“Thank you for that information,” Lela said. “Now I’ll time my shower. I usually take one in the morning, but after being in that dusty attic, I’m going to take one tonight.”
“Me too,” Robert said, “But I can walk the perimeter while I wait for it to warm back up.”
“What about ours?” Pedro asked from his position at the sink, rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher.
“It’s fine, the only thing that one is connected to is what’s in the bathroom. Shower, tub, sink, and toilet. We did that when Grandma’s arthritis was bad. Oh, and there’s a tub with jets in it. The other one just has the shower tub combo.”
“Do you use it?”
“Sometimes, when it’s bad.”
“What am I missing?” Lela asked.
“I have arthritis in my hips. On bad days, I can barely walk, and the jetted tub comes in handy. One of the things being looked into is that I had it on video where Randy took my pain pills.” She rose and went to a narrow cupboard, opened it, reached in the back, and pulled out a bottle.
“This is what I am prescribed. I had the pharmacy seal it, so I could tell if he took the pills from this bottle. This is my spare.”
Lela took the bottle, her brows rose, and she handed it back. “That’s some pretty powerful stuff.”
“Yeah, and I believe Randy switched them out with over-the-counter pills. Talk to Robert about it, he saw the video.”
“Wilson has it, but she’s right. Wilson is going to look into it back at the office.”
They finished cleaning up from supper, Pedro got the coffee pot ready for the morning, and Myrna announced she was going to take a shower, as did Lela. The men said they were going to walk around outside to make sure everything was okay.
Myrna did as she said, but before she did, she took one of her pain pills, and took a hot bath. When she sat on the bed, brushing her hair Pedro came in.
“Hey,” she said quietly. “I took a pain pill, so I might be passed out by the time you come to bed. I’m not putting you off in the sex department…” she trailed off when he held up his hand.
“Stop. Just because we’re dating, it doesn’t mean that we have to have sex every night. If you don’t want it that’s fine. I’m not going to force myself on you.”
“Oh.”
To soften the blow of his words, he went to her andsat down beside her. “We’re grown ass adults, Myrna. Hell, if we had lived our lives differently in the past, we might have had kids or even grandkids by now. I’m happy with what we have so far. I just want to be able to reach out and feel you beside me in my sleep.”
“Oh.”
“Thank you for telling me you took a pill. May I ask you a few questions about them?”
“Sure.” She set her hairbrush aside and smiled when Pedro helped her beneath the covers. “What do you want to know?”
“Do you take them all the time?”
“No, only when I need them. Going up and down the attic stairs was rough, and I know I’ll be doing a lot of bending and kneeling in the coming days, so I wanted to nip it in the bud from the beginning. You know, sort of preemptive motions.”
“Got it. Also, are you allowed to operate heavy machinery or drive while taking them?”
“It’s been recommended not to, along with not drinking alcohol. I don’t know what it will do, but I don’t do it. You didn’t ask, but within an hour of taking one, I get sleepy, then I’m out like a light and stay out for at least six to seven hours.”
“That was my next question. Thank you.” He leaned in to gently kiss her, and then backed away slowly. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“Okay, I took a bath and used the jets,” shegrinned at him. “We’ll have to install one of those in one of the bathrooms back home.”
“Something to think about.” He laughed as he picked up his bag and gathered some clothes.
The last thing Myrna heard was Pedro coming out of the shower thirty minutes later. She didn’t even feel him get into bed and snuggle up behind her.
Myrna rolled over, stretched, and looked at the alarm clock, then over at Pedro. It was five in the morning, and she knew she slept as good as she did because of the pain pill, but she didn’t care. Pedro slept fitfully beside her, but she was wide awake.
