Tribute

Chensky.”
    Cathy took out a red leather notebook and a silver pen to note it down. “How long’s he been in?”
    “I’m not sure. I’ve lost track. We got here about eight, I think, into the ER, and he was there for a little while before they brought him up. Maybe an hour ago?”
    “I know that seems long, but it’s not, really. Here now.” Cathy patted Cilla on the back when the elevator doors opened. “You go on and sit, and I’ll see what I can find out.”
    “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
    “Don’t you give it a thought.”
    Cilla walked back to the waiting room but didn’t sit. She didn’t want to sit with the others who were waiting for word on a friend, on a loved one. On life and death. She wished for a window. Whose idea had it been to design an interior waiting room with no windows? Didn’t they understand people needed to stare out? To will their minds outside the room?
    “Hey.” Ford stepped up beside her with a large go-cup.
    “Thanks.”
    “Cathy’s talking to people.”
    “It’s very kind of her. She’s very fond of you. When she first came up, I thought she was an old girlfriend.”
    “Man.” Mortification flashed. “She’s a mom. She’s Brian’s mom.”
    “A lot of men go for older women, sport. And she looks really good.”
    “Mom,” Ford repeated. “Brian’s mom.”
    Cilla started to smile, then tensed when Cathy stepped in.
    “First, Dr. North is operating,” Cathy began in brisk, practical tones that were enormously comforting. “He’s one of the best. You’re very, very lucky there.”
    “Okay.” Cilla’s breath eased out. “All right.”
    “Next, do you want all the medical terms, the jargon?” Cathy held up her notebook.
    “I . . . No. No, I want, just, to know.”
    “He’s holding his own. He’s stable. It’s going to be another couple of hours, at least. And there are other injuries that need to be addressed.” She flipped the book open now. “Two broken ribs. His nose and left cheekbone were broken, and his kidney’s bruised. His head injuries are the most serious, and Dr. North’s working on him. He’s young, fit, healthy, and those factors are in his favor.”
    “Okay.” Cilla nodded. “Thank you.”
    “Why don’t I check back in a little while?” Cathy took Cilla’s hand.
    “I appreciate it, Mrs. Morrow, very much.”
    “Cathy. And it’s nothing. Take care of her,” she said to Ford, and left them alone.
    “I’m going to go out, call the house. Let everyone know what’s going on.”
    “I did that,” Ford told her, “when I got your drink. But we can do an update.”
    They walked. They sat. They stared at the waiting room TV someone had tuned to CNN. As the projected couple of hours became a few, Cathy came back in.
    “He’s out of surgery. Dr. North will come in to talk to you.”
    “He’s—”
    “They won’t tell me much right now, except that he made it through. That’s a good thing. Ford, you make sure Cilla has my number. You call me if you need anything. All right?”
    “Yes.” Cilla’s fingers tightened like wires on Ford’s when the man in green scrubs paused in the doorway. His gaze scanned the room, paused on Cathy with a flicker of acknowledgment. And Cathy’s hand rested briefly on Cilla’s shoulder.
    “You call,” she repeated, and moved away as the doctor crossed the room.
    “Miss McGowan?”
    “Yes. Yes. Steve?”
    North sat. His face looked quiet, Cilla thought. Almost serene, and smooth, smooth as brown velvet. And he angled his body toward hers, kept his dark eyes on her face as he spoke.
    “Steve suffered two skull fractures. A linear fracture here,” he said, running his finger along the top of his forehead. “That’s a break in the bone that doesn’t cause the bone to shift. Those usually heal on their own. But the second was a break here.” Now he held his hand to the base of his skull. “A basilar fracture. And this more severe break caused bruising of his brain, and bleeding.”
    “You fixed him.”
    “He came through the surgery. He’s going to need further tests. We’ll monitor the pressure inside his skull in the ICU with a device I inserted during surgery. When the swelling goes down, we’ll remove it. He has a good chance.”
    “A good chance,” she repeated.
    “There could be brain damage, temporary or permanent. It’s too soon to tell. Right now, we wait and we monitor. He’s in a coma. His heart is very strong.”
    "Yes, it is.”
    “He has a