in a Dark Purple

Six

The hospital refused to keep him there. Did they even feed him anything in l'urgence? San wonders. Oli was there for more than twenty-four hours. Perhaps he ate nothing at all since last night when he left the house. The hospital didn't really seem to take good care of him. And he had no wallet to even buy anything on his own. Oli had nothing but his clothes. If the hospital didn't provide any food, it means that Oli had an empty stomach the whole time.

San looks at her husband and sees his hospital bracelet still attached to his right arm. San cuts the tag and puts it together with the file Oli brought home. She then checks the folder. A blood check was the only thing they had done during his over twenty-four-hour stay in the emergency service. The doctor seemed confident that was all that was needed. And the test result reveals nothing. Oli was in good shape. There was nothing else to be concerned about if the blood had been checked already. The ordonannce from docteur Vallées lies there too, inside the hospital's file, folded together with the statement from the emergency doctor.

The meningitis symptoms he noted were probably ignored. The hospital neglected to do the scan or the spinal tap for diagnostic testing to check if bacterial meningitis is present. This is to prove whether docteur Vallées' early prognosis was right or wrong. They dragged him inside the emergency service and abandoned him for long hours, telling him to wait in the aisle until someone finally called him at four in the morning. Oli had the chance to tell San about it while she fed him porridge, right before he puked everything out, draining his energy even further.

***

Looking at Oli's condition, San's mind begins to wander. The note from docteur Vallees was clear, but why did they only give him a painkiller and a blood test for meningitis symptoms?
'The blood is red, and the patient looks fine. He can leave as soon as I tell him so.' Maybe that is what the student doctor meant to say. He must have tons of patients to take care of. He has no time to pursue any further with a sober-looking patient, a fine person who's whining about his headache. Could that be what the doctor was thinking?

***

She rushes herself to cook, wanting to get the food done quickly so Oli can recover his power. San goes to the kitchen, lays baby Alex on the floor by the living room, and turns the television on. Some cartoons quickly get his attention. He will stay still for a long time, he can even remain quiet for over an hour so San can start cooking without distraction.

She also gets her little baby Alex some toys, just in case he gets bored. And some baby crackers too, in case he thinks he's hungry again though he just finished his dinner. "Please, be nice, okay? Your papa is sick, he needs you to be a good boy now," San kisses him before leaving, his attention already directed to the television.

San walks to the kitchen to cook rice porridge and soup, easy and fast to prepare. It is traditional comfort food. Back then, San's mom always made her some too, especially when she didn't feel well or when she got sick. Maybe the porridge would help Oli feel better, too. It is easy to eat, Oli doesn't need to chew or process, he can simply swallow it. Maybe it would help him get back his energy. Or even better, maybe it will ease his pain so he can get a good rest tonight.

Oli lets San feed him. He has no energy to lift his head and sit down. He wants to lie with his head down on the pillow. "It feels better this way," Oli says. His voice is quiet and difficult to hear. She nods, agreeing with the idea. "Just let me put Alex in the crib first, okay?" It is hard to supervise him, and San is worried that he will crawl into the kitchen, where it might not be safe.
Oli tries his best to take the food. He doesn't chew at all, just swallows right away. He also takes a sip of water at the end. San is glad he ate the food she'd made, even if only a few spoons.

She finds it necessary to eat before taking the drugs he got from l'urgence, the medicine for the migraine. Though, they are exactly the same as the medicines Oli got from his general practitioner doctor more than a week ago. He has been taking these drugs ever since, though it is unclear why the urgence docteur thought it might have a different impact this time. However, hoping for relief, he eats up the drugs, not knowing how badly his body would react.

He pukes everything up as soon as he finishes eating. He even vomits the water. His body can't process any of the drugs, and he keeps throwing up. His vomit is all over the bedroom. Some on the bed and some also covering the floor. It gets on San and all over his own body. Even his hair is covered with vomit. Luckily, baby Alex is in the crib.

***

He refuses to eat anything at all by then. He wants nothing but to lie down. He needs some rest. "Will you let me clean you up?" San gently tells her husband, "I'll also change the sheet real quick so you can sleep better," she explains. Oli nods, saying sorry. San looks at her husband, flying him a warm smile. She just wants him to feel better. She cares about nothing but that. "It's nothing, I'll clean it up in no time," she tries to cherish her husband. "Let's go to the bathroom?" San asks. Oli lets San lead the way. He can't walk properly, but his feet are still able to step with some help.

San pours some water in the tub before helping Oli to get in. She also helps him to take off his clothes one by one and make sure he doesn't fall. Oli is weak. His body has a strange balance. San leaves her husband to lie in the tub while she goes to clean up the vomit in the bedroom. Luckily, the bed is covered with a waterproof pad. Otherwise, the three would have to sleep on the small clic-clac couch-bed in the living room.

"San, would you mind sleeping on the couch with Alex?" Oli asks while they walk back to the bedroom after the shower. His voice is wheezy. His tone remains as low as a whisper, shallow, "I can't bear Alex's cry." He looks at San. His eyes look frail. "Sorry," he says.

"Stop saying sorry, it's okay," San smiles, "Alex and I can comfortably sleep on the couch. You get some good rest, honey." San kisses her husband's forehead, leaving him all alone in the only bedroom they have. It is all cleaned up by now, San had mopped the vomit on the floor.

***

Oli shouts San's name. San wakes up, jolting from the couch. She runs to the bedroom, but Oli is not there. She can't find him on the bed. He is not on the floor, either. He is not in the bedroom. The only thing San notices is the smell of vomit. It is all over the bed. Some gets on the floor, too. But it isn't as bad as earlier. It is all water.

"San, help," he shouts once more. San turns her head, trying to find the direction of his voice. He must be in the bathroom, San tells herself. Yes, he is in the bathroom. San finds him on the floor by the tub. He is banging his head against the tub harshly. He keeps hitting his head, refusing to stop.

He has no power in his feet. He has to crawl like a dog, dragging his skinny body from the bed to the bathroom. He keeps trying to vomit, though nothing but saliva comes out.

"I am here, Oli, what happened?" San asks, her voice trembling with fright.

"I can't see anything, San, and my foot is numb, I can't move it," his voice shakes, his teeth are chattering. Panic and pain brutally merge. He is scared, so is San. They are fraught with fear. San takes Oli in her arms, trying to soothe him. If it doesn't help him bear the pain, it will prevent him from hitting his head against the hard tub, at least.

"I'll get the phone, okay? I'll call SAMU," San whispers in Oli's ear, but Oli doesn't respond. He only cries and screams, trying to discharge his body from San's arms. He aims to reach the edge of the tub again, wanting to bang his head repeatedly. "Hang in there chéri," she holds Oli's hand. His whole body is wet with sweat and vomit. San releases Oli's body from hers, walking out from the bathroom, getting the phone.

She dials le quinze. It is now one in the morning. The bad news seems endless. Language becomes a real issue once more, and San sets the recall in motion.

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