Finally the nurse came back. “I talked with Dr. Obermeyer,” she said cheerfully. “He said to tell you he’d be stopping by shortly. He also told me that your operation went fantastically well but it is imperative that you rest. He ordered another sedative, so if you’ll just roll over, I’ll give it to you.”
“I don’t want another sedative! I want these patches off!”
“Come on now,” urged the nurse. She pulled back Cassi’s covers.
For a moment Cassi hovered between defiance and compliance. Then she reluctantly rolled over and got the shot.
“There,” said the nurse. “That should make you feel a little calmer,”
“What was it?” asked Cassi.
“That’s a question you’ll have to ask your doctor. Meanwhile, lie back and enjoy poor health. How about your television. Want it on?” Without waiting for an answer she turned on the set and went out.
Cassie found the voice of the newscaster reassuring. Soon the sedative began to have an effect and Cassi fell asleep. She woke briefly when Dr. Obermeyer stopped in to tell her in person how well her operation went.
He said that he expected the vision in her left eye to be about normal when the patch came off, but that the next few days were critical and that she should try and be patient. He also told her that he’d left a standing order for sedatives and that she should ask for medication whenever she felt anxious.
Feeling better, Cassi drifted back to sleep. When she awoke some hours later, she could hear voices whispering in her room. Listening, she recognized one of them.
“Thomas?” she said.
“I’m here, dear.” He picked up her hand.
“I’m afraid,” she said, shocked to feel tears running out from under the bandages.
“Cassi, why are you crying?”
“I don’t know,” said Cassi, remembering that it was because Robert was dead. She started to tell Thomas but began to weep so hard she couldn’t talk.
“You have to get control of yourself. It’s important for your eye.”
“I feel so alone.”
“Nonsense. I’m here with you. You have a bevy of attentive nurses. You’re in the best hospital. Now just try to relax.”
“I can’t,” said Cassi.
“I think you need more sedatives,” said Thomas. Cassi could hear Thomas talk to the other person in the room.
“I don’t want another shot,” she said.
“But I’m the doctor and you’re the patient,” said Thomas.
Afterward Cassi was glad he’d insisted. She felt herself drift off into merciful sleep while Thomas was talking to her.
Thomas pressed the nurse’s call button. When the nurse arrived, he stood up from his perch on the bedside. “I want you to give her two sleeping pills this evening. She was wandering the halls last night after one dose, and we certainly don’t want her up tonight.”
The nurse left, and Thomas waited a little longer to make sure Cassi remained asleep. Within minutes her mouth fell open and she began a throaty, uncharacteristic snoring. Thomas walked to the door, hesitated, then returned to the bureau and opened the bottom drawer. As he’d expected, the SSD data had not been touched. Under the circumstances he didn’t want Cassi to be pulling it out as soon as her patches came off.
Quickly fie picked up the computer printout and slipped it under his arm.
With a final glance over at Cassi, Thomas left the room and walked down to the nurses’ station. He asked for the head nurse, Miss Bright.
“I’m afraid that my wife is not standing up too well to the stress,” said Thomas apologetically.
Miss Bright smiled at Dr. Kingsley. She knew him professionally very well. It was a surprise to hear him admit anyone might have a human weakness. For the first time she felt sorry for him. Obviously having his wife in the hospital was a strain on him, too.
“We’ll take good care of Cassi,” she said.
“I’m not her doctor and don’t want to interfere, but as I told the other nurse, I think for psychological reasons she should be kept under pretty heavy sedation.”
“I’ll see to it,” said Miss Bright. “And don’t you worry.”
Cassi could not remember having had dinner, although the nurse who brought in sleeping pills assured her that she had.