The Long Road, Part 8
Keith would sleep most of the day, so Shirley and Danny did their errands, such as picking up the rental car and shopping. Luckily, the hotel had a room with a small kitchenette and two bedrooms, and they moved into it, preparing for a long stay. Towards the end of the evening, they both headed back over to the hospital to visit Keith one last time before bedding down for the night.
He was still asleep when they entered, much to their satisfaction, and they settled into the chairs for the duration of the visiting hours. It wasn't long before Danny fell asleep, apparently exhausted over his guilt trip over Keith's reaction to the transfusion, and Shirley let him go, covering him with a blanket and kissing his freckled forehead. He was a godsend to her right now, and she loved him dearly. He would be a big help in the coming days, as Keith recovered. She knew Danny would be a willing crutch for her. He loved his brother with every fiber of his being, even though he exhibited completely opposite behavior sometimes. Danny loved having Keith around to tease, sometimes almost mercilessly, and it was usually fun to sit back and watch the two of them go at it with one another, sometimes even pulling an unwitting Laurie in on it. Shirley sighed. She would miss her oldest daughter; just to have someone to talk to, on an adult level. Danny sometimes acted quite a few years older than he was, but he was no adult. Besides, Laurie was a girl, and she and Shirley related to more than the men in the family would ever fathom.
Shirley found her own head bobbing, her body begging for sleep, and she finally succumbed, leaning against Keith's bed and drifting pleasantly off.
Keith's eyes fluttered open. Where was he? He knew he was hot, and he reached up, his hand feeling his burning forehead. He was thirsty and he pushed himself up, wriggling out of the covers. A wave of dizziness passed over him and he sat there trying to regain focus as the room around him swayed. After a second, he planted his feet on the floor and stood up, still a little woozy. Water. He had to have water, or he knew he would die…He took a step, then another and stopped when he felt the tug of the I.V. tube in his left hand. Staring at it, he shook his spinning head and yanked the needle away, tearing off the bandage that held it down. That done, he stumbled toward the door, everything in his path quavering and fever burning through his skull.
His hand bleeding from the removal of the I.V., he staggered down the empty hallway in his quest for something cool to drink; something for his parched throat, something to quell the fire…
A cart full of medication sat in his path and he saw the water pitcher on it, beckoning to him. The vertigo impeded his judgement. He stumbled into the cart, falling forward into it and there was a mighty crash as the loaded cart hit the wall and Keith went down in a heap.
The floor nurse was just returning from her rounds when she heard the commotion and she ran to Keith's balled form just as Shirley stepped out of the room. She'd been surprised to find his bed empty and had immediately associated the noise in the hall with her missing son.
"Keith!" She wailed. Not again…he'd collapsed once on her already; she didn't need this again.
The nurse looked up. "I'll get an orderly!"
She dashed off as Shirley knelt beside him, looking him over. His hand was bleeding and he had a bruise already growing under his right eye.
"Keith…are you awake? Talk to me!"
There was no response, and Shirley gently rubbed his arm, silently praying. She was hoping that Danny hadn't heard the commotion, but it wasn't to be. The red head stepped into the hallway.
"Mom, what happened?"
"I don't know. Danny, stay back. They're getting him some help." Her orders were stern, and Danny obeyed, staring openly at his brother there in a heap on the floor.
The nurse returned with a tall, burly man and a stretcher and Shirley moved aside as the orderly easily swept Keith up and eased him down onto the gurney. Keith moaned, and Shirley reached over, petting his head as the nurse directed the orderly to the room.
Her son now safe and back in his bed, Shirley kissed his head and felt the warmth emitting from it. She looked at the nurse, who was putting the I.V. back, this time into his other hand. "He's very warm," Shirley told her.
"It's probably why he got out of bed. I'll contact Dr. Burns and see what he wants to do. In the meantime, you should keep him cool. We'll pull the bedcovers down and cool him down with some water." The nurse and Shirley pulled the top covers from off of him while Danny stood by, waiting to help.
