Chapter Twenty-One
Eddie remained in the hospital for two weeks. In the meantime, Jamie and Sydney began to interview potential assistant caregivers. Linda provided them with a list. Sydney contacted them by e-mail and requested their resumes. Four people replied immediately giving Sydney and Jamie a place to start.
Between hospital visits and working, Jamie did the interviews. The first two candidates Sydney sent were men, Jamie dismissed them immediately. The third candidate had a record, Jamie dismissed her too. Finally, there was Rose, an older grandmotherly type woman. Eddie responded very well to Henry, and Rose had worked with ALS patients and stroke patients in the past. Jamie offered her the position at $50.00 per hour cash to begin three days after Eddie was returned home from the hospital. Jamie felt good about this decision. It would give him and Sydney a break without putting Eddie in any kind of facility or program causing further depression.
On the day Eddie was going to return home, Jamie spoke with Renzulli and worked a double shift so he could be available for Eddie's first hours home. Henry would go to the hospital for her discharge and accompany her home in the assisted mobility van. Jamie would get home just before Eddie was due to arrive, in enough time to shower and get some coffee.
The long hours at the hospital were beginning to take their toll. Jamie was tired, much less patient, and having a very hard time adjusting to riding with a new hotheaded rookie that was much more brawn than he was brain. Still, having Eddie at home, weakened from her illness and not entirely healed from her injury would be just as trying. Jamie hoped Rose would be a help but she wasn't him. No one was.
As Jamie stretched and sipped his coffee, he heard Henry speaking to Eddie. "You try the key honey," Henry encouraged. "Like they showed you in class, grip the ring in your lips…and turn it."
Jamie heard the lock snap and the door opened to reveal a beaming Eddie, the key chain now in her lap and a very proud Henry just behind her. "Way to go, Kiddo!" Henry praised.
Jamie grinned happy to see Eddie home, stepped aside to allow her in pausing for a gentle hug. "Hey welcome home Eddie," he greeted. From the twinkle in her eye Jamie could tell she too was excited to be out of the hospital.
Eddie looked around with a happy grin blinking back happy tears. "What's wrong Eddie?" Jamie asked catching the look on her face.
"Nothing I'm just glad to be out of there, you know?"
Henry came around the chair gently offering a soft pat to the young woman's shoulder sensing she needed a grandfatherly comfort. "I bet, I personally hate hospitals they're so depressing. C'mon let's get you settled in huh kiddo?"
Jamie headed downstairs to pick up the new equipment and situated it in the bedroom. Eddie was now the proud owner of her very own pulse ox monitor and oxygen tank with nasal cannula for sleeping. The doctor said her oxygenation and breathing would improve with respiratory therapy, she would have it three times a week on top of massages four times a week, physical therapy, five times a week, and occupational therapy five times a week.
Henry watched as Eddie drove her chair to the bedroom, "Henry, when Jamie gets back I need him to change the bag." Eddie noticed her collection bag was full. She was learning that was not a good thing and caused her to feel sick most of the day if not taken care of quickly.
"I can help you with it," Henry piped up. "My Betty had one of those…"
"Henry, I'd rather Jamie do it. Once when he was learning her forgot to close something and it was a mess. I'm hoping he can take it out and leave it for a while."
Another result from the accident was a spastic bladder, Eddie had no control over it at all or sensation when she needed to go. Still, the constant presence of a catheter caused a longer hospital stay from the resulting UTI she developed.
Henry nodded, "Well, how about we put you in bed and Jamie can change everything he needs to when he has the equipment unloaded."
Eddie nodded, feeling safe with Henry moving her. "Lift like I showed you," Henry instructed. "Around my neck…" Henry locked his arms around Eddie's waist and in a strange hug like position, he got her onto her bed. "There you are. you aren't any bigger than a minute."
Henry began to remove Eddie's shoes seeing how her feet now turned inward from muscle spasticity and atrophy. It hurt Henry's heart seeing someone so young so disabled, but slowly Eddie was doing things that Francis told him would never be possible for her to do. Those little things were to be celebrated. "Is your back all right?"
Eddie nodded. "Yeah, my back is fine. Henry please ask Jamie to hurry up."
Jamie appeared a few minutes after Henry went for him and informed him Eddie needed bathroom assistance. "Can you feel it?" Jamie asked.
"No, but I'm getting a pain in my head which usually means…"
Jamie nodded, "Pop, give us a little privacy." When Henry left, Jamie removed Eddie's pants and underwear. "You bag is full. Do you want me to put on a diaper for now or place a new catheter?"
"Diaper, I want it to rest a bit, that UTI was not fun."
"All right, let's do it," Jamie replied quickly getting the catheter out. Jamie wasn't fast enough with the diaper though and the stimulation caused Eddie to urinate. "Damn it,' she sighed. "I'm sorry…"
"It's fine…What if we give you a bath now, I can ask Pop to change the sheets and then you can rest in bed. I'll bring your dinner in here tonight so you can be comfortable."
"A bath would be great. Can I just soak a little too, you can sit on the toilet and…"
"I have to see you and you have to be belted but you can soak…"
Jamie got Eddie into the tub and put in some of her favorite lavender bubble bath in the water. "Is your neck still giving you trouble? Even after all these months?"
Eddie sighed, "Yes, the doctor said it probably would be another thing I have to learn to live with. At least he gave me some nerve pain medicine now. I have the scripts he gave in my bag, it's for the nerve pain though, it's very strong and we have to be careful."
