Chapter 3: What Happened?

About 10 in the morning, Brandon stirred and opened his eyes. Immediately, he changed his mind and closed them because the bright sunlight streaming in bothered him.

“Hello, Brandon, and welcome to my cabin.”

“Ow! Everything hurts! What’s going on? What happened to me? What’s this?”

He gestured to the IV, dripping saline into his arm.

“Shh. Rest easy. My name is Dolores, and I am your nurse. I’m taking care of you. I know you are feeling pain. Brandon, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is a mosquito bite and 9 is severe and almost impossible to bear, what is your number?”

“Ah, maybe seven? Eight? My hand! My knee! What happened?”

“It was an accident on the highway. What was the last thing you remember?”

“I was driving for my worthless courier job. I left Winona, but that’s all I know. Is there any medication you can give me?”

“Yeah, in a little bit. I pulled you out of a wrecked van on the highway. Your van made meat out of a big elk, then flipped and rolled off the asphalt. You were still alive, but you were unconscious. I dragged you out and put you in my truck. Then your van burst into flames, Hollywood style.”

“Not my van. The company owned that shitty thing and paid me next to nothing to drive it. Ow! Uh, thanks for saving me. So, do you have any more drugs for me? Please?”

“I’m going to dose you, but I want you to sit up and talk for a while. The wreck was two and a half days ago; this is the first time you’ve been fully awake. You shouldn’t be sleeping so much; it slows your healing.”

It was a different feeling for Dolores, having just one patient to care for. It brought back memories of the months she spent tending to her dying husband. On her clinic days, she saw a constant stream of older patients with chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, and alcohol-related issues. She noticed there were also a lot more tobacco users—this surprised her.

While learning how to cook the new kinds of meat Mae was bringing, she asked Lisa Rivers for her opinion.

“I think, Dolores, there’s a combination of things. Do you know my age? I’m 54, mother of three, and grandmother of six.”

“Wow, I would have said 35, maybe? Your hair is solid black, and you have hardly any wrinkles and a slim figure.”

“Thank you. But my family is fairly traditional. When we can, we favor the kind of food our ancestors ate. Only one of my sons drinks and smokes, and he doesn’t dare use them in front of me. Particularly after Billy’s father died.

“I’m sorry to say, a whole lot of my people do not make good choices. They eat terrible processed food while lounging in front of the TV and smoking and drinking. There’s a lot of poverty. I hold more hope for our younger people who are seeing these bad examples from our generation.”

Dolores and Lisa maintained their friendship in the following years. Every so often, Lisa and Alan would host a big traditional feast and invite Dolores and Ron.

Brandon interrupted her reminiscing.

“Can you tell me about my injuries? I need to go back to work, or I’m going to be homeless.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m keeping you here to heal; you won’t be homeless.”

“What do you mean? I can’t pay you any rent. I don’t have health insurance.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m your nurse; I’m taking care of you in my home for as long as you need.”

“But if I can’t pay you, why?”

“I have my reasons. Remember this: you owe nothing to stay with us. Your only obligation is to recover your health.”

“Us? You and I are not alone?”

“Ron! Come out. Brandon, this is my son; he’s twelve. When I work at the clinic two days a week, I take him with me so he can attend school. The rest of the time, he studies at home.”

“Hello, Ron. I’m Brandon. You’re not seeing me at my best.”

“You look a lot better now, compared to after the wreck when we put you into our truck.”

“So, you helped save me? Um, thank you!”

“We couldn’t let you burn to death. I just helped my mom lift you.”

“You must be a strong kid. Still, I’m happy you were there. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Brandon noticed Ron was in his pajamas. He said “Good night,” briefly kissed his mother, then went off to his bedroom.

Brandon looked around and realized something.

“This must be your bed. Where are you sleeping?”

“I’m out on the couch, of course.”