Chapter 95 Awakening
My gaze and Katniss's have been fixed on Nathan all the time, thinking that we might be having hallucinations, maybe neither of us believed that Nathan had already woken up. After Nathan coughed a few times, he quieted down and didn't open his eyes again, as if everything just now was really an illusion.
It was Katniss who reacted first. She hurriedly got up and ran towards the door. At that moment, I also reacted and instinctively wanted to rush out, but as soon as I took a step, I stopped. Stay calm, I must stay calm at this moment. If I rush out, how can I face Katniss? I tried to control my excited emotions.
After Katniss ran to the door, she seemed to remember something. She turned back to Nathan, tremblingly picked up the urinary catheter, and began to reinsert it into Nathan's urethra. At this point, I couldn't help but admire Katniss's composure. If the urinary catheter was left there, how would Katniss explain it if the doctors and nurses saw it later?
Katniss still seemed not to have completely calmed down in her nervous state. Due to her trembling hands, it took a long time for her to aim the urinary catheter at Nathan's urethra. Inserting a urinary catheter is very painful, and most people find it hard to bear. Katniss focused on inserting the urinary catheter, her attention fully on it. Due to her haste, the insertion was not very accurate, and Nathan's hand clenched into a fist slowly behind the curtain, his brow furrowed, as if he had experienced great pain. However, Nathan remained silent, keeping his eyes closed.
After finally inserting the urinary catheter, Katniss quickly covered Nathan with a blanket, then ran to the door, opened it, and ran out. Time was of the essence at this moment, and she had to quickly report to the doctor and nurses on duty. After Katniss's footsteps faded into the distance, I moved my numb feet and walked out from behind the curtain. By now, my legs were also numb.
I glanced at Nathan, who was still closing his eyes, and then limped out, trying to leave quietly while Katniss was away. With the sound of Katniss's high heels covering my footsteps, I believed that even if Nathan was awake, he wouldn't hear me. I needed to leave this place quickly while Katniss was not around.
Since the doctor's duty room and the exit stairs were in opposite directions, I quietly made my way to the exit stairs. The hallway was quiet at this time. After running out of the inpatient building, I found a chair to sit down, trying to relax my feet and thighs. I tried to calm my emotions, but also started to worry. Had the doctor arrived at Nathan's room? Had Nathan fully regained consciousness?
After calming down for a while, I noticed a faint light coming from my pocket. Although the light was very dim, it appeared particularly bright in the quiet night. It was then that I realized it was my phone in my pocket. Since I had set my phone to silent mode, I couldn't hear the ringtone, but the screen lit up and emitted a faint light from my pocket.
I took out my phone and saw that Katniss was calling. I calmed my heavy breathing from the tension and running, then answered the phone:
"Honey, Nathan is conscious now, aware of his surroundings. The doctor said Nathan is about to wake up, and the attending physician is on his way." Just as I answered the phone, Katniss's excited voice came through, stuttering due to her excitement.
"Really? Okay, I'll come over right away." I paused for a few seconds, then pretended to be excited as I replied to Katniss, and quickly hung up the phone. The call was too long, so as not to reveal any flaws. It would take about half an hour to get from the office to the hospital, giving me enough time to calm down and adjust my emotions.
After about 20 minutes, I ran to Nathan's room. This time, my anxiety was not feigned; I was genuinely worried. Finally, I could "rightfully" appear in Nathan's room.
When I arrived at Nathan's room, Katniss was standing excitedly by Nathan's bedside. It was clear that even after all this time, she was still very excited. The duty nurse and doctor were observing the instruments next to Nathan, waiting for the attending physician to arrive. After all, the attending physician had already finished work and needed to rush over from home.
"What's going on?" I asked Katniss, sweating profusely from exhaustion.
"You weren't here tonight, so I was taking care of Nathan. About 40 minutes ago, Nathan suddenly started coughing and moving his hands slightly. I quickly reported to the doctor and nurse. The on-duty doctor also reported to the attending physician, who is on his way. The attending physician said over the phone that Nathan might be waking up, so I called to inform you." As Katniss answered, a hint of unnaturalness flashed in her eyes, but she quickly covered it up. Her tone of voice gave her away. Normally, Katniss wouldn't speak so hesitantly and incoherently. This could be understood as being caused by Nathan's imminent awakening and her extreme excitement.
