Tuesday morning came about dark and early. Meghan’s surgery was scheduled for early in the rotation, so they had to be there by 5 am. The first 30 minutes were a whirlwind of signatures and forms and paperwork, so she was kind of glad to finally be pushed into a room for pre-op.

“Everything off, including socks and underwear. Make sure to take all of your jewelry off too. You can put your clothes in the bag. Put the gown on, ties in the back, and there’s socks here, plus the hairnet. I’ll be back in a few minutes to get your IV started.” The nurse left the room as abruptly as she had entered it.

Mitch took this as his cue to leave for a few minutes in search of coffee, so Kelsey helped Meghan undress. Meghan was no sooner in the gown and settled on the bed when the nurse knocked and breezed back in. “I got you some heated blankets, dear. They keep this floor so cold! I’m in wool year-round, even if I do swelter walking out to my car after work.” She tinkered around Meghan, making sure that she was hooked up to the pulse ox, the blood pressure cuff was applied, and cardiac patches were placed on Meghan’s chest. “There! Now let’s get that IV done, and you’re ready!”

Meghan held up her right arm. “Actually, I’ve already got a hep-lock in. We kept it from the other day in the ER.”

The nurse looked at it askance. “I’m not sure we can keep that, hon. Do you know if it’s patent?”

Kelsey spoke up. “Lorraine, it’s patent. She had meds through it last night. Try flushing it to be sure.”

Lorraine, the nurse, looked askance at Kelsey, then her face lit up. “Wait, you look familiar! You work where, 3rd floor?”

Kelsey nodded. “Yes. I work 3rd-floor Gynecological Surgery Unit and some in the OR as a float.”

“Well, then, let’s flush this to be sure it works.” She attached a syringe of saline to the IV, and it flushed smoothly.

“Good news, kiddo, it’s patent. I need to draw some labs, so let me go grab a syringe.”

Lorraine bustled out the door to grab a vac-u-tainer and a tourniquet, passing by Mitch, who had found the coffee vending machine. He entered the room, blowing on the hot cup.

“Doc, it’s not nice to tease a patient with something they can’t have,” Meghan stated.

“Oh, believe me, Meghan, you are better off. This stuff is gross. I can’t wait for the cafeteria to open up so I can have a cup of the real stuff.” Lorraine bustled back through the door.

“Oh, Dr. Branston! I didn’t realize you were in here. Do you need a moment with the patient?”

Mitch smiled. “No, no. I’m here as a family member. Do what you were doing.” He made his way to sit in the chair next to Kelsey.

Lorraine took her seat again at Meghan’s bedside. She drew blood, filling several vials, and held a piece of gauze on Meghan’s arm where she had stuck her. Meghan took over applying pressure while Lorraine unwrapped a band-aid and applied it.

“Okay, sweetheart, now we’ll wait for Anesthesia to come and do their rounds. After that, it’ll be waiting for them to come down to take you to OR. If there’s anything you need, just press the call button and let me know.” Lorraine nodded her head, grabbed up the blood tubes, and exited the room.

She was gone for a few minutes before coming back in. “Where is my mind this morning? I need to hook your IV up to fluids.” She hooked Meghan’s IV up to a liter bag of Lactated Ringer’s. “Just hang tight. I saw anesthesia down at the end of the hall, starting rounds, so it shouldn’t be long.”

Lorraine left, and Meghan let out a sigh. “That woman’s a whirlwind! It’s too early for someone to be that energetic!” Mitch and Kelsey laughed.

They made small talk for a while. Ten minutes later, a knock on the door sounded before it was pushed open. “Meghan McCoy?”

Meghan raised her left hand. “That would be me.”

The doctor, dressed in scrubs, a white lab coat, and a surgical beanie cap, entered the room and closed the door. He made his way over to her bedside and stuck out his hand. “Dr. Lewis Benson. I’m with Anesthesia, and I’ll be watching over you during your surgery this morning.” He noticed Kelsey and Mitch and shook their hands as well. “Morning folks. Kelsey, good to see you! And Dr. Branston. Coffee from the vending machine? Yuck. Sneak upstairs and get some from the doctor’s lounge. Joey made a fresh pot 20 minutes ago.”

He turned back to Meghan. “So just so we’re on the same page. What are we doing for you today?”

“I think you’re putting in some pins to stabilize a left tibial fracture.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me, especially since that’s what your chart says. Any allergies?”

“No.”

“Ever had an adverse reaction to anesthesia?”

“No.”

“Good. I’m going to listen to your lungs and heart. Lean forward for me.” Dr. Benson listened to her breath sounds, then her heart. He had her open wide so he could see her throat. He asked about a dozen more questions, then set down his clipboard.

“Okay, Meghan. I’m going to give you some feel-good meds now, and they’ll be down in a few minutes to take you to the OR. Do you have any questions for me?”

Meghan thought for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I think I’m about as ready as I can be for this.”

Dr. Benson withdrew a couple of syringes from his lab coat. He used an alcohol prep pad to wipe the port in her IV and inserted the medications. Meghan instantly started feeling very drowsy and loopy. “I’ll see you upstairs in a few minutes.” He shook Kelsey and Mitch’s hands and left the room.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of the orderlies from the OR. Meghan was assisted from her pre-op bed over to the surgical gurney. Kelsey said her goodbyes to her sister, and Meghan was wheeled from the room.

**********

The first two things that registered with Meghan as she started to come out of the anesthesia was that she was cold and that her leg was on fire.

