Sharon brushed Rusty's bangs back from his forehead, more convinced that he was going to be okay now that he was awake. He was groggy and a little confused, but she wasn't nearly as worried as she had been before he woke up.
"Time izzit?"
Sharon looked at her watch. "It's almost 6:00."
"Is it still Friday?"
Sharon smiled. "Yes, honey. It feels like it should be midnight, though. It's been a long day. Do you remember what happened?"
"Yeah, most of it..." Rusty's eyes widened. "Oh, my god, your sweater..."
"Rusty! Don't even think about that. I couldn't care less about a stupid sweater." Sharon looked at him with concern when he shifted uncomfortably. "Are you okay? Are you warm enough? Do you need anything?"
"I, um..."
"What is it? Rusty?! What? Are you hurting? The nurse will be here soon, she may need to adjust your pain medicine."
"I have to...Um...Pee really bad."
"Oh! I'm sure you do. Can you wait a few minutes for the nurse?" Rusty nodded, looking embarrassed. "Honey, don't be embarrassed. I'm surprised you were able to wait this long. Let me know if it's an emergency, and I'll give you the bedpan and go out into the hall. Will you be able to use it by yourself, if you need to?"
"Oh, my god, Sharon, yes."
"Are you sure? Mike's here, and he can help you with the bedpan if you need it."
"I'm sure. But I can wait," he grumbled.
"Okay. The bedpan is right beside the bed, so just let us know if you need for us to leave before the nurse gets here."
"Ugh, please stop saying bedpan." Rusty shifted again and realized that he felt a little too bare against his bed. "Um, where are my clothes?"
"They had blood on them, so I had to throw them out...Oh, no, I just realized that your shoes were probably in that bag, too. And I guess your sweatshirt is still on the ground in the parking garage. I'll run home either tonight or tomorrow morning and get some clothes and things for both of us."
Kelly, Rusty's nurse, arrived a moment later. "Hi, Rusty. How-"
"He needs to use the toilet," Sharon spoke up. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's urgent."
"Okay. I'll take care of it." Sharon signaled to Mike, knowing Kelly would probably ask them to leave the room, so he closed the jar of baby food he was feeding to Harper and set it on the table beside him, much to Harper's dismay. She didn't know whether Kelly was going to help Rusty to the bathroom or have him use the bed pan, but, since he wasn't wearing anything under his gown, he needed privacy, either way.
"We'll go down to the gift shop and find something for you to wear under your gown until I can go home and get some clothes for you." When they returned, Rusty was more alert, and Dr. Hayes was with him. Mike sat down with Harper and continued feeding her while Sharon sat on Rusty's bed. He started coughing, so she helped him sit up and patted his back. There was a cup of water on the table beside his bed, so she helped him take a few sips. "I found some sweatpants for both of us. I got toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shower stuff, too."
"Ugh, can I please take a shower? I feel gross. And I smell like alcohol. Or whatever they cleaned me with."
"Not yet," Dr. Hayes answered. "Maybe tomorrow. I can give you a quick bed bath, though, if that will help you feel better. Kelly's shift is almost over, and she needs to finish her charts, so I won't ask her to do it."
"Ummm..." Rusty looked uneasily at Sharon.
"You took a shower this morning, so you're mostly clean," Sharon pointed out. "Dr. Hayes can probably just bathe you where you need it, and you can stay covered up. I'm sure your back is dirty from lying on the ground, but other than that, just having your stomach and arms cleaned off will probably help a lot."
"Yeah...My back is the worst."
"I can do that. We don't have to do this if you're not comfortable with it, though. Whatever you want to do is fine."
"No, that sounds good," Rusty agreed.
Sharon fished her phone out of her purse when she heard it going off. "It's Dr. Carlson's office, calling with your blood test results. I'll be right back." She kissed Rusty's forehead and walked into the hall with her phone.
Dr. Hayes got a pair of sweatpants from the gift shop bag. "Do you want to bathe your legs at all? I'll draw the curtain around your bed and leave you alone so you can do it yourself, if you want to.
