Chapter 81 - This Romeo Is Bleeding

Constant bedside vigils, endless prayers and even a little bartering with God seems to be doing no good for Monica and her situation.  Weeks have gone by, with no change. 

The families and friends had to leave, because they have lives that they needed to get on with.  John, Carol and the boys had to get beck to New Jersey; Matt and Tony still had school.  Monica's parents had to leave because Monica's brother was with friends and he too needed to get back to school and a normal life. 

The band left to deal with the contractual obligations that they were under, and did what they could without Jon.  There were some interviews and photo shoots, but Jon left it all in Richie's hands - he refused to be bothered with the details of his job. 

He's alone, in Las Vegas, with his new wife and the amazing staff that has taken excellent care of her.  He's actually befriended a few, because when he was at the end of his rope, a few of them would sit with her if he needed to take time away.  He promised her that she would not wake up alone, and he did all that he could to keep that promise.

He took some time and showered and shaved, using her bathroom.  The hospital moved a bed in for him, after they moved her to a regular room; taking her off of the critical list and putting her on a regular floor. 

In this condition, she just needed monitoring and standard care.  They removed her breathing tube a week ago and since then, she has been able to maintain her own breathing - which is an excellent sign.  They finally inserted a feeding tube so they could stop relying on her nutrients going through an IV bag.  She was healing nicely, bruises and broken bones are almost healed but she just hasn't woke up. 

 All tests show that she her brain is working fine.  It recognizes pain, sounds, light and even touch, however, she hasn't opened her eyes since the day they were married.  She still has no idea that she lost the baby, as Jon wouldn't let anyone talk about it in the room, in her presence.

Wrapped in a towel, drying his hair with another, he walks over and kisses her forehead.  "Just took a shower, can't wait for you to join me again."  Nothing.  He stands there and looks at her, very happy with the way that she looks.  Her face is wound free and she's as beautiful as Sleeping Beauty.  He sits on the edge of the bed and takes her hand, "Babe, I love you and I'm right here when you wake up.  Whenever you're ready."

Moments pass and even though he's discouraged, he gets up and gets dressed.  As he dresses, he tells her, "Everyone had to go home.  The boys had to get back to school and the band has interviews and stuff to do.  So, it's just me and you.  Whenever you're ready to end THIS honeymoon, feel free.  And then we will take a real one."

He goes back into the bathroom and shaves, runs a brush through his hair and orders breakfast.  He has always orders two trays, just in case she wakes up.  He knows that she couldn't eat it, but he wanted her to see that he's always had hope that she would wake up and they would eat together again.  He eats his breakfast alone, watching her as she inhales and exhales.  Her body makes no other movement.

After breakfast, he grabs his notepad and sits in the recliner that he has next to her bed.  His feet are propped up on her bed, he decides that he's going to try to write.  Or at least he's going to try.  He needs to do more with this down time than mope around and feel sorry for himself and about the situation.  He thinks that something good needs to come from the nightmare, even if it's a song that no one will ever hear.  At the top of the page he writes:

Love Me Back To Life

This world don't give you nothing, that it can't take away

Everybody holding onto something, nobody wanna fade away

No forgiveness on the streets of this town, I left my patience at a traffic light

There's no denying I almost lost it, threw in the towel; too tired to fight

After he finishes the first verse, he starts to sing it out load - with the music that he heard in his mind.  Over and over until he hears the right melody, and when he hears that, he continues to write.  Once he's written the whole song, verses, chorus and hook he sits there and sings the whole thing.  Quietly, with a passion that he hasn't felt for a while.  He's jotting corrections and chords on the notepad when he feels something move his foot.  Startled, he looks up and sees Monica's foot move.  He then looks up at her face and her eyes are open.  He jumps to his feet and takes to the head of her bed.  Her eyes open, and close again.  Open and close again.  It makes Jon think that she looks drunk.  She can't focus on anything or keep her eyes open.

"Hey." he whispers to her, "There you are."  She opens her eyes, still unable to focus.  She tries to talk, but her mouth is dry, to dry to really even open it.  Jon reaches over for her mouth swaps and wets one in the glass of water, "Here this should help."  He gently swaps her lips, letting the water run into her mouth.  Her eyes close again.  "Monica."  Nothing.  "Monica."  he gently rubs her shoulder, "babe, wake up."

She rolls her head and looks at him again, for a few seconds and her eyes close again.  He's excited, he's thrilled that she's awake - he can't let her go back to sleep.  He reaches over and presses the call button and within seconds, the nurse and a doctor appear. 

"She woke up." he exclaims, "She woke up and opened her eyes and tried to talk.  She even moved her foot."

The doctor steps into action.  With his pen light, her pries open her eyes and tests her pupils.  They are reactive and she even tries to pull away from the bright light.  "Monica, I'm doctor Anderson.  Can you open your eyes for me?"

She tries, but isn't successful.  She tries to talk again, but her mouth is still very dry.  The doctor tells her, "We will get you some fresh water, are you sick to your stomach at all?"

Jon looks at him, wondering what the hell he asked her that for, "Sick to her stomach?" he questions.

"She hasn't had anything in there in weeks and we want to be sure that she can handle some water.  If she's nauseous, she'll just vomit and possibly cause other complications."

Jon nods, agreeing.  "I swabbed her lips before you came in here."

"That's fine." the doctor tells him, then he looks to the nurse, "Can you get me .5cc's of Ativan.  She might need it when she wakes up completely."

The nurse leaves and gets what she's asked to get.

"Monica."  The doctor shakes her gently.  For several minutes, she goes back and forth between opening her eyes and dozing off.

"Babe, wake up."  Jon says, in her ear as he kisses the side of her head.  "Come on,, we have a honeymoon to go on."  She turns her head toward him and opens her eyes.  He reaches behind her and fluffs her pillows, thinking that making her move might help her become more alert. 

Her vitals are stable and all signs lead to a 100% recovery.  After a thorough examination the doctor tells Jon, "As soon as she's awake enough, we'll do some cognitive testing to see where she's really at, but as far as I can see, she's going to be just fine."

The doctor leaves after reassuring Jon and reminding him to call if he needs anything, Jon finds himself alone again, with a half awake bride.  He scoots in next to her on the bed and is rubbing her arm, talking to her, even though she's sleeping again.  "Mon, I need you.  I need you to wake up, baby.  I have been going out of my mind these last few weeks not having you to talk to.  Please, baby, wake up."  She moves her legs, so he keeps talking, "We need to get you well and get you out of here, we have a honeymoon to take and we are going someplace tropical, with no cars."  He kind of laughs at that and he next movement tells him that she's a little agitated.  Taking the hint, he gets off the bed and stands next to her. 

She doesn't look at him, but she's finally able to work passed the dry mouth and ask him, "Where am I?"

He grabs her hand, "You're in a hospital in Las Vegas."

"Why?"

"We were hit by a car, and you were hurt pretty bad.  Don't you remember any of it?"

"No.  Why am I in Las Vegas?" she asks, having no memory of the wedding. 

He sits in the chair and starts to tell her, "We flew out here and got married.  You don't remember any of that either?"

She slightly shakes her head no and asks, "Who are you?"