The curtains were drawn shut, but the light that peeked through the cracks was blinding. Elise squinted her eyes, trying to make out her surroundings. It didn't feel familiar. It took her brain a few seconds to catch up. Of course. She was in the hospital.
"Danny?" she looked around, eyes still trying to adjust.
"Elise," he popped up to her right, causing her to jump.
"Sorry," he apologized before leaning over to kiss her forehead.
"How are you feeling?"
"Disoriented," she laughed quietly. "How long was I out for?"
"About an hour, I'd guess. They got your body temperature back up pretty quick after we got here. You woke up for a little bit then. You don't remember?"
Elise shook her head.
"That's alright. You fell asleep again, so they brought you up here to let you rest," Danny paused. "How's that hip feeling?"
She hadn't even paid attention to it until he brought it up.
"Surprisingly good," Elise was a bit baffled. She definitely remembered that part and was surprised it didn't really hurt at all.
"Pain medicine," Danny pointed to one of the IV bags hanging next to her bed.
"Oh...So I'm guessing that's not going to last forever?" she referred to her painlessness.
"Probably not," he shook his head slightly and laughed. Danny sighed.
"I'm glad you're awake," he stroked her hair. "And alive, for that matter."
"Me too. Thanks for saving me, my knight in shining hiking clothes," she smiled up at him.
Danny laughed.
"You must be feeling better to make jokes."
"So what now?" Elise asked.
"Well, I should probably go tell the nurse you're awake. The doctor wanted to talk to you as soon as you woke up."
Elise nodded.
"Have they told you anything?"
"No. They took your x-rays while you were out, but the doctor hasn't been in yet," he paused. "Hey. Whatever happens, it'll be alright," Danny took her hand and squeezed it.
"It's not good, is it?"
"Honestly? Probably not if the doctor wants to speak with you right away."
A knock came at the door 15 minutes later.
"Hello. I'm Dr.Johansen," a man in his 40's with brown hair and brown eyes entered the room.
"It's nice to meet you, Elise," he immediately crossed to her bed and shook her hand.
"Mr.Mortenson?" he looked to Danny, hand still outstretched.
"Yes. Danny. Nice to meet you."
The doctor didn't really smile, but he wasn't unpleasant either.
"I had a chance to look at your x-rays and, unfortunately, it's not just bruising and swelling like we had hoped. Though that's certainly not helping matters," a brief glimpse of apology crossed his face before he pulled out one of the x-rays in question from the manila folder he had brought with him.
"See this right here?" Dr.Johansen held the picture up and pointed. "That's a definite fracture. Fortunately it's just one. From the sounds of it, you're lucky you didn't crush the entire joint or, at the very least, have several fracture points."
"So what do we need to do?" Danny asked.
"Well, the good news is Elise won't need a complete hip replacement."
She should have been happy, but she was slightly irritated by the other two suddenly talking as if she weren't sitting right there.
"But," Dr.Johansen looked at her and won points back, "we will need to put a pin in it to get it to heal correctly."
Elise wasn't sure what to say or how to feel. The whole day had been surreal so far. Had it really just been that morning that she had woke up to a beautiful day in the woods? Now she was literally stuck in a hospital bed? It didn't seem possible or make any sense.
"So what are the logistics? How long is surgery? How long is it going to take for her to recover?" Danny continued asking all the questions.
"The surgery itself will take about 2 hours, no more than 3. I'm not expecting any complications. As far as recovery time, I'm guessing 4-6 weeks since you're young and in good health otherwise," the doctor finally gave a small smile.
"What about flying?" Danny wasn't letting up. Elise was glad he, at least, was clear-headed enough to think of pertinent questions.
"We were on our honeymoon here. We live in the states." he gestured with his thumb towards the window. "We were supposed to be heading home tomorrow. Obviously that's not going to happen now, of course, but how long will she need to be in the hospital after the surgery?"
