Despite being in the hospital, I could almost call the day pleasant. It seemed like Nikki and I hardly ever got a chance to talk anymore. There was always something to do or someone interrupting us. She left around noon and came back with takeout from a pasta place nearby.
“This is amazing,” I said around a mouthful of noodles.
“I’m glad you like it. The reviews said it was good. I’m glad you finally have an appetite back. You haven’t eaten since the night before the surgery. I was starting to get worried.”
“I wasn’t hungry, mostly just tired.”
“Well, yeah. Major surgery then fighting off an infection will do that.”
“I guess so. I hoped we would be home by now, getting ready for Christmas.”
“When we go home, all I want you to do is rest.”
“I’m resting now. I still can’t wrap my head around sleeping for two whole days. I’ve never slept that much.”
“I know, but you needed it so you can heal.”
“Maybe. But sometimes getting right back into things helps, too. I did fine going right back to tour before.”
“You shouldn’t have, even Dr. Grimsley told you that.”
“We couldn’t cancel a month of tour. There was no way the venues would work with us again.”
She sighed and rolled her eyes “Not everything is about work. You and your brothers are addicted.”
“There are worse things to be addicted to than work,” I told her, thinking about Zac’s obsession with losing weight. She read my mind.
“And he is going to have to make up his mind to be better, just like you had to make the decision to do the right things to get better.”
“You helped a lot with that decision,” I told her.
“I certainly wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”
I laughed. “And I call myself stubborn.”
“I call yourself stubborn, too.”
Sheryl came in the room then. I was glad to see she didn’t have a cart full of things to poke me with this time.
“If you feel up to it, Dr. Grimsley thinks you should try to walk to the end of the hall and back. How does that sound?”
“Great!” I said, already pulling off the covers. I looked down at my hospital gown that barely covered the important parts. “In this?”
“I can get a pair of scrubs for you, if it makes you feel better.”
“Yes, please.”
She pulled out a pair of brown scrubs from the cabinet and laid them on the end of the bed. “I’ll just disconnect your IV so it will be easier for you to change and walk around.”
“Great,” I said, anxious for the needle to be out of my arm. I was slightly disappointed when all she did was turn off the machine and unscrewed the line.
“Unfortunately, this is going to have to stay a little while longer,” she said, reading my face. “Dr. Grimsley wants you to stay on fluids until tomorrow morning.”
“I understand,” I said.
“Go ahead and get changed and I’ll be back in a few minutes and we’ll see how far you can walk.”
Nikki had to help me with the shirt, my left arm was a little bit stiff still.
“What?” I asked, not quite able to tell what she was thinking when she finished.
“I’ve just never seen you in scrubs before. You look good. Maybe you could try out for one of those TV medical shows.”
“Or maybe women just have a thing about doctors.”
“Maybe I just have a thing about you.”
“Come here,” I wrapped my arms around her, glad for a little more freedom of movement.
She started to play with my hair, but pulled her hand back. “Getting a little greasy there. I wonder if they will let me wash your hair tonight.”
I reached up and felt it. “Yeah, it’s about as bad as it’s ever been. It usually only gets like this on tour.”
“I guess I can excuse it this once.”
“Well, I appreciate your understanding.”
“Ready?” Sheryl came back in the room.
“Yep.”
Nikki followed us out. It was slow going, my side started hurting about halfway down the hall, but I made it to the end. We stopped at the big window. The lights downtown were starting to come on. It was a beautiful scene. Taylor would appreciate it, I thought. After a rest, I was able to make it back to my hospital room, but I was exhausted. A walk that should have only taken 3 minutes had taken 20, not including the break I took in the waiting room.
“That was good for your first walk. I’m going to leave a note with the night nurse to see if you feel like walking in a few more hours,” she said. She reconnected the IV line and turned the machine back on. I don’t know if she intended for me to leave the scrubs on or change back, but I didn’t say anything about it. They were way more comfortable than the gown.
“Only a few hours?”
