Chapter 26

From the time I had been very young my body had reacted to an oncoming illness in the same way every time; I would need an inordinate amount of sleep as my body settled itself to fight whatever infection my immune system was battling.

Piecing together what Lisa-Marie and the others told me later, when she came upstairs to go to bed she found that I was running a high temperature and I was sprawled across the bed, occupying most of it. When she tried to awaken me in order to get me to move so she'd have room to come to bed herself, I simply groaned and pushed her away without awakening. At least that's all I did until she accidentally touched my lower stomach, then I came 'awake' with a scream.

She was standing there staring at me when Fran and Andy knocked on the door then hurried into the room wondering what was wrong. Fran simply took charge since she had taken many of the courses that Andy was planning on taking and much more during her training. After only moments of checking my sleep clouded reactions she'd ordered Andy to call an ambulance. At that point she was already certain that I had appendicitis and she was worried that my appendix had burst.

I don't remember the women trying to reduce my temperature with ice packs and cold cloths. I don't remember the ride to the hospital in the ambulance. Actually, to be honest, I don't remember any of that night or the next day. In fact I only have blurred memories of the day after that. When I did awaken fully, it was on the third day and it was to see the faces of Mom, Lisa-Marie and Fran.

I realized instantly that I wasn't at home and that I had a damn sore belly. I was only awake for a few minutes that time, but it was long enough for them to reassure me that I was on the road to recovery. Then my body again did its thing; I fell asleep while they were talking to me.

Over the next few days it seems that I completely confounded the doctors and the hospital staff. Firstly, they were astonished that I slept so much and so soundly. Secondly, they could hardly believe that when I was conscious I was amazingly cleared headed. Thirdly, they couldn't seem to understand how my body managed to heal so quickly.

They had put me on a treatment schedule of antibiotics and had installed a plastic tube to drain away any pus that formed in the peritoneal cavity because my appendix had burst and they expected peritonitis. Instead, after some initial minor bleeding immediately following the operation, there seemed to be no sepsis. After three days they were forced to remove the tube from the wound and stitch the area because my body was attempting to heal over the tube.

On the seventh day of my stay in the hospital I was awakened by my internal alarm at my 'regular' time to get out of bed, five-thirty in the morning. My body had decided that it was well enough for me to go about my daily life again.

Of course the night duty nurse disagreed with my arguments, but for some reason she gave in to my demands to see the people in charge of my case. Not much later my doctor and the surgeon who had operated on me came to see me and the battle raged. In the long run I insisted that they remove the tubes and needles from my body so that I could attempt to stand on my own feet and for some unknown reason they gave in. I astonished them by not only standing, but by actually walking a few steps with relatively little discomfort and no apparent pain.

They wouldn't allow me to take more than a few steps before they insisted that I get back into bed. As soon as I complied, they began a series of tests to assess the amount of damage I had done to my body by the 'irresponsible' activity. I think it was a shock to them all to discover that they couldn't find any damage at all. After all, it was supposed to take a minimum of ten to twelve days to recover from the surgery they had performed. I argued that it was only a couple of days difference, but they still disagreed with me and since they were in control, I was still stuck in bed.

That discussion with the doctors had taken place early Saturday morning and since I couldn't seem to get back to sleep, I had nothing else to do, but lay there and think. I was bored and on top of that, I was hungry.

As I lay there, I was thinking about how it was a waste of time, then I realised that it was the last day of March. That meant that I was going to have to spend at least the first two weeks of April just recovering from the dang operation and I might not be fully recovered for six weeks. I hadn't had time to check over my seed drill and other machinery that I would need for seeding my fields that spring. Suddenly it dawned on me that in a worst case scenario instead of being able to seed my own fields this year; I might have to hire someone to help me do it and for some unknown reason that bothered me a tremendous amount.

Of course those thoughts put me into a grumpy mood, then when they brought me breakfast, the fact that the portions were so small and so tasteless didn't help me to feel any better. The only thing that seemed to have any taste was the watery orange juice and it was bitter. To make matters worse as far as I was concerned I wasn't allowed to have any coffee, just some very weak tea without sugar. At least I was no longer on the IVs, and rid of the needles in my arms. That in turn meant I could move around a little bit, but I still wasn't supposed to get out of bed. So after breakfast I was forced to ask for a bed pan which I hated.

After the breakfast and the bed pan, I had another short visit from Dr. Franklin and a nurse. While they were there, they changed my bandages, took a blood sample and checked my blood pressure as well as taking my pulse and my temperature.

As that was going on, I thought I saw Fran sneak a peek in the door, but I wasn't positive. Whoever it was just waved as she passed the doorway and didn't come into the room.

