By the third day in the ICU, the doctors had begun reducing her sedation gradually after the first twenty four hours, once her blood pressure stabilized and her oxygen levels held without significant fluctuation. They explained it carefully to him each morning during rounds. The decrease would be incremental. They would monitor for agitation, for changes in neurological response, for irregular breathing patterns. They would assess brainstem reflexes. They would test response in stages.
Day one had been survival.
Day two had been stabilization.
Day three was waiting for her to return.
