November 7 2008

Day 4

Shell arrived today, her first chance to see Dennis since the accident. Not easy to see your son laid on his back with wires and tubes running out to machines monitoring breathing, heart rate and the ever present cranial pressure. This should be the countdown to 6 PM (and the end of 72 hours), so hopefully she'll see a short period of Dennis at the worst and then be there for him as he improves and becomes more aware. (At least that's the thought process behind suggesting that she delay her arrival until Friday morning) The first visit for her is short, less than an hour, but Dennis acknowledges her presence, though questioningly, as in "What are you doing here?" His pressures remain in the high teens to twenties, with several frightening trips into the thirties. He's made it through the 3rd night, without any calls from the neurosurgeons about surgery, and every hour that goes by is another hour gained. Dennis now has both of the most important people he needs emotionally, and the doctors continue to be impressed by his responsiveness, though limited, considering the pressures he sometimes exhibits. Drew, Dennis' nurse, remains a support throughout, knowing what to say, when to say it and what to watch for. He becomes the one outside the family we come to trust, and since he sometimes seems to hold our son's life in his hands, this is a singular source of comfort in an unbearble situation. As parents, we know that Dennis' support system is complete and now it's up to us to hope, pray and wait for him to come back.