“I’ll get Thelma over here to take care of it for you,” Ella says.
By the time my antibiotics are done, I’ve eaten breakfast and Ella has helped me get dressed. While I understand I probably need a few days of rest, I won’t do it dressed in my pajamas. I have to draw the line somewhere, for heaven’s sake!
“Why don’t you go and lay down?” Eli says as the RV empties and it’s just us and Kevin once again.
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
“A new shipment of supplies came in, so I figured I could help get them sorted,” he says. “Unless you need me to stay.”
“Maybe later? I think I need some sleep,” I admit as a yawn escapes.
“Then let’s get you situated so you’re comfortable,” he replies, helping me stand. Kevin is nestled in a sling thing that Ella found from somewhere and he continues to purr even in his sleep.
Before I drift off to sleep, I get the sweetest kiss of my life.
“Kevin, now that you’re done eating, I’m going outside,” I say, kissing the tiny orange mush. Based on the size of his paws, he’s going to be a big boy, but right now, he’s so little he barely registers on the scale.
Slipping my sneakers on, I realize that tying them is beyond my ability right now, so I head to the triage tent, my shoelaces flapping. When I reach the tent, my jaw drops as I see all the boxes of medical supplies that came from the hospital I work for. “Holy smokes,” I murmur as Thelma reaches my side.
“Let me check you over,” she instructs, leading me over to a cubicle. “First things first, I’m going to tie your shoes,” she teases.
“I tried, I really did,” I reply.
“I know you did. How’s your pain right now?” she asks.
“It’s going up,” I admit. “I had a dose before Ella came over to do the antibiotics.”
“Then it’s time you got some more. It’s important to stay ahead of the pain. You know this, Fee,” she admonishes.
“I know, I know. It’s just… dang it all, Thelma, do you know how hard it is for me to ask for help?”
“Look, no man is an island or whatever that saying is,” she replies, “and we all need a little bit of help from our friends from time to time.”
“I definitely need it right now,” I say, grinning. “Hell, I can’t even tie my own shoes!”
We’re both laughing as Thelma checks the canister for the wound vac, then the PICC line to make sure it’s still intact. Finally,finallyshe administers a dose of pain medication in my PICC line after she takes a blood draw.
“I’m doing that based on the orders that were sent to me for your continued care,” she says even though I didn’t ask her anything. “They want regular draws to make sure nothing is growing that the antibiotic you’re on doesn’t handle.”
“Makes sense to me. At least I don’t have to get stuck every day to get it,” I reply, waving my right arm. “Easy peasy lemon squeezy.”
“I see the morphine is kicking in,” Thelma says, rolling her eyes. “Let me help you back to your RV. I know you don’t want to hear this and that you already ‘know’ it, but rest is honestly the best thing for you right now.”
I feel like whining so I do, just a little bit. “But I’mbored, Thelma! I mean, Kevin has to be fed every few hours, but outside of that, I think I’ve slept more than I’ve been awake since I got back from the hospital.”
“My suggestion is to put on a show you like that you’ve already binged. That way, if you fall asleep, you won’t miss much and can pick the storyline back up,” she drawls out as she helps me back into the RV. Seeing Kevin, she grins and says, “Besides, you’ve got the perfect cuddle buddy right now.”
“Ugh. Fine. I’ll go back to bed, but I think I’m going to order some flip flops to be delivered since tying my shoes is beyond my ability right now.”
“Believe it or not, we’ve been getting deliveries. I’ll text you the address to use, just put your name on it so we can get it to you, okay?”
“Sounds great! A little retail therapy ought to keep me focused.”
Once I’m ensconced in the bed once more, I open up the app on my phone and start shopping. Not only do I order flip flops, but I decide to get several things that should hopefully make my life easier while I deal with this wound vac and PICC line. Finally finished, I hit ‘buy now’, set my phone on the table next to me then it’s lights out for Phoebe.
CHAPTER
NINE
