Freed At Last

By:  M. J. Cogburn and C. E. Krawiec

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“Why don’t you take a couple hours break, Inmon?”  Peter suggested as he watched the young man stand and go over to Johanna’s side.  “How about four hours?  Then you can get something to eat, relax for a bit, then come back, and talk with Johanna.”

Inmon looked over at Dr. Hugen, blinked then nodded his head.  “Four hours?” he questioned.  “Won’t Johanna…”

“Johanna will be fine, Inmon.  You look as if you have some questions that need to be answered.  This may be the only time to get them answered.”

Inmon nodded at his words then moved to Dr. Hugen and held out his hand.  After shaking Peter’s hand, Inmon looked back over at Johanna then left the room.

Waiting until the door closed, Peter shook his head then turned to his patient sound asleep in the bed.  Moving to her, he said, “Oh, Johanna, he’s got it bad for you, too.  I just hope there’s something left of him when he gets back.”

PART ONE

If Johanna had been even partially awake and heard any part of what Peter Hugen had just said, she likely would have tried to fight the effects of the sleeping medication she had been given.  However, her only response to her doctor's comments was to turn her head to one side and just sleep.

Peter Hugen watched his patient for another minute then quietly exited her room.  At the nurses' station, he gave the night supervisor that Johanna was to be checked every hour to be certain that she was sleeping and not showing any signs of pain.  Again, the precaution wasn't necessary, though obeyed to the letter.  For the nurses and Johanna it was the quietest, calmest night that had been passed since she had come into the infirmary as a patient.

When Johanna Royden's eyes at last fluttered open, though still firmly within the fog of sleep, she instinctively knew that she felt better.  Not miraculously healed overnight, just better, rested. 

Still keenly aware of where she was and why, nonetheless, Johanna cautiously and so very carefully raised her arms above her head.  Immediately, her healing ribs twinged strongly, reminding her clearly that to do more than that was courting worse.  Even Johanna's stubborn determination knew when not to push the envelope.

"Ummmmmm," Johanna sighed as she wiggled her fingers and pretended to stretch her arms a little more.  "I think I feel...really feel...like an all in one piece person again."  Her arms were still lying on the pillow on either side of her head in the pretend arm raise when a nurse came into the room.

"Oh, you're awake, Ms. Royden," Tilly Barker said as she came to the bed.  Immediately she observed where the patient's arms were not supposed to be.  Gently but firmly, she moved first one of Johanna's arms then the other back down to the young woman's sides.

"You shouldn't do that," she admonished as she picked up Johanna's left wrist and began counting her pulse.  "If Dr. Hugen had seen you with your arms like that, he'd have had a fit and you better believe he'd have given you what for about it!"

Johanna smiled at Nurse Barker.  "I'm sure that he would have.  To tell you the truth, Tilly, where they were at, it didn't hurt.  Higher, yes... but at that point, it didn't hurt." 

Tilly turned to mark her chart with her pulse, and then looked back at Johanna.  "That may be; however, you know how Dr. Hugen would disapprove."

Knowing the admonishment would continue if she continued to discuss it with Tilly, Johanna let it go and just nodded at the woman's words.  "Yes ma'am."

Johanna just lay back on the bed and did exactly what Tilly asked of her.  Once Tilly was done with all the necessary duties, Johanna relaxed.  Twisting her head to the side, she looked at the cot that was in the room and instantly wondered where Inmon Fitzpatrick was.  Wasn't he supposed to be in her room?

Frowning, she turned back to the television and grinned when she saw the cartoons bat each other over the head with a frying pan. 

She didn't know how long she had been giggling over the old Tom and Jerry cartoons when Dr. Hugen had walked into her room.

"Good morning, Dr. Hugen.  How are you doing this morning?" she asked him with a small smile.

Peter Hugen smiled at his patient and couldn't help but question back to her, "Isn't that my question?"  Hearing her giggle, Peter smiled then answered, "I'm fine as a fiddle, Ms. Royden.  How about yourself?  How are you feeling this morning?"