We chatted briefly and waited for the attending physician to arrive. After another 20 minutes, the attending physician arrived. He, along with the on-duty doctor and nurse, began examining Nathan and finally informed us that Nathan was conscious and would wake up sometime between midnight and noon. Both Katniss and I were extremely excited. Katniss collapsed into my arms and wept tears of joy. For us, there was no better news than this.
By noon the next day, Nathan finally opened his eyes. Due to his weakness and exhaustion, he still had an oxygen mask on his face and couldn't speak. He just weakly stared at me and Katniss, his fingers moving slightly. When he saw me and Katniss, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, the joy of reuniting after a life-and-death separation. However, after the joy, tears started to flow from Nathan's eyes, adding to his already pale and bloodless face, making him look pitiful.
Katniss and I stood on either side of the bed, holding one of Nathan's hands each, trying to comfort him.
"Nathan, why are you so foolish? Why did you do this? Do you know how scared you made me and Katniss?" Tears streamed uncontrollably from both Katniss and me, matching Nathan's tears. At that moment, I had set aside all other thoughts. Katniss silently wiped Nathan's tears with a disinfectant tissue.
"Do you know how I've been these days? Dad, I've never blamed you. Mom passed away, but you did your best. Although you didn't give me much when I got married, I never blamed you. I know all the savings at home were used to treat Mom's illness, and we still have a lot of debts. Dad, I won't say anything else, just want to tell you that I've never blamed you. I understand everything about you." At that moment, I couldn't find the right words. I knew the real reason behind Nathan's suicide attempt, but I couldn't say it. I could only tell Nathan that I understood him, respected him, and had never blamed him. Whether he could understand my "meaning" was up to him.
"Now that you've survived this ordeal, don't do this again. It was my fault before, neglecting your feelings, always busy with work. But after you recover, Katniss and I will spend more time with you, let you enjoy happiness in your old age. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. As long as you can live happily, I'm willing to pay any price. Mom is gone, I don't want you to leave me so soon too." I leaned my face against Nathan's hand, and he looked at me, tears in his eyes, blinking as a response.
Katniss continued to wipe Nathan's tears, but she remained silent throughout, just watching Nathan silently cry. She was also extremely happy about Nathan's awakening.
Nathan recovered quickly. After finishing work at the office every day, I rushed to the hospital to accompany Nathan, while Katniss took a long leave to take care of Nathan at the hospital. The news of Nathan waking up reached Zephyr Energy Solutions Company, and they were also very happy. They even spent money to hire round-the-clock special care for Nathan, just to help him recover faster. This reduced a lot of pressure for Katniss and me.
However, a few days after Nathan woke up, he remained silent, perhaps unsure of what to say to us. He would occasionally open his eyes to look at me and Katniss, but most of the time, he would remain asleep with his eyes closed. The doctors assured us that this was a normal phenomenon and he would gradually improve.
After about half a month, Nathan began to remove the oxygen mask, started eating liquid food, and gradually transitioned from intravenous nutrition. After his first meal, Nathan ate quite a bit. Every time I scolded him, he would smile at me without explaining or answering. Nathan's complexion improved a lot. After eating, I supported Nathan as he slowly walked on the ground. Although it was a slow walk, he was already able to move around slowly.
During this time, I would come to accompany Nathan every night, as there was no reason not to. With Nathan waking up, I was very clear-headed. I cherished this rare opportunity given to me by fate. Nathan had survived a great ordeal, and at that moment, I didn't think about anything else but his early recovery.
Five days later, the doctor said Nathan could be discharged. He was out of danger and could recover at home. Continuing to stay in the hospital would incur significant costs, and the hospital ward was in high demand, needing to free up the VIP ward. So, Katniss and I joyfully brought Nathan back home.
We settled Nathan in his bedroom, where various medications were placed on the bedside table. Nathan's body needed time to recover. His complexion improved day by day, but he seemed hesitant to face Katniss when I was around.
I worked at the office during the day and returned home as usual in the evening, while Katniss continued to take care of Nathan at home on her extended leave.
This was the first day I went to work after Dad came home. With nothing to do, I remembered the situation at home. Nathan had already started to improve, and I couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. What might happen at home? Taking advantage of the opportunity, I opened the home surveillance video. It was already past 2 p.m., and I still had four hours before I got home from work.
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