Chapter 113

I saw several things in Sara's face when I told her I needed a hug. Strange how a simple show of affection can do that. She brightened up, of course. But there was more to it than that. It was as if she sighed, deep down inside. There was some hesitance, as if she was afraid the girls wouldn't allow it. There was also some joy; someone felt she wasn't completely worthless.

I stood up and she came over to me, enfolding herself in my arms. Her face lay on my chest as we each put our arms about the other. My right hand stroked her back gently and I could feel the muscles relax as I did, her body shiver as she let go of the tension that had kept her wound up tight.

She eased back a bit and I let her loose, holding onto her just long enough to kiss her on the forehead.

"Sara, don't be a stranger. I know you can get through this thing."

"I hope so. I think I'm going to follow Jill's advice and talk to Mom."

"Good idea. She's sure helped me through enough times I screwed up."

"Yeah, well, she'll have her work cut out for her."

"Good. Mom likes a challenge."

By this time, I'd let go of her and eased back into the chair. Funny, how just standing and hugging someone could wear me out.

Sara left and Jill looked at me closely.

"Thanks, Jack."

"For what?"

"For caring. She needs to know she's still cared for."

"That sounds kind of strange, the way you just worked her over."

"Maybe. Jack, she needed me to work her over. And when she gets through this, she'll probably thank me for caring about her. But she also needs to know that she has some value. She screwed up, but that doesn't mean she's worthless."

"Maybe you should have told her that."

"It would have detracted from the message she needed to get from me. Having her hero let her know she's still loved is exactly what she needed. So, how about we try to make you feel better?"

"God, I'd like that. I'm wiped out from just standing up and hugging Sara."

"OK. Mary, could you open a couple of cans of orange juice and mix it for me?"

"Sure. Where are the pitchers?"

"I have an empty gallon milk jug in that cabinet."

Mary opened up the cabinet and found the jug. Meanwhile, Jill grabbed a large funnel and handed it to her. She reached into one of the grocery bags.

"Chicken with rice or noodles?"

"Uhm, rice sounds good."

"Rice it is. Real hungry or a little?"

"I want to say real, but I don't know how much I can really eat."

"Tell you what. I'll make one can now, then we can always make another if you want more."

"Sounds good."

Mary brought over a large glass of orange juice. "Here, try this."

I took a sip. My throat was starting to get sore. Not really bad yet, but I could feel it; more of a potential than actual pain. The juice soothed it.

Jill gave me a handful of pills to take.

"What's all this?"

"Let's see. Vitamin C, garlic, echinacea, some other herbs and a real good multivitamin."

"Garlic?"

"Yep. It's one of the best things when you're congested. I got the odorless kind so you don't stink up the place."

"Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome."

She lay the back of her hand against my forehead.

"We need to get you in bed. You've got a fever."

"No ice baths?"

"Not if you do what you're told."

"Yes, Dear."

I started to work on the pile of pills. Mary came over and topped off my orange juice.

"I'm never going to be able to stop peeing."

"That's fine. It will flush some of the garbage out of your system."

Mary moved out of the way so Jill could place a big bowl of soup in front of me. The smell reminded me of times as a little boy when Mom had given me the same thing. Or, I should say what I was able to smell. My sinuses had become very congested over the last hour or so and I had to breathe through my mouth.

Jill brought over a wrapper of Saltines and sat down next to me while I ate. She lay her hand on my left thigh, leaving my hands free to eat. I could feel the love flowing from her into my leg.

I felt the mucous in the back of my throat and coughed up a wad of it. Keeping it in my mouth, I went into the bathroom, spitting it in the toilet. Back in the kitchen, I continued to work on my soup. Jill put her hand back on my leg.

Mary was emptying out the grocery bags while all this was going on, occasionally asking Jill where she wanted something. She came over to the table when all the bags were emptied.

"Anything else I can do?"

"Would you get the humidifier for me?"

Mary went down the hall and soon came back with the box. She placed it on the table and held it still while Jill lifted out the unit. Jill looked proud of her humidifier.

I'd never seen anything like this contraption of hers. For some reason, my immediate thought was of a potty seat, used to train little kids. The exterior was all plastic. It stood a foot and a half tall with a gray base and an ivory top. Looking down from the top, it was shaped like a triangle, with rounded edges. The front had a circular opening, maybe three inches across, for the water. The majority of the top consisted of horizontal slots. There was a power cord coming out of the bottom with a knob marked for off, medium and high above it.

Jill got a rag, put it under the tap and wiped off the whole surface. She got a pitcher out of the cupboard and made several trips back to the sink, filling it with water and pouring it in the hole. Each time, she'd check a clear slot on the side that showed the water level.

When it was full, she asked Mary to take it into our room, put in on her desk, plug it in and turn it on 'high'.

Mary came back a couple of minutes later and asked Jill if there was anything else.

"No, Mary. Thanks. I can take it from here."

She came over and kissed me on the cheek, then headed out.

I'd made five or six trips to the bathroom to dispose of crud I'd coughed up and used a handful of Kleenex before I finished my soup. The last few spoonfuls took a real effort to eat, so I was happy Jill had gone easy on the amount.

"OK, Mister, time for you to go to bed."

She half led, half carried me into the room, going so far as to help me off with my shoes and my jeans. I was able to handle the shirt by myself.

"Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

I lay back on the bed. I could see the slight dullness to the air above the humidifier. It wasn't a cloud of steam but the water vapor was slightly visible. I breathed in deeply through my mouth and could feel the moisture in the air.

Jill came back in the room with a red plastic glass and the jar of Vapo Rub. She placed the glass where I could get it on the headboard.

"What's that for?"

"Gunk. It's stupid for you to keep going into the bathroom every time your cough something up. Holler when you fill it up and I'll get you a new one."

I looked over at her and she grinned. Somehow, I didn't think I was going to come up with 12 ounces of the stuff very soon.

She pushed me back onto the bed and unscrewed the lid on the jar. Two fingers of her right hand dug into it and she proceeded to slather it on my chest. Another smell from the past. I felt a slight warmth as the oily paste worked its way into my skin. She repeated it several times. Commercial or no commercial, I could feel her love as she worked me over.

"Close your eyes."

As soon as they were closed, I felt two fingers from each hand, spreading the ointment over my face, next to my nose and under my eyes. I could feel the vapor through my closed eyelids and the smell was more noticeable. For a couple of seconds there was nothing, then I felt a tiny finger insert itself into my left nostril and rotate. The finger left and now I could definitely smell the stuff. A second later, my right nostril got the same treatment.

"You'd better keep your eyes closed for a while if you don't want to be wiping up tears."

"How am I supposed to be able to see you if my eyes are closed?"

"You've got plenty of time for that when you get better. Right now, you need to sleep."

She pulled me up to a sitting position and helped me get a T-shirt on. After getting me under the covers and making sure I had the blankets up to my chin, she went out to the kitchen for a minute. I still had my eyes closed.

"I'm putting the box of Kleenex and a full glass of orange juice up here on the headboard. Make sure you spit in the plastic one, not the glass one. Get some sleep and call me if you need anything."