Awake My Heart (The Bentini Brothers Book 3) Read Free Page A

narrowed angry eyes, Mrs. Bentini goes on the attack.  “I
suppose you two knew all about this!” she storms at the couple—one standing
tall and resolute, the other uncertain and unsettled.
         “Leave them alone mom, this has nothing to do with them,” William
immediately comes to their defense.
         “Oh, doesn’t it?!  You were happily engaged to Alison until
these two started carrying on!”
         “I told you that Kathy and I were seeing each other years
before Tiressa ever came into the picture, so you can just stop it!”
         Dr. Phillips clears his throat as he enters the waiting room,
effectively putting an end to the family quarrel.  Everyone gathers around him
anxious to hear what he has to report.  “Ms. Walters has suffered significant
brain trauma that has produced a diffuse cerebral edema.”
         “What does that mean in English?” Will asks tersely.
         “The impact caused bruising and swelling of the brain.  Which
in turn has caused increased pressure on the brain.”
         “So, is Kathy in a coma?”  Gabby rush to ask. 
         “She’s unresponsive.  That’s not a completely bad thing—to a
certain degree—it can be the body’s way of healing itself.”
         “Is there brain damage?”  Mr. Bentini asks.
         “We won’t know if there is permanent brain damage until the
swelling comes down.”
         “What are you doing to reduce the swelling?” Will questions
impatiently.
         “Nothing at this point—”
         “What the hell do you mean nothing?!” Will demands looking
like he wants to grab the doctor by his heavily starched lapels and shake a
more acceptable answer from him.
         “Will take it easy, let the doc explain,” Antonio says with a
supportive hand on his brother’s shoulder.
         “Any attempt at direct treatment can make matters worse,” Dr. Phillips,
explains calmly, having been through this unfortunate scenario numerous times
in his profession.
         “So we stand around and wait?!”  Will’s anger bounces off the
walls, but the experienced doctor remains unfazed.
         “In time the swelling will go down on its own and we’ll have a
better idea of how severe the damage is.”
         “Look Dr. Phillips, I need to know…is Kathy going to be okay? 
Is she going to wake up?”  Although the doctor sympathizes with the grief
stricken man, he can not, will not, give false hope or lie about the young
woman’s dire situation.  “The outcome of Miss Walter’s comatose state will
depend on the cause, location, severity, and the extent of neurological
damage.  I’m sorry William, but the truth is, we don’t know what we are dealing
with right now, and we won’t until we give it more time.”
         “How much time?  A few hours, a day, a week?  What kind of
time are you talking about?” Tiressa exclaims, leaning into Antonio’s solid
strength.
         “Comas can last anywhere from several days to several weeks. 
In more severe cases, a patient can be in a comatose state well over five or
six months…years even.  We will work towards a speedy recovery, while keeping
in mind other probable outcomes.”
         “Shit!”  Will growls, turning away so that no one sees him
blinking away the moisture springing to his eyes.
         “I’m scheduling another MRI and that should give us more
information.  We will continue to monitor brain activity,” Dr. Phillips apprises
them and then asks, “Has Ms. Walters’s family been contacted yet?”
         “We will get them here as soon as possible,” Mr. Bentini
assures.  “Thank you Dr. Phillips, for taking time to speak with us.  We
appreciate all you are doing for Katherine.”  Mr. Bentini and the doctor shake
hands.  “Kathy is very important to our family,” he states capturing his wife’s
attention.  “Isn’t she Marella?”
         “Yes.  Yes, she is.”  Mrs.