Megan woke up feeling like she had been beaten up. Her head pounded in time with her heartbeat, reflected in the beeping of the monitors hooked up to her. Her back hurt, and she felt like she couldn’t move due to all the wires and braces. Her fingers found the call button, and soon a nurse was at her side.

“Where am I?” Megan asked.

“You’re in the Neuro ICU. Today is Wednesday. You’ve been here two days. Are you in any pain?” The nurse busied herself with checking the catheter and adjusting the pillows and blankets on the bed.

“My head and back are pounding. What happened to me?”

“You had an accident at work. Let me see if I can get the doctor in here with some pain meds, okay?” The nurse left the room and returned with Dr. Blake.

“Hello there, Sleeping Beauty! How are you feeling?” He leaned on the bedrail as he looked at her.

“Not feeling so beautiful. I’ve got a headache that’s keeping time with that cardiac monitor. And my back hurts. And I can’t move!” Megan tried to shift, but couldn’t seem to do it.

“Sharon, go ahead and give her some more Demerol. Megan, you have a brace on your neck and back due to two vertebral fractures. Plus we’ve got you wired and tubed about as many places as possible. Do you remember what happened?”

Megan tried to shake her head, but remembered the brace. “No. I remember seeing my partner asking if I was okay, but even that’s fuzzy. What happened?”

“From what the medics told me, you fell out of the cab of your ambulance and landed on the concrete floor. You have hairline fractures on T-4 and T-5, and a pretty bad concussion. I’d say you’re pretty lucky, considering.” The nurse came in with the Demerol and administered it through her IV line. “Since you’re awake, why don’t we see about a quick exam, and then maybe try to help you find a slightly more comfortable position?”

Megan agreed, and proceeded to be poked and prodded. Dr. Blake and Sharon helped her to readjust her position in the bed, sitting up some. “Well, I think that I’d like to keep you in ICU for one more night, and then get you to a regular room tomorrow.”

“How long will I be in the hospital, and what happens then?” Megan asked. “You’ll be our guest for a few more days, mainly because of the concussion. I’d like to send you to an inpatient rehab facility to work with you, get you back on your feet after this back injury. I’m waiting for Dr. Warner with ortho to get back with me about how he wants to handle the fractures so we can get your rehab plan drawn up."

Story to be continued later!