“Yes, I don’t want your muscles to get stiff. I think you will be surprised at how much better the second one goes, though. Hopefully it will tire you out enough to sleep through the night.”
“Fair enough,” I said. I felt like I could sleep through the night now, but I wanted to stay awake until Nikki left. She had watched me sleep enough the last few days.
“You are due for one more dose of pain medicine tonight. Do you feel like you need it now?”
“No,” I said.
“Ike . . .” Nikki started.
“I’d rather wait until later so it lasts longer. I’m really not in any pain now that I’m laying down. I can feel it, but it’s not bad. I promise.”
“If you change your mind, call us.”
“Ok, I will,” I said.
“I’ll make sure he does,” Nikki said.
“Ok, have a goodnight. I’ll be back in the morning.”
“Goodnight,” we told her.
“Are you ready for your last dose of pain medicine?” the night nurse asked me when we got back from the second walk down the hall. I walked faster that time, but had trouble taking a deep breath because my side started hurting.
“Yes,” I said.
“I thought so,” she said. “You were struggling that last little bit. What does it feel like?”
“Like a really bad cramp in my side. I can’t fully catch my breath.”
“Ok, that’s actually normal. This should help with that. Let me know if it doesn’t.”
I winced when the medicine went in. I guess she didn’t get the note about my IV from the previous shift. Hopefully that would be the last time, anyway.
“Do want to sit up or lay down?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, already feeling sleepy.
“Ok, I’ll let you decide,” she said. “Call me if you need anything. Otherwise, the doctor will be here in the morning to check on you.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“What would you like for dinner?” Nikki asked when the nurse left. I hadn’t touched the dinner tray they brought at four thirty. That was usually lunch time on tour.
“I’m not really hungry, actually,” I said.
“You need to eat, though.”
“Why? All I’m doing is laying here.”
“You might think you are just laying there, but your body is focusing all its energy on healing. That’s why you don’t feel like running a marathon.”
“I’ve never felt like running a marathon, actually.”
“Hmm, ok. Do you feel like playing guitar?”
“You brought my guitar?” I started to sit up.
She laughed. “No goofy, I was trying to make a point. I guess you are never too tired to play guitar, are you?”
“Not really. There is something else I’m never too tired for, either,” I reached my arms out to her.
She leaned over and kissed me, full on the mouth, instead of those conservative kisses she did in front of the doctors and nurses. She reached over and gently brushed her fingertips over my side. “Does this still hurt?”
“Not a bit,” I told her.
“Good.”
When she finally pulled away, she said “Let’s save the rest of that for your getting out of the hospital present.”
“Oh, I like that present a lot.”
“I thought you would. Why don’t you try to go to sleep and maybe I can give you your present tomorrow.”
She started to sit back down on the plastic couch.
I was starting to get tired again.
“No . . .”
“What’s wrong, darling?” she came back over to my side.
“Go sleep in a real bed. I’m fine.”
“I want to stay with you. I think I will sleep better here with you in the room than by myself.”
I wanted her to stay, too. But I knew that was selfish. She needed to be able to stretch out and not be disturbed by nurses every half hour.
“Maybe tomorrow we will be in our own bed, together. And I can’t wait. I would love it if you stayed tonight, but I can’t ask you to give up a comfortable bed for a plastic couch.”
“How about this, I’ll try to sleep, and if I can’t, I’ll go back to the hotel.”
“I don’t want you to walk over there late.” My eyes were half closed as I tried to keep up the argument.
“I will be fine. I actually found that the hotel and this hospital connect. There is a covered sky bridge just one floor up. It’s actually really pretty.”
“You’re really pretty,” I said, reaching up to brush her hair back, but missing. My hand only caught thin air.
She took my hand in hers and kissed it. “Sleep now, darling. Tomorrow we go home.”
Home was the last thought on my mind when I drifted off, unable to fight it anymore. I thought I felt her angel kiss brush against my lips, but I could have imagined it. I hoped I didn’t, though.