Chapter 36: AWAKENING

Macey and Tory headed for the ICU. None of the family was in the ICU waiting area so it appeared that everyone was now allowed into Lee's room to witness his awakening.

Tory squeezed the armrest of the wheelchair. She knew that there was a chance that Lee's brain could have been injured even though no one talked about it. She saw everyone crowding around the bed and Macey pushed their way through so that she was front and center.

"Mr. Torres, can you hear me?" One of the doctors asked. There were interns, doctors and nurses all crowded into the room--not to mention a roomful of relatives and a fiancée in a wheelchair. But no one moved, no one barely even breathed.

"Mmm…" Came the whisper of a groan from the bed. Tory squeezed her hands into fists. Was that a groan of pain, or was it just his confirmation? She saw that his eyes were still closed but his breathing was different and he was moving his limbs restlessly.

"Mr. Torres, I'm Dr. Hendrix. Can you hear me?" There was no res