Page 44 of Grumpy

“Of course, I do. Why do you think I reminded you that my house is bigger? I have three bedrooms compared to your two. But I also know that that’s your mom’s house. She raised you there, has memories of your dad there. If you would prefer to keep your house over mine, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Kelly felt her eyes tear up. “Fuck you for saying this while I’m driving and can’t hug you or kiss you.”

“Is that a ‘yes’?”

She hastily wiped at her eyes, but the damn tears kept coming. “Yes!” she cried out, louder than intended. “I agree that your house is better, especially with three adults, but you’re also right that my mom’s got a lot of memories in our house. I don’t know which she’d prefer.”

“It’s not a decision we have to make now,” Grumpy told her. “As long as I know you want to live together, we can figure out where when we get back.”

Kelly nodded, still wiping at her eyes. “Probably should mention it to Mom, though, when I call her tonight. Just so it’s not a big surprise, and she has time to think about what she wants to do, too.”

“Sure.”

“Have you heard from your mom?” Kelly was pretty sure of the answer, but she also knew asking would get her mind off the overwhelmingly cheerful emotions swarming her body now that she knew she was going to be living with Grumpy.

Grumpy’s voice turned harsh when he answered. “Wouldn’t know. I blocked her.”

“Margery is the last person I want to see or talk to,” Kelly pointed out, “but she is still your mom. Do you at least know she made it home okay?”

“Your tender heart is one of the things I love about you, Kell Bell.”

Kelly wasn’t sure how to take that response. “I don’t know what that means in answer to my question, but I’m assuming it means ‘no’?”

“She kept my daughter from me. She may have even set things in motion that separated my ex-wife and me to begin with, which in turn, also took my daughter from me. I put up with a lot of shit from that woman over the years, but that I will not forgive or forget.”

Kelly blindly stretched over to grab Grumpy’s hand. “I understand, and I don’t judge. I just want to make sure that you don’t have any regrets about how you left things with her.”

“My only regret is that I put up with her bullshit for so long.” Squeezing his hand before returning hers to the wheel, Kelly nodded, completely understanding that. “Do you mind if we stop talking for a bit? After dinner, my jaw’s really sore.”

“Of course.” Kelly reached for the control panel and turned her music on low. Honestly, she needed some time with her thoughts, too.

* * *

Tessa: Sorry for the long message but this is the best way that I can think of to answer your question.

Morning Routine

Stiffness is worst first thing, especially his jaw and back. Mornings are going to be the slowest part of his day. His jaw might do a small involuntary shake/tremor (“mini earthquake”) when he first starts moving it.

Getting out of bed takes longer than just “getting up”. His muscles and grafts have stiffened overnight, especially because he sleeps in one position for hours.

He’ll need to do jaw exercises. This needs to be done every morning, stretching and working the jaw to maintain what range of motion he has. Definitely necessary before he can comfortably eat or speak much.

For his eye prosthetic, he should be removing it at night before going to bed. He’ll need to clean and reinsert the prosthetic in front of a mirror. Don’t be surprised if he wants to do this in private either. It could take time for him to open up about his eye more than anything else. His socket may need ointment before the prosthetic goes in, depending on overnight irritation.

Showering is important, but also comes with strict instructions. Lukewarm water ONLY as hot water will hurt his healing grafts. Also, fragrance-free soap. (I added some to his go bag.) No scrubbing on graft sites, patting only.

Moisturizing is ESSENTIAL! He’ll need to do a full graft site moisturizing routine immediately after showering before skin has a chance to dry and crack. And remember to pat dry. Absolutely NO RUBBING. Make all the dirty jokes you want, but that is not up for debate.

Okay, his compression garments are where things can get complicated. Normally, he’s got 2 sets to rotate, but washing and drying isn’t going to be easy on the road. I’ve added extras to his bag as well. His arms, hands, legs, and the front of his torso can be managed independently. However, he’ll need help with his back. No matter what he says or how he argues, he’ll need help with this area. He can’t see it, can’t fully reach it, and it needs to be smooth with no folds or pressure points. There are fasteners that are awkward and slow with his limited grip strength.

Nighttime Routine

Remove his compression garments for the night and swap for lighter nighttime compression depending on graft site needs. You can hand wash the garments in lukewarm or delicate cycle in mesh bag, air dry flat. Never heat-dried (destroys elasticity). Basically wash them like your favorite bra.

Full moisturizing pass on all graft sites and checking for new irritation, splitting, or changes. Feel free to send me pictures if you think something looks suspicious or you just want to double check. Trust me when I say better to be safe than sorry.

He’ll need to remove his prosthetic eye at night to let the socket “breathe” and reduce irritation. Clean the prosthetic and (if needed) apply ointment to the socket.