The doctor and nurse had hardly left when an older nurse came into the room and insisted on giving me a sponge bath. Her technique reminded me of 'Whipper' Billy Watson, the professional wrestler. There was no argument with her, she simply used muscle and leverage to do a job that she really didn't appear to care for. It seemed to me that she simply wanted to finish in the shortest time possible and she didn't appear to give a damn when I complained, if anything my complaints made her actions rougher than they had been previously.

In only a few moments she was followed by a pair of nurses who changed the sheets on the bed while I was still in it. Now, that was an exercise which was guaranteed to try anyone's patience, particularly if they were suffering from the mood I was in at the time. I would far rather have gotten out of bed, let them change the dang sheets and then have gotten back into bed. However they insisted that they had to follow hospital procedure and do the job the hard way, rolling and shifting my body from side to side as they pulled and poked to shift the bedding around. Before they had finished the job, my wound actually began to hurt. I think it hurt more to be rolled and shifted around the way they did it than it had to get out of bed and climb back in like I had done earlier. I'm afraid my mood was so bad that I let them know my opinion in no uncertain terms.

That complaint brought the head nurse to my bedside in short order.

"Mr Williams, I understand that you have a complaint and I would take it kindly if you would make your complaints directly to me in the future..." She stated in a sharp tone, which really set me off.

"Bullshit!" I growled, interrupting her. "But, if you want complaints, I'll gladly provide you with a few. I'd like to hear the reason for some of the crap that I've put up with. Why is it a policy for people to be put through pain and discomfort when it can be avoided? I was told it was your policy that I had to remain in bed while I was shoved and rolled around to change the sheets. I've been in and out of bed earlier this morning and it hurt a hell of a lot less. Are you trying to extend my recovery time? Secondly, my body needs food in order to recover. The amount of food that I received this morning is a snack for someone of my age and condition. Thirdly, I am a believer in natural preventive medication and I have yet to see my herbal medication advisor although I believe she is in the hospital at the present time. Would you like me to carry on from there?"

"This hospital does not subscribe to holistic medication." She said haughtily as if that was the end of the argument.

"Madam, the original diagnosis of appendicitis was made by my herbal supplement advisor. According to what I've been told, her treatment until the emergency medical team arrived quite probably saved me from being in more danger and far more pain than I suffered." I snapped back. "On top of that I understand I have been recovering and healing far faster than is considered normal. It's my belief that her preventive medications, which I was taking prior to my admission to this hospital, are probably responsible for that fact. However, I think being manhandled by the wrestling tag team that you've sent around this morning has probably set my recovery back by at least a day, if not more. Now I'd like to see my doctor again, I think my wound has been stressed and I'd like to have him to check it."

She tried to put up an argument, but I insisted that I wanted to see Dr. Franklin and requested that Fran Lowther be allowed in to see me as well. I was surprised that she actually went down the hall and returned with both Dr. Franklin and Fran, then to my astonishment, they were joined by Andy's doctor, Dr. Timmins. It seemed that he happened to have a patient in the next ward and just dropped around to see me while he was there. Since the head nurse had stuck her nose back in as well, it felt like the whole ward was crowded.

Dr. Franklin asked for the help of the same nurse who had been with him earlier and when they opened my bandages, I could see from their faces that something was different.

"What is it Doc?" I asked flatly.

"The stitching closing off the incision has been stressed. Exactly what happened?" Dr. Franklin asked quietly. "You didn't try to get up again, did you?"

"No, but I did have a sponge bath administered by a professional wrestler disguised as a nurse and then had my sheets changed by a tag team from the same crew. The head nurse has assured me that everything was done according to hospital policy, but it didn't feel right to me." I did my best to try to remain calm.

"Neither procedure was exactly painless." I added needlessly.

"I can see that." He lifted his eyes and looked at the head nurse who definitely looked uncomfortable. "Nothing irreparable has been done, but this will quite possibly postpone your release from the hospital for one day, if not two. As well, you're quite probably going to end up with more pronounced scarring than I had hoped for."

Then he smiled. "Of course the way you seem to heal, I'm certain you'll still be inside the minimum recovery time. Now, you wished to talk to Fran?"

"I just wanted to ask the two of you about having some of her herbal teas. I understand though, from what the head nurse has said, that it might take a Papal intervention or something of that order to get anything like that past hospital policy."

I caught a glint of humour in Fran's eye at that, then a glance passed between her and the doctor.

"Oh, I somehow doubt it will take that much." Dr. Franklin said softly, staring openly at the head nurse as if daring her to argue with him.

The head nurse simply seemed to evaporate, she disappeared so quickly after that. Then Dr. Franklin managed a small smile as he laid a hand on my arm.

