65. Tyler

                                    

                                          
Samantha was moved to a room a couple of hours later. She was stable, though she was still complaining of a headache. The doctor told us the CT scan showed a concussion and Sam couldn't think where she could have gotten a concussion from. She wasn't playing basketball. She'd been coaching. And she hadn't been out on the court at all. 
The doctors wanted to keep her overnight for observation because of the fact that her heart had also stopped. That's not typical of a concussion. Something else was going on. They wanted to check and see what might have happened. So, she was spending at the very least, the night in the hospital. I started calling the airline. We weren't flying out on Sunday if Sam was in the hospital. 
Dylan wouldn't leave her side once we were able to sit with her. He called his parents and explained what had happened and that he was going to stay with Sam. The look in his eyes put all my concerns about his relationship with Sam to rest. His concern when she'd passed out at home, his attentiveness now. He cares about Sam. It's easy to fake concern. But you can see it in his eyes. Eyes don't lie. 
Sam slept through the night, though she wasn't impressed with the nurses waking her up every couple of hours. 
Dylan fell asleep around three in the morning. I found a blanket in the cupboard in Sam's room and covered him. Jenna smiled at me as I sat back down. 
"I thought I would hate the idea of Sam having a boyfriend," I whispered to her. "But this kid is exactly who I would have chosen for her if that were a thing."
"Sam would never let you pick her boyfriend, but it's the middle of the night and I think I understand what you mean," she smiled at me.
"He's so good with her," I said. "You can't fake that."
"He was crying when you guys left with the ambulance. I'd forgotten he was there for a minute and then, when I turned to tell Sarah something, I saw him sitting on the floor, just shaking. He's a sweet young man and he clearly feels very deeply for Samantha," Jenna said, agreeing with me. 
At five, the nurse came in to wake Sam up again. 
"I'm awake," she grumbled. 
"How are you feeling?" The nurse asked. 
"Fabulous," Samantha muttered, pulling her pillow over her eyes. "Can I go back..."
Suddenly, Samantha moved the pillow, looked at me and opened her mouth, then her eyes rolled back and she began having a seizure.  This couldn't be good. Not with a concussion, too. And whatever had caused her to drop at the house, and for her heart to stop.
The commotion around Sam woke Dylan up and the look on his face was something that definitely couldn't be faked. He looked terrified. 
"What's happening? Sam? What's happening to Sam?" He asked looking at Jenna and I.  
"She's having a seizure," Jenna said, calmly, though I could see she wasn't really all that calm. "She has them sometimes when she's overtired. Being woken up all night may be why she's having this one."
I was timing it, as was the nurse. With the nurse's help, we got Samantha onto her side while she continued to seize. It went on and on. We passed the two minute mark and Samantha's seizure hadn't slowed.  At the three minute mark, my hands started shaking. I can't remember the last time Sam had a seizure lasting more than three minutes. And she was still seizing.  
"Come on, Sam. Come on, sweetheart. You're okay, you're going to be okay," Jenna was whispering.  Dylan's eyes were overflowing as he watched the timer on my phone continue to count upwards. 
"What happens if it doesn't stop?" He asked. 
"We'll get some medication to try and stop it, if it goes over five minutes," one of the nurses said.