Chapter 249: Messages Not on Voice Mail

Friday was lost in a battle between the morphine drip and the blinding pain when I moved. The morphine kept me asleep most of the day. First thing Saturday morning things changed.

"Maxine, how are you doing," the nurse asked.

"Honey, I have slept enough. Cut back on the drugs please," I said it seriously.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I am positive. I need to get more with it, and I need to start now." I informed her.

"Let me make a call and see what I can do," she said.

"Do it now because in fifteen minutes, I am going to remove the IV myself," I explained simply.

"You know you really are the world's worst patient," Eve said.

"I can deal with the pain, now that the bone in my shoulder isn't sliding around, and trying to punch through the skin." I explained to her. "Plus this sling helps as well."

"Okay Maxine, the doctor said to start you on Vicodin. If you tolerate it well, then it will be your exit med." she said smiling.

"Does that mean I'm going home soon?" I asked.

"Only your doctor can decide that, but asking to get off the morphine drip was a good move," she informed me.

I fought like hell to stay awake, but eventually I gave into the drowsiness. When I next woke nobody was poking me. I just woke up naturally for the first time since I fell off the bike.

"So how you feeling Maxine?" Eve asked.

"I feel much better, what time is it?" I asked.

"11AM, " she answered.

"Is it still Saturday?" I asked.

"Yes, still Saturday. I have orders to call Jen the moment you wake up. She said that it was important. Do you feel up to a visit?" she asked.

"Sure, I feel pretty good now that I have drank two glasses of water. I'm ready to eat as well." I suggested.

"Good that is the other call I am supposed to make. Your friend Helen called, she wants to bring food," Eve said.

"Oh hell the room is going to become a deli when Helen gets here. When you call ask her to bring some decent coffee, and enough food for the nurses and put it on my tab." I said.

"You have a tab, that is not like you Maxine," Eve said.

"I usually eat at her restaurant, but if she does anything extra like this, or feeds people from out of town, she puts in on a tab for me. I pay her, when I see her. I'm not sure that I have any cash here. Seems to me that Jennifer took it home with her."

Eve nodded. I noticed that she had been filing her nails every time I woke up. Of course with my mind drug free, I realized that her nails didn't grow. "What's the nail file all about?" I asked.

With a blindingly fast motion, she threw the file like a samurai warrior would throw a star. The nail file buried itself in the drywall across from her. "Shit, you know I'm going to have to pay for that?"

"Oh Maxine, Jennifer is not going to let you pay for any of this. I can tell she is scheming as you lay there suffering. She loves to work out these kinds of problems." Eve said.

"You do know her for sure," I agreed.

"She is easy to read, and fun to have around," Eve said.

"Yeah, I think so to," I said in agreement.

Helen arrived first with half a dozen brown bags, a cake box full of brownies, and a plastic bucket of coffee. "What have you done to yourself now. Maxine, worrying about you and Julie is going to make me old before my time," she said.

"Helen, you are never going to get old. Speaking of old how is Skeeter doing?" I asked.

"Honey, I am afraid we are going to lose her soon." Tears welled up in Helen's eyes. "She has arthritis in her rear hips now."

I had a feeling Helen was looking for permission to do something distasteful for us both. "Helen don't let her suffer past her time. Sometimes it's the most loving thing to do. If you want, I'll come help you with it." I suggested.

"We can handle it, but thanks for understanding," she said.

After she had gone Eve asked, "What was that all about?"

"It was about a old stray dog," I replied in a shaky voice.

"Oh okay," Eve said obviously not understanding at all. The creator was on coffee break, no doubt, so Eve was probably back on her own programing.

"Would you please take out a dozen of those brownies. Then take the rest, along with all but one of the bags, out to the nurses. Then come back and take the coffee out as well, but tell them I want a cup. If they have time to microwave it for me fine if not would you microwave a cup for me please.?"

The hamburger on a fancy bakery bun was delicious. I ate it and drank a coke. I also had a small paper bag of Helen's home made potato chips. When I finished it was the best I had felt, since I pulled into the bike shop's parking lot.

When I finished my lunch, there was a big cup of coffee waiting for me. I drank it and felt even better. I was still doped and I still hurt when I moved, so I didn't move much. Instead I just enjoyed the coffee and brownie. Yes I had a brownie. "I feel sorry for you," I said to Eve. "You have no idea what a treat this is."

"I can imagine, but no I have no idea," she said. I couldn't tell if the creator was back or not.

I was half through my second cup of coffee when Jennifer came into the room. "Hey girl," she said to me.

"Neither one of us has been a girl for twenty years," I said. "So did you find Vlad?"

"Yes and you owe me ten grand. I didn't want to go into your account for the money. I'm a little surprised that he asked you for money, all things considered," Jen said. "All he seems to have done is hire someone, to do something to get their attention."