"The incision isn't really too painful, is it?" He asked.

"No, it's mostly annoying is all." I sighed. "It did hurt when the 'tag team' was rolling me around like a rag doll, but it's not extremely painful now unless I move the wrong way. I just think there has to be a better way to do things than the technique they used."

"In your case, I can well understand your feelings." He smiled. "The unfortunate thing is that it reopened the wound and now we have to worry about for secondary infections once more."

"That's not something I wanted to hear, Doc. I can't afford this kind of bull shit, not at this time of year. I should be at home readying my equipment for spring planting and getting prepared for the spring season. I have cattle that will be freshening and all sorts of work that needs to be done." I frowned at him. "If I get secondary infection that I can prove was caused by this treatment, I have half a mind to get a lawyer. Right now I feel I should sue the ass off of the hospital and all those stupid old wenches like they would in 'the States.' That would serve the bloody old witches right. The first one that I'd like to see have her arse chewed out is that stupid head nurse."

"Easy, Tom." Fran said quietly. "You're hurting more than you let on, aren't you?"

"Fran, it's not that I hurt so much, as the fact that I feel totally frustrated by this kind of crap. I treat my animals better than they treat humans. That tag team threw me around like I was in a wrestling match. First I got pummelled by the silly witch with claws on her finger tips and a grungy rag in her hand that she claimed was a wash cloth. She seemed to think she was in a race against the clock. Then I got rolled around and hammered even more by those two stupid old grouches who refused to listen when I told them they were hurting me. No one should have to put up with that kind of BS. When I did complain, all I got was that idiotic drivel about the fact that I should make my complaints to the head nurse, not the people who were hurting me." I growled. "If I hadn't complained, I doubt if I'd have seen her in the first place, she's never shown her face here before. After that she had the nerve to tell me that the hospital didn't believe in holistic medication. Having talked to the two of you, I'd suspect you've forgotten more than that old bat is ever capable of learning. If I see any one of those four witches again, I'm going to refuse to let them touch me."

"Now, Tom, I'm sure that isn't necessary..." The Doctor started to say and I interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Franklin, I'm not faulting you in any way, but the Agricultural College down the road teaches better procedures for the care of animals than those four women showed toward me. I don't want them near me again because I don't trust them not to injure me. If I have to, I'll register a complaint with the chief administrator of the hospital to that effect."

"But..."

"There are no buts about it." I said flatly. "I'm normally very reasonable, but I will not lie around and be treated like a doormat. I treat everyone with respect until they prove to me that they are not worthy of that respect, then I treat then in the same manner that they've shown me."

I saw Fran look at the doctor and raise her eyebrows in a question. For some reason, I saw even that as a corroboration of my suspicions. That's when I became truly uncooperative and extremely grouchy.

I wasn't proud of the way I was acting, but in truth, I was frustrated and I was hurting. The reason I was frustrated was that I'd been doing so well and was so hopeful of recovering quickly, but now my recuperation had been stalled. I was positive that my convalescence had been set back by the actions and inattention of people who were supposed to be caring and concerned with my well-being and instead had been the opposite. The frustrating part was the fact that I was positive I wasn't the only one that had been treated this way, I had the suspicion that I was only the last of a series of victims that probably stretched back over a period of years.

I know it probably wasn't fair, but I dumped my suspicions and my frustration on Fran and Dr. Franklin. I'm not proud of the fact, but I felt myself become even more uncooperative and sullen. I know now that it was all reaction on my part and I really wasn't responding the way I normally would have, but that's what happened. I became suspicious of anyone coming close to me and while I knew it was simply reaction to what had happened, I couldn't seem to stop myself from becoming distrusting and cynical.

Looking back on the situation later, I think it was at that point that Dr. Franklin and Fran both realised that I wasn't going to simply lie back and forget it. I glared at all of them, even at Andy's doctor, Dr. Timmins. He certainly didn't deserve that, he hadn't entered the discussion in any way and had only come by to say hello. I think it might have been that glare that was the reason for what followed. Before the three of them left my bedside, Dr. Franklin warned me that he was sending around a nurse to administer a mild sedative, then they left me alone to stew in my anger.

It wasn't long before a much younger and much more pleasant and caring nurse came in to give me a shot. She was so different in her age and attitude that I actually asked her why she was so pleasant while the older nurses had been so inattentive. At first she had tried to put me off, but when I became more insistent, she'd said something about union protocol and staff seniority.

"You mean that because of union protocol and staff seniority the hospital would lay itself open to a five or ten-million-dollar class action lawsuit?" I asked in astonishment. "Perhaps if my lawyer included the union in the lawsuit it would get some action?"