Chapter 75

It must have been the absence of the tube from my stomach, which allowed me to sleep through the night. It was the only thing different about that night from the one before. At least that was my thinking at the time.

I slept all night, something I couldn't even manage at home. Of course at home I didn't have a catheter in my bladder either. I didn't care for the feeling of it, but it did make life easier. I could only imagine how interesting it would be to have one of those while I drank beer in a bar.

When I awoke that next morning, I was rested for the first time since I arrived at the hospital. I was also ravenous. Sometime during the night several of the bags of fluid had been removed. I tried to wait patently for something to happen. Hell I forced myself to wait for anything at all to happen.

I get bored easily and the hospital was absolutely boring once I began to recover, and got off the heavy drugs. I was probably still being dosed with a mild sedative, but it wasn't the same feeling as the narcotics. I had surely been getting those for the pain up until that point. I knew how much they screwed up my mind from my time in the hospitals after my Afghan accident, as I liked to think of it.

The day nurse came to change my bags and to read my monitors. I knew that the remaining bags would soon to be removed, just as the morphine drip bag had been. I felt pretty lucid that morning. If for no other reason than that bag was gone. After making her notes the nurse smiled at me and said, "You look as though you are feeling better."

"I look as though you discontinued the morphine drip or whatever it was you were giving me. I feel a lot more with it now."

"Good, we were beginning to worry about all those off color comments," she informed me. "We thought you might be delusional from the wound. or maybe it was Turrets."

"I'm sorry did I hit on you? When I'm drunk, I flirt with everyone. I do apologize." I knew that I had a couple of more days in the hospital and needed to get along.

"Oh it's alright. We get lots of mild flirtation around here. It's an occupational hazard. I guess it's just the fact that you are a woman, that made most of us a little nervous."

"Oh which one didn't it make nervous?" I said with a weak laugh. "I'm just kidding."

"There was more than one," she said with a laugh of her own. "Curiosity, mostly, I'm sure..."

"Just to change the subject, When can I get into the shower. It has been three days and I know I must smell."

"Bath for you is in a plastic pan for a day or two more. We don't want you to get that incision wet, and there is no way for you not to do so in a shower." she informed me. "I will have the aide bring in some warm water and soap. It isn't sweet smelling, but it will get you clean."

"You are a tough old bird," I said with a laugh.

"I'm not that much older than you, and from what I hear you do alright for yourself," she said

"Don't believe my press clippings. It's all smoke and mirrors." I said to her back. When she finished her notes, she had just left. She really was a tough old bird.

A much younger woman brought my breakfast. It was scrambled eggs and grits. Not my favorite things, but I was starved, so I managed to get the grits down.

Lucas arrived a half hour later just after my pan bath. It seemed that I was taking a lot of those lately. I was likely to take a least one more. "That is one heavy watch," Lucas said handing me the red jewelry case.

"Yes it is," I said. He didn't sound as though he had looked inside, so I didn't elaborate. I put the box in my beside table without looking inside. I knew what was in the box, so I didn't need to look. The weight told me everything was as it should be.

"So how are you feeling today?" Lucas asked.

"I'm fine Lucas. I'm reasonably clear headed. If there is something you wish to discuss with me, now is a good time." I said

"What makes you think I have anything I need to tell you?" he asked.

"Well you didn't show up for work on Monday, and you didn't call. I have to assume something is going on in your world."

"It can wait," he replied.

"If you don't tell me, it will just make me crazy worrying." I admitted.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Let's get it over with."

"Okay, I guess first I should say I love Gwen."

"Good for you, does she love you as well?" I asked.

"Yes she does. She is a few years older, but she does love me."

"So, you are going back to Boston with her?" I asked.

"That depends on you. If the show is a hit, will you allow them to continue?"

"What you are telling me is that you will follow Gwen around. If I say no more, then you are off to Boston with Gwen?"

"Something like that yes," he admitted. I noted that he couldn't look me in the eye.

"So what are you going to do in Boston?" I asked.

"I can apply to the Boston PD. I'm 21 now." he admitted.

"If I agree to let the Pros from Dover, stay?" I asked.

"Then I stay here. I'm pretty sure we are finished. Aren't we?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so." I admitted sadly.

"Because I questioned you?" he asked.

"No, that's what Ed thinks, but no. Like you said, you are 21 now. You can join the local PD or move on to the Boston PD. Either one is a better move for you than this little company. This just makes it a little easier to tell you that you are wasting your time with me."

"Oh it wasn't a waste of time by any means. I learned a lot from you. Things not to do mostly," he replied.

"Good, Gwen and Mike will be here two more weeks. Would you stay that long for me. I'm not going to be able to take care of the customers like this."

"Sure, I just want to leave town when Gwen does, if you are really finished with them. She can even wait a week or so, if you need me. If you agree to more episodes, I will hang around town till we know what the show is going to do."