“Okay, Jake,” Will says. “Summer got you the Rolls-Royce of the bed world, so let me talk you through it.” He takes the time to explain all the components and pulls up the tray from the bed frame, and folds it over the side of the bed. “This is your side table and bed remote. You’ll be able to use both in no time. Would you like to sit up now?”
“Yeah, please,” Jake replies. Will lifts the bed and then adjusts the pillows for Jake.
“How does the back of the head feel?”
“Fine. Still a little tender.”
“That’s to be expected. You’ll need to let me know if it’s uncomfortable at all. From what I understand, you had a specialty pillow until today.”
“I will,” Jake agrees.
“My job is to take care of you and make sure you're as comfortable as possible. Never hesitate to ask for anything or tell me anything. The better we communicate, the better your care will be. Now please tell me you like action movies?”
“I do.”
“Reality tv?”
“Not really.”
“Sports?”
“Yup.”
“That makes me very happy. You and I are going to get along great,” Will smiles. “I had a patient who only watched reality tv and soap operas. It was torture,” he shivers. “Summer, if you’ll give us a few minutes, I’d like to get Jake bathed and into some clean clothes.”
Jake looks uncomfortable, so I open my mouth to say no, but Will speaks first. “Jake man. This can be really awkward or no big deal. I find it best just to get it over with right away. You shouldn’t worry or feel embarrassed. I’ve seen more naked people than you’ll ever see in 10 lifetimes. It always feels different out of a hospital setting, but it’s exactly the same. What do you say?”
“Okay,” he finally nods.
I smile up at Jake. “Everything you need is in the bathroom. There’s a washbasin and towels under the sink,” I tell Will. Squeezing Jake’s hand, I leave the room.
I find Ray in the kitchen looking around. “Hey. Jake's getting a bath.”
“You did an amazing job here, Summer. Thank you so much. We even have plants.”
“Welcome. All your receipts are here.” I tap the papers on the island, “except for the chair I ordered today. The nurses need something to sit on in Jake’s bedroom, so we put the armchair in there temporarily until the new one is delivered tomorrow.”
“I was wondering where that was,” he smiles. “You somehow made this place a home. I haven’t had one of those in a long time.”
“Well, you do now,” I smile. I explain the two-week period for the movers and the bill for the shower. I also let him know I put most of Jake’s boxes in his walk-in closet. He adds up the receipts and adds the chair from today before calling his bank to get the moneytransferred to me. Once that’s done, he makes a coffee for himself with his fancy machine. “Did you do a walkthrough?” I ask.
“Yes, I did. You even filled the soap dispenser and did laundry. You're something else, Summer,” he shakes his head at me, a small smile gracing his lips.
“I figured you had enough to do already,” I shrug. Grabbing a granola bar from the pantry, we take a seat on the couch to wait for Jake. I ask about any special instructions from the hospital, and he says other than being careful with his head, they told him good nutrition to regain his strength. “I bought a smoothie machine. Theres frozen greens and fruit in the freezer and protein powder in the pantry. You’ve got a grocery store like 5 minutes away, too. Oh, did you bring my phone and arm back?”
“I did. It’s in one of my bags.”
“Good. We can attach the arm to Jake’s bed. When you get him a cellphone, we can set up voice activation so he can use it to call if he wants to.”
“Great idea. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done. None of this would be possible without you. You are an incredible young lady. I’m so happy Jake has you,” Ray says.
“Thanks. It’s been tough.”
“You are ten times stronger than anyone I know.” Geez, I’ve heard that a lot lately despite feeling anything but, with all the breakdowns.
Will comes out to let us know Jake is ready, so we go into his bedroom. “Hey,” I smile, grabbing his hand.
“Hey Sum.”