"Nah, they feel okay."
Dr. Hayes helped Rusty put the sweatpants on, now that Sharon wasn't in the room and Mike was occupied with Harper. "Would you rather your mo-guardian clean you up? I'm happy to do it, but you guys seem to be pretty close, so if you would be more comfortable with her, that's all right. It's up to you."
"If you do it, can, um, Sharon sit with me?" Rusty asked shyly. "I'm cold." He also just wanted her beside him, but he wasn't about to admit that.
"Of course." Dr. Hayes covered Rusty with an extra blanket. "Better?" He nodded. She gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Your fever's coming down some. That's good."
"I do feel a little better...You're not going to put that needle back in my arm, are you?"
"No. As long as you drink water when we tell you to and don't have any trouble with the pain medicine, I won't torture you with an IV. Speaking of which, go ahead and finish this," she instructed, giving him his cup of water. "You were a little dehydrated, so you need to drink eight ounces of water for every hour that you're awake."
"Thanks...Lieutenant, will you please bring Harper over here for a minute? I've hardly seen her today." Mike sat on Rusty's non-injured side and placed Harper on the bed in front of him. "Hey, sweet girl." Harper grinned and crawled up beside Rusty.
"Hi, Harper! You were asleep when I was in here earlier. You are adorable!"
Rusty looked at Dr. Hayes, confused. "You've already been in here?"
"Yes. You were also asleep. How old is she?"
"She'll be nine months old next week." A few moments later, an unpleasant odor met Rusty's nose. "Ugh, Harps, what is it about me that makes you do that? Every. Time."
Mike looked over at Harper. "I'll cha-oh, God, that's not good." Harper had filled her diaper to capacity, and the excess contents had soiled her dress and Rusty's sheets. Rusty quickly moved his blanket out of the line of fire, grateful that it was still clean. His stomach turned at the sight before him and the odor, which was worse than usual.
"Nice, Harp. That's lady-like. We're going to need Sharon for this one." Dirty diapers didn't usually bother Rusty, but he had been feeling a little nauseous already. He suppressed a gag and pushed Harper toward Mike, but he wasn't any more eager than Rusty to be near Harper at the moment. "Good lord, that's foul." Mike held onto her so she wouldn't move around and spread the mess, but he kept as much distance between them as he could. Dr. Hayes was doubled over, laughing hysterically at the looks of horror on Mike's and Rusty's faces, and the look of innocent confusion on Harper's face. She clearly couldn't see what the big deal was. Rusty was relieved when Sharon came back into the room a moment later. "Um, Sharon, we have a situation over here. Code blowout."
Dr. Hayes's laughter was contagious, and Sharon started laughing, too. Both women composed themselves a few moments later, and Sharon dug through Harper's diaper bag for extra clothes, a diaper, a small bag for the soiled diaper, and wipes.
"You're going to need the rash ointment, too," Mike told Sharon. "I put some on her when I changed her earlier, but she probably needs more. It's in the side pocket."
"Thanks, Mike." Sharon pulled Harper's dress off of her, carefully removed her diaper, and disposed of it in the bag. Mike took the bag from her and threw it away, and Sharon started wiping Harper down with wet wipes. "Harp, girl, you have outdone yourself this time." Once Harper was cleaned up, Sharon dabbed some ointment on her rash, put a clean diaper on her, and slipped another dress over her head. "There we go! All clean."
Mike took Harper so Sharon could help Dr. Hayes pull Rusty's sheets out from under him. Sharon looked down at Rusty, who had started coughing again. "Your bloodwork was fine. This is just a particularly nasty virus, but Dr. Carlson is still worried about it developing into pneumonia. Especially now that you're in the hospital."
Dr. Hayes put the sheets on the floor in the corner. "I'll take those with me when I leave, and I'll send an orderly with clean sheets."
"I'm so sorry about the mess," Sharon apologized. "Harper hasn't done anything like that in a couple of months."
