by Misty Boyd
“Okay. I’ll bring those. Let me know if you need anything else.” Chris left to get her crackers.
Chapter 32
Over the next couple of days, Carissa recovered well. She was eating, and she worked hard when physical therapy came.
By Sunday morning, Dr. Brock was looking at discharging. His opinion was that, if a person was able to recover at home, they should. It was an easier, more familiar environment. People did better in their own space. Carissa had improved to the point that he thought it best to let her do the rest of her healing at home.
He walked in the room that morning, and was met with a bright-eyed Carissa. She looked great for all she’d been through. “Hey, Carissa! What do you think of taking a car ride this afternoon?”
She looked up, surprised. “A car ride?”
“Maybe I wasn’t clear. How would you like to go home?” he asked, grinning from ear to ear.
“I would love to go home!” She clapped her hands with delight.
“Well, I’ve looked at all your notes, and you’re doing very well,” he said with a smile. “I don’t think there’s anything we’re doing here that you can’t continue at home in a more comfortable environment. Unless you have some reason to want to hang out with me some more, I see no reason to keep you any longer. It’ll just take some paperwork, and I can get you out the door. But you have to promise to keep up the rehab at home. Do your exercises. Don’t go home and get stagnant on me. Work just as hard at home as you have here.”
“I promise,” she said.
“Well, then let me start that paperwork. I’ll come let you know when you’re free.” Dr. Brock hurried out.
“Yes!” Carissa exclaimed. She wanted to be in her own home with fewer wake-up calls and less people in her face all the time. She wanted her own bed, and her couch, and her television, and less wake-up calls! Man, she was ready to get out of here.
“Looks like you’re busting out in record time, kiddo!” Dad said.
“Couch party time!” exclaimed Isaac.
Sarah started packing up everyone’s things. It was apparent that she wasn’t staying there one minute longer than she had to. She’d emptied all the drawers in less than five minutes.
In another couple of hours, Dr. Brock popped his head in the door. “Hey, why aren’t you dressed?” he joked. “I need this bed for another patient. Get out of here! You’re free. Just sign these papers and take these documents with you when you go. These are your release papers,” he handed her a single paper with a spot for a signature, “and these are your home instructions. Follow them. I’ll know if you don’t. I have eyes in the back of my head. Call my office as soon as you get home to schedule a follow-up in two weeks.”
“Got it,” Carissa said as she swiveled over to the side of the bed to slide on the sweat pants her mother handed her. “Isaac, Dad, privacy please,” she said, and both men turned to face the wall.
Her mother helped her with the pants, since she was still sore and a little weak from surgery. She managed to get her shirt on by herself, and released Isaac and her dad from their wall prisons.
Jim and Isaac helped her into her chair, and they were on their way.
“Freedom!” Carissa called out as she wheeled down the hallways of the hospital. No one could blame her. She had worked hard to get out of the hospital so fast.
“I’ll go ahead of you guys and bring the car around,” Jim said. “You guys just wait at the front door if I’m not there when you get out.”
“Great! Thanks, hon,” Sarah replied.
Before long, they were all loaded into the car for the ride home. Carissa needed a little help, but she wasn’t short of hands for the job.
The car ride home was much more upbeat than the car ride they’d taken a few days earlier. Carissa sang all the songs that came on the radio. Dad danced in the driver’s seat. Sarah and Isaac were more reserved, but anyone could have seen their joy in being on their way home.
When they got there, no one bothered to make Carissa get back into her chair. Jim and Isaac carried her in, and Sarah brought the chair behind them. Inside, they set Carissa directly on the couch, where she had wanted to be since Friday.
“It’s so good to be home,” Carissa said, lying down and stroking the couch. It wasn’t long before she fell asleep. She was doing well, but the car ride home and all the excitement had worn her out. Full recovery was still a long way off.
Jim, Sarah, and Isaac gathered in the kitchen so they wouldn’t disturb her.
“Thank you so much for letting me be there for her,” Isaac said. “I really appreciate it.”
