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Chapter 41
Jade
Icouldn’t help but think about the bizarre suggestion Victoria made while I read through the pamphlets Tommy had given me on rehab facilities.
“Lieutenant, where is the crew?” my dad called out from his bed. “Lieutenant?”
“Hey Dad, it’s Jade. Are you alright?” I pushed the nurse button. “Hi, my father is awake.”
“I’ll be right in,” the nurse answered.
“Hey there, Admiral. Let’s get you sitting up and see if you want to try a sip of water.” The nurse hit the button on the bed to raise his head. “Are you feeling any pain?”
“Where am I?” Dad demanded. “Where’s my ship?”
“Mr. Campbell, you’re in the hospital. You had an accident. Do you remember that?” the nurse asked. “Your daughter Jade is here with you.”
“Jade?” He said the name. “Jade is my daughter’s name.”
“Yes sir, that’s right, and she’s right there to your left.” She pointed to me.
“Hey Dad, you took a long nap. You ready to wake up and get back to work?” I tried appealing to his sense of duty.
“Work? Ha, I’m retired, girlie,” he scoffed. “What’s for dinner?”
“How did you know it’s dinner time?” the nurse asked. “It could be lunch.”
“Because I believe dinner is still the meal served when it’s dark outside,” Dad said, matter-of-fact. “Can I get a steak?”
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll check with the doctor. But he’ll probably want you to start with something a little easier.” The nurse turned and left the room.
“Jade. How’d I hurt my leg?” Dad reached for my hand. “I don’t remember. Was I drinking?”
“You fell through the dock and the board went through your leg. You had to have emergency surgery.” I squeezed his hand. “Your leg will be fine with some rehabilitation. And yes, you had been drinking.”
“I know I’m letting you down. I need to get clean.” He closed his eyes. “How long have I been here?”
“You’ve been here a few days,” I answered. “We’re gonna get you help before you go home. Are you going to be okay with that?”
“Yeah, I’ll do whatever I need to do. I’m real sorry this happened.” Dad looked at me. “How’s things at the marina?”
“Not good, Dad. The power is out and you sold the back-up generators.” I pulled a chair over to his bedside. “I’ve been picking up a few tours, so I should be able to get the power back on soon.”
“What about the engine on the fishing boat?” he asked. “I think I remember I was working on it.”
“Yeah, Bobby came over and got it running.” I smiled. “Let’s talk about you and how you’re feeling. You don’t worry about the marina right now. I’ll figure it out.”
“Admiral, nice to see you awake and alert,” Tommy said, walking through the door. “You ready to stand up?”
“Let’s do it. Then, after, you can tell that nurse of yours to get me a steak.” Dad pushed the blankets off. “Well, that doesn’t look great, does it?”
“No sir, but it’s healing very nicely.” Tommy helped him stand slowly.
The next hour the physical therapist came in to work with Dad, then he got his beef. It wasn’t a steak, but a small hamburger, and it satisfied him for now.
“Dad, I need to leave for a bit to bring the band over to Cloud Nine. You want me to have Bobby and Lucy come stay with you?” I asked, noticing the time.
“You go ahead, girlie. I’m pretty tired, so you won’t miss anything fun.” He pulled his blanket up to his chest and closed his eyes. “Go on, get out of here.”