It was going to be another very long night….
Keith awoke to Danny's freckled face peering at him from above and startled, Keith drew back into his pillow, his eyes still trying to focus. "Danny!" he gasped.
"How do you feel?" Danny hadn't moved his proximity, looking over every inch of his brother's face.
Keith swallowed. "Where's Mom?"
Now, Danny pulled back. "Talking to Dr. Burns. You got out of bed, you know that?"
"I did?" Keith seemed puzzled, bewildered. He looked down at his hands. The I.V. had switched over into his right hand, and the other one had a band aid on it. He glanced up at the tubing and the stand.
"Yeah, you pulled out the needle and went out into the hall. Then you high dived it right into a medicine cart." Danny seemed to enjoy his little walk down memory lane at Keith's expense.
Keith reflected. He remembered craving water; remembered seeing the pitcher. Oh, god, he thought. He DID get out of bed!
Danny nodded towards him. "We can explain that black eye by telling people you got in a fight if it will make you feel better."
Keith reached up, his fingers touching his right cheekbone. It was tender and he flinched as Shirley came into the room.
"Oh, Keith, you're awake," she said, relieved. "How do you feel, honey?" She took a seat on the bed, taking his left hand.
"Okay. Danny told me about my…excursion. I'm sorry."
She laughed, reaching over and stroking his forehead. "Your fever was pretty high, honey. I think it made you a little delirious. Dr. Burns checked you over; no real damage done, thank goodness. Except for that eye."
Keith gulped. "What else did he say? Are the antibiotics gonna get rid of this virus?" He could only hope. A lot.
Her smile penetrated his heart. "Everything looks wonderful, Keith. The virus has stopped progressing."
Blowing out a breath, Keith sagged back into the pillow. He wanted to cry, but knew that Danny wouldn't let him hear the end of it. Oh, what the heck? It was the best news he'd heard in a long time. The tears welled in his eyes, anyway. "He's sure?"
Shirley smiled down at him, nodding her head. Danny whooped as Keith sat up and the two of them hugged him at the same time.
They parted, and Shirley took her eldest's face in her hands. "He also said that as it leaves your system, it will make you very, very tired; exhausted. You will still have some pain, and your muscles and joints will be affected the most. You won't feel like doing much of anything, and sometimes it's going to hurt just to move, but in a few days, he said, you'll start regaining your strength and the pain will ease." She looked over at Danny. "Your brother's going to need you a lot in the next little while, Danny. He's going to have a tough time functioning; getting dressed, walking…are you sure you can handle the responsibility?"
Studying Keith's countenance, Danny took a deep breath. "I can. I'll be here for you, Keith." He threw his arms around Keith once again.
Keith grinned tiredly. Was it just his mother's description of his upcoming recovery, or was he really starting to feel tired and achy? "Thanks, Danny…" As Danny pulled away, Keith grimaced. "I think it's starting already…" He lay back into the pillow as Shirley adjusted the bed so he had some elevation.
"I'll let the doctor know. He wants to get your medication ordered and do a final few tests before he releases you," Shirley squeezed his hand.
"When's that gonna be, Mom?" Danny asked.
"It could be as early as tomorrow, Danny. But we're going to stay here a few days so Keith can rest before we go home." She reached over, kissing Danny's head, then Keith's. "I'll go find Dr. Burns. Then, Danny, you and I can go back to the hotel."
"Thanks, Mom," Keith smiled up at her, trying to squeeze her hand in return, but the effort was lost. He was just so very, very tired…
Her hand brushed his face and she and Danny waited until he'd fallen back to sleep before they got up.
It took nearly half the morning for Keith to get dressed. The doctor was releasing him into Shirley and Danny's willing hands, but he was beginning to think twice about it. If it took him this long to just get his clothes on, what were the next few days going to be like? He'd gotten his jeans on; that had taken a good half an hour, then while he rested from that strenuous activity, Danny had come in to help him with his shoes and socks. Now, all that was left was his shirt, and he was actually too tired to move.
