“Good thing I’m a quick study, sweetheart. I love you and I’m so fucking glad you weren’t hurt worse. We’ll talk more in the morning.”
“Love you too, Eli.”
CHAPTER
EIGHT
Phoebe
Waking up the next morning,my first thought is that my body has been set on fire. Apparently, my nerve block wore off at some point while I was sleeping and every centimeter of skin that the doctor scraped during his debridement is now screaming so loudly that I can’t help the whimper of pain that passes my lips.
The strong arms that are surrounding me, along with a ton of soft pillows to support me tighten and I hear a raspy voice ask, “Do I need to do something to help?”
“Let me teach you how to administer my pain meds through the PICC line,” I manage to say through my clenched teeth.
Suddenly, something jumps on me, and I hear purring as a little furry body makes its way to my chest where it walks around several times before curling up underneath my chin. “What on earth?” I mutter.
“Found a kitten when I was out yesterday,” Eli replies. “The vet was at the rescue tent and checked him out. He still has tobe bottle fed because he’s only about four or five weeks old. I haven’t named him yet, but I thought you and Cami might enjoy a pet.”
Tears fill my eyes and I know that they’re happy ones despite the pain wracking my body. I’ve always wanted a cat, I just hadn’t gotten around to going to the local rescue to see if one called to me. “I love him,” I say. “If you get me squared away, I’ll feed him once you show me how.”
“Then let’s get this party started,” he teases.
“Good, because I might be in hella agony, but my bladder is also letting me know I need to get up,” I reply. He helps me stand and I can see the question in his eyes. “I should be okay to do this on my own, but don’t go too far just in case.”
“I’ve got you, Phoebe. I’ll get coffee started, as well as your diet soda, then we’ll give you some pain meds, you can feed Mr. Kitty, and we can figure out breakfast.”
I don’t waste any time heading to the bathroom and while it’s not the easiest thing I’ve ever done, I manage to take care of business without any help, then I brush my teeth. As I look around the bathroom, I notice the bed in the corner, as well as a makeshift litter box. “How on earth did I miss seeing that yesterday?” Shaking my head, I finish up then head into the kitchen area. “This is really nice. It’s almost like a tiny home on wheels,” I tell him.
“I thought the same thing. There’s another bed that’s up there,” he replies, pointing to a bunk area that’s above the driver and passenger seats. “Plus, the couch opens up into a bed, and so do the benches you’re sitting on. I think Data said it can sleep up to eight people.”
“I like that it’s just us,” I confess.
“Me too, sweetheart, me too. Okay, now, tell me what I need to do because I can’t stand to see you in pain.”
“How can you tell?” I mean, my mom always told me that my eyes changed color whenever I was sick, but his comment has me wondering if they do the same when I’m in pain.
“Besides the fact that you’re wincing with every move you make? Your eyes are darker, Phoebe. Plus, even though you didn’t move once you went to sleep, underneath your eyes looks bruised.”
I walk him through how to flush my PICC line then administer my pain meds and am now sitting in the recliner, my wound vac next to me, as I feed the kitten, who hasn’t stopped purring. “What about Sir Purrs Alot?” I ask as Eli walks over with a tumbler for me. Taking a sip, I sigh when I get that burst of fizzy flavor. “God, this is so good. Or wait, what about Purrzee? It could be a play on Percy. I don’t think we need a typical orange cat name.”
“I kind of thought he looked like a Kevin,” Eli admits, making me laugh.
Looking down at the tiny furball, I nod. “Kevin it is. Now, Kevin, if you’re full enough, I need to put you down so I can take a nap since my meds are kicking in.” Instead of moving, Kevin snuggles in. “Fine, you can stay where you are.”
Floating away, I’m in the middle of the best dream of my life when I hear, “Sorry, girlie, but I gotta take care of this now before I hit the field.”
I open my eyes to see Ella standing there, and groan. “I’m so tired, EllaBee.”
“I know, babe. Honestly, if you want to doze back off, it’ll make this easier since it takes so long to administer.”
“Ugh. Fine. Then I want food,” I retort.
“Data went to get some for y’all. He’s apparently going with me into the field today,” she replies.
The steps to administer medication through a PICC line may seem ridiculous to those not in healthcare but there’s a process for a reason. As she starts, I mentally go through the to-do list of things I’ll be able to do as hampered as I am right now. I look at my wound vac and realize the canister is nearly full.
“Dammit, do we have new canisters? I forgot that they usually fill up quickly when they’re first attached to the wound.”