"It's not a problem. I was going to have Rusty sit in a chair to eat dinner so his sheets could be changed, anyway, since I'm going to bathe him." Dr. Hayes straightened Rusty's blanket over him. "I need to run downstairs and get some soap."
"You can use the soap I bought downstairs, unless you have to use a certain kind. I need to wash my hands before I touch anything else, but the soap is in the bag if you can use it." Sharon took Harper's dress to the bathroom to soak it in cold water, then thoroughly washed her hands.
"Okay, great. Thanks."
Sharon returned from the bathroom and climbed into bed beside Rusty. He lay on her shoulder, feeling drowsy again. She held her hand to his forehead, relieved that he didn't feel quite as hot. Dr. Hayes approached the bed with a few wash cloths, a towel, and a basin of soapy, lukewarm water. Sharon looked down at Rusty. "Do you want me to get up?"
"No, please stay. I'm cold."
"All right. Let me know if you want me to get up. I understand that this might feel a little awkward."
Mike walked toward the door to the hall with Harper in his arms. "Sharon? I'm going to go walk around with Harper for a little while. She's getting restless."
"Okay, thanks so much...But you can leave whenever you're ready. I should have told you that a while ago, I'm sorry."
"I brought your car here from your condo, remember? With Harper? But Andy and Provenza are coming by soon, and they have to go back to work for a little while after that, so one of them is bringing my car, and they'll ride back together. Don't worry about it. I'm glad I could help." Mike left the room with Harper before Sharon could respond.
Dr. Hayes gently removed Rusty's gown. "Okay, honey, I'm going to wipe down your stomach, back, chest, and arms, rinse you with another wet cloth, and then dry you off. Stop me at any time if you get uncomfortable. If you're really uncomfortable and just want to do the rest yourself, that's fine, too. I know you're feeling weak, and I can do it faster, but don't hesitate to stop me if you want to." Rusty nodded. "I'll do the hard part first." Dr. Hayes gently turned Rusty on his side and helped him lean against Sharon. "Are you okay? Does this hurt?"
"It's fine." Rusty closed his eyes as the doctor ran the cloth over his shoulder blades and down his back. He didn't expect it to feel so comforting, especially since he barely knew this doctor.
"Rusty, I need to lower the waistband of your pants just a little bit. You'll still be completely covered up, and it will just take a few seconds. You okay?" Rusty nodded. Once his back was rinsed and dried off, Dr. Hayes helped him lie on his back again. "Do you want me to keep going, or do you want to do it?"
"You can keep going." It wasn't nearly as bad as Rusty thought it was going to be. "Okay. I know you're cold, so I'll go as fast as I can." Sharon wrapped her arms around him, moving out of the way when necessary, trying to keep him warm. Dr. Hayes finished a few minutes later and covered him with the blanket. "Is that better?"
"Much. Thank you."
"You're welcome. We want you to be comfortable, so don't be shy about asking any of us for help." Rusty nodded. "I'll make sure the orderly brings you a fresh gown and extra blankets when he comes to put clean sheets on your bed." Rusty started to say something, but he sat up and started coughing violently. Sharon patted his back, and Dr. Hayes watched him with concern as he held his side where his wound was. "I'm going to prescribe some cough medicine for you...You haven't coughed anything up, have you?" He shook his head. "Good. Kelly should be here with your dinner soon, and I'll be back to check on you in the morning, but press the call button if you need anything. I'm not sure yet who your night nurse will be, but he or she will give you a pain pill and some cough medicine before bed. Feel better, Rusty."
"Thanks," Rusty mumbled, getting comfortable on Sharon's shoulder. Dr. Hayes fondly patted Rusty's back and left the room. Kelly came in as the doctor was leaving and set a tray of soup and cornbread on a table, then helped Rusty out of bed and into a chair at the table. An orderly with a bundle of linens in his arms came in a few minutes after Kelly, quickly made up Rusty's bed, and left with the dirty sheets in his arms.