"Come on, Keith. One last thing. I'll button it for you," Danny held up the blue and white small dotted garment.
Lying back against the pillow, Keith closed his eyes, trying to muster the strength to at least sit up. Danny had been so patient, but he knew the novelty would be wearing off. Danny was not one to keep still for very long, and Keith's infirmity was going to test him to the limit.
"Just a second, okay?" Keith's chest heaved.
Danny watched him with concern. "Are you really that weak?"
Keith nodded, hauling in a deep breath. "As a kitten. It's pretty embarrassing."
Danny grinned. "Too bad Tracy's not here. She'd finally be able to win somebody in arm wrestling."
Keith shot him a withering look. "Okay, Mr. Funnyman…fork over the shirt." With Danny's help, Keith sat forward, easing his legs down toward the floor. Danny helped him on with the shirt, then came around to the front and began buttoning it as Shirley came in.
"Progress!" she smiled, "I see you're finally dressed."
Keith smiled tiredly. "Yeah, thanks to Danny. I'd put him in a headlock, but frankly, I can't lift my arms."
"Keep talking, Keith, and I'll button this wrong and all the cute nurses will think you're more pathetic than you are," Danny smirked. "You DO like the very top one buttoned, don't you?"
Gagging at the thought of being choked, Keith tried pushing him away. "You do and I'll tell them I need some more blood from you. I'll get them to take it out of your rear end."
Danny grinned, having finished his task. He ruffled Keith's hair, just to see how long it took him to get his hand up to fix it.
Shirley laughed, helping her son with his coif, smoothing it back to its original state. His hair gleamed in the sunlight emitting from the window and she took special pride in knowing that he'd been cleaned up in the shower by two male nurses (her request, not his) for his trip back to the hotel.
A nurse with a wheelchair entered, and between the three of them, they got Keith into it, heading downstairs with his belongings, his prescriptions and leaving most of the virus behind, thank the good Lord.
to be continued...
Keith would sleep most of the day, so Shirley and Danny did their errands, such as picking up the rental car and shopping. Luckily, the hotel had a room with a small kitchenette and two bedrooms, and they moved into it, preparing for a long stay. Towards the end of the evening, they both headed back over to the hospital to visit Keith one last time before bedding down for the night.
He was still asleep when they entered, much to their satisfaction, and they settled into the chairs for the duration of the visiting hours. It wasn't long before Danny fell asleep, apparently exhausted over his guilt trip over Keith's reaction to the transfusion, and Shirley let him go, covering him with a blanket and kissing his freckled forehead. He was a godsend to her right now, and she loved him dearly. He would be a big help in the coming days, as Keith recovered. She knew Danny would be a willing crutch for her. He loved his brother with every fiber of his being, even though he exhibited completely opposite behavior sometimes. Danny loved having Keith around to tease, sometimes almost mercilessly, and it was usually fun to sit back and watch the two of them go at it with one another, sometimes even pulling an unwitting Laurie in on it. Shirley sighed. She would miss her oldest daughter; just to have someone to talk to, on an adult level. Danny sometimes acted quite a few years older than he was, but he was no adult. Besides, Laurie was a girl, and she and Shirley related to more than the men in the family would ever fathom.
Shirley found her own head bobbing, her body begging for sleep, and she finally succumbed, leaning against Keith's bed and drifting pleasantly off.
Keith's eyes fluttered open. Where was he? He knew he was hot, and he reached up, his hand feeling his burning forehead. He was thirsty and he pushed himself up, wriggling out of the covers. A wave of dizziness passed over him and he sat there trying to regain focus as the room around him swayed. After a second, he planted his feet on the floor and stood up, still a little woozy. Water. He had to have water, or he knew he would die…He took a step, then another and stopped when he felt the tug of the I.V. tube in his left hand. Staring at it, he shook his spinning head and yanked the needle away, tearing off the bandage that held it down. That done, he stumbled toward the door, everything in his path quavering and fever burning through his skull.