"Generally, we have hip fracture patients in here between 3 and 7 days. We'll help Elise get walking again, make sure everything looks ok on x-rays and she's not in an excessive amount of pain, and start her with the physical therapist here to come up with a plan for once she does goes home. That being said, depending on how the surgery goes and Elise's recovery here, I'm afraid I can't in good conscience clear her for flying for at least 2 weeks. And even that's pushing it. We generally recommend 4-6 weeks, depending on the patient. The biggest issue with flying and long car trips we worry about is blood clots," the doctor finished and let this information sink in with them for a moment.
Elise's mind reeled.
"So when is surgery?" Danny continued shooting off questions. Elise was almost to the point that he wished he would stop. She wasn't sure how much more bad news she could handle. Her anxiety began to kick in in a big way.
"I'm afraid all of the ORs are on their last patients for the day now, so we'll get Elise in first thing in the morning. It won't do any harm in waiting," Dr.Johansen answered preemptively. "Just be sure to not move around much and if you need help getting comfortable or changing positions, don't be afraid to call a nurse and he or she will be happy to help. I also highly recommend keeping that pillow between your legs as well. It will help and you don't want to exacerbate things," he paused. Elise assumed he was waiting for her partner to ask more questions, which he surprisingly didn't.
"Do you guys have any further questions right now?"
They each shook their head somberly.
"If you think of anything else, just ask the nurse and if they don't know, they can contact me. Ok?"
Danny and Elise both nodded.
"Elise, Danny, it was nice to meet you. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow," he gave a small smile again and let himself out.
Elise was already fighting hard against the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.
"Danny, what are we going to do?" she wiped the back of her hand across her nose as it began to run.
"Two weeks?! How on Earth are we going to be able to afford staying here that long? Where are we going to stay?"
"I'll figure it out, ok? That should be the least of your concerns right now. Don't worry about the money. Seriously."
Danny had added her to his bank account months ago and she knew he had quite a bit saved up, but would it be enough to cover the extended stay and the outrageous hospital bill she was sure to acrue?
"What the hell are we going to do about work?" tears slid down her cheeks, but she refused to break down in sobs, though she very much wanted to. Elise figured she had caused enough drama for the day, though.
"Don't worry about it," he emphasized each word, holding her hand again. "We'll figure it out. Everything will work out. I promise," Danny lifted her hand and kissed the back of it tenderly.
"Are you going to be ok?" he asked, referring to her mental state. "Do you need anything? I thought I would run out and get us something to eat and make some phone calls."
Elise shook her head emphatically.
"Just order room service. I know it's silly, but I don't want you far," Elise offered no further explanation. As well as he knew her, she wouldn't need to.
"Ok," his voice grew softer. It was all the indication she needed that he understood. She didn't want to be alone. She was scared. She felt vulnerable. She needed his presence. She just didn't feel like admitting it in so many words aloud at the moment.
"Here," Danny handed over the room service menu to her. "Why don't you decide what sounds good while I call Joe?" Joe was both of their boss at work, even over the heads of their respective departments.
"Danny?"
"What, sweetheart?"
"I kinda just want to call my mom right now."
"Yah, of course," he handed his phone over to her. "I'm afraid your phone's no good. Too bad we don't have some rice to try out that trick," he joked, trying to make Elise laugh. It worked.
"Let's see if we can order some for dinner then," she stuck out her tongue.
"Pretty sure cooked rice would just make it worse," he chuckled. Danny looked to her holding the phone in her hands, she looking back at him expectantly.
"I'll go get a drink or something from the vending machine downstairs. You want anything?"
"No thank you," she smiled weakly.
"Oh! By the way, I did call your mom and talked to her some while you were asleep," Danny added as he was about to walk out the door."
"Oh...Thank you," she was surprised, but not sure why. He was always thoughtful. Why should now be any different?
However, it made Elise even more nervous about talking to her mother. She would probably be hysterical and Elise's emotions were already charged. It wouldn't take much to start her own breakdown again. Maybe she just needed to get it out of her system.
She took a deep breath and hit the call button after Danny left the room.
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