"You need to eat at least half of this," Kelly instructed as Rusty took a tentative bite. He grimaced. The soup was actually pretty good, he just didn't have an appetite. When he had finally forced down the required amount, Kelly helped him back into bed. "My shift is almost up, but I'll be back in the morning. Carol will be your nurse tonight, and she'll be in to give you more medicine around 9:00. If you're ready to go to sleep before then, or if you need anything else, press the call button."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. Feel better."
A few minutes after Kelly left, Mike returned with Harper, followed by Provenza, Andy, Buzz, Julio, and Amy, who were armed with flowers, a pizza, and a few grocery bags. Sharon suddenly realized she was starving. The soup she had eaten for lunch was long gone. "Thanks so much, you guys. My stomach is eating itself. This is too much." Sharon took the flowers from Buzz and put them beside Rusty's bed.
Andy put the pizza and the grocery bags with paper plates, napkins, various snacks, and several small bottles of soda and water on the table. "It's our treat. We knew you hadn't even thought about eating. We're not staying, we just wanted to say hello." Sharon was relieved. It was great to see everyone, but she was very overwhelmed. She was more than ready for some peace and quiet. They all chatted for a few minutes before everyone, except Amy and Mike, left. Sharon fixed two plates of pizza, gave one to Mike, and took Harper from him.
"Amy? Pizza?"
"No, thanks, I had pizza last night. I'm just going to have something delivered later, I'm not sure what I want yet."
"Rusty? Do you want to try to eat some? Kelly said you don't have any dietary restrictions, and I'd feel better if you ate a little more. And drink your water."
"Yeah, that actually sounds good." Sharon gave Rusty the plate she had fixed for herself and got another plate of pizza. She sat at the table and held Harper in her lap while she ate. "Do you mind staying at my condo?" She asked Amy. "You're welcome to take Harper to your place, I just thought this would be easier than packing her things. And she'll probably sleep better in her crib than her pack and play."
"Not at all. I would end up forgetting to pack something important, anyway."
Harper watched Sharon expectantly as she ate her pizza and whimpered after a few moments when she wasn't offered a bite. Sharon and Rusty had started giving Harper bites of their own food at dinner on nights that she cooked, so now Harper thought she was entitled to a bite any time either Sharon or Rusty were eating something. "You just ate, little piglet! You can't have pizza, anyway."
Mike finished his pizza and threw his plate away. "I'm heading out, but do you need anything?"
"No, thanks, we should be fine until tomorrow. We'll probably be going to bed soon, and I'll go home first thing in the morning to pack bags for us and let Amy go home. Thanks so much for helping me today. You kept me sane."
"I'm glad I could help. I'll come visit tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll have some money, then. I still owe you for this sweatshirt." Sharon had used the last of her cash in the gift shop earlier, not thinking about having to pay Mike back.
"Don't worry abo-"
"Yes, I will. Good Night, and thanks again. I will make this up to you."
"You're welcome. I hope you guys are able to rest."
Once Mike was gone, Sharon gave Amy some general instructions for Harper and explained her bedtime routine. "Rusty makes fun of me for it, but she goes to bed so easily with it. Even if she doesn't fall asleep right away, she doesn't cry. She may be a little out of sorts since she hasn't been away from us for bedtime since I've had her, but the routine should calm her down if she gets fussy. The sound machine helps a lot, too."
"We'll be fine. Don't worry."
"I know you will. If you don't mind leaving your car here tonight, let's just trade cars. I'm not in the mood to try to move that car seat. I'll come home early, so I can be packed when Harper wakes up. She sleeps from 8 to 8, at a minimum, when I don't have to wake her up so I can get to work. I want to make sure I get back before Rusty wakes up."
"That's fine. But why don't I just come back with Harper in the morning? You can sleep in a little and not have to worry about Rusty waking up by himself, and I can stay here with him and Harper while you go home. You may even need a little nap. Rusty might have a rough night."
"True..."
"I'll leave my keys with you in case you need something before we get here in the morning, and I'll come with Harper as soon as she's been fed and dressed."
