August 2010; Journal Excerpt. Sacramento, CA
when i first saw my mom in the recovery room she looked better than i had braced
myself for. i was so relieved. her color was good, but it was hard for her to talk.
she hadn’t been allowed water since she first entered the emergency room the day
before, and her mouth was dried out
her hip and collar-bone were broken from the fall. the hip required surgery; they put
a rod through the ball and down the length of the femur, with a screw holding it in
place at each end. the surgeon described the bone as “crumbly”
the room she was in was very small. too small to comfortably fit the four of us (me,
erica, dad, rob). with no space for even one chair we all stood. looking. looking
away. trying to think of what to say or ask.
a nurse came in and we made way for her to approach the bed. she was cheerful
and efficient in her movements. she checked off some things on a chart and left
we stayed for a few hours. mom slept off and on. when she was awake she was
groggy, but she smiled.
erica fed her ice chips with a spoon from a styrofoam cup
then held the straw to her lips
she said drinking the water was just about the best thing ever