Chapter 44

I forgot about the Hammer and Gray Stone after the call. I forgot, but I did go back to the car wash and begin working on the script again. I took a couple of breaks to check my main email, which remained empty. The next thing I knew, I had written the same sentence twice, so I decided it was time for me to crawl into bed. It was after midnight, so I was gonna get less than my usual six hours sleep.

When I woke at 6AM, I found that I felt clumsy. Not a lot, and not slightly, just clumsy. I started my walk with the war club. It kept me more stable than anything else would have. I got beside the convenience store before I had to stop and toss my cookies in the grass by the parking lot. I was glad that miss Saigon tea didn’t see me. She might have made me clean it up. That would have guaranteed that I did it again, since I still felt wobbly.

I didn’t go inside the store. I just turned and walked back to the car wash and to bed. My stomach was rolling every time I woke. After several hours I drove out to the Emergi care where Thia worked. Even though she wasn’t working, they took me right away. There were probably some pissed off folks in the waiting room. Before the doctor even saw me, I spoke to the charge nurse who got all my information, and took me in for an ex-ray or some such crap.

The doctor said, “So you are Cindy’s father. You did a hell of a job raising her. She is the best charge nurse, I have ever seen. We have tried to move her into management, but she refuses.”

“So I’ve heard. If she won’t move, trust me, she has her reasons,” I replied.

“Okay, so about you. Good news is that there is no signs of an Ulcer, or any tumors. Bad news is that there are signs of excessive use of over the counter pain killers. What exactly do you take for the hip pain?” He asked.

“I’m surprised you even noticed that I have hip pain. Most of the doctors don’t look at the chart, I’m told.” I said.

“If you’ve been told that by Cindy, I’m sure it’s true. Do you have any idea how fucked, I’d be if I missed anything on your chart?” he asked.

“I can only imagine,” I said. “So.” I went on to explain about the OTC cocktail of pain killers.

“You know that isn’t good for your liver. Now I’m going to have to do a blood test before you leave. One thing for sure stop with the morning double dose. The afternoon and night size dose is excessive but probably harmless. That double dose you take in the mornings might be damaging your liver. Another hip replacement might be in order,” he said.

“Is there something I can get in the drug store to ease this stomach thing,” I asked.

We are getting to that, first of all take the regular cocktail with food of something that is bland. Do not drink coffee while you walk. If you insist on something, drink hot cocoa. You will figure out something. The rest of his advice was about what not to eat.

He ended with “Mr. Rollins you have a pre-ulcerous condition. I can give you a word for it, but it wouldn’t mean anything to you. Once you leave here stop by a pharmacy and get the persciptions filled. Then when you get home take the packet of four super laxative pills, and start on the stomach pills. Try cutting back on the cocktail till in the morning. Take the Aleve in the afternoon then the Tylenol again at night. Figure out where you really have pain and maybe add a Tylenol there.” he said.

“I got it. Cut back on the OTC pills,” I said.

“You’ve got it,” he said. “Your daughter explained something on the phone to me. I know you are hard headed, and refuse to do any maintenance on your body. So call me, or ask her for advice, if you have this problem again.”

“One more thing. This visit has been like doctor’s visits used to be. You listened and you didn’t talk like god delivering the ten commandments. If you have a problem that I can help with, call me,” I said that as I slipped him a card.

“I can’t do this with all my patients, I wish I could. It’s only going to get worse as the doctors have less and less flexibility. I do appreciate that you understand. Now take care. I don’t want your daughter on my ass.” He said the last on his way out the door.

I went home, took the pills as directed then worked on the script from Durham County. It was just easier to think of it as Janet’s script or Tanya’s script. For lunch I chose a frozen entree. Something made with some form of meat and a bland mac&cheese on the side. I figured it was a good compromise.

At 4PM I took a break. I heard Thia park in front of my deck, which sloped toward the street. Thia said it suited my crooked old man persona. It was actually because I hired a carpenter who was still in rehab to do the work. It was build strong and sturdy. It just wasn’t quite level.

Thia was actually on that deck with a couple of bags of groceries. The first thing she did was go through the shelves in the kitchen. She remove most of the food we had bought the first part of the week. Some she replaced, some she tossed into a trash bad. The one thing I noticed was everything seemed to be weight watchers type shit.

“It’s got less spice in it. It’s made to appeal to women,” she said. There is a half gallon of 2% chocolate milk, and a bottle of sugar free chocolate syrup. When you pour the milk into that beer mug you use to heat coffee, leave room for a squirt of chocolate syrup. Then just drink it like coffee. While you were listening to Ted, I was doing addiction therapy for hard heads like you. I didn’t know what you had, but the frozen meals are better for you than all that diner shit you eat.”

“I’ll eat more frozen shit, but I’m still going to eat fast food now and then. Breakfast by the lake,” I said.

“We are going to get hold of your gut issues, because I will not let you die, now that I’ve got you where I want you,” she said. “Walk more times, but shorter distances per trip,” she demanded. “I’m going to get you a dog, so you can walk at night.”