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28 Chapter Six The Awakening Six weeks had gone by, and Stephanie still lay in her coma. It was the twentyfifth day of January when Dr. Robert Podosin rushed into Stephanie’s room, shouting. “The results from Atlanta are back. What a girl! She’s alive and she’s battling the deadliest of them all. Venezuelan equine encephalitis.” I sank to my knees. Thank you, God! Thank you, that Marvin and I had followed our instincts and not allowed the herpes vaccine to be administered. A day later my friend Betty visited us in the hospital. Stephanie’s eyes, halfclosed , gazed in the direction of the television above her bed. The doctors thought it a good idea to keep the TV on, tuned to shows she’d liked. I Love Lucy was playing. “Ricky,” wailed Lucy’s voice. “Ricky you must believe me, there was a burglar, yes there was—” Stephanie suddenly opened her eyes wide and looking at the screen shouted, “Lucy!” She repeated, “Lucy!” Then she said, “No!” “Stephanie!” I grabbed her to my chest, hugged her, and covered her face with kisses, bathing her face in tears of happiness. Then I cranked up her bed so she could watch the show better. “Stephanie, you’re awake! Oh, I love you, I love you to pieces!” Betty called the nurse. I grabbed the phone. Dialed. “Marv? Yes, it’s me. I can hardly talk. She said ‘Lucy’ and ‘No.’ Stephanie. . .yes, of course I’m talking about Stephanie. She’s out of the coma! She recognized me. Yes, come. Quick.” But Stephanie was far from well. Those words were all she would say. She still couldn’t eat. By now she had progressed from the IV to feeding by tube. She came to hate some foods from that time on, especially carrots and liver, which the hospital fed her in proportionately large amounts. The oxygen tent had been removed some time earlier. The IV was still attached to her The Awakening 29 ankle to administer medications. We were fortunate that our health insurance allowed us to hire three private nurses who attended Stephanie around the clock. She could not go to the toilet, nor was she able to ring for the nurse to help her. Soon the feeding tube was removed, and she progressed to eating solid foods and drinking fluids. She needed to be toilet trained. To no avail. The hospital put her in diapers. I wanted to take her home, thinking her progress might speed up within familiar surroundings. The doctors disagreed. Finally, Marvin and I promised the medical staff we would retain the around-the-clock shift of three nurses in our home, for however long they were needed. After much arguing , the doctors allowed us to take our daughter home. Stephanie had been in the hospital for over seven weeks, six of them in a coma. It was such a different ride home, Stephanie again sat on my lap, but this time her body was no longer a leaden weight, and she was conscious. Gone was her Acapulco tan. She looked different somehow, so pale, and removed as if she were a stranger to this planet. Only her hair fell in glossy waves as before. Marvin pulled into the driveway. Steven and Celia rushed out from the back door to greet Stephanie. There was hardly a nod of recognition on Steff’s part. Her favorite dog, Kelly, one of our two Westies, ran toward her with her tail wagging to sniff her. She ignored the little dog. Miss Nunan, the younger one of the three nurses, had followed in her car and entered the house. I caught her eyes evaluating Stephanie’s homecoming. Staggering like a somnambulist, Stephanie crossed the living room to the music room and sat down at the Steinway baby grand. She lifted the cover from the keyboard and began to play “Für Elise,” a short and easy piece by Beethoven. I was amazed at how well she still played. This puzzled me. Stephanie did not recognize her brother, or the dogs, but she knew where the music room was and sat at the piano to play. Celia brought a tray with lunch, tempting her to eat her favorite—quesadillas —but Stephanie pushed the food away. I believed she was overly stimulated and tired, and I coaxed her upstairs to her room. She followed me, and then she stumbled and fell. “She’s very weak,” Miss Nunan said, bringing in...

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