His hand bleeding from the removal of the I.V., he staggered down the empty hallway in his quest for something cool to drink; something for his parched throat, something to quell the fire…
A cart full of medication sat in his path and he saw the water pitcher on it, beckoning to him. The vertigo impeded his judgement. He stumbled into the cart, falling forward into it and there was a mighty crash as the loaded cart hit the wall and Keith went down in a heap.
The floor nurse was just returning from her rounds when she heard the commotion and she ran to Keith's balled form just as Shirley stepped out of the room. She'd been surprised to find his bed empty and had immediately associated the noise in the hall with her missing son.
"Keith!" She wailed. Not again…he'd collapsed once on her already; she didn't need this again.
The nurse looked up. "I'll get an orderly!"
She dashed off as Shirley knelt beside him, looking him over. His hand was bleeding and he had a bruise already growing under his right eye.
"Keith…are you awake? Talk to me!"
There was no response, and Shirley gently rubbed his arm, silently praying. She was hoping that Danny hadn't heard the commotion, but it wasn't to be. The red head stepped into the hallway.
"Mom, what happened?"
"I don't know. Danny, stay back. They're getting him some help." Her orders were stern, and Danny obeyed, staring openly at his brother there in a heap on the floor.
The nurse returned with a tall, burly man and a stretcher and Shirley moved aside as the orderly easily swept Keith up and eased him down onto the gurney. Keith moaned, and Shirley reached over, petting his head as the nurse directed the orderly to the room.
Her son now safe and back in his bed, Shirley kissed his head and felt the warmth emitting from it. She looked at the nurse, who was putting the I.V. back, this time into his other hand. "He's very warm," Shirley told her.
"It's probably why he got out of bed. I'll contact Dr. Burns and see what he wants to do. In the meantime, you should keep him cool. We'll pull the bedcovers down and cool him down with some water." The nurse and Shirley pulled the top covers from off of him while Danny stood by, waiting to help.
It was going to be another very long night….
Keith awoke to Danny's freckled face peering at him from above and startled, Keith drew back into his pillow, his eyes still trying to focus. "Danny!" he gasped.
"How do you feel?" Danny hadn't moved his proximity, looking over every inch of his brother's face.
Keith swallowed. "Where's Mom?"
Now, Danny pulled back. "Talking to Dr. Burns. You got out of bed, you know that?"
"I did?" Keith seemed puzzled, bewildered. He looked down at his hands. The I.V. had switched over into his right hand, and the other one had a band aid on it. He glanced up at the tubing and the stand.
"Yeah, you pulled out the needle and went out into the hall. Then you high dived it right into a medicine cart." Danny seemed to enjoy his little walk down memory lane at Keith's expense.
Keith reflected. He remembered craving water; remembered seeing the pitcher. Oh, god, he thought. He DID get out of bed!
Danny nodded towards him. "We can explain that black eye by telling people you got in a fight if it will make you feel better."
Keith reached up, his fingers touching his right cheekbone. It was tender and he flinched as Shirley came into the room.
"Oh, Keith, you're awake," she said, relieved. "How do you feel, honey?" She took a seat on the bed, taking his left hand.
"Okay. Danny told me about my…excursion. I'm sorry."
She laughed, reaching over and stroking his forehead. "Your fever was pretty high, honey. I think it made you a little delirious. Dr. Burns checked you over; no real damage done, thank goodness. Except for that eye."
Keith gulped. "What else did he say? Are the antibiotics gonna get rid of this virus?" He could only hope. A lot.
Her smile penetrated his heart. "Everything looks wonderful, Keith. The virus has stopped progressing."
Blowing out a breath, Keith sagged back into the pillow. He wanted to cry, but knew that Danny wouldn't let him hear the end of it. Oh, what the heck? It was the best news he'd heard in a long time. The tears welled in his eyes, anyway. "He's sure?"
