Heart Attack

Joining Rosetta in the waiting room, Eric and Trent take up two chairs, although they wind up also taking turns pacing, unable to sit still the whole time. Both felt they should say something to someone, but at the same time, what could be said? No one knew what was happening. No one know how bad this was. Waiting was always the worst. 

Hunter lets Katie lean into him, not minding at all. He didn't like seeing her like this. It all felt so unfair. She was going through so much already - to have her dad in the hospital like this was just one more blow. 

Looking down into her eyes, he smiles and gives her an extra squeeze, is hand rubbing her shoulder as he keeps his arm around her. "Hey, you don't need to thank me. I wouldn't want to be deserted back at the ranch anyway." He winks. "Can't say that I like hospitals but... I'm glad I could be here for ya." 

It would be what felt like an eternity of waiting, pacing, coffee, sitting and more pacing before finally, finally a doctor joins them. He introduces himself as Dr. Mettler and after discovering that three were siblings and one was a daughter, he knew to whom he needed to speak. Looking to Katie first, he purses his lips. "Your father is quite a lucky man. He did suffer a heart attack but it was mild and didn't cause an awful lot of damage. However, he was already weak and this ordeal has certainly done him no good." 

He folds his arms and sighs, addressing everyone now. "I received medical information from the physician at your ranch, and it indicates he's had a heart condition, along with other problems for quite a while. As such, I was surprised to learn the physical strain he'd been under the last couple weeks." 

Eric rolls his eyes. "It's not like we didn't try to stop him. Stubborn brute." 

"Ah. I see. He didn't want to slow down?" 

"You kidding?" 

Dr. Mettler nods, now understanding. "Well, I would advise that if he won't listen to his family, he needs to be put on medication that will force him to slow down." 

Trent exchanges a glance with Rosetta, not liking the sound of that.

Dr. Mettler continues. "While thankfully this heart attack didn't cause much damage, every little bit is bad, especially with a heart like his. It's been weak for quite a while and like any weak muscle, any trauma is cause for concern." Pausing, he takes as breath. "Jeff pushed himself to the point of severe fatigue, so it's not just his heart that's been affected. He also suffered a heat stroke and basically sheer exhaustion, to put it plainly." 

Eric sighs, remembering how they'd all tried to get Jeff to quit working so hard. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I believe he is, yes. I want to keep him here for a couple days though to be sure we didn't miss anything. We need to monitor him and make sure there's not risk for another attack." 

"Will it take him long to recover?" 

"He's probably going to feel very weak and tired for several weeks, but that's normal. The most important thing is keeping him quiet. Apparently that might be difficult, but it's imperative that he rests. When I release him, I'll have a list of things he shouldn't do, such as not lifting anything over five pounds for the next six weeks - that kind of thing."

Trent rolls his eyes. "Oh he's gonna love that," he mutters under his breath. 

Eric shoots him a withering look before turning back to the doctor. "May we see him?" 

"You may. He's on the third floor, room sixty-two and may or may not be awake. Please though... keep your first few visits brief and by all means, remain quiet and try not to upset him." Dr. Mettler gestures out into the hall. "If you have any questions, the nurse's station is right there. I must see to another patient now." 

Once the doctor was gone, Eric turns to the others, particularly looking at Rosetta and Katie. "We all wanna go see him or you wanna take turns?"