The night passed quickly. Almost as soon as the orderly brought me up to the hospital room a nurse came in and started an IV.
“This should help with the pain and the swelling. It will probably make you sleepy, but you need rest,” she explained.
The medicine worked quickly and I didn’t wake up until late the next morning. Nikki was still asleep on the small couch. It was probably the most sleep she had gotten since Everett was born.
I reached for my phone. As I expected, Taylor had called several times to check on me. He answered on the first ring.
“Ike? What’s going on? Mom and Dad are worried sick.”
“They said I have a pinched vein in my arm and a blood clot in each lung. I have to have surgery to correct it. Where is Everett? Is he ok?”
“He is in our nursery. Natalie doesn’t mind keeping him. Dad is going to your house with the extra key you gave him to pick up some of his clothes and toys. Are they going to let you come back to Tulsa for the surgery?”
“I don’t know. I’m supposed to have a consult with the doctor this morning. I’ll let you know when I have more information.”
“Okay. This is all over the news. Venues want to know if we have to cancel the shows.”
“I don’t know yet. I hope we only have to cancel a few,” I couldn’t afford to cancel the whole tour with a baby and goodness knew how many medical bills from this whole ordeal.
“We are all pulling for you. Do you need me to drive back down to Dallas?”
“No. Rest, take care of your family. How is Zac?”
“Restless. You know how he gets when he’s worried. He is having even more trouble sitting still than usual. He came to the studio this morning, but I finally had to tell him to go home. He went for a run and it didn’t even put a dent in his energy.”
“Well, keep an eye on him if you can.”
“I’ll try. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thanks, Tay.”
I had barely put the phone down before a doctor walked in the room.
“Clarke? I’m Dr. Grimsley. I’d like to take a look at that arm if you don’t mind.”
He pulled up my sleeve and pressed around on my arm, waking up every nerve the pain medicine put to sleep. I felt nauseous from the pain, but I managed to keep it together. I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, and I knew puking on the surgeon wouldn’t help matters. Finally, he stopped prodding and read the chart at the end of the bed.
“Well, I’d say you are quite lucky to be here. We need to get the clots out of your lungs as soon as possible. The first opening I have is tomorrow morning, so we’ll keep you here until then. We’ll be able to pull the blood clots out of your lungs and expand the vein in your arm to prevent another clot from forming.”
“Ok, if that’s what needs to happen. How long after the surgery will I need to be here?”
“Your MRI showed a rib pinching the vein. After we remove the clot, you’ll need to heal for a couple days, then I’ll want to remove that rib.”
“You want to take out one of my ribs?”
“Yes. It’s the best way to prevent the vein from narrowing again.”
“I’m in the middle of a world tour, so I need to get back on the road as soon as possible.”
“That isn’t in the best interest of your health.”
“Well, it’s how I make money and I’m sure you’ll be sending me quite a few bills after this. If you want to get paid, I need to get back on the road so I can get paid.”
The doctor looked at me for a few minutes.
“How long is the tour?”
“It ends in December.”
“I highly recommend you schedule the surgery before the end of the year. We’ll remove the clots for now and I’ll prescribe a course of blood thinners that will prevent future clots until then.”
“Understood. So, you think I’ll be out of here by . . .”
“If all goes well, by the weekend. Do you have any other questions about the procedure?”
“How are you going to remove the clots?”
“We’ll go through the vein in your arm and pull them out with a vacuum of sorts attached to a long needle. You might have a small scar on your arm. Then, we’ll balloon open your vein so the blood can flow freely. It will only take a couple of hours.”
“And after the surgery?”
“You’ll go to recovery. We’ll monitor you the rest of the day and see how things are going from there.”
“And what should I do until tomorrow?”
“Just rest. Let us know if the pain meds aren’t working or if you notice any new pain or the swelling getting worse.”
“I can do that.”
“Good. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, then.”
Nikki came over to me as soon as the doctor left and kissed my forehead.
“Babe? They have everything under control. I’ll be all good in a few days.”
“Good enough to go back on the road, you mean.”
“Well, yeah. But I have to work.”
“No, you don’t. I’ve seen your finances, remember?”
“Okay, fine. I just want to get out of here. And see Everett.”
Tears formed in her eyes “What if you hadn’t come right in? What if he had to grow up without a father?”
“Shhhh. Someone must have been looking out for our little family. I love both of you so much.”
“And we love you. I need to call Nat and check on Everett. I shouldn’t have slept so late.”
“You needed the rest. Go ahead and call Natalie, but then you need to go get something to eat.”
“That’s cute, the patient trying to take care of me.”
“I’ll always take care of you.”