Second Chances: a Coincidences novel

Chapter 16: General Hospital

Khaled's POV

            The doctor came in and gave us a full analysis of what his blood tests indicated. He was okay and was healthy without any underlying conditions that would confine him but he did say he was anemic, which explained why this panic attack was perhaps the worst one he has ever experienced when anxiety was already something he dealt with.

            "So there's nothing to worry about then?" I asked, unsure of anything at the moment.

            "He's okay. I'm going to prescribe him some iron tablets to elevate his red blood cells to normal levels...which he should recover from rather quicker since he's young and healthy. But there are some concerns to address."

            "Like?" asked Hassan.

            "So when I looked at the few scars he has on his torso, I became concerned and I ran a CT scan and found that he has experienced a few fractures. Mainly on his left wrist and arms, all signs of domestic violence."

            I sighed, realizing the doctor was likely thinking that our living environment was where this abuse was taking place.

            "His brother has a really bad substance abuse problem and has harmed him more times than I can count. He even tried to kill him not once, but twice and the last time he almost succeeded."

            "I can see the small stab wound on his lower side is somewhat scarred. And the faint one on his chest."

            "My family and I got him out of that environment after what happened last. He's been in the hospital several times and for the most part, he's had to do it all on his own."

            "What about his mom?"

            "She was neglectful until the last time he stabbed and nearly killed him. So we brought him to live with us, again to get him out of there."

            "I can see there is some trauma. When his blood was drawn, we checked for all sorts of diseases, bacteria, and viruses and he was clear of all of them. But what stood out were his cortisol levels, which is a..."

            "Stress hormone" said Cielo.

            "Yes, his levels were really high, indicating he's been under a lot of stress. He needs to be in a stress-free environment because when he came in, his heart was barely coping and sometimes it can get to a point where his heart will be beating so fast, the monitors won't even detect it."

            "I see" I said, looking at Omar, who was still asleep but was sweating.

            He was unconscious but he was breathing heavily. His heartrate was rising and it appeared he was under some type of distress

            "What's happening to him?!" I was so scared for him that I started to cry.

            "He's having a night terror. It's quite common when people are under a great deal of stress like your cousin and based on his history with domestic abuse and violence and nearly getting killed, it's not surprising."

            "Will he be okay?!" I practically demanded.

            "He will be fine. This will all pass but I would suggest you keep an eye on him and keep him nearby. Maybe checking on him when he's asleep at night to make sure he's okay because it's common for people facing near-death experiences to experience this type of stress."

            "I will" I checked my phone to see if my parents were almost here.

            "Look, we will have Omar transferred to a room so he can be with his loved ones since the emergency room is quite small and we can't have too many people here."