"R-romano??" Mumbled Dave feebly, opening up an eye and finding that everything ached like before but this time it was because of them fixing him. 'Being in pain was better than being dead', reasoned Dave to himself as he stifled a yawn and struggled to awaken.
The sound of monitors became louder as Dave slowly slipped from his fog. Robert Romano stood there impatiently, staring at Dave's chart and making notations from the beeping machines.
"You're awake Malucci... Good. I've got to go.. I was waiting for you to wake up.. You're in recovery right now.. They'll move you to the Post-Operative-Care-Unit soon. You will spend approximately one hour in the PACU. I've made sure Nora will be there for you.. Shirley will be around.. You'll be monitored continually for the oxygen level in your blood, heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. Ask Babcock if you're in any pain and Nora or Shirley can give you something.. When I'm certain that you're okay and my ass is covered, then we'll move you to your own room." Romano scratched his signature on the chart and stuck it in the rack on the end of Dave's gurney. "You're a lucky bastard Malucci.. Any other surgeon had worked on you, and you'd be dog meat."
Romano left the recovery room with a smirk on his face and tickets to the opera in his coat pocket. He had a date and no stupid resident was going to mess that up.
*****
Dave stared at the ceiling and counted the tiles as the nurses busied themselves with other patients that were slowly coming out of anethesia.. He felt like crap, but he wasn't going to announce it like most of the patients were that surrounded him. All moaning and screaming.
His head suddenly felt very heavy and a leaden tingling went through-out his limbs before he lurched forward and puked on himself. The nurses still ignored him and he watched them all weakly, too tired to say anything. They passed his gurney continuously, not noticing the vomit soaking into his gown and blankets. Finally in frustration, Dave pulled at his pulse-ox cable and took it off his finger.
The small monitor beside his gurney blipped and then sounded loudly and nurses finally rushed to his side, cussing him. "Dave... Don't take that off.. We need that-" The nurse sighed sweetly.
"Ohh look Darlene.. Davey puked all over hisself.. Aww poor thing.." The nurses tended to him, changing his pillow case, and putting fresh blankets under him.
Babcock came in shortly with a few nurses and they moved the gurney to Recovery. "Dave.. Try to get some sleep.. I'll be back shortly to see how you're doing.."
Dave nodded, shifting in bed and trying to get comfortable despite the tubes draining his wounds and the IV feeding him meds and fluids. The chest tube that inflated his lung. It would be a very difficult sleep indeed.
But sleep, Dave did.. The nurses monitored him regularly, his breathing slightly ragged but regular, Dave finally fell asleep.