Before His Eyes

Chapter One “Does my head hurt or what?!!” she thought. When she opened her eyes, there were two men and a woman dressed in scrubs working frantically around her. “Doctor her eyes are open!!” the male nurse spoke urgently while attaching the blood pressure cuff. The female doctor looked in her patient’s face saying “Hello, I’m Doctor Jaime Edwards. You’ve had an accident and are in the Sydney Good Samaritan hospital. Do you know what day it is?” The woman laying on the gurney responded quite hesitantly “I’m . . . not . . . sure.” The doctor asked, “What’s your name?” “Elsie . . . Elsie . . .” her face showing at first confusion, followed by panic. A male voice stated. “Doctor, the patient’s blood pressure is 210 over 120 and . . . what the?!!” The patient was off the table, onto the floor scrambling towards the far corner. A bright red trail originated from her arm where the IV line had been established. “Miss Endy please calm down. You’ve had a serious fall; your confusion is only natural. We can help if you’ll let us continue our examination.” the doctor was saying with more calm than she felt. With the nature of Elsie Endy’s fall, loss of blood and elevated blood pressure this could turn for the worse in short order. Then Doctor Edwards turned to Nurse Jeffrey Osgood “get the gentleman that brought Miss Endy here—now!” Using long quick strides, Jeffrey exited the examination room for the waiting room. Once again focusing on Elsie, Doctor Jaime tried a second time, “Miss Endy do you remember anything about the fall you’ve had?” Elsie curled in the far corner was starting to visibly shake. As she responded the same shake was audible “no . . . no . . . Where did you say I was?” Doctor Jaime moved closer to Elsie “you are in Sydney Good Samaritan.” “Sydney??” Elsie muttered to herself “you sound British or Australian”. Looking at the doctor and in a quizzical tone “Sydney, Australia??” “Yes!—you remember where you are then.” Doctor Jaime replied in hopes she had gained some credibility with her patient. “Oh NO!! I would never fly that far?? I detest flying!!!” Elsie’s voice defiant. The door opened to Nurse Osgood and another gentleman’s entrance. The gentleman was about 5'11" with a burly build, reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes filled with concern. He spoke to the doctor “How is she Doc . . . ?” He spied Elsie in the corner with what looked to be blood everywhere. He quickly walked in her direction only to be stopped dead in his tracks when she put her arms up in obvious fear of his determined advance.