Dr. Reid waved for Charlotte and Sam to follow him out into the hall. Since Jenny's admittance, all three girls were installed in front of the TV that hung on the wall at the foot of her bed. M*A*S*H reruns should hold them. But what a show to have running in a hospital, thought Charlotte has she eased herself out of the chair.
In the privacy of the busy hallway Dr. Reid pulled no punches. "The xrays show that Jenny has crushed two vertebra. One of the major nerves that feeds through that area of the spine services her left arm. I could operate and screw things up more. Or I could go in there and be able to relieve the pressure, put in vertebral spacer, and she could be out of here in a few days. OR, we can wait and see if the swelling goes down on its own for a few days, and then go in."
Why was he telling them all this? Charlotte just wanted her little girl back, normal and home.
"The operation is very serious. The minute you open up the spinal cord, either its a walk in the park or all hell breaks lose. Most people want me to rush in and fix it. Sometime waiting is the best medicine, especially for children.
"And the downside of waiting?" asked Sam.
"If the spinal cord is, for all intensive purposes, bruised like a tomato, the bruise has a tendency to spread, and likewise spreading the paralysis. I can't tell that until I go in."
"And in that case, it's better not to wait?" It was now Charlotte's turn to talk.
"Yes, but I can't tell that until I go in."
The silence in there 3 square feet of hallway was deadening. "Go, have a cup of coffee. The girls will be fine here."
Sam let out a long sigh, walked into Jenny's room and was out again in no time. "The girls want chocolate shakes. Can Jenny eat? The possibility of surgery and all?"
"You make that decision and either bring her shake or not. There is an operating room ready and waiting... my staff is standing by."
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