Chapter Twenty-Seven
Dear Dad,
Thank you for your letter. I am still in the hospital, but doing better. I can breathe better now. They say I need to gain 20 pounds before I can leave, and I weigh seven pounds more now, so that is good.
Emily is back in town and it is great to see her. She changed a lot when she was in Paris, but that's a good thing, not that she wasn't perfect before.
That's it for me.
Your son,
Lucky Spencer
~*~*~*~
Dear Lucky,
Thank you for the photo of you two. Who is that goddess sitting beside you? Is that little Emily? Paris sure treated her well!
I know Spencers don't do hospitals but pay attention to the docs so you can get better soon. Keep me posted. I love you son.
Your father,
Luke Spencer
~*~*~*~
Emily and Lucky were together on Lucky's bed. Lucky lay back on his pillow, and Emily perched beside him on the edge of the bed with one foot up and one dangling to the side. Emily had visited Lucky every day, and nine days into his hospitalization, she had finally caught him up on the events of her year in Paris. Emily did most of the talking, but that is the way it always was with them, she the mad chatterer and he the gentle listener. Lucky didn't say much about his homelessness, just that he'd been mostly tired all the time because of the pneumonia. Emily didn't push. She knew that he'd open up when he was ready. In the meantime, she enjoyed just spending time with him.
Emily picked up Lucky's hand and held it. She looked into Lucky's blue eyes and smiled broadly. "You look great, Lucky. I'm so glad that you're gaining weight and that they discontinued your oxygen. That's wonderful." She parted Lucky's fingers and wiggled them to tease him. Lucky tensed and pulled his hand away, looking over at the wall beside him.
Emily looked worried and said quietly, "Did I do something that bothered you? Should I not touch you?"
Lucky looked a bit annoyed, and said shortly, "No, just don't do that with my hand."
"Okay," Emily replied a bit sadly, as she lowered both his hand and her head and stared at the floor.
Lucky noticed how Emily was feeling and said, "Em, look at me."
Emily looked up at Lucky's sincere face. Lucky reached out and touched Emily's hair. "You've been great, you're my best friend," he said softly. "Your visits mean a lot to me. Don't let me spoil it. I've just been feeling funny today, that's all."
Emily perked up a bit and said brightly, "Well, I'm going to go buy myself a Coke. Do you want me to sneak you one?" Emily raised an eyebrow at him and laughed.
"That would be great," Lucky grinned. "Thanks."
Lucky reached for his TV remote and clicked it on. The janitor in the hall was bothering him with the clanking sound his mop made against the metal pail. Lucky began surfing with the remote as a few beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He felt a bit woozy, and started taking in faster breaths. He turned on the sound, and kept flipping through 200 commercials until the beginning of the hour and the start of new shows. He caught the promo of a new ER medical show with someone being wheeled into a white room on a gurney and people shouting and racing around a body.
Lucky's hand started shaking, and he dropped the remote on the floor. Lucky's eyes were locked on the screen as his hand frantically searched for the remote on his bed, but made no contact with the long, plastic device. When his heart began racing, he suddenly remembered Kevin Collins' instructions, and he reached for his leg, slapping and pinching it. He rubbed the textured blanket with his other hand, trying to maintain contact with himself and his surroundings. But, he couldn't relax enough, and his eyes kept registering the show on the television with its flashing OR and burly men racing around the room. It was impossible to look away. He was losing the battle, and he slipped into another time and place.
When Emily returned to Lucky's room two minutes later with two cold Cokes in hand, she was terrified to see Lucky staring straight at the ceiling with a glazed faraway look in his eyes. He was twitching uncontrollably and wrestling against some invisible restraints. His neck muscles bulged as he jerked his head back and forth. Emily ran for the nurse call button and pressed it. When the nurse appeared a minute later, Emily frantically said, "Call Dr. Collins. Please! He's in trouble." After looking at Lucky, the nurse ran to page Kevin Collins. Emily stood off to the side, paralyzed by Lucky's plight. Lucky started shrieking, "NO! FAISON! NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! AHHHH!"
Emily started crying earnestly. She was so in shock and didn't know what to do.
~*~*~*~
"I don't agree," Tony said vigorously while shaking his head. "He needs to feel like he is in control of his circumstances. A locked ward would be too much like his imprisonment that he is struggling to deal with."
"Lucky would receive intensive counseling in the psychiatric wing," explained Kevin. "I think he needs closer observation."
Ian added his opinion. "I agree with Kevin. The nurses are not trained to handle psychiatric cases in the regular hospital. After Lucky gains some more weight and is off the IV, I recommend transferring him."
Tony was getting flustered but calmly stated, "I know him - as a person. He is a proud young man. This would set him so far back. He's already lost all the dignity that he can spare. In one year, he lost his family, his girl friend, his job, his home, and his self-respect. What more do you want him to lose? Why don't you temporarily assign a psychiatric nurse to his case? What he needs is an opportunity to regain what he has lost, not have more taken away from him!"
Kevin still looked concerned, and Ian shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. Kevin's pager vibrated, and he looked down at his message. "Ian, can I borrow your phone?" he asked "Sure," Ian motioned to the phone, and pushed it toward Kevin.
Kevin dialed the number and listened intently. "I'll be right there," he said tersely. Kevin hung up the phone and glanced at Tony and Ian. "Our boy's in trouble," he stated firmly. "I'm on my way there now." As Kevin reached the door, Ian called after him, "Rematch at Finegan's, 9:00 this evening?"
Kevin placed his hand on the doorknob and laughed and said, "Sure, I could use a free beer or two!"