That's What Love Is For

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty-One

Eddie remained in the hospital for two weeks. In the meantime, Jamie and Sydney began to interview potential assistant caregivers. Linda provided them with a list. Sydney contacted them by e-mail and requested their resumes. Four people replied immediately giving Sydney and Jamie a place to start.

Between hospital visits and working, Jamie did the interviews. The first two candidates Sydney sent were men, Jamie dismissed them immediately. The third candidate had a record, Jamie dismissed her too. Finally, there was Rose, an older grandmotherly type woman. Eddie responded very well to Henry, and Rose had worked with ALS patients and stroke patients in the past. Jamie offered her the position at $50.00 per hour cash to begin three days after Eddie was returned home from the hospital. Jamie felt good about this decision. It would give him and Sydney a break without putting Eddie in any kind of facility or program causing further depression.

On the day Eddie was going to return home, Jamie spoke with Renzulli and worked a double shift so he could be available for Eddie's first hours home. Henry would go to the hospital for her discharge and accompany her home in the assisted mobility van. Jamie would get home just before Eddie was due to arrive, in enough time to shower and get some coffee.

The long hours at the hospital were beginning to take their toll. Jamie was tired, much less patient, and having a very hard time adjusting to riding with a new hotheaded rookie that was much more brawn than he was brain. Still, having Eddie at home, weakened from her illness and not entirely healed from her injury would be just as trying. Jamie hoped Rose would be a help but she wasn't him. No one was.

As Jamie stretched and sipped his coffee, he heard Henry speaking to Eddie. "You try the key honey," Henry encouraged. "Like they showed you in class, grip the ring in your lips...and turn it."

Jamie heard the lock snap and the door opened to reveal a beaming Eddie, the key chain now in her lap and a very proud Henry just behind her. "Way to go, Kiddo!" Henry praised.

Jamie grinned happy to see Eddie home, stepped aside to allow her in pausing for a gentle hug. "Hey welcome home Eddie," he greeted. From the twinkle in her eye Jamie could tell she too was excited to be out of the hospital.

Eddie looked around with a happy grin blinking back happy tears. "What's wrong Eddie?" Jamie asked catching the look on her face.

"Nothing I'm just glad to be out of there, you know?"

Henry came around the chair gently offering a soft pat to the young woman's shoulder sensing she needed a grandfatherly comfort. "I bet, I personally hate hospitals they're so depressing. C'mon let's get you settled in huh kiddo?"

Jamie headed downstairs to pick up the new equipment and situated it in the bedroom. Eddie was now the proud owner of her very own pulse ox monitor and oxygen tank with nasal cannula for sleeping. The doctor said her oxygenation and breathing would improve with respiratory therapy, she would have it three times a week on top of massages four times a week, physical therapy, five times a week, and occupational therapy five times a week.

Henry watched as Eddie drove her chair to the bedroom, "Henry, when Jamie gets back I need him to change the bag." Eddie noticed her collection bag was full. She was learning that was not a good thing and caused her to feel sick most of the day if not taken care of quickly.

"I can help you with it," Henry piped up. "My Betty had one of those..."

"Henry, I'd rather Jamie do it. Once when he was learning her forgot to close something and it was a mess. I'm hoping he can take it out and leave it for a while."

Another result from the accident was a spastic bladder, Eddie had no control over it at all or sensation when she needed to go. Still, the constant presence of a catheter caused a longer hospital stay from the resulting UTI she developed.