He explained that I had undergone emergency surgery and that I was safe now. The word “safe” felt like a foreign concept that didn’t belong in my vocabulary. I tried to speak, but my throat felt as though I had swallowed a handful of sand.
Jordan used a small sponge to dampen my lips with cool water. He asked how I was feeling, and he asked it with a sincerity that made my eyes sting. He checked my medication levels and told me that I had been very sick when I arrived.
Later, I would learn the official terms for what had happened to me. I had a ruptured appendix, peritonitis, and severe sepsis. I had arrived at the hospital unresponsive and tachycardic due to a significant delay in care.
I drifted in and out of consciousness for the next few days. I heard snippets of conversations between the medical staff about my family and a social work consult. My mother eventually came into the room, and I smelled her perfume before I even opened my eyes.
She told me that I had really scared them. I couldn’t find the words to respond to her. Rick stood behind her with his arms crossed and told me the doctors said I was lucky.