“Isaac, it was a very gentlemanly thing you did, to stay with her that long. We appreciate you more than you know. I believe you made her recovery easier just by being there,” Jim replied.
“Yes, I definitely believe she did so well, at least in part, because you were there,” Sarah confirmed.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else,” Isaac told them. “Hey, could one of you give me a ride home? I need to check on my mom. I’ve been in touch, and her nurse has stayed with her this whole time, but I still need to put eyes on her. You guys understand.” When they nodded, he continued, “I kind of need a shower, too, and I have school tomorrow. I’d like to come back and spend the day with her after class, though, if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine, Isaac. I’ll take you home,” Sarah replied.
After they left, Jim went to the living room to check on Carissa. She was still sleeping soundly, so he sat in the chair next to the couch and watched her. She had been through so much, but she always came through it beautifully.
Sometimes, Jim could tell she hated parts of the spina bifida, and she showed it but, even on her bad days, she still managed to power through. He was so proud of her. She was stronger than he could have imagined eighteen years ago, when he had held her tiny body for the first time.
Chapter 33
Carissa slept through the night, never moving from the couch. When she woke up, Isaac was already done with class and on the couch next to her.
“Hey,” she mumbled.
“Hey, you!” Isaac grinned. “You hungry? I can make you something. I’m not a very good cook, though. You might not survive whatever I make, but you’ll die full. Willing to risk it?”
She nodded. “I’ll risk it.”
“Glad to see you’re getting back to your normal daredevil self. I think I can pull off a scrambled egg or two,” he said. “Might even manage some cheese on top. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.” Carissa laid her head back on her pillow.
“Good. Dr. Brock said he wanted you up and moving some, so why don’t you come in the kitchen with me while I make it,” he suggested. “Make sure I don’t burn the house down.”
“Ugh.” Carissa moaned. She had not signed up for the getting-up part of this breakfast idea.
“Come on. Get up, lazy bones.” Isaac wheeled her chair over. “No breakfast unless you travel for it.”
She stuck out her tongue. “I’m calling the doctor. This is abuse.”
“Okay. Call him. I’ll call him. What’s the number? Get up.”
“You’re mean,” Carissa grumbled, sliding over into her chair so she could make her way to the kitchen.
Carissa noted that Isaac did his best to make decent scrambled eggs. “Mmm… looks good,” she said. “Should I pray extra? Are you sure I won’t die?”
He gave her a look. “I promise nothing.”
“Eh… I’ll risk just the one prayer then. I’m sure you didn’t poison it.”
“Not on purpose.” He laughed aloud, the sound of pure delight.
Carissa scarfed the eggs in record time, and Isaac decided they were edible. Maybe it was all the cheese he’d put on top of the eggs.
“Where’s my mom?” she asked between bites.
“I told her I’d keep an eye on you while she got a shower.”
“Aw… boyfriend and babysitter!”
&
nbsp; “You need no babysitter.” He gave her a visual rebuke. “I’m making sure you don’t decide you’re healed and go off and do anything crazy.”
“Someone should probably do that,” she told him.
“How’s your pain? Need a pill? You can have one since you ate.”
“I could probably use one. I’m a little sore.” Carissa hated to admit she still didn’t feel her best, but it was what it was.
Isaac got up and went to the kitchen counter where Carissa’s pills were, popped open the bottle, and brought one to her with a glass of orange juice.
“Thanks,” she said, taking the pill and orange juice from him. “You’re a good nurse.”
“You’re my most pleasant patient. You make my job easy.”
“I do try and, by the way, I’m your only patient,” Carissa replied.
Sarah walked into the kitchen.
“Hey, guys! Everything okay? I needed that shower. I feel refreshed now.”
“We’re good, Mom,” Carissa responded.
“You take your meds?”
“Yep. All drugged up!” Carissa made a silly face, sticking out her tongue.
“Good,” Sarah said. “Have you done your exercises?”