Jamie nodded, "I'll only leave a few pills out, and I'll lock the rest saw so the nurse or a therapist doesn't give it to you or steal it or something."
Eddie laughed, "Always the cop, Reagan. Would you mind washing my hair? I'm not sure I can wait for Syd, it itches."
Jamie nodded, "Sure…I'll rub you neck for you too. I'm sorry it's so sore."
Jamie reached over and began to gently wash Eddie's hair and massage her neck. She sighed and relaxed for the first time since she went to the hospital. When Jamie pulled the plug and lifted Eddie out of the bath her eyes were closing "Pop, is the bed ready?"
"All set, Jamie," Henry called. "I found a really nice pretty blanket in with Eddie's things and it's so soft."
Jamie carried Eddie to bed, she smiled faintly. "That was my mother's…"
"She's really tired, Pop, help me get her settled, prop those two pillows up for her back and her neck."
Henry propped the pillows and Jamie laid Eddie down making sure the diaper was on and the oxygen fixed to her nose.
Once Eddie was sleeping soundly, Jamie let Henry out. "Thanks for helping Pop. She really likes it when you're here. I think it makes her miss her Dad less."
"I think she's a very sweet lady, Jamie," Henry replied. "And I think if you met her before Sydney..."
"I love my wife Pop," Jamie replied quickly. "I have some work to do, straightening up before Sydney gets home. See you on Sunday."
Henry took his leave and Jamie stretched out on the sofa. He fell asleep in mere seconds. He was almost as exhausted as Eddie.
Sydney let herself in just after six. Usually Jamie had dinner purchased or going but tonight he was sound asleep.
Sydney kicked off her shoes and nudged Jamie awake. "Hey, you okay?"
Jamie sat up seeing it was dark. "Yeah, I must have really needed the nap. I have to get Eddie up she's been sleeping since I gave her a bath earlier."
"I'll wake her and I'll call for dinner, you get some more rest, you need it." Sydney put her briefcase down and woke Eddie. Eddie asked to stay in bed and Sydney obliged her. Sydney ordered pasta and soup from an Italian eatery and she and Jamie shared a quiet supper. Sydney didn't quite know how to tell Jamie about her upcoming travel, he was so tired and stressed. Still she was leaving in the morning, even though it was a Saturday, she had to tell him sometime.
A few hours later, Jamie watched Eddie sleeping soundly in her bed. Jamie looked at his old friend, now wearing oxygen at night at least for a while. At least tomorrow he could have a little break, Sydney would be home and he was off until Rose started on Monday.
Sydney appeared behind him, "Jamie, I have to tell you…I'm leaving in the morning for England. I'll be gone about a week," Sydney explained. "It's a huge case and I can't say no. I'm so sorry I know you're tired..."
"Just go Syd," he replied. "You are bringing home the biggest money anyway, that's how we afford all of this right? Never mind this is a two or three person job and I need a little break. Go."
"Jamie…" Sydney didn't expect his anger, but she knew it was the fatigue talking.
"It's fine, go on. I'm just going to check on Eddie...I don't think I have her leg right and I don't want any more problems. She won't survive another problem right now."
Sydney pulled Jamie in for a hug, "I really am sorry."
He nodded and went to check Eddie. He longed for the days when they road together. When Syd was out of town, they would have movie nights and Eddie made sure he was taken care of properly. They had a partnership then, now...Just thinking of doing this for a week alone...Eddie moaned in her sleep. Her body twitched...Her breathing was pretty shallow, even more so than usual. Suddenly it was all too much, he was shouting at his wife; grieving for his friend, riding with a moron...Jamie couldn't stop the tears.
Eddie awoke to the sound of uncontrollable sobbing, surprised to find it was Jamie.
"Jamie what's wrong?" Eddie asked groggily.
Jamie only responded with more sobs doubled over with the force of his tears.
Shifting in bed so she got a better look Eddie studied him.
"Look at me Jamie, what's wrong?"
"It's just everything at once Eddie. You were just so sick and now Syd is leaving on a case and..."
Eddie shook her head realizing why Jamie was so upset. "I'm sorry Jamie she'll be back you know that right? Hey, she loves you."
"I know…" Jamie sighed. "But she doesn't understand me. She doesn't understand and it's so hard…"
Eddie nodded, "Jamie, if you can't do this. I can use my disability when it comes and…"
"No, Eddie, that's not it," Jamie replied. "That's not it at all…It's my new partner. He's the son of a man Danny knew in Iraq. He's like Danny as a rookie cop but without the instinct or the respect. I spent most of the day waiting to get hit by a bullet. I never had that with you, and if we had a bad day on the job, we talked and didn't bring it home. Syd can't handle hearing about the job, the danger…"
"Jamie I'm sorry. I know you have a lot going on. C'mere lay on my chest so I can hug you. That's what I really miss, us having a good, hard hug."
Jamie looked up at her red eyed, he wasn't sure if this was right but he missed the support of Eddie's partnership too. He shifted so his head rested on her chest gently.
Eddie moved her head so her cheek rested on Jamie's hair in an alternative hug. "Try to rest…Maybe tomorrow it can be like old times. We can rent pay per view movies and eat pizza…just veg…"
Jamie smiled, he liked that idea. He liked that idea a lot.
A/N: Jamie is buckling under the stress and Sydney is too involved in earning money to do anything to help him. Thankfully, Eddie is home and they are getting so experienced help.
Next Update – June 19th – Rose's first week, and her last…What brings that on?