“I just talked to her. We talk every day, actually. She was fine. She never complained.” Swallowing hard, I take in my now dozing aunt’s frail body. Maybe I chose not to see it because she’s all I have left. “What are the odds of complications with this?”
“There are some because of the time we need to wait. It increases with her age. Her heart is strong and her lungs sound good. I can’t give you any definite numbers, but it’s a risk she needs to take. We’ll make it as safe as we can.”
“And after? What sort of care will she need?”
“She’ll need to stay in a rehab facility for as long as needed until we’re satisfied she can be mobile safely on her own. Once she returns home, it would be wise to make sure she has no stairs and an accessible bathroom and that sort of thing. Hip replacement patients are usually fine on their own once at home.”
Dr. Morgan stands and places the chair back. “Do you have any more questions for me?”
“When do you hope to do the surgery?”
“Tuesday afternoon. We’ll assess every day and keep her comfortable, but I don’t want to wait longer than that. I’ll be here between 7-8 A.M. each morning if you’d like to be here for an update each day.”
“Thank you. I’ll be here.”
Dr. Morgan sees himself out and I adjust to take my aunt’s other hand gently in mine. “You’ll be okay, Auntie. There’s no other option here, okay? You need to meet Jackson. I haven’t told youhow it went yesterday, so you better wake up tomorrow so I can tell you.”
It’s not until my bladder forces me out of the chair that I notice I’ve been sitting here watching my aunt sleep for three hours. When I exit the bathroom, a nurse is checking her vitals and smiles my way.
“You’re more than welcome to stay, but I think she’ll be doing a lot of sleeping.”
“Is she okay?”
“Everything is as okay as it can be. We’ll give her more pain meds as needed and keep her comfortable.”
I want to stay by her side so she’s not alone, but I also know I have a crap load of stuff to organize to prepare for her to come home. Contractors and plumbers are needed, and I’ll clear some of my schedule to help. I should probably answer all the emails I put off yesterday as well.
It’s a lot and overwhelming.
“Thank you. Can I leave you my number in case anything changes overnight?”
“Of course you can. And call the nurses’ station, too. We can update you over the phone if you’re worried, but right now, she’s okay.”
Lingering a little longer, I kiss my aunt on the forehead and return home.
eighteen
Jackson
Our drive to the unplanned rodeo stop took far longer than expected because of a traffic accident that needed to reroute traffic.
Hunter dozed for most of it, and I daydreamed.
About life with Riley. Getting the dog I’ve always wanted. Maybe one big enough to protect him when I’m away. Or maybe he’d want to travel with me sometimes, and he’d prefer a smaller dog?
I thought of showing up with lunch while he worked and growing his favourite vegetables at my greenhouse. When I thought of life after rodeo, Riley was in it. I know in my heart that man was made to be mine.
“Would you stop smiling like that? It’s creepy.” Hunter tosses a hay bale down from on top of the trailer before climbing back down himself.
“I’m pretty sure I’m in love, Hunter. It’s not creepy.”
“You need to work on your dreamy lovey look, then. You have the whole zombie-ate-my-brains look, and it’s not attractive.”
“Oh, fuck off.” I throw my empty water bottle at him, and he catches it with a laugh.
“You know I’m teasing you, Jack. If you want to have some privacy and call him in the camper, I’ll stay outside for a while.”
“Thanks. I tried to call him earlier, but it went straight to voicemail. I’ll give it a little longer and try again.”