“Ugh. No. Mom, cut me some slack. I’m just barely awake,” Carissa said.
“Slacking off already, I see.” Sarah gave her daughter a reproving look. “Give your pain meds a few minutes to kick in, then get to it. Dr. Brock said not to get stagnant or you wouldn’t heal. We want you to heal, don’t we?”
“Not if it means moving.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not a choice,” Sarah told her. “You have to heal. Mom said so.”
“I’m eighteen. I can do what I want.” Carissa leaned back against the cushions, arms resting in her lap.
“Good luck with that theory, living in your dad’s house, kiddo! Rehab, then we can all pile on the couch for a movie. I’ll make popcorn.”
Carissa gave in grudgingly. “Ugh. All right.”
She did her rehab for the day, which included some stretching and arm movements, followed by some rolling around the house to gain her strength and endurance back after being in bed for so long. As soon as she was done, she immediately transferred back to the couch and decided against moving again unless she was forced.
Isaac plopped down right beside her and put his arm around her. She slid over into his chest and found a comfortable spot for the movie. It wasn’t long before she fell back asleep. Isaac was a good pillow, or rehab was exhausting, or both.
Weeks went on, and Carissa kept improving. Her post-op follow-up with Dr. Brock went perfectly. Unfortunately, she had missed too much school to go back for the semester, so she’d have to sit this one out. She hated having to miss a whole semester, but the surgery had been worth it. She hadn’t even noticed how sick she’d felt before. Sometimes tethered cord came on gradually, Dr. Brock explained, and people didn’t notice the changes happening in their bodies until things got pretty dramatic.
In Carissa’s case, she only noticed the difference on the back end, after she recovered from surgery. She was able to move more, and her bladder was behaving better. She wasn’t having as much pain as she had before.
Tonight, almost three weeks after surgery, she was going to Isaac’s house to have dinner with him and his mother. She was nervous about driving over by herself, but felt recovered enough that it should be safe. Her mom and dad insisted she take her cell phone, and call if there were any problems. She should certainly call as soon as she arrived so they’d know she was safe.
Chapter 34
Jim and Sarah sat on their bed folding laundry. Sarah folded a towel and put it on the already leaning stack of towels she was working on.
“Are we sure she’s good to drive?” Sarah asked. “I mean, I know the doctor cleared her for all activities, but are we sure? What if she starts to feel bad on the way?”
“Then she’ll pull over and call, and I’ll go get her,” Jim said, and his calm tone reassured her. “She’s fine, though. She’s recovered well, and it’s been three weeks. She says she feels better than before surgery. We can’t keep her locked in the house forever. The only way she gets back to normal activities is to get back to them. That means we have to let her.” He handed a dishcloth over and Sarah started a new stack.
“I know. I just worry. But if you think she’s okay…”
“I know she’s okay.” He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “We always worry, and she always proves us wrong. Every time we think we have a reason to hold her back, she thrives. It’s what she does. She’ll be okay. And I know she knows what to do if she decides she’s not okay.”
“Okay. We let her go then.” Sarah rearranged the towels and picked up a stack, getting up to put them in the master bathroom. She was still unsure, but was somewhat comforted by her husband’s words.
“Bye, guys, I’m leaving, and I have my phone. I’ll call as soon as I pull in Isaac’s driveway!” Carissa shouted from the living room.
“Bye! We love you!” Sarah yelled back, heading back into the bedroom to sit next to Jim and fold more laundry.
And Carissa was on her first outing since surgery.
“See? Wasn’t that easy?” Jim teased, poking Sarah lightly in the ribs.
“No,” Sarah replied, swatting him off playfully.
“She’ll be fine. We’re watching from this end, and you know Isaac is on the lookout from his end. She’s covered.”
“Okay. I’ll try to relax.” But Sarah didn’t sound very convincing. There weren’t enough towels in the world to fold to keep her mind off letting Carissa go.
