December 4th, [XXXX] 

 

  Seventh entry. Over the last couple of weeks I had been pulling files to try and discover more about the father’s relationship to Ms. [XXXXX]’s mother. I found out that in [XXXX], the mother had passed away here, at this hospital, in childbirth to Ms. [XXXXX]. It had been an emergency C-section procedure that had complications, leaving the father a widow with a newborn child. I will make a note of the psychological effects that can have on both a child and the widow. Possible need for a psych eval if the patient recovers. 

 

  Ms. [XXXXX] has remained stable and without seizure, though her brain activity remains as active as ever. I’m not an expert in comatose patients, but I plan to find someone who might know something that I don’t, maybe something that can help her. It seems I have grown somewhat attached to Ms. [XXXXX]’s well-being, and of that of her father’s. If I could help it, no one will die on my watch here again.  

 

  My bosses are giving me a weekend off around Christmas time, and I’ve decided to use the extra time to find someone who can help me with this.  

 

 

December 25th, [XXXX] 

 

  Eighth entry. Normally, people spend Christmas opening presents and having a warm dinner by the fire with family, but not me.

 

  I used my weekend off and went to visit a colleague of mine in [XXX XXXX].* I had been emailing him back and forth about Ms. [XXXXX], and he seemed interested to meet up.  

 

  When we met, I showed him the brain scans and photographs taken of her, as well as some of my previous transcripts. He took them in and studied them for a while, telling me what he thought. He told me that as rare as it is, it is not completely unusual for patients to experience some REM levels of brain activity while in a comatose state, even from an acute head injury. This is the way that some brains process the comatose state. He told me that I shouldn’t worry, and the increased brain activity is possibly even a sign that she will make a speedy recovery.  

   

I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t. My gut told me something was different about this case.  

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*I have always tried to search for this colleague of the doctor. I have unfortunately had no such luck. 

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-Editor