/Samantha/
I distanced myself and made an effort to take in everything that both of them had to say. There was still approximately a forty percent chance that it would work, but they had to get in there and see before he would know how much the operation would actually help. Dr. Shaw wanted to do the operation as soon as possible because there was still a chance that it would work.
Henry's body had improved slightly while he was in the coma, so even though there were still risks associated with the surgery (as there are with any surgery), those risks were drastically lowered. This led to a reduction in the likelihood that Henry would pass away.
When they stated that, I felt a tiny relaxation go throughout my body, and I let out a breath that I wasn't even aware I had been holding. They were explaining the process, but I was unable to pay attention to what they were saying. All that I was able to take in was the fact that the operation would take six hours, and that following the procedure, they would have to wait some time to determine how successful it had been.
"So, are you interested in giving it a shot?" Dr. Shaw questioned Henry once he had completed his explanation of everything.
Henry gave me a thoughtful look before shaking his head and said, "Yeah, let's do it. I want to know I've done everything."
The surgeons went off to make preparations for the operation, and he was supposed to head down to the operating room as soon as one became available. Henry managed a feeble smile for me once we were back in our own company. "Samantha bear, you have the appearance of a demon. He asked me this question as he traced his finger beneath my eye. "Did you sleep?"
I seized his hand, kissed the palm of his hand, and pressed my face into it as I did so. "Don't worry, baby. I'm good." Before he went in for the operation, it was imperative that he hear what I had to say since he needed to be aware of this.
I stood up and leaned over him, looking directly into his eyes to convey the message that I meant business. "Henry, if you let yourself die in there, I swear to god that I will bring you back to life again just so I may kill you myself. If you let yourself die in there, I will bring you back to life." You understand?" I asserted vehemently.
He chuckled in a low voice. He teased her by saying, "Hmm, I definitely like masterful Samantha."
"Stop it, Henry, I mean it this time. If there is only one thing I could ever ask of you in my entire life, it would be that you come back to me. I need you to make me a promise, a promise that you will get through this. I need to hear you say it before I can relax since you have never broken a promise to me in the past, which is why I put a lot of faith in what you say. I clenched the front of the hospital gown he was wearing as I waited for him to tell me what I so much needed to hear that every part of my body was tensely anticipating it.
He gave me a grin and a slight nod before bringing his hand up to cup the side of my face. He hushed, "I'll be alright, I promise," as his eyes fixed on mine and had a ferocious intensity that caused my pulse to begin beating faster. "I'll be fine," he promised.
I gave him a grin and lightly pushed my lips to his for a few of seconds before laying my forehead to his and simply taking in the sensation of being so close to him.
After waiting another half an hour, they were prepared for him to head down to the theatre. I walked down the short corridor with his hand in mine as they led him away from the room. His fingers were grasping mine so tightly that I was almost losing feeling in them, yet for some reason, it didn't feel as though they were holding on tightly enough. They stopped moving the bed as we got to the door and looked at me expectantly, and I knew that I wasn't allowed to proceed any farther with him.
Because he was going to be out of my sight for such a prolonged period of time, I could feel the beginnings of worry rising in my chest. I examined Dr. Shaw carefully, looking for any sign that he had any reservations about being able to save my child and bring him back to me. I wanted to know if he was going to be successful in doing so.
It seemed as though this man was holding my entire life in his hands, including all of my hopes, all of my dreams, and my entire future. He smiled and nodded in a reassuring manner while I pleaded him with my eyes to keep Henry alive.
When I turned around to look at Henry, he gave me a feeble smile but I could tell he was just as terrified as I was. I took a long breath in and shrugged my shoulders, knowing that I needed to project an air of confidence even if I didn't feel confident inside. "I'll see you when you come out," she said.
You know I never liked the surname Thomas, so I'm going to continue with Williams. Don't think you can get out of marrying me again, Buster. I'm not interested in the Thomas surname. You make sure that you get better as quickly as possible so that we may run to the nearest church and get married again, do you hear me? I inquired while simultaneously raising one eyebrow in an effort to appear authoritative.
He sent out a soft giggle while responding, "Whatever you say, Samantha bear."
I gave him a gentle kiss, savouring the sensation of his lips as I did so, and I prayed that this wouldn't be the last time I got to talk to him or that this would be the final kiss we ever shared with one another. I said those three little words to Henry as I ran my palm down the side of his battered face and murmured, "I love you."
He gave me one of his stunning smiles and then gently grabbed the back of my head, drawing me in closer to him as though he was about to say something in my ear. He grabbed my chin with the other hand and twisted my head to the side as he did so. He took a firm bite out of the side of my neck before I had even a chance to figure out what he was doing, and I was startled. I giggled, and he smiled broadly as he nudged me slightly away from him while maintaining eye contact with me.
When I rubbed the freshly made hicky on my neck, he said, "Just marking my territory." Although I tried to act angry, I couldn't help but smile as I rubbed the hicky on my neck. "Just marking my territory," he said.
After the physician had finished clearing his throat, I pulled back and stood up, smiling down at Henry as they opened the doors and wheeled his bed down the corridor. Henry yelled my name just before the doors were about to close completely. “Samantha?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you more,” he said fiercely. My heart throbbed and the doors to the corridor slammed shut leaving me on my own, staring at the place where I last saw the love of my life. I couldn’t stay strong anymore, I sank to my knees and sobbed into the floor.