Chapter 35
Carissa called Isaac to let him know she was on her way. She didn’t understand why everyone was so cautious. It wasn’t like she had never driven before. But she still made sure to check in with everyone. It made them feel better, and whatever made them feel better about her getting out of that house was fine with her. She’d been cooped up too long. It was time to get back to life. If she couldn’t go back to school, she was going to go somewhere, anywhere, to get off that couch.
So she headed to Isaac’s couch. It had been a long time since she’d seen Betty, and she wanted to hear more stories about what it was like to fight for the ADA. She also had some questions for her about getting into the political scene. Carissa finally knew what her passion was, and she was ready to get started.
Carissa pulled up in Isaac’s driveway and texted both of her parents, just to make sure at least one of them knew she had arrived safely. To her surprise, Isaac wasn’t on the porch waiting for her. She got out of the car, rolled up to the door, and knocked.
Isaac came out in record time. Had he been standing there waiting? She wasn’t going to ask. “I made it! No more disabled than I used to be, see?” She held out her arms. “Everyone can calm down. I’m alive and well.”
Isaac reached down, put his arms around her and kissed her. “I’m glad you’re safe. Dinner is almost ready. Mom is excited to see you.”
“I’m excited to see her, too,” Carissa replied. “We have a lot to talk about. It’s been too long. Let’s roll.”
“You two,” he said, walking beside her and holding the door open for her to go through. “I had a feeling you would find each other and be best friends, even if I didn’t exist.”
“Maybe, but you’re definitely a bonus.” She grinned back at him over her shoulder. “I like you a lot.”
Carissa wheeled up to the table and settled in while Isaac helped his mom with the last of the dinner preparations. Soon, they both joined her, Isaac carrying a big pot of hearty stew, and Betty carrying a fresh-baked loaf of bread on her lap.
“I see the woman of the hour has arrived safely,” Betty said. “How are you feeling, Carissa? Good? You look good! Did you let your parents know you got here safely? Don’t want them worrying about you.”
“I’m doing well, Ms.… Um… Betty.” Would she ever get used to calling Isaac’s mom
by her first name? “Yes, I texted them both. Dinner smells awesome!”
Isaac had gone back to the kitchen and returned with a pitcher of lemonade. He walked around the table, pouring some into ice-filled glasses.
“Thanks, Isaac.” Betty turned back to Carissa. “Beef stew,” she said proudly. “My mama’s recipe, and her mama’s before that! It’s delicious. If you don’t like it, I’ll give you your money back, or this stinky boy, whichever you like!”
“I’m kind of fond of the stinky boy.” Carissa shot Isaac an affectionate glance. “Can I have him and the stew?”
“We might be able to work something out.” Betty laughed, a cheery mom-like laugh. It made Carissa feel almost like home.
“Good,” she declared. “I like a good two-for-one deal.”
“And that’s why I like you.” Betty reached over and patted Carissa’s arm. “I like a woman who knows a good bargain when she sees one.”
Isaac prayed over the meal, and everyone dug into the stew and bread. It was delicious, just as Betty had promised. Carissa and Betty talked like they had been best friends for years. Isaac mostly just ate.
“So, Betty, tell me more about what it was like to fight for the ADA. I mean, things aren’t perfect, but that time in history sure made a lot of difference for people like us. I really want to know more.” Carissa paused for a moment, her spoon hovering over her bowl. “I’ve been thinking,” she said. “When I was in the hospital, I went for a stroll down to the nursery unit, and there was a baby there I could tell had spina bifida. I talked to his mom for a minute. That conversation lit a spark in me. I want to fight for babies like him. I want to fight for babies like me. Someone has to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves, and I think I can do that. I want to do that.”
“Well,” Betty started, “it was hard. I’m not gonna lie to ya. People just didn’t understand. Unless you have a disability, it’s hard to understand what it’s like to not be able to enter a place because it’s inaccessible, or to not be able to get your chair into a bathroom stall when you really need to go, or even to be able to get around a shop when the aisle isn’t big enough to get your chair through. Unless you’ve been in that situation, you just don’t know.”