospital ..what month is it?” “Uhh, December ..(?)” “No, it’s April.” She looks confused then disappears until next time they wake her with the same drill. I just arrived at her room in ICU - Neuroscience unit. The doctors call it delirium. It is where they expect her to be for right now. I call it the fog of fever .. aftermath of a traumatic brain episode (subarachnoid hemorrhage). Sometimes she emerges, calls me by name and rolls her eyes when I ask her about today’s nurse. Other times she wakes up but the dream lingers on .. obscuring the view. Any answers we get may be referring to that. She may also be struggling to find the right word. Either way, what’s comforting to me is that I hear and see the Laura I know and love. Even though ten days have gone by, that’s still pretty early in brain-time. There’s much more healing left to go. Patience.
And now I know / time is no friend of mine / nor his girl / patience, patience..
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