Death by Request (Caribbean Murder #11)

“Of course I won’t, not ever,” Cindy promised.

“I hope our talk was helpful,” was the last thing Todd said, before dashing to the nearby bus stop as the bus came along.

“Very helpful,” Cindy called out to him. “And thank you so much for being here.”

“It’s the least I could do, the very least,” Todd called back before jumping on the bus and disappearing from view.





Chapter 11



Mattheus was delighted when Cindy left to talk with Todd, it was a perfect opportunity to interview Dr. Padden alone. It was different conducting interviews with Cindy around. Cindy was wonderful with innuendo, speculation and hidden motives, but right now Mattheus wanted the plain facts. He needed the medical information that could put Tara’s situation in context for him.

Mattheus had barely taken a seat in his waiting room when Dr. Padden came out to greet him.

“Glad to see you,” said Dr. Padden, walking right over to him. To Mattheus’s surprise Dr. Padden was a good looking, well dressed, American man in his early fifties. His strong, professional manner put Mattheus at ease.

“Thank you so much for meeting me on such short notice,” said Mattheus.

“It’s my pleasure,” said Dr. Padden, “please come in.”

Mattheus followed him into his large, modern, well-appointed office that looked out over a sloping cliff and had beautiful photos of his family prominently displayed on his desk.

“Quite a place you’ve got here,” Mattheus looked around impressed.

“I’m fortunate to be part of a facility like this,” Dr. Padden nodded. “Tell me how I can be of help?”

Mattheus admired the way Dr. Padden cut straight to the chase. “I need to learn about Tara’s condition from a medical point of view,” Mattheus replied. “I’m interested in learning more about comas.”

“Fair enough, that makes sense,” said Dr. Padden, sitting down on a small couch and motioning for Mattheus to take a chair facing him. “There’s so much misinformation floating around. You really need a clear understanding of what we were up against.”

“Great,” said Mattheus excited to get going.

“As you know, Tara was in a coma for about two months,” Dr. Padden started.

“Is that unusual?” Mattheus burst in.

“It’s a relatively long time,” Dr. Padden answered calmly. “But, let me explain. A coma means deep sleep, a state of unconsciousness lasting more than six hours. During this time a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound. They do not initiate voluntary actions. It can last for any length of time, from several days to several weeks. In severe cases a coma may last for over five weeks. Some have lasted as long as several years.”

“For several years?” Mattheus was horrified.

“Unusual, but it does happen,” Dr. Padden replied.

“Are patients able to feel, speak or hear anything at all?” Mattheus asked quickly, needing to corroborate or disprove the rumors Cindy had heard.

“So far as we know, a comatose person is unable to consciously feel, speak, hear, or move,” Dr. Padden replied.

“What was Tara’s prognosis and treatment?” Mattheus was hungry for more. “Did she have a chance? Was her death inevitable, just a matter of time?”

“That’s hard to answer,” said Dr. Padden. He was oobviously rooted in facts, and Mattheus greatly appreciated that. “There are different kinds of comas,” Dr. Padden went on. “A coma may develop as a response to injury to allow the body to pause and use its energy to heal before the patient wakes up. This kind of coma can be seen as a path to healing. Some comas are even medically induced during neurosurgery or traumatic brain injury to protect other functions of the brain.”

“Did you see Tara’s coma that way?” asked Mattheus, fascinated. “Was she on the road to healing?”

“Tara’s coma was caused by a severe brain injury,” Dr. Padden continued, looking down at the floor. “ The severity and mode of the onset of the coma has something to do with how it goes.”

Mattheus began to feel uneasy. There was so much he didn’t know and hadn’t heard anyone speak of before. Was there any way to actually prove that Tara would have woken up and been well if she was given more time?

“What kind of treatment did Tara have?” Mattheus continued.

“The comatose patient is usually placed in an Intensive Care Unit immediately,” Dr. Padden promptly replied. “We monitor breathing and brain activity through CT scans. We watch the patient's respiration and circulation and if necessary use intubation to help them breathe. We administer intravenous fluids, blood and other supportive care. Once a patient is stable and no longer in immediate danger, the medical staff usually concentrates on maintaining the health of the patient’s body.”

The idea that a patient could be healthy and in a coma was startling to Mattheus.