Shirley smiled down at him, nodding her head. Danny whooped as Keith sat up and the two of them hugged him at the same time.
They parted, and Shirley took her eldest's face in her hands. "He also said that as it leaves your system, it will make you very, very tired; exhausted. You will still have some pain, and your muscles and joints will be affected the most. You won't feel like doing much of anything, and sometimes it's going to hurt just to move, but in a few days, he said, you'll start regaining your strength and the pain will ease." She looked over at Danny. "Your brother's going to need you a lot in the next little while, Danny. He's going to have a tough time functioning; getting dressed, walking…are you sure you can handle the responsibility?"
Studying Keith's countenance, Danny took a deep breath. "I can. I'll be here for you, Keith." He threw his arms around Keith once again.
Keith grinned tiredly. Was it just his mother's description of his upcoming recovery, or was he really starting to feel tired and achy? "Thanks, Danny…" As Danny pulled away, Keith grimaced. "I think it's starting already…" He lay back into the pillow as Shirley adjusted the bed so he had some elevation.
"I'll let the doctor know. He wants to get your medication ordered and do a final few tests before he releases you," Shirley squeezed his hand.
"When's that gonna be, Mom?" Danny asked.
"It could be as early as tomorrow, Danny. But we're going to stay here a few days so Keith can rest before we go home." She reached over, kissing Danny's head, then Keith's. "I'll go find Dr. Burns. Then, Danny, you and I can go back to the hotel."
"Thanks, Mom," Keith smiled up at her, trying to squeeze her hand in return, but the effort was lost. He was just so very, very tired…
Her hand brushed his face and she and Danny waited until he'd fallen back to sleep before they got up.
It took nearly half the morning for Keith to get dressed. The doctor was releasing him into Shirley and Danny's willing hands, but he was beginning to think twice about it. If it took him this long to just get his clothes on, what were the next few days going to be like? He'd gotten his jeans on; that had taken a good half an hour, then while he rested from that strenuous activity, Danny had come in to help him with his shoes and socks. Now, all that was left was his shirt, and he was actually too tired to move.
"Come on, Keith. One last thing. I'll button it for you," Danny held up the blue and white small dotted garment.
Lying back against the pillow, Keith closed his eyes, trying to muster the strength to at least sit up. Danny had been so patient, but he knew the novelty would be wearing off. Danny was not one to keep still for very long, and Keith's infirmity was going to test him to the limit.
"Just a second, okay?" Keith's chest heaved.
Danny watched him with concern. "Are you really that weak?"
Keith nodded, hauling in a deep breath. "As a kitten. It's pretty embarrassing."
Danny grinned. "Too bad Tracy's not here. She'd finally be able to win somebody in arm wrestling."
Keith shot him a withering look. "Okay, Mr. Funnyman…fork over the shirt." With Danny's help, Keith sat forward, easing his legs down toward the floor. Danny helped him on with the shirt, then came around to the front and began buttoning it as Shirley came in.
"Progress!" she smiled, "I see you're finally dressed."
Keith smiled tiredly. "Yeah, thanks to Danny. I'd put him in a headlock, but frankly, I can't lift my arms."
"Keep talking, Keith, and I'll button this wrong and all the cute nurses will think you're more pathetic than you are," Danny smirked. "You DO like the very top one buttoned, don't you?"
Gagging at the thought of being choked, Keith tried pushing him away. "You do and I'll tell them I need some more blood from you. I'll get them to take it out of your rear end."
Danny grinned, having finished his task. He ruffled Keith's hair, just to see how long it took him to get his hand up to fix it.
Shirley laughed, helping her son with his coif, smoothing it back to its original state. His hair gleamed in the sunlight emitting from the window and she took special pride in knowing that he'd been cleaned up in the shower by two male nurses (her request, not his) for his trip back to the hotel.
A nurse with a wheelchair entered, and between the three of them, they got Keith into it, heading downstairs with his belongings, his prescriptions and leaving most of the virus behind, thank the good Lord.
to be continued...