Senseless

Take it Slow

(Tommy wanted another chapter)

Tommy-

The next time Tommy's eyes found their way open, the room was dark, except for a dim light near the beeping sounds to his right. He had no doubt that at least one of them was a heart monitor and another, a breathing machine, as he still felt the thick, uncomfortable plastic tube down his throat. Just the feel of it made him bite back a gag. He had thought that it had been removed before, yet if it was, it was back now. 

He wanted it taken out, but as he listened to his heart monitor, he knew that it needed to stay. Even with the item helping him, his heart rate would skip or speed up abruptly every few minutes. The stuttering hurt, but not nearly as much as he thought it would. 

They probably have me on some good drugs, I can barely move but I don't hurt too badly. 

He expected his surgery sight to hurt, at the very least, but even his chest was barely bothering him besides his heart skipping issue. 

The sudden line of light cutting through the room made him wince, then grimace painfully around the tube from the sudden movement. Okay, the drugs don't work quite that well. He thought as the door slowly shut, then someone walked toward him. He could hear their footsteps, but he had to blink several times to clear his vision enough to be able to see who had come in. 

A doctor in head-to-toe white, except for a green surgical mask, walked over. He looked to be around his mid fifties, considering his graying hair and wrinkles, but Tommy knew that the job weighed heavily on most and some doctors looked much older than they were. Christopher's exhausted face flashed behind his eyes and he felt his stomach churn with worry. 

I hope he hasn't been here too much, he needs to sleep. 

"You have a very good friend, Tommy." The doctor said as he glanced down at a clipboard he'd carried in. He was quiet as he checked the different readings on the machines to Tommy's right, then wrote down the information on the board. 

"He's been in here almost nonstop for two days. He left around two this afternoon, when you started responding better to the breathing tube and medications." 

Tommy felt tears well up in his eyes, but he blinked them back. The doctor seemed to notice after a quick glance up from his clipboard, but thankfully didn't say anything about it. 

"I wish I could say that I could remove that, because I know it's not comfortable, but your heartbeat isn't strong enough yet. Hopefully in a couple more hours we can give that a shot." 

Eager to communicate, Tommy tried to nod, but the tube in his throat grated against his esophagus, making him cough. 

"Careful. We do a simple version of communication with patients who can't move well or talk. If you can move the fingers on your right hand, please tap the blanket." He said, turning his attention to Tommy's right hand. 

It had several IV's hooked up to its wrist area, but Tommy couldn't feel too much pain when he tried to move his fingers, so he focused as hard as he could to tap his pointer finger on the blanket. 

"There you go. If you want to agree with something I'm asking, tap your finger once. If not, tap it twice. We have no tapping mean not able to respond, because sometimes it's too hard to move your fingers, especially after a strong dose of medication. Do you understand?" 

Tommy tapped his finger once, feeling a little relaxed now that he could actually communicate, even if it was just simple yes's or no's. 

"Perfect. Would you be willing to try and have that tube removed later tonight if you're doing well?" The doctor asked.