I held Jodi’s hand, thankful she let me, until they wheeled her past the waiting room.
“You can wait here,” Jason said to me. “Someone will come and get you once she wakes up in recovery.”
I didn’t want to let go of her hand, but I was confident in this surgery being her first step to total recovery. She was loopy and seemed to have trouble focusing her eyes. I kissed the back of the hand I was holding and then without thinking leaned over and kissed her on the mouth. In that moment, I didn’t care who saw it. My confidence was overshadowed by fear. This was surgery, and anything could happen. If she minded the kiss she didn’t show it. I did it so fast she didn’t have time to object.
“I love you,” I whispered close to her ear.
Her eyes closed, and I wasn’t sure if she even heard me. I watched them take her down the hallway and out of sight around a corner before going back to the waiting room. I said a silent prayer as I sank down into the chair to wait.
It seemed like I sat there for hours, but in truth in was probably less than one. A nurse, not the one I had seen earlier, opened the waiting room door. “Who’s here for Jodi Michaels?”
I stood.
“I just wanted to let you know she’s in recovery. She’s doing fine. Still asleep. I’ll come and get you when she wakes up.”
Oh my God. She was okay. “Thank you so much.”
She nodded and was gone.
I sat back down and offered up a prayer of thanks.
She was still a little groggy when I was finally led to Jodi in recovery. “Hey, gorgeous,” I said when I saw her.
“I doubt that,” she said.
I kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be the judge of that. How are you feeling?”
“Like someone cut me and stuck something inside me.”
“Are you in pain? Want me to find the nurse?” I started back out of the room.
“Come here. I’m okay.”
I pulled a chair closer to the bed. “Did they tell you anything yet?”
“No. The doctor will be in in a little while. That’s all I know.”
“Everything went as expected,” the doctor said when he came by much later. He filled us in on what we needed to know. Watch for infection, pick up a prescription for painkillers, be sure to go for the scheduled scans and make an appointment to see him in two weeks.
The recovery nurse showed up with a wheelchair and I went to get the car. The ride to the drugstore for meds and then to Jodi’s apartment was quick and the traffic light. I helped her up the few steps to her building and helped her settle on the couch in her apartment.
“Hungry?” I asked.
“Not really. I think I could use a pain pill.”
I pulled the bottle out of my purse and read the directions. “It says it may cause nausea if not eaten with food.” I opened the bottle and spilled a couple of pills into the palm of my hand.
“How about wine? Does it cause nausea with wine?”
“Aren’t you just so funny?”
“Why yes. Yes, I am.”
I didn’t know if her mood was a sign that her attitude was better or if the medication they gave her at the hospital still had her a little loopy. She didn’t say much on the car ride home, so I wasn’t sure.
“Do you feel like some toast?”
“Why? Do I look like some toast?”
I couldn’t help but giggle. “A little around the edges. Yes.” I went into the kitchen to search for some bread. She had fallen asleep sitting up by the time I had the toast made. It was all I could do not to go to her and kiss her.