Rolling her head slightly toward him as he approached the side of the bed, Johanna took in a small breath and then let it out just as slowly.  "I feel..." she took a slightly deeper breath then smiled.  "If you'll excuse my language, I feel pretty damn good, Dr. Hugen."

Peter chuckled at the answer then turned his focus to the just made notes on her chart, nodding his approval at what he was reading.  Flipping the chart closed, he placed it on the bedside table, returned his pen to the breast pocket of his lab coat, and turned to Johanna.

"Well let's just see how those ribs are feeling this morning," he said as he turned back the sheet.  Carefully he applied just enough light pressure with his hands as he ran his hands over Johanna's ribs.  He didn't miss the couple of mild winces she made when his fingers passed over certain places on her right side.  "That hurts?" he asked.

Johanna had dealt often enough with Peter Hugen during her training, and so knew that glossing over something was a sure ticket to something she would rather not deal with.  In this case, that would likely mean an extra day or two added to what already seemed like an eternity on her back in this blasted infirmary bed.

"A little," she admitted.  "But it really is better than yesterday."  Seeing him nod slightly in response to her words as well as uttering the classic, "Uhm hmm," that most patients considered common to every doctor, Johanna wanted to demand to know exactly what that meant.  She knew, however, it wouldn't do any good to get high-handed with this doctor.  By her own count, she hadn't won a single argument with Peter Hugen since the first time she'd dealt with him as a patient.

Peter nodded at what he had felt and heard from her, and then began making notes on her chart.  He watched from his peripheral vision how Johanna seemed to slump back in the bed and couldn't help but smile to himself.  He loved this part of his job.

Closing the chart that was in his hand, he licked his lips and met her eyes.  "On a rating of one to ten with one being low and ten being high, how would you rate your pain?"

Johanna frowned slightly then finally answered, "A three... if that."

Peter nodded, opened the chart and made a few more notes then turned back to her.  "I'm afraid that I have some bad news for you, Johanna."

Even seeing her shoulder slightly slump a bit more was all that he needed to continue with what he was going to say to her.  "The bad news... you'll have to come visit me to see me in the infirmary.  You do know that they are mainly for sick and hurting people, right?"

Seeing Johanna's face so a mixture of emotions was what elated him more than anything else did.  Johanna's eyes brightened and the smile that appeared made him most definitely understand why Inmon and Vaughn were fighting over the right to have her for their own.  "You are going to visit me, aren't you?"

"Is that an order or otherwise, doctor?” Johanna questioned cautiously, still hanging onto a corner of her exulting at *finally* being released from the infirmary.

Peter didn't miss the carefully worded question.  Grinning at her, he said, "I expect to see you once a week for the next three weeks for a check-up.  Sooner in those between times if the pain increases or you do something..."

Johanna lifted her chin and met Peter Hugen's gaze firmly.  "Trust me when I say, Dr. Hugen, that I have crossed "stupid and dumb antics" off my list of things to do once I get out of here!"

Peter laughed heartily as he went to Johanna's side.  "I'm going to hold you to that promise, Ms. Royden," he said lightly, his eyes twinkling.

"May I leave right now?” Johanna didn't waste any time in making her request.

Peter's grin widened a bit at the face she pulled when he put a couple of provisions on her release.  "I want you to have some breakfast first, and then a shower before you go."  He could almost hear the argument about the last before it could get to her lips.  "And no, those two things are not negotiable."  He waited for and got the capitulation he knew he'd get.

"Good," he said, reaching to pat her shoulder gently.  "Do you want to call someone to bring you something to wear out of here?"

Johanna knew that she wasn't going to win the fight with trying to get out of the infirmary without breakfast or a shower.  As for the clothes, she briefly thought of walking out nude from the infirmary then immediately nixed the idea.  "Could you please call Kim Tallman?  She has a key to my quarters and could get in to get some clothes."

