Love Sick
Five
Janet's Point of View
Justin and Pattie had gone home to their hotel for the night, along with Fredo and Moshe. I sit in the cold darkness of my hospital room on the first floor, ambulance sirens wailing at odd hours through the night. At four-twenty in the morning, the red and blue lights signal a new arrival. "Good luck." I whisper to the patient as medics yell the reason for the emergency visit. At seven forty-five, Julia calls me to tell me that Justin is driving her to the hospital. When they arrive, Julia hugs me tightly while Justin asks me how I slept. "Oh, you know, there's nothing like being awakened every forty minutes by an ambulance siren." He smiles. "Then I'll buy you some headphones for tonight."
"Where's Dad?" I turn to my sister with a smile on my face.
"He's arguing with his boss that he should have a day or two off to spend here with you and to learn more about your cancer." I nod, but look at Justin when I hear his voice. "Where are you from? You said you were out of town yesterday when I met you, but we had to whisk you away to the ER before you could say anything more."
"We're from Charlottesville, Virginia. We were scheduled to go back tomorrow, but- " I hold up my right arm, showing my white hospital ID wristband. "Plans seem to have changed."
A couple minutes later, the smell of a hot biscuit fills my nostrils. "That's probably my mom." Justin smiles. Sure enough, a smiling Pattie enters the room holding a McDonalds bag and hands it to me. I take the wrapped breakfast chicken biscuit in my hands and smile. "Finally. Real food." I say. Pattie laughs. "Thank you." I say, biting into the refreshing outside meal. Justin and Pattie talk with Julia for a while until I begin to lose interest in the dull hospital room. Justin had brought a large plush teddy bear that I had named Cuddles and a bouquet of daffodils to cheer me up, but the constant yelling of emergency workers in the parking lot nearby was grating on my nerves. "When can I get up and move around?" I ask a nurse through the intercom stationed near my bed. A few seconds later, she comes in with a wheelchair as Julia and Justin help me up. "Where to first?" Julia asks excitedly as she pushes me out the door.
"Let's go down to the cafeteria and meet some other people." I suggest, then take the idea back. "On the other hand, I look like a mess, my hair's oily and stringy and my teeth aren't even brushed. Let's just stay on this floor."
"Nope. We're going downstairs." She wheels me toward the elevator.
In the cafeteria, they play quiet violin music and some people walk with crutches and canes or are being wheeled around by nurses. Older ladies smile sweetly while playing cards at a large table and a pregnant woman is yelling at a chef who had accidentally given her green beans instead of asparagus. "I told you I didn't want to be here." I turn to look at Julia.
"Oh, come on." She wheels me to the corner of the room. "We're actually meeting some people here."
"Who?" I wonder, straining my neck to look back at her.
"That's for us to know and for you to find out."
Justin and Pattie had gone home to their hotel for the night, along with Fredo and Moshe. I sit in the cold darkness of my hospital room on the first floor, ambulance sirens wailing at odd hours through the night. At four-twenty in the morning, the red and blue lights signal a new arrival. "Good luck." I whisper to the patient as medics yell the reason for the emergency visit. At seven forty-five, Julia calls me to tell me that Justin is driving her to the hospital. When they arrive, Julia hugs me tightly while Justin asks me how I slept. "Oh, you know, there's nothing like being awakened every forty minutes by an ambulance siren." He smiles. "Then I'll buy you some headphones for tonight."
"Where's Dad?" I turn to my sister with a smile on my face.
"He's arguing with his boss that he should have a day or two off to spend here with you and to learn more about your cancer." I nod, but look at Justin when I hear his voice. "Where are you from? You said you were out of town yesterday when I met you, but we had to whisk you away to the ER before you could say anything more."
"We're from Charlottesville, Virginia. We were scheduled to go back tomorrow, but- " I hold up my right arm, showing my white hospital ID wristband. "Plans seem to have changed."
A couple minutes later, the smell of a hot biscuit fills my nostrils. "That's probably my mom." Justin smiles. Sure enough, a smiling Pattie enters the room holding a McDonalds bag and hands it to me. I take the wrapped breakfast chicken biscuit in my hands and smile. "Finally. Real food." I say. Pattie laughs. "Thank you." I say, biting into the refreshing outside meal. Justin and Pattie talk with Julia for a while until I begin to lose interest in the dull hospital room. Justin had brought a large plush teddy bear that I had named Cuddles and a bouquet of daffodils to cheer me up, but the constant yelling of emergency workers in the parking lot nearby was grating on my nerves. "When can I get up and move around?" I ask a nurse through the intercom stationed near my bed. A few seconds later, she comes in with a wheelchair as Julia and Justin help me up. "Where to first?" Julia asks excitedly as she pushes me out the door.
"Let's go down to the cafeteria and meet some other people." I suggest, then take the idea back. "On the other hand, I look like a mess, my hair's oily and stringy and my teeth aren't even brushed. Let's just stay on this floor."
"Nope. We're going downstairs." She wheels me toward the elevator.
In the cafeteria, they play quiet violin music and some people walk with crutches and canes or are being wheeled around by nurses. Older ladies smile sweetly while playing cards at a large table and a pregnant woman is yelling at a chef who had accidentally given her green beans instead of asparagus. "I told you I didn't want to be here." I turn to look at Julia.
"Oh, come on." She wheels me to the corner of the room. "We're actually meeting some people here."
"Who?" I wonder, straining my neck to look back at her.
"That's for us to know and for you to find out."