Chap 57.


    At 04:15 AM.


    ra’s hospital room.


    ra woke up, blinking her eyes to sharpen her focus. The ticking of the clock was audible, resonating clearly in ra’s ears.


    Then, she closed her eyes again, recalling what happenedst night. Joe running while carrying her, then supporting her to leave the building.


    Upon reaching the door, she heard a man’s voice asking Uncle Joe to stop. The next moment, ra heard the sound of three gunshots.


    Joe fell with fresh blood flowing from his temple. After that, ra couldn’t remember anything else.


    “Are you awake?” Freedy Lim asked. He observed his granddaughter’s hands, noticing that she was awake from her sleep.


    ra opened her eyes, looking at the middle-aged man standing by her bed. She had never seen or known his face before, yet ra felt strangely familiar with his presence.


    “Good morning, Miss ra, I’m d you’re awake. Let me introduce myself, my name is Zio, and he is Mr. Lim. You can call him Grandpa Lim,” Zio joked.


    ra swallowed nervously.


    “Grandpa?” she whispered.


    “Yes, ra, I am your grandfather. I am your mother’s father,” the middle-aged man said. “I am very thankful that you woke up. I hope you’re okay,” he expressed, smiling and feeling extremely happy. Finally, his worries disappeared, reced by relief.


    “Where is Uncle Joe?” ra asked with a louder voice. She sat up in bed, remembering Joe’s face with blood streaming down his cheek.


    Silence.


    “Um, I worried about you all night, but when you woke up, you worried about someone else! How about that?” Freedy Limined.


    ra flinched. If this man was indeed her grandfather, ra shouldn’t disappoint him.


    “I’m sorry, Grandpa! I just…” ra stopped her sentence. She bowed her head, unsure of how to respond.


    “No, ra, I am truly happy to see you okay. Do you want to go home? Grandpa feels guilty towards you; I want to make it up to you before it’s toote!” Freedy Lim said, choking up with tears.


    Silence. ra looked into the eyes of the middle-aged man. His expression of sadness weighed heavily on her chest.


    “I am sorry to your mother and father; I didn’t give my blessing to their rtionship.” Freedy Lim looked down, hiding his sorrow; regret resurfaced.


    ra listened to every word her grandfather said.


    “Sir,” Zio whispered, patting the middle-aged man’s back. However, Mr. Lim pushed him away.


    “ra,” he called.


    “Yes,” ra replied, turning to face him.


    Before ra could stand up, Freedy stood up first and hugged his granddaughter.


    ra’s tears flowed in her grandfather’s embrace. Longing for her mother and father overwhelmed her.


    “Grandpa!” ra called.


    “Yes.” The grandfather released the hug. He observed ra’s face, which resembled herte mother’s.


    “Take me to see Uncle Joe, then I’ll go home with Grandpa,” ra said.


    “Are you sure you want to go home with me?” Mr. Lim asked to confirm. His eyes sparkled upon hearing ra’s statement. The opportunity hade, the opportunity to make amends for his past actions.


    “Of course, but I want to see Uncle Joe first, Grandpa,” ra requested.


    The grandfather nodded, agreeing to his daughter’s wish.


    ==?==


    In the morning, Gaston, along with other doctors, examined Joe’s condition. After conducting a thorough examination, Gaston intended to meet Joe’s family. He would inform them of what had actually happened.


    He felt guilty; Joe wasn’t in good condition after all. After a series of examinations, it turned out that Joe’s condition had deteriorated.


    “Dr. Gaston, you went homest night, we’ve been waiting; can we see Mr. Joe now?” Antoni asked. Along with Mrs. Linn and Mr. Bond, he waited for Dr. Gaston’s arrival and wanted to see Joe’s condition immediately.


    “Last night, we sessfully removed the bullet lodged in Joe’s temple, but now he is in aa,” Gaston exined concisely. However, he had to inform Joe’s family of Joe’s true condition.


    Aa is a term that describes a state of unconsciousness in a patient until they cannot react to their surroundings.


    Medically, aa is characterized by the absence of cerebral motor responses to pain throughout the extremities, making it impossible to wake up thea patient even though they have been given pain stimtion. They do not provide a normal response to pain or light stimtion, have no sleep-wake cycle, and cannot perform voluntary actions.


    In addition to being unconscious, a person in aa experiences almost no brain activity. This means thata patients also cannot respond to sound, touch, or even pain.


    Coma patients will regain consciousness over time. However, each patient requires a different amount of time to regain consciousness.


    Some may take weeks, but others may need to be in this condition for years. The speed at which a patient regains consciousness depends on the extent of damage to the brain area and how much of the brain area can still function.


    Patients in aa cannot eat or drink in the same way as normal individuals. Becausea patients cannot swallow or chew, food or drinks will be provided in a different form.