Dr. Hugen nodded, wrote down the young woman's name then looked back up at Johanna.  Fixing her with a strict gaze, he once again said, "Breakfast and a shower."

Johanna nodded at his words.  "Yes sir.  Breakfast and a shower.  May I at least take the shower first?"

"I didn't say which you had to do first, Johanna.  Just that it had to be done."

Nodding, Johanna was more than pleased when Nurse Nadia Jenkins came into the room holding onto a small menu in her hands.  Bringing it over, Johanna ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and milk.  Once ordered, Nadia walked out with the order promising to be back within twenty minutes. 

Johanna looked up at Dr. Hugen with a smile as she slowly sat up in bed and began to swing her legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up.  A small wave of vertigo came over her, but she held her ground until she felt steady.  Slowly moving to the bathroom, Johanna looked back at Dr. Hugen as he started for the door.

"Dr. Hugen?"  Seeing him turn back to her, she smiled at him.  "Thank you for... everything."

"Not a problem, Johanna.  Not a problem at all."

Opening the door to the bathroom, Johanna went inside, stripped then showered.  It didn't go as quickly as she was wanting to, but by the time that she was drying off, she felt even better than before.  Wrapping the towel around her body, she looked out and found a dress on her bed.  "Kim, you are awesome!" she admitted as she went over and quickly put on her bra, underwear then the lightweight flowing baby blue dress.

Sitting on the bed, she began to brush at her hair, finding it a bit difficult to get to the top of her head because of her injuries.  When Nadia came in with her food, she asked Nadia to help her with her hair.  Once it was pulled back into a low ponytail that she could reach without too much trouble, Johanna ate the food that made her feel even stronger.

Knowing that she had done what Dr. Hugen had wanted her to do, Johanna slowly stood, made sure she wasn't overcome with vertigo, then slowly made her way toward the door. 

As she left the infirmary, she thanked the nurses who had come into her room periodically.  Finally getting to the elevators, she felt more accomplishment in her day than she had in ... a long time.

While it was, as far as Johanna was concerned, the best thing she'd done in the last couple of weeks, actually reaching her own quarters felt like winning a marathon by the time she reached her front door.  Once inside her quarters, with Kim's help yet again, the few things she'd mentally listed that she wanted to do as soon as she was out of the infirmary were tossed aside.  Instead, with her neighbor's assistance, Johanna changed out of the dress and got into some sweatpants and, though it didn't 'go' with the sweatpants, a simple button up blouse.

Back in her living room at last, she deliberately didn't let Kim assist her to sit down on the couch, nor did she accept the hand Kim offered to help her get up again.  "I really appreciate it, Kim," Johanna explained a tad breathlessly as she grabbed hold of the back of the couch to steady herself, once she was up again. "But I need to do this on my own."

Kim didn’t try to argue with her neighbor, just kept an eye on her for signs of possible dizziness or weakness.  Seeing none, she said, "Do you need anything else?” When Johanna shook her head, Kim nodded once and smiled. “  In that case, I'll be on my way.  I've got a couple of errands to run before work today."  Going to the door, she opened and looked back at Johanna.  "Remember, if you need anything, I'm right next door.  Don't think twice about calling if you need me."

Johanna nodded at her friend and reiterated with, "You got it, Kim."  Walking halfway to the door, Johanna gave a small wave, stopped, and sighed.  "I'm home," she finally said aloud.  Looking up above her toward the heavens, she whispered, "Thank you."

Slowly moving toward her room, she went directly to her bed.  Although she knew that she had just come from a bed, she sat down, then lay back on the comfortable mattress and sighed.  Knowing that she had utilized all of the energy that she had build up since breakfast just a little bit before, she wanted to make sure that she had the energy later to get up and go to lunch and then to dinner.

Getting comfortable on the bed, she closed her eyes and just relaxed.  She soon drifted off into a restful sleep.