Chapter 15

I had a good visit, but I thought a little short until I realized it was almost three in the morning. I finally caught Myrna's eye and looked toward the door and the girls. She caught on immediately.

"You girls go on down to the car and I will catch up with you shortly. I need to find out a couple of things from Jon before we go."

Sally and Sarah didn't offer any objections. They kissed me on the cheek and forehead respectively and went out the door, headed for the elevator.

"Ok, Jon, what was so important that I had to run the girls off?"

I told her about the safe deposit box and to have Tiny make sure Sally and Sarah were well-covered tomorrow at the funeral. I told her I didn't think I could sneak out to attend because my room was across from the nurses' station. I had noticed that they were watching me closely for any tricks. She looked at me and grinned.

"They better watch you close, Jon. I told the doctor what you pulled the last time and if it happened again, I would sue him and the hospital. You don't need to worry about Sally or Sarah tomorrow. We are all going together in the limo with several of Tiny's friends following in another car. I talked to Bill and Sally and she decided that Bill could pick up the contents of the safe deposit box. Sally said she would wait until you got out of the hospital so you both could go through it together. Jon, I told Bill what the doctor said about your wounds, and he has already contacted Jerry to start action against the hospital for malpractice. You should have told me they were bothering you so much, Jon. I would have had ole Doc Palmer over every day to check them. You could have died of sepsis if you hadn't twisted and burst the side wound. This time you stay in here until the infection is gone. I have Tiny and his friends covering the house and Pete said to tell you he would try to finish the fence a day or two early. Then he would put up the guard shack after he installed the new gates you wanted. Now I better go before Tiny comes up looking for me. Jon, this time, will you please stay in bed until you're well enough to come home?"

"I'll try Myrna, but you know me. I can only lay here for just so long before I have to do something. Keep me posted about what happens tomorrow, will you? I am worried about some of the people from the church trying to grab her. Tell Tiny I said to be extra vigilant."

"Don't worry, Jon, Sally and I talked and she will be by my side through the whole thing. Now you get some rest and I will see you tomorrow."

With that she got up from the chair and left. The nurse came in and asked me how I was feeling and I said fine, but after tomorrow I wanted a notation put in my chart that I would no longer accept any narcotic pain medication. She just smiled at me and said they had already been told that by my mother. I just looked at her dumbly for a minute until I realized she must have been talking about Myrna. I almost laughed, but instead I smiled, remembering that last time she had been bad, but that now she really had everyone thinking she was my mother. For some reason it tickled my funny bone and I wondered if she had told Sally about it too. That was about my last thought before I fell back asleep.

I woke up to find the food person rolling the tray over to my bed and raising it so I could eat. When she got me all set up, she took the lid off the tray and I just looked in shock at what was on it.

"No offense, but what in the hell is that? It looks like someone regurgitated on the plate. Take that crap out of my sight before I throw it out the door."

"You are on a soft diet by order of the doctor. This is dry toast and oatmeal to help your bowels move."

"Lady, I know you're just doing your job, but believe me when I say I will do what I said. If I can't get people food, I will have it brought into me. That stuff isn't fit for a dog to eat, and I doubt if he would, even if he were starving. Now get it out of here and tell the doctor if he doesn't order me some decent food, I will sue him for abuse of his patients."

She took the tray but not until I got a dirty look from her as she stomped out of the room. I almost laughed out loud at her, but thought I had better not make her any madder at me or I might end up wearing the whole thing. I didn't have long to wait for a reaction to my little bitch show. The nurse came in immediately with an attitude. This was a different one from last night and she was cute as a button, or as my grandfather would say; as cute as a speckled pup under a new wagon. She came in with an attitude, and I had to smile at the way she was slamming things around before she could get the courage up to talk to me.

"Mr. Morgan, how do you expect to get well if you refuse to follow the doctor's orders?"

"Well, nurse, I will get well just fine, but it won't be by eating that slop that I was just told was food."

To my surprise she broke out in a short laugh at my smart ass answer. Man, she was cute. She had freckles across her nose, and two cute little dimples that made her almost perfect teeth more pronounced when she smiled. Her hair, from what I could see under her cap, was a bright red and I would be almost willing to bet she had a temper to match.

"Between me and you, I wouldn't eat that stuff they try to pass off as food either. I just wish the hospital would hire a cook who knows how to cook. I'm due to go on break shortly, and I go to a small restaurant across the street. I can pick you up some scrambled eggs, home made biscuits and a large coffee. I think I can sneak it back in without losing my job."

"I would be forever grateful. Don't worry about your job, because if they are stupid enough to fire someone as pretty as you are, then the whole place is nuts."

She laughed out loud at me as she went out of the room. I had to smile at myself for flirting with her while lying flat on my back in bed. She was cute though and I would guess her to be about thirty or so. She had a mature way about her that said she wasn't a new hand at this. I thought it was becoming to her. Then it hit me what I was thinking and I was surprised at myself. This was the first time since I had been in the states that I had thought about a woman being attractive or anything other than as a friend or work partner. I hadn't seen any rings on her finger, but that didn't mean anything. The women here didn't wear them half the time even if they were married. Hospital staff, as I well knew, didn't like to wear rings because of the chance of passing on an infection from one patient to another. None the less, there weren't any marks on her finger either like she was wearing a ring outside the hospital.

I was still thinking about her dimples when I heard my cell ringing from inside the drawer next to the bed. I was able to roll over without too much pain and finally managed to get it out and answer it. It was Bill calling from the bank and he sounded upset.

"Jon, I just finished opening the safe deposit box. I hate to tell you this, but Sally's mother has a sister in Montana that she wants Sally to live with. Jon, the court will take this into consideration before they consider any adoption from non-relative. She also had a fully paid up life insurance policy that goes to Sally when she turns eighteen. She had burial insurance, and as Sally's attorney, I will file for the money in her name."

"Bill, don't say a word to her about it for now. Have Jerry send an investigator out to her sister's and do a complete background on the family. If I remember correctly, Sally's step dad went out there to live with his brother. He is supposed to own a sheep ranch or something. That's just too much of a coincidence for me to accept. I am not giving up on this yet. Sally will have a fit when she finds out, because I doubt if she has ever met her mother's family. Tell Jerry to put a rush on it and get the report back to us as soon as possible. Now about the funeral..."