Those six hours felt like actual anguish; I had the sensation that I was perched precariously close to the edge of a precipice, and that one false move would send me plunging into an unending abyss of torment. In the waiting room with me were both my parents and Henry's parents; however, no one really said anything, and I was grateful that I did not have to put on any sort of performance for them.
I simply did not have the strength to continue; I was so worn out that the pain in my head and the irritation in my eyes made it impossible for me to continue. I kept my eyes fixed on the doors where he would come out of while everyone else in the room dozed off in their chairs. I kept willing the minutes to go by more quickly.
Just a few minutes after ten o'clock in the evening, the doctor exited the building, his gaze falling first on Linda and then on me. I was unable to move, I was unable to breathe; this was it; the next couple of words he said would determine the course of the rest of my life; either Henry made it through the operation or he didn't. At this point, I was unable to bring it upon myself to care whether or not the operation had been successful. All I needed was Henry by my side, and I didn't care how he got here as long as I still had him by my side.
When the doctor approached our group, everyone else immediately stood up from their seats, but I was unable to do so because I knew that if I did so, I would immediately collapse to the ground. The physician gave a pleasant smile and nodded while saying, "It went very well." "Right now he's in the recovery phase; there's a lot of swelling, so we won't know how successful it was until that goes down; however, the preliminary signs suggest that there's a good chance of success," he said. "He's in the recovery phase right now."
Richard immediately began to embrace Linda, James smacked the doctor on the shoulder while laughing, and my mother turned to gaze at me while beaming from ear to ear with joy.
I lowered my head, closed my eyes, and let out a sigh of relief as I felt the tightness in my muscles begin to ease gradually. "He's ok?" My voice cracked. It was over, Henry had survived, and my pulse was pounding frantically in my chest. I felt a tiny tingling throughout my entire body. We had to wait a short bit to find out if what we had done had been successful, but the fact that he was still alive was all that mattered to me.
"He's okay," Dr. Shaw stated unequivocally. "He's strong, and he'll be out of it for a short while until the anaesthesia leaves his body, which could be anywhere from an hour to two hours. When he does wake up, it is in everyone's best interest to keep him as peaceful as is humanly feasible. Because the surgery was so extensive, he needs to take it easy and give his body time to recover. The next day, we will conduct several tests to determine how successful it was.
I took a firm hold of the chair's armrests and pushed myself up, at which point my mother quickly enveloped me in a bear embrace. But you think everything went smoothly, don't you? The operation, if you're asking? I inquired with anticipation.
He confirmed with a nod, "Everything went off without a hitch. At this point, we just need to observe how his body reacts to the repair." I had better go going because they are about to move him back to his room after they bring him out.
I mumbled, "Thank you, thank you very much," while looking at him with gratitude in my eyes. How could I ever be able to thank this man who, God willing, has spared my child from a life in which he would be miserable?
Before leaving to go to the nurses station, he gave Mrs. Williams a warm smile and remarked, "You're welcome, Mr. Williams."
I couldn't help but giggle at the moniker since it meant that he was finally accepting that we were married. I turned to Linda and Richard while clenching my palm around my wedding ring as tightly as I could. Before Henry could wake up, I had to figure this out since I needed to keep him peaceful, and meeting his parents at this time wouldn't really help me accomplish that goal.
"I believe that it would be in your best interest to just keep your distance for the time being. Henry and I will have a conversation tomorrow, but the physician recommended that he get some rest first. I don't want him to get angry again, so if you wouldn't mind just letting me talk to him before you see him, that would be great. I inquired while simultaneously praying that I wouldn't have to deal with another argument on this matter, as I truly didn't have the energy for it just now.
Richard nodded, "Yeah. Thank you, Samantha. Our main intention was to provide him with the very best possible situation. I have faith that he will eventually realise that."
They were doing what was best for them, not Henry, but once again, I couldn't get into that fight with them right now. I didn't really know what to say about that; they were doing what was best for them, not Henry. "I'll talk to him, maybe you should go home. I said, while rubbing and massaging my temples in an attempt to calm the pounding that was occurring in my head, "I'll phone you if there's any changes." After not sleeping for more than 38 hours, I was really starting to feel the effects of it now.
Linda disengaged from her embrace with Richard in order to give me a bear hug, but I was unable to return the gesture. To me, the fact that I did not drive her away was more than she deserved because it was the nicest thing that she could hope to receive from me. "I truly apologise. She sobbed as her fingers dug into my back where she was embracing me so firmly and said, "I should have listened to you, he wanted the operation, I should have listened!"
I nodded, "Yeah," I confirmed. I bit my tongue to prevent myself from responding angrily; I'd already given her my two cents, and they were both likely to face the consequences of it now. Henry certainly knew how to nurse a grudge when he set his mind to it. I believe I was the only chance they had right now, and to tell you the truth, I didn't feel that generous toward them at that particular time. There was a good probability that he wouldn't want to see his parents again. You had better get back to your house before he comes out.
After what seemed like an eternity, the medical staff eventually took Henry out of the operating suites and back into the room he had been in previously. This time, he had an even greater number of tubes and wires poking out of him. As he lay in the bed, his face was pale but he appeared to be in an oddly calm state. Because the visiting hours had ended, my parents were not permitted to enter his room; so, I brought the chair up by the side of the bed once more and held his hand.