In Sickness and In Health

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

"Mom!" Lila waved at Eddie when she spotted her mother in the large conference room at the hospital. Jamie was set to go home the next day and the family had a lot to learn about how to position him in his bed and his wheelchair to make sure he was able to breathe well and did not suffer painful muscle spasms. He was already having some from the physical therapy but there was no reason to add to it from ignorance.

"Hey, honey. Steven I'm so glad you came," Eddie said smiling at her son-in-law to be.

"No problem, I want to be there to help out whenever I can be. We just peaked in on Jamie, he looks pretty good. They have him sitting up today in the chair again."

"Yes they started that earlier this week, he holds his posture for about a half hour now before he needs more support but apparently that is what we are going to learn about today."

Eddie got a cup of coffee the spotted Danny. "Hey I just came into say hi, I'm going to spend some time with Dad and Jamie getting things coordinated for tomorrow. Linda can show me anything I need to know about helping him get around."

Eddie sighed, "I can do this myself, I appreciate you all coming but..." She stopped mid-sentence when she Joey approaching. "Joey, what are you doing here?"

Eddie was honestly surprised that Joey had come to the class. Even though he's softened a little bit towards Jamie, he was still not very proactive in being involved with his father's care.

"Mom, of course I'm here," Joey replied. "Dad's coming home and you need help taking care of him so I'm going to learn how. You should be home in bed, look at you." Joey affectionately reached out his hand to stroke his mother's cheek. "You're exhausted and it will only be worse after tomorrow."

"No, I think after tomorrow I'll finally be able to sleep well again, I miss having your father next to me," Eddie replied as the nurse teaching the class walked to the front of the room.

They discussed moving the patients to and from their chairs, Eddie had learned a lot of that from Callie and Jamie was able, with great effort to push down with his leg and get himself into the wheelchair or into the bed. Eddie needed to know what to do for him in bed, he had to be place just so or he'd suffer a poor night's rest.

She was meticulous in her note taking, two pillows under his head at all times and make sure he did not tilt his head towards the stronger side, pillows seems to be the ticket. Eddie wrote down to have more pillows purchased, firm ones that would be soft enough for his comfort but strong enough for support. The part where they watched a film of a patient dressing scared her a little bit. The man was older than Jamie but the elapsed time on the bottom said dressing took him over 45 minutes. Jamie didn't have the patience for that even being the most patient of the family. Could she be so calm seeing him struggle as the wife in the film? She doubted it very much. Maybe he was coming home too soon was her fleeting thought.

As the class went on, Jamie visited with Danny and Frank in his room. He was in the hospital chair propped with pillows, weak arm resting on a pillowed arm rest and his feet on a cushioned stool to keep them from dangling and swelling. "We finished setting up your room. Dad had the bathroom doorway opened more and we put a shower chair and got a new shower in here too so you can step in easier and Eddie can help you in an out evenly not over the side."

"I really appreciate all of this, Danny," Jamie sighed. "I'm really...I think it's a mistake to go home yet. I mean I can barely get into and out of the wheelchair or bed here, at home...I'm concerned for Eddie."

"Jamie, Eddie is no shrinking violet," Danny reminded him. "She put up with you all these years, she can handle anything you throw at her."

"I've got seven inches on her Danny and I'm thin but no light weight, I still have some solid muscle mass, it's going to be so hard on her with her chemo pills and all. Maybe I need to go to a hospital for a time."