"Thanks, Amy. I owe you big time. She'll want a bottle as soon as she wakes up, and then I usually give her some Cheerios. You can sleep wherever you want. There's a bed in Harper's room that I slept in twice last week when she was sick. I haven't changed those sheets yet, but they should be safe from germs." Sharon had gotten the bed out of storage when they moved into the bigger condo so she would have an extra bed for guests, but she realized it also came in handy for when Harper was sick. "The sheets on Rusty's bed are clean, and his room has been drenched in Lysol. I don't mind at all if you sleep in my bed, but Rusty got in my bed late last night and stayed there until noon, so my bed is probably the germiest of the three. I'll feel awful if you get sick. I did a pretty big cleaning job in the rest of the condo yesterday, so you should be fine. I will more than make it up to you if you do get sick."
"I'm not worried about it. Are you ready to go home, Harper? It's almost your bedtime."
Sharon hugged Harper tight and kissed her forehead. "Night-night, baby girl. Mommy loves you. Be sweet for Amy." She carried Harper to Rusty's bed so he could kiss her goodnight before reluctantly handing her over to Amy.
"Call me if you have any trouble at all. And help yourself to any food, drinks, wine, or whatever that you want. You stopped at home to get clothes and things, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay. If you forgot something that I might have, you're welcome to look around. Make yourself at home."
"Thanks. We'll see you in the morning."
When Amy and Harper were gone, Sharon finished her pizza and cleaned up the trash that had accumulated. There were three pieces of pizza left, so she decided to see if Rusty's nurse wanted any before she threw it out. She got her sweatpants, both toothbrushes, and toothpaste from the gift shop bag and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. It wasn't quite 8:00, but she was exhausted, and Rusty looked like he was, too. When she was finished in the bathroom, she climbed into bed beside Rusty. "Are you ready to go to bed?"
"Yes. Please." Sharon had barely pressed the call button before Rusty was lying against her shoulder. She felt his forehead, and he felt about the same.
"Are you still hungry? Do you want another piece of pizza?" Rusty shook his head. "The nurse has to come give you medicine and help you to the bathroom, but you can go to sleep right after that."
"'Kay."
The nurse came in a few moments later. "Hi, Rusty. I'm Carol. Are you ready for bed?" Rusty nodded miserably. Carol took his blood pressure and stuck a thermometer in his mouth. "102. Slowly, but surely, moving in the right direction." She gave him a glass of water, a pain pill, and a spoonful of cough medicine. "All right, I'll help you to the bathroom, and then you can go to sleep. If you wake up later and need to go again, you can either press the call button for me or wake up your mom to help you. We'll just walk you to the toilet, leave, and come back for you when you're finished. If it's urgent, the bedpan is on the table beside you. You don't need to get out of bed by yourself, okay?" Rusty nodded.
Carol walked Rusty into the bathroom and left him alone, closing the door behind her. Sharon was still a little hungry, so she got up and got another piece of pizza for herself and offered Carol the remaining two slices. "Thank you," Carol said gratefully. "I woke up late and didn't have time to eat before I came." A few minutes later, Carol was finished with her pizza and got up when she heard the toilet flush and the sink turn on. When she heard the sink turn off a couple of minutes later, she opened the bathroom door and helped Rusty back to bed. "Press the call button if you need anything, and I'll have someone bring a cot for you," Carol told Sharon as she left the room.
"Thank you." Sharon straightened the blankets over Rusty and pulled him close to her. "Are you warm enough?"
"Yeah."
"Wake me up tonight if you wake up. I'll be right beside your bed."
"'Kay."
Sharon brushed Rusty's hair back and kissed his forehead. Goodnight, honey. I love you."
"You, too," he murmured, getting comfortable before he fell asleep on her shoulder. Sharon watched Rusty sleep for a while, barely noticing when an orderly brought a made-up cot and a pillow for her. She reluctantly laid Rusty down and dragged the cot as close to the bed as she could get it. She got between the sheets and reached over to place her hand on Rusty's arm, and she fell asleep almost immediately.