    Coma patients eat and drink through intravenous fluids that are inserted into their venous blood vessels. These intravenous fluids contain electrolytes, which consist of salts or other substances, to preventa patients from experiencing hunger or dehydration.


    “When will Joe regain consciousness?” Mrs. Linn asked, tears welling up in her eyes. Her throat felt choked; Joe was in aa?


    “We can’t determine that yet,” Dr. Gaston replied. “And to assist with breathing, we have already ced a venttor on the patient’s body,” the doctor exined.


    A venttor is used to deliver oxygen to the lungs and body. Additionally, the venttor helps to remove carbon dioxide from the body.


    The venttor is ced by connecting the machine to a person’s respiratory tract through a venttor tube. This tube is inserted through the mouth, nose, or through a hole made in the front of the patient’s neck.


    Although the venttor helps patients who have difficulty breathing, its use also has side effects, especially when the venttor tube is ced for a long time.


    The main risk of venttor use is infection. The breathing tube can introduce germs into the lungs, mouth, or nose, increasing the risk of pneumonia and sinus infections.


    The process of inserting a venttor tube can also irritate the throat or lungs. This condition can make it difficult for someone to cough. However, coughing can help clear dust and allergens from the lungs.


    Venttor use can also make it difficult for someone to speak because the venttor tube passes through therynx (voice box) containing the vocal cords.


    Other side effects of venttor cement can also cause lung damage due to excessive air pressure or excessive oxygen.


    “So we don’t know when Joe will wake up?” Mrs. Linn’s voice trembled, apanied by tears streaming down her cheeks. “What do we do now, honey?” sheined, leaning on her husband’s arm.


    “Can we see him?” Mr. Bond asked.


    “Of course!” Dr. Gaston nodded, allowing Mr. Bond and Mrs. Linn to check on Joe’s condition.


    The husband and wife entered the ICU room. They walked in, seeing Joe lying in the hospital bed. There was a white bandage on his forehead. His eyes were closed. A venttor tube was connected through his mouth.


    Mrs. Linn’s tears couldn’t be held back any longer. “Joe…,” she whispered, reaching for her son’s fingers. The woman sobbed, praying in her heart for her son to wake up soon.


    Silence. Mrs. Linn’s sobs were heard amidst the rumbling of the venttor.


    “Will Joe recover, honey? Can Joe return to his old self?” Mrs. Linn asked resignedly.


    Mr. Bond nodded, unable to speak. This was the first time he saw Joe in such a bad condition.


    “Honey, I’ll do anything to make Joe recover. Do you believe Joe can recover?” Mrs. Linn’s sobs became more frequent. Kimmy, thepany, her life. How would everything go on if Joe remained like this? No! Mrs. Linn’s heart screamed, unable to ept her son’s current condition.


    ra stood in front of the ss door of the ICU. Seeing Mrs. Linn and Mr. Bond, as well as Joe still lying there. There was only one person she wanted to meet, Dr. Gaston.


    “Where are you going, Miss?” Zio asked from behind her. Faithfully, he pushed the IV pole and followed ra’s steps.


    “I need to see Dr. Gaston!” ra answered. She walked towards the doctor’s room.


    Zio followed her.


    The door opened, and Dr. Gaston lifted his face to see ra and Zio entering his room.


    “What happened to Uncle Joe, doctor?” ra asked as she sat down in front of the doctor. “Is it true that Uncle Joe is in aa?”


    “Yes.” That’s all that came out of the doctor’s lips.


    “When will Uncle Joe wake up, doc?” ra asked despairingly, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes.


    “I don’t know, ra. We just have to pray; hopefully, Joe will wake up from hisa soon,” Gaston replied. He took a deep breath to ease the heaviness in his chest.


    “What should I do to help Uncle Joe wake up?” ra asked again. Kimmy, the image of Kimmy asking about her daddy, shed in her mind. What would happen to the little girl?


    “Apany him, ra. The presence of loved ones can help him wake up quickly,” Dr. Gaston revealed. Although unsure, the man was sure that Joe would be happy if ra was by his side.


    “Doctor, I’ll take my leave!” he requested. “Apany me to see Grandpa!” ra asked.


    Zio nodded. They left Dr. Gaston’s room. They walked back to ra’s room.


    ra quickened her pace when she saw her grandfather sitting in a metal chair in front of her room.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    The man smiled at ra’s arrival. In a moment, he would instruct the nurse to remove the IV from ra’s hand and take her to Singapore this morning. There was a personal doctor who would examine his granddaughter’s health.


    “Finally, I can go home with my granddaughter!” Freedy Lim said, smiling as he saw ra’s arrival.


    “Sorry, Grandpa, I can’t go home with you right now!” ra said.


    To be Continued.