Kelsey, who had been sitting by her sister’s bed in Recovery noticed her eyelids stirring and the quiver in her lips. “Meghan, honey, wake up. You’re in Recovery.”

Meghan didn’t open her eyes but croaked. She cleared her throat and tried to talk. “Cold. Hurts bad.”

The nearby nurse heard, nodded at Kelsey, and headed to the medication dispenser.

Mitch pushed himself up from the wall. “Blankets?”

Kelsey pointed to the nearby blanket warmer. “Grab a couple, would ya?” She turned to her sister. “The nurse went to get pain meds. Hang tight for a minute.” Mitch returned with blankets and helped Kelsey drape them over her sister. The nurse returned and pushed meds through Meghan’s IV. Kelsey noticed her sister’s lip stop quivering and took that to mean she was more comfortable.

It was several more minutes before Meghan stirred again. “Kelsey?”

“Yes, Meghan, I’m here. You’re in Recovery. You’re out of surgery.”

“I feel floaty, but something’s on my leg. So heavy…” Meghan was obviously still out of it.

“I know, honey. They just fixed your leg.”

Meghan looked at her lazily, her eyes partially open. “You got a good hunk of man, you married. Handsome and smart. I should marry me a doctor…” She was out again.

Kelsey and Mitch had their hands over their mouths, trying to quiet their laughter, mirrored by the nurse across the room who had heard the exchange.

Meghan was transferred from Recovery to the Orthopedics Ward up on the 8th floor after 2 hours. By this time she was much more alert, albeit still very tired.

Kelsey helped her get more settled in the bed after the orderlies left. “Sis, it’s getting close to lunchtime. Are you hungry?”

Meghan shook her head. “No, but some Sprite sounds good. Any idea how long I’m going to be stuck here before I can go back home? Well, to your home?” She had already resigned herself to the fact that she would be staying with the Branstons until she was at least in a walking cast.

“I think I can answer that for you.” Dr. Brant knocked on the open doorway and entered the room. “Glad to see you awake, Meghan. How are you feeling?”

“Aside from still feeling drugged from the anesthesia, not too bad. The pain flares if I move too much, though.”

Dr. Brant nodded. “That’s understandable, and probably will for a few days. But to answer your question, you’ll definitely be here overnight, and maybe tomorrow night as well. So 1-2 days, then you’ll be back to being a guest with your in-laws.”

Meghan sighed in slight annoyance but knew she didn’t have a leg to stand on at the moment, so to speak.

Dr. Brant looked amused at her face, but then sobered. “Actually, I needed to ask if you’ve had any fever in the last few days.”

Meghan made to shake her head, but then looked at Kelsey. “She’s had a low-grade temp ever since she came home with us.”

“I was wondering that. She had a low-grade during the temp checks today. Meghan, I’m going to play it safe and order Tylenol if temp checks are low-grade or higher, and I’ll give you a round of antibiotics through your IV. We don’t want any post-op infections cropping up.”

Meghan nodded. “Yeah, I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to be. No offense, Dr. Brant.”

He laughed. “None taken. I’ve been told that I’m a sweetheart when at work, but a bear on the few occasions I’ve been a guest.”

Dr. Brant bid them farewell and left Kelsey and Mitch with Meghan. They made small chat for a while but noticed Meghan’s eyelids drooping.

“Meghan, I think the best thing for you is to get some rest. Kelsey and I will be back later this afternoon to visit when you’re a little more awake.” Mitch stood and motioned for Kelsey to join him.

“Okay, Mitch, Kelsey. I’ll see you later.” Meghan yawned, and the couple took that as the sign to leave.

Meghan was awakened when a nurse came into the room. “Meghan, I’m Nancy, your nurse for the evening shift. I need to get some vitals and hook up the meds Dr. Brant ordered.”

Meghan nodded. She took a sip of the lukewarm Sprite that sat on her bedside tray. Nancy turned around just as she swallowed. “Oh, dear! I needed to get your temperature. Be right back.”

She headed out of the room and came back a few minutes later. “Okay, Meghan, I need to get you over on your right side.” She pulled on gloves and it dawned on Meghan what was about to occur. She groaned but complied with the nurse.

Nancy got Meghan on her side, pulling the curtain around her for privacy. She lifted up the bedsheets and the edge of Meghan’s gown, exposing her buttocks. Lubricating her finger and the rectal probe with some KY, she separated Meghan’s buttocks and gently worked her finger into Meghan’s anus, replacing her finger with the probe. Meghan, on her part, was just trying to stifle her sense of embarrassment at the procedure.

Finally, the probe beeped and was removed from her bottom. “Still up a little bit, Meghan. Probably a good thing Dr. Brant ordered the antibiotic and the Tylenol. I’m going to go ahead and give that to you now, while you’re in position.” Nancy unwrapped two suppositories and pushed them inside Meghan’s rectum. Medication administered, Nancy helped her roll over and get comfortable in the bed.

“Let’s get the rest of your vitals now.” Nancy efficiently took her blood pressure and pulse.

“Those are good. Now, are you allergic to any medications?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Dr. Brant has ordered two doses of IV Rocephin. You’ll get one dose tonight, and the other tomorrow morning. Let me get this hooked up, so we can get that fever knocked out.” Nancy hung the antibiotic, hooking up its tubing to piggyback into Meghan’s IV, which was already running Normal Saline at a very slow drip.

“I’ll be back in a little while when your antibiotics are done. Do you need anything right now?” Meghan shook her head. Nancy left the room with her supplies.