A sense of pride and happiness fills me. “Wow, you’re going to be a grandmother. You must be thrilled!”
“Oh, honey I can’t stand still!”
“Put Franco on the phone so I can congratulate him.”
She gets my cousin and we talk for a couple minutes. Even though he’s only three years older than me, we’ve never been close, not like brothers. In a way, I think he’s always been a little jealous of my relationship with Aunt Maggie. While growing up, he was hardly around, always at a friend’s house, and when he was home he kept to himself.
Even in high school, we wouldn’t talk or acknowledge each other in the halls. When some of my friends found out we were cousins, they had a hard time believing me. It’s not like Franco treated me poorly, he just alienated me in a way. I always wanted a sibling and hoped that one day we could be that to each other, but it never happened.
When he was twenty-four, he met Amelia in law school and they married two years later. He found a job at a firm up in Bridgeport, Connecticut and they’ve lived there ever since. It’s no surprise that he hasn’t come to visit me here in the hospital, but I have to admit it still hurts.
******
It’s been a whole day since I’ve seen Melanie and the distance kills me. Every time my hospital room opens, I secretly wish it’s her and end up being disappointed when it’s not.
Just as I think about her walking in the door, someone knocks and pushes it open. I glance over and see Carter peeping his head inside before stepping forward and closing it behind him.
Happy to see a friend, I call out, “Carter, hey!”
He walks over to give me a hug. “Hey Roman. How’s it going? You’re looking better since I saw you last.”
“Yeah you notice a difference?”
He nods. “Yeah, your face isn’t as red.”
I shrug. “Hmm. I can’t really tell, but that’s a good thing. So, how’s everyone at the firehouse?”
“Everyone’s fine. We all miss you. The Captain made his special eggs again this past Sunday. You gotta tell me his secret.”
I shake my head. “Nope, Captain’s orders. I’m taking that recipe to the grave.”
He scoffs. “Fine whatever. But besides that, it’s been pretty quiet. Most of the emergencies have been minimal, nothing as large as the last one. So, any idea when you can come back to work?”
“I…uh. I have no idea. I haven’t really thought about it.”
His eyes widen. “Wait, you’re not coming back?”
Looking away for a moment, I think about how to answer. “Well, I don’t know. I mean, I have to heal up first, and then there’s physical therapy and god knows how long that will take. Could be months before I’m back to the way I was and even then, there’s a chance that I won’t be the same. On top of that, I’ll be out of shape and will probably have to retrain my body to withstand the demands of being a firefighter.”
Just then the door opens and Melanie waltzes in. She stops as she notices Carter. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll be back later.”
She quickly exits before I can say anything. Carter stares at the door, watching as it closes, then turns to me. “Damn, no wonder you want to stay here so bad. She’s hot!”
Immediately burying the hint of jealousy, I rebut his statement. “Nah, she’s all right, kind of annoying actually. She’s always in here pestering me to eat.”
“Ha! Well I’ll trade places if you want, because if that girl gets to undress me and give me sponge baths all day then count me in.”
I laugh at his request. “You’d be disappointed because a male nurse gives me one.”
His face twists and he raises his palms. “Oh, yeah no. I’m good.”
We laugh in unison and Carter hangs with me for the next hour or so. Dr. Ferguson stops by during Carter’s visit and checks out the brace. He twists my shoulders and upper back, ensuring the brace is doing what it’s supposed to do.
He instructs me to raise one leg and then settle it slowly back down. I can only lift each leg a few inches off the bed, but it’s a definite improvement. He then checks the stitching where they cut me open and he informs me that the stitches are almost ready to be removed. After a quick glance at the gauzes on my face, hand, and lower side, he leaves and tells me he’ll be back tomorrow.
After Carter leaves, I call Aunt Maggie to see if they’ll be stopping by to visit. With back-to-back cake orders, she’s slammed at the bakery today, and Uncle Vinny is stuck at home fixing the furnace.
Dinnertime rolls around and Melanie still hasn’t returned. Jackie came by a little while ago and changed my bandages but that’s the only other contact I’ve had today. I channel surf as I pick at my meal. Steamed rice with grilled chicken and peas is on the menu today. I silently wish for a saltshaker as I chew the bland chicken. All of a sudden, the TV goes out, as if it lost power. Great.