Really big boo-boos

I heard my alarm go off at 7:30. I followed my usual routine because it was easier than rethinking it. I sewed, then removed the seed crackers from the oven. I swallowed my morning supplements, then took a shower, and made breakfast. I ate it while checking e-mail. I thought of a few last things for Dad that I could throw in my suitcase. There was extra room so I packed my pillows, a small one in the carry-on and a large one in the suitcase.
At 9 we headed out, then backtracked because I wasn't certain I had my passport. Chris found it in my purse. Then we went to the airport. He parked and carried all my stuff in. I checked in at a kiosk to print my boarding passes. Then I stood in line to check my large suitcase. After that, we went upstairs to Security. He watched while I went through the line and got checked out. Then he left. I rolled my carry-on and laptop to the end of the concourse because the departure screen said Gate 10. But it was a big empty. So I had to go back to Gate 6 to find airline personnel. And that turned out to be my gate. So I waited, and then boarded at the first opportunity. Chris had bought me a first class ticket. But that didn't mean much on a puddle jumper. Being in the first row meant there was no under-the-seat storage for my laptop so the attendant put it over head. My purse was in the carry-on and my phone was in the laptop case. So when they made the announcement to turn phones completely off, I had to ask the attendant to get the case down so I could turn it off. The rest of the flight was uneventful.
I had an hour layover in Atlanta. Only traveling one concourse down, I got to the next gate quickly and wished I had walked, both for the exercise and to pass time. I texted some people. Again, at the first opportunity I boarded the plane to Richmond. The flight was uneventful until descent. They passed out snacks and I took a banana to go with my seed crackers. Snacks on a plane are better than snakes on a plane, but I was so bored I started imagining snakes on our plane. On descent, my ears would not equalize and the pain was quite strong. I tapped and it came down a little, but built up again as we kept descending. Repeat process again and again. I was so ready to land!
And finally we did. A nice lady helped me get my bag and case down. I walked quickly to the lobby because the plane was late. Al and Cecily were waiting for me. We went right to Baggage Claim and there was my suitcase, making its merry way along the conveyor belt. It was undamaged. We picked it up and headed out.
They drove me to Dad's house. William was there and opened the door, and helped with my luggage. I hugged them and they left. I talked to William as I made a bag of stuff to take to the hospital for the night. I threw in some of the food Dad had around, like his favorite crackers, Ensure, and yogurt. I ate a chicken leg. William gave me the idea of using my carry-on to carry it to the hospital. He gave me Dad's car and house key. I followed him to Johnston-Willis hospital. He led me in and showed me where ICU was. We found Faye with Dad. His skin tone looked great but he had really big boo-boos from falling: his forehead over his right eye, inside his left arm, and outside his right knee. There may have been other places I did not see. There was a big bandaid over his right shoulder but Faye said that was from an earlier incident.
She explained out he spent the night half-asleep, agitated and trying to get out of bed, trying to pull out his IV and removing the wires to his chest, and catheter. Obviously she had not gotten much sleep! After much instruction on what to do and where stuff was, including ordering his breakfast, she went home. William left soon after.
I was not looking forward to what she experienced, but as it turned out, mine was different. Supper came and it consisted of broccoli, chicken and rice. I put the yogurt on the rice to make it sticky. I handed him the fork and let him feed himself. He used his left hand because his right arm hurt; partly from the IV (which was now gone) and partly from his shoulder. He ate it all and I gave him some crackers and cups of water.
The night nurse came in and introduced herself: Peris. She sounded Jamaican. She came back after supper and asked me to leave so she could give him a bath. I walked the halls, looking at the empty rooms, and then sat in the visitors center for a bit. She was just finishing up when I got back. He was clean, his bed was clean and tidy, and the room was nicely arranged. There were sheets on a reclining chair by his bed for me.
He was talkative, and had an easy time putting his thoughts into words. That was unusual for him of late. He wanted to watch his favorite news show at midnight. I did not want to be up that long. But I flipped through the cable channels and discovered that the right channel was not there. I called his attention to the announcement of quiet time so others could rest. He talked a while longer, but then fell silent. The nurse checked on us. He fell asleep so I rested, too. Sadly, I have a much harder time falling asleep. I did it several times though, but he woke up every two hours for some reason or other. He pulled on the wires on his chest, and threw off his blankets and got tangled in the sheets. I rubbed my thumb in the palm of his hand for awhile and he went back to sleep.
* Dad eating his supper in ICU, the healthiest one there. *