Things are beginning to mush together as is hospital life I surmise. One wakes up, showers, grabs fresh clothing/movies or whatever for Lexis then heads north to the ‘spital. One hangs out there as if pulling a 9 to 5 only this is volunteer work at best. Sometimes, like today, the 5 is more like 8:30 and you have just enough time to get your butt home, shower (ya, I hit that soap twice a day, what of it?). You field a bed time phone call from Lex and maybe watch 30 minutes of a flick then brush the pearlys and do a face fall into a place they call bed. And just like that, one wakes up the following AM and repeats the same day, similar to the Groundhog Day movie with one Bill Murray.
You can see how, especially after 18 or 19 days in, this can all sorta blend the heck together. A heady mish mash of putting everything I once called my life on hold and offering solely my prescence to my not quite bedridden 16 year old is what’s on the docket today. Every day.
Yet today was different. I somehow pulled off an impromptu birthday evening celebration for my 21 year old son the Jer-bear. I flew my mother in via her Ford Escape, collected a couple ‘o pizzas, brought a $9 sheet cake and we had an event. Since Lexis is now allowed around and outside the hospital we tossed a tablecloth on a table and had at it. Warm smiles, talks of covid and full bellies ensued.
After the gifts were unwrapped we hopped in my miniature van and ventured around the back side of the hospital. With a driver and a putter we did a little mini-golfin’. We sank a few birdies before proceeding to claim the coveted daily bocce victor. Later my 3 kids played a little b-ball while Lynnie and I caught up on a park bench.
It broke the monotony in a big way. For 3 hours there wasn’t any room prison, hospital food and nobody asking stupid covid ques.. okay, there was covid quotes but at least among family, not invasive strangers. And I’m only here 8 or 9 hours a day. I am so impressed with my daughters ability to deal with this crap 24 hours a day going on 20 days now.
She’s tough. She’s cool. She rolls. She doesn’t complain and she wears a smile. She makes the best of a bs situation and she makes me one proud papa. She’s hospital gangsta, through and through.
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