Joining the Living

Wayne woke up today at 9 am after 50 hours of drug induced slumber. I arrived right at that time and he was trying to open his lids and I sensed a real fight in there to come out. Over the next couple hours he managed to squeeze fingers, respond to questions, open and close his eyes and try to take in the environment. I talked my head off to him because it's not often I have such a captive audience. He nodded or shook his head to yes/no questions and said he remembered everyone who stopped in briefly yesterday which just delighted me. Then he kept trying to move his hands and his mouth. I told him to keep his hands still or they would tie them down. He listened. He wanted to talk but couldn't. I left the room while they took out the thing from his throat. His first words for the wonderful nurses were "What the f---" but not angry just shocked at the pain. His first word for me was not much better so I asked him to please say nicer words. He then said "this sucks". We all agreed that he could say that all he wants and he did. Lots of raspberries today too--which was his way of saying, this is crazy weird. So we visited and held hands and I watched him make lots of facial expressions and try to smile and he even chuckled a few times. He looks good. I left and went to work for a bit and came back and he was in a chair and stayed in it for 6 hours. He spoke in full sentences and asked questions but since he only has short term memory everything was new to him every hour. It was funny to me but he had no idea. (morphine and anesthesia) I helped him with his breathing device but he can't quite inhale enough to do well yet but I think tomorrow he will. He really wants to and is mad that he can't do it. After I helped the nurses get him back to bed he was very tired and I told him I would be back in the morning. Hopefully the good news tomorrow is that they will take out about 40 of the tubes coming off of him and let him out of ICU. Still not eating, is very hungry and tomorrow is a new day. He's like my own Benjamin Button, every day he will get younger and more himself.