Honey had been a little worried that CT would resent being in a hospital bed in the spare room, instead of with her in their big bed, but to her relief, he seemed oblivious as Jewel showed him everything. She’d done all she could to make the room attractive and homey, and CT seemed pleased. Or else he was just enjoying the attention of three females catering to him. Eventually, with all three of them helping, they got him into the bed without dumping him on the floor.
“A nurse’s aide is coming tomorrow,” Honey told them. “To remove his catheter and give us some tips for how to safely care for him.” She tucked the blanket up around him and smiled. “Ready for that peanut butter and honey sandwich I promised you?”
His eyes lit up, and he nodded. Whether it was silly or not, Honey thought this might not be as hard as the social worker had described. And if it was, at least she wasn’t alone. The three of them clustered in the kitchen while Honey made CT’s sandwich.
“I can’t believe how you pulled this all together,” Honey told Jewel. “Getting all those medical supplies here before we got home.”
“He seemed to like the room,” Jewel said.
“Does he need someone in there with him all the time?” Cooper asked. “I mean, I can go sit with him if you think I should.”
“I think having that bedrail, plus his injuries, should keep him in place for a while.” Honey poured a glass of milk. “But you know your grandpa.”
“For all we know, he might be crawling out on his belly to check on his bees by now.” Jewel laughed, then glanced over to the spare room door.
But CT was still in the bed and glad to see his lunch being wheeled in front of him. He hadn’t been a fan of the hospital’s peanut butter sandwiches from the kids’ menu since they didn’t have honey, but he smiled after his first bite, proclaiming it good!
Jewel
Helping Dad recover at home took more time and energy than any of them expected, but after a few days, they established a routine of sorts, sharing shifts and being on call in case he fell down. Thankfully, that’d only happened a few times, and thanks to the helpful tips from the nurse’s aide, they knew how to get him up with just two people, but that meant two people needed to remain on duty. Not in the house together, but within running distance with a phone handy. Thanks to this schedule, no one felt particularly put upon. And they all enjoyed breaks of time without any caregiving responsibilities. Mostly, Jewel was grateful that Mom didn’t seem too overwhelmed.
Of course, their happy routine came to a screeching halt when Cooper begged to go with Anna to the fair for a few days. Apparently,4-H families exhibiting livestock enjoyed camping at the fairgrounds. It was a social thing, and Cooper was dying to go with the Oroscos and experience life at the fair. Jewel wanted her to go, but that meant she and Mom would now split CT duty two ways instead of three.
With her dad feeling better and more energetic, instead of sketching and painting like Jewel had been doing on her regular morning shift, she was now wheeling him around the farm, checking on the pumpkins and the bees and whatever else suited his fancy. He called it his exercise, but she was the one who got sweaty. They were just embarking on a morning stroll when Miguel strolled over. “Can I help?”
“Sure.” She gladly surrendered the wheelchair. Then, walking beside him, she asked how the county fair was going.
“Anna won a blue ribbon,” he said proudly.
“Wow. Good for her.”
“It’s not the highest award, but it’s the best she’s ever done in the four years she’s been showing.”
“What’s higher than a blue ribbon?”
“A purple ribbon. It’s like the grand prize. I’m sort of glad she didn’t get it though. It gives her something to keep working toward. Anyway, her calf gets auctioned tomorrow morning. I’ll bring them all home after that’s done.”
“I’m so glad Cooper got to go and experience all this. Thanks so much for including her.”
“She seems to have really enjoyed it. And it sounds like she’s pretty serious about raising her own calf next year.”
“That’s so amazing. But I doubt I’ll be much help. Even though Dad had cattle when I was a kid, I didn’t join 4-H or get very involved.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll help her.”
“Dad will probably like being included.” She leaned down to tell CT that Cooper might raise a calf next year, then instantly regretted it since he immediately asked to see the calf, like it was out in the barn right now. Hopefully he’d forget soon.
“I wondered if you’d like to go with me back to the fair thisafternoon,” Miguel asked as they turned back toward the house. “My mom even offered to come over and hang with your mom while you’re gone. I mean, if you want to go. We thought that might help free you up.”
“That’s so sweet, but I hate to ask her to leave the fair if she’s enjoying it.”
He chuckled. “I actually think she’d like a good excuse to get out of there. It’s fun at first, but after a couple of days, it can wear on you.”
“Well, I’d love to go to the fair.” And as incredible as it sounded, and something she would’ve laughed off a year ago, she truly would love it. Partly for a chance to get off the farm, partly because it just sounded fun ... and mostly because she’d be with Miguel. “I haven’t been to a county fair since I was about Cooper’s age.”
“All right. And if you want an authentic taste of being a real 4-H family, you can even spend the night with us.”
She blinked. “Spend the night?”
