Vigil

Day twelve: At 9:00 am I bring Laura coffecito and a banana to hold her over until breakfast arrives. Vanessa arrives at 11:00 am. Dr. Francine Hardaway ..a brain surgeon who looks like Reese Witherspoon comes in and tells us that the upcoming endoscopic surgery has a 90% chance of success. The opposite of what Dr. Dogen told us yesterday. I like those odds better and decide I’ll stick with them. I really don’t want to see Laura leaving here with something foreign in her head. She gives us the results of this morning’s angiogram: 

1. There’s only a slight constriction (vasospasm) going on in her prefrontal cortex, which accounts for Laura’s confusion. Normal for 12 days out. 
2. Her speech centers were not involved as Dr. Dogen previously thought . 
3. The blood vessels at the injury site look good! No sign of weakness there. 

I finally feel like we’re out of the woods. I could kiss Dr. Hardaway.

Nurse Shannon who I greatly admire ..gets Laura sitting in a chair. Something neither Laura or I can do because of the drain. I feed her lunch then bring out the design book. Big pictures of remodeled homes. Laura is transfixed. We chat and I ask her what she likes and doesn’t like. She studies them and comments on the size of the kitchens ..the height of the tables ..and the wall hangings. I ask her about the design of one that looks particularly Japanese. She calls it ‘bamboo’. Close enough.