Chapter Two - Part One

"Hey, Nanon, did you hear me?" Nanon stifled a yawn and turned.

"I’m sorry Jamie. My mind is a little preoccupied."

They were sitting in the day room of the rehabilitation facility waiting for Dr. Farben.

"Well, I just asked what you thought the first thing you might do is when they take your cast off?"

"Given how it smells, I think I’ll want to put my arm in water and wash all the dead skin and funk off of it."

"Yeah, casts can get pretty rank."

Nanon yawned. She had not had a good night’s sleep since the accident. Every position became uncomfortable, if not intolerable, in a short period of time. Not sleeping in her own bed for seven weeks was fast becoming intolerable too. She hoped when she got her arm freed up that they would let her go home.

"You think they’ll let me go home when I get this cast off?"

"Oh," Jamie ran a hand through his hand, making it stand on end, "I’m not an ortho so I’m not even going to try and predict what Niels will do."

Sighing, Nanon replied, "Me either." She shifted in the wheelchair. If he did not hurry she was going to have to give up and lay down. Every day she endeavored to stay in the chair a little longer. Even with a bum arm, she wheeled herself around the unit. Now she sat in a patch of sunshine, watching the wind blow the last of the leaves along the ground and she remembered the leaves had just changed when the accident happened.

"You know," Jamie interrupted her silent musings, "we’re going to be able to help you out with that." He gestured toward her left leg, still encased in its shrine of steel. Dr. Farben had performed a small miracle in at least keeping it attached to the rest of her body. Evidently, the leg did not feel the same way because it refused to cooperate in the healing and strengthening process. Nanon shifted again and realized she was running out of positions.

"I know Jamie," she tried to smile at him but the pain was beginning to become unbearable.

"Do you need to go back to your room?" He nodded towards the hallway.

"I think so," she grinned, "I’m just about done for the day."

She let him wheel her back to her room, which was unusual and as she passed the nurses’ desk, one handed her a little cup with painkillers in it.

"I’m becoming a fucking drug addict." Nanon hated to admit how much she needed the little "pills of pleasure," as she called them.

"You’ll be okay Nanon."

"If I had a dollar for every time someone has told me that in the last seven weeks, I would a very rich woman."

Jamie laughed. She did appreciate his company, although at first he had been so nervous he was more of a nuisance. An orderly appeared to help her into the bed and once she was settled, with grimacing and deep breaths, she took the painkillers and leaned back on the pillows.

"One drug-induced sleep, coming right up," she quipped.

"Well, I’m going back over to the lab."

"Thanks for coming by Jamie. Tell Mike and James I said hello."

"Sure will. See ya."

"Bye."

As she listened to his footsteps, she closed her eyes as the nausea flowed over her. All she could do was lay very still and breath because to cry only made it hurt worse. After a while, she felt her muscles relaxing and she sunk a little deeper into the pillows. That’s how John found her.
Nanon’s eyes fluttered open when she heard his steps. She smiled.

"Hi babe," he bent down and kissed her.

"Hey."

"Oh, someone’s had their medicine."

"Yeah," she laughed. He pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

"I see Dr. Farben hasn’t made it here yet."

"No," she shook her head and looked up at him, "do you think he’ll let me go home after he takes the cast off?"

John turned to hide the smile on his face, "I don’t know."

Squeezing his hand, Nanon said, "Oh yes you do, John Grenada. Look at me and let me see if you’re lying."

"He is lying. He does know," said Dr. Farben from the doorway. Nanon rolled her head to look at him.

"Please tell me I’m going home."

Neils Farben smiled, a rarity, and said, "You’re going home."

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