In Sickness and In Health

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

One Week Later

"Eddie," Jamie shook her shoulder trying to wake her up. "Eddie, it's nine. I have to use the bathroom."

Eddie was exhausted. For a week she'd gotten up with Jamie three times a night, transferred him to his chair, to the toilet, back to his chair and finally back to bed. After Jamie fell back to sleep but Eddie would lie awake. She hadn't slept well for many weeks before Jamie came home and now it was no better, but she didn't have the heart to push the diaper issue when Jamie was fighting so hard to get better. Her left arm throbbed and the night before she noticed it swelled up. She couldn't let Jamie see that but that skin as tender to the touch. She hoped that soon he'd have the strength to transfer himself.

Jamie pushed her harder, "Eddie..." He poked her left bicep that was enough to wake her.

"Jamie, what are you doing?" It hurt for her to be poked. She hissed then bit her lip. "What's the matter?"

"I need to go to the bathroom," Jamie sighed. "I'm sorry, honey. Can you ..."

Eddie got out of bed. She got Jamie's chair as he pushed himself up and moved his bad leg with his good arm. Eddie got him by the under arms and together they worked into his wheelchair. When he was seated Jamie got a glimpse of Eddie's arm. "Oh my God, Eddie..." He had not seen the lymphedema in a few years and not this bad in even a longer time. "Sweetheart, as soon as I get back into bed I'm going to do fluid massage on you and you are going to the doctor, I mean it."

"Jamie, I have an appointment today anyway," Eddie reminded him. "Joey is going to take me because you have PT."

"I'm going too, I am going to call Roger and reschedule," Jamie insisted. "I am going to sit at your side and hold your hand and I am going to make sure this arm goes back to normal. I am so sorry Eddie. This is all my fault."

"Jamie you can't cancel physical therapy, you need to keep steady. You are making so much progress with your arm," Eddie reminded him as she got him on to the toilet. He had learned how to undress himself with very little assistance and was trying to get to the point where he could dress unassisted except getting is bad arm into his shirts.

"I can make it later, this is your cancer doctor Eddie. You had more scans. I was in the hospital last time or I'd have been there. I am always there. Don't put me back in bed, help me shower and dress, we are going together and that is final!"

Eddie sighed, when he got this way there no point in arguing with him. "All right, I'll tell Joey we'll be helping you get into the car. Call Roger now and see when he can come. I don't want you disregarding your therapy, the sooner you can self-transfer the better for you and for me, right?" Eddie kissed Jamie's head then helped him get into the shower.

Joey arrived at eleven to take Eddie and was surprised to see his father dressed in jeans and a sweater in his wheelchair. "Hey, Dad. You don't have to worry about Mom, I have it."

"It's nothing against you son but I am going to go with you. Except for the hospital, I have never missed one of mom's appointments. Can you help me into the car? Look at Mom's arm."

Jamie had forced Eddie to put on her lymphedema sleeve and had tried in vain to circulate the fluid in her arm but it was so blocked his ministrations caused her pain.

"Jesus, Mom!" Joey gasped. "What are you doing? You aren't supposed to be over working your arm. You have always been so careful, why..." He looked at his Dad. "Well, this has just got to stop! That's got to be so painful for her!"

"I know it is and I tried my best to get it to drain but it didn't!" Jamie snapped. "Help me into the car and we'll go to your mom's appointment. The oncologist can give her some medication or a referral to get her arm fixed."