Now, the nurses moved around, trying to get everything situated in his room.He’d insisted on getting off the intravenous pain meds the day before, so that was one less tube to worry about, but oral meds didn’t work as well.He’d been warned and had been willing to accept that.Though at the moment, he was regretting it.Maybe he should have waited another day or two to get stubborn about that.
Spider forced himself to relax his jaw before he started grinding his teeth and gave himself a headache.He hurt quite enough already—he didn’t need to add to it by doing something he could stop.
“Now, the doctor ordered an added pain med for after the move,” the rehab nurse who had introduced herself as Angie said.“I’ve got notes that you wanted off the strong stuff.I don’t blame you but moving can be trying.The doctor was prepared for that.I’d like to give it to you now.The longer you hold off, the more you’re going to hurt and the less it will help.”She looked at him as if she was just waiting for him to come to his senses.
Spider nodded.Not sure he could say anything without snarling and he didn’t want to take his foul temper out on her.He shifted himself in the bed, wishing for the millionth time since he’d woken to find himself in the hospital, that he could get up and walk out of here.But that wouldn’t be happening any time soon.Though he was determined that itwouldhappen.
He was to the point where the doctor had told him he could start letting his remaining leg touch the floor.That was a little help.But only a little since he’d been unconscious for half of that, so he still had at least another two weeks, which was almost twice the time he’d been aware of what was going on.
He pushed thoughts of that away.It would do him no good to dwell on it.It wouldn’t get the time here any faster or get his bone to heal any faster.Instead, he leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed the carry handle on the backpack he’d asked the nurse to put there when they’d brought him in.He braced himself for the pain in his ribs and lifted the bag up onto the bed.He pulled out a deck of cards, then put the backpack back where he’d gotten it.He pulled the over-bed table close, then shuffled the cards.He wasn’t hugely fond of solitaire, but it kept his hands busy and gave his mind something to do other than berate himself for not healing faster, or whatever mis-guided thing it could think up.
Spider didn’t know how long he’d been playing but he’d gone through three different games until he was bored with them and moved to the next, when a knock sounded on the door to his room.It wasn’t closed all the way but almost, so that every nurse or visitor that walked by couldn’t peep at whatever he was doing.
“Come in,” he called, assuming it was Fletch, Dax, or one of the nurses.Angie had long ago brought him the medication and he’d taken it without argument.If he was hurting this bad already, he didn’t want to push it until he couldn’t handle it anymore before asking for something.She and a couple of other nurses had been in to check on him a couple of times, so he didn’t think much of the knock and continued to play the game spread out on the table in front of him.
“Looks like you found something to keep your mind busy at least,” Clint’s deep voice made Spider look up, because he definitely wasn’t one of the nurses that he’d been expecting.
“Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you today,” Spider said, glancing at the person behind Clint and recognizing the daughter that had been with him the first couple of visits, but not the last one.He’d wondered where she was but hadn’t felt it was his place to ask.There was something different about her, though, something he couldn’t put his finger on right away.
“I know.But I knew you were being moved today and I wanted to see how you’re doing.See if there’s anything I can help with or get you to make your stay a little easier.”
Spider shook his head.“I appreciate the visit, but I can’t think of anything I need.”He glanced at the clock.A little after 2:00 PM.He still had a while to wait until either Fletch or Dax brought him something to eat.“Though I wouldn’t turn down a cup of coffee or a soda.”He set his cards down and scrubbed his hands over his face.
“They got you on any dietary restrictions?”Clint asked.
Spider shook his head.
“Nah.”
“Let me see what I can find.”He turned and left without another word, leaving Spider alone with Jordon.
“You look better than the last time I saw you.”
“I feel better, mostly.”He watched her for a moment then it hit him.“Your hair’s down.”
“What?”she lifted a hand to the back of her head.“Oh.Yeah.I wanted to give it a chance to dry on the way into town.I was in a bit of a hurry.”
Spider frowned and looked at her more carefully.It took him a moment to see it, but she had shadows under her eyes.
“Are you having trouble sleeping?”He wondered if she would answer him.He didn’t know if he would, but then, in the time he’d been in the hospital he’d found that sometimes it was easier to talk to someone you don’t know so well.He wasn’t sure why.
“Not in the way you’re probably thinking.”She gave him a wry smile.“I just haven’t had time.”
“But you have time to come into town and see me?”Spider shook his head.“You’d be better off using the time to get some rest.”
“I slept on the drive in, and I’ll have time after this.The reason I wasn’t sleeping is gone now.Or more accurately it’s here.”
Spider frowned.
“What do you mean?”he realized she was still standing in the middle of the room.“Have a seat, get comfortable.
“Want to play something other than solitaire?”she motioned to the table.“I can play with you, if you’d like.”
Spider glanced down at the table over his lap.
“I’d love to.I’m almost out of variations of solitaire, at least the ones I know.”He started gathering up the cards so he could shuffle them.“What can you play?”
“Poker, gin, rummy, cribbage, go fish, bullshit, slapjack.Take your pick.Or I have a phone,” she pulled a device from her rear pocket and held it up.“We can find something else and look up the rules.”
