Her chest rose and fell in time with the steady hiss of the machine, but the sharp pulling around her ribs looked much less severe than it had two hours earlier.

“We’ll run another blood gas panel at midnight,” Dr.

Vance said as he turned toward the door.

“If those numbers stay clean, we can start talking about reducing her sedation by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Kevin said.

Dr.

Vance nodded once and walked out into the main hallway, his rubber-soled shoes squeaking softly on the polished floor.

Nurse Elena came over to the side of the bed with a small silver measuring tape in her right hand.