David and Brie left the hospital with more of the hypodermic needles filled with one dose of Vicodine and orders for her to slow down. As they walked out to the car, David called Jake. “Jacob, is there any dinner left?” he asked.
“No, Jay, ‘Miah, and Marc all had three HUGE helpings a piece. Plus they had salad and bread sticks.”
“Why does that not surprise me? Oh, wait, I know my sons.”
“Hey now, don’t lump me in with those garbage disposals.”
“You can eat just as much as they can, Micah. I believe your mother has used the phrase, ‘put away the groceries’.”
“I’m not nearly as bad as Jay, ‘Miah, and Marc are.”
“Anymore, that is.”
“Hey, I was a growing boy then. I’m a grown man now.”
“And you still eat like you haven’t eaten in months and I KNOW we feed you. Anyhow, seeing as your brother’s ate everything and neglected to remember your mother and I, we’ll be back home after a while. Your Mom’s doped up on pain killers and that’s the only reason she’s walking at the moment. She needs to eat, so I’m going to take her to dinner. Make sure that the house is clean and NOT destroyed when we get home please and make sure that your brothers and sisters take care of their responsibilities at home before doing ANYTHING else.”
“Yes, sir. It will be done before you get home. I’ll have them get started on it as soon as we hang up.”
“Thank you, Jake. By the way, how is Miri?”
“She beat Marc up earlier. Got him right in his nose.”
David smiled. “That’s my girl. She’s learning early not to take shit from people. Good for her.” He sighed. “Well, let me get off of here so that I can drive and get your mother something to eat.”
“You got it, Dad. I’ll talk to you when you and Mom get home. I’m curious to know what’s wrong with Mom’s back that it gave out.”
“We’ll tell you when we get home, Doctor.”
Jake chuckled. “Yes, sir. I’ll see you when you get home.”
---------------
When his parents arrived home, his father helped his mother up the stairs to bed, then came down to check on the state of his house. “Everything’s in order I trust”, he said.
“I had a little difficulty getting someone to take out the trash, but other than that everything is fine. How’s Mom?”
“Passed the hell out. Dr. J ended up upping her dosage of the vicodine so she’s sleeping it off right now.”
“Damn. What’s wrong that her back gave out?”
“The vertebrae in her lower back are starting to fuse together.”
“OUCH! I hope that none of us have to deal with that.”
“At least one of you will, I’m afraid. It’s genetic.”
“Lovely. Which of her parents passed it to her?”
“Your Grandfather Cartwright.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Great.”
“Luckily it won’t bother you until you’re a lot older should it bother you at all. It didn’t start with your mother or grandfather until they were in their late fifties to early sixties.”
“Yeah, there’s a load off of my mind”, he said with a roll of his eyes.
David chuckled. “You might have to be the one to deal with it. Jordan’s been dealing with my health stuff.”
“Why me and Jordan, man? She gets your health shit and I get Mom’s. Lovely.”
“And then, of course, you get to develop your own shit to pass on to Miri and any other kids you have.”
“Lovely. Just fucking lovely.”
----------------
David walked into the kitchen to get a something to drink before joining his wife upstairs only to discover an overflowing trashcan. “JEREMIAH ALEXANDER!” he called.
Jeremiah came running up the stares from the basement game room to the kitchen. “Yes, sir?” he asked.
David looked at the young man then pointedly at the trashcan. “What’s wrong with this picture, Jeremiah?”
“Oh, crap. I totally forgot that it’s my week. I’m on it, Dad.” He moved to the trashcan and tied the bag before running it outside.
David grabbed a bottle of water and went upstairs to the room he shared with his wife only to discover his three youngest daughters sitting on the edge of the bed poking at their mother. “Is she breathing?” Jessi asked.
“She seems to be”, Makayla said.
“Then why is she in bed so early and already asleep?” Meagan asked.
“Because she’s on heavy pain medication right now, girls. Stop messing with her or you’re all grounded. Meagan and Makayla, you will lose your cars and have to ride to school with your brothers”, David said. The authority in his voice was not to be questioned.
But, of course, his girls did. They tried to play up the ‘Daddy’s little girls’ thing with him. “But, Daddy…” they all pouted.
“NOW!”, he growled. “Get out of here and let your mother sleep.”
The girls jumped and ran from the room, with a “Yes, sir”, echoing behind them.
He shook his head and sat on the bed with his sleeping wife. He brushed a lock of hair from her face when she rolled and laid her head on his thigh. God, she’s beautiful, he thought to himself. Even after all these years, she’s still so beautiful. What in my charmed life have I done right to deserve such a beautiful soul as my wife? She doesn’t know how to take it easy. I’m going to have to show her, I guess. But, she’s so passionate about what she does. She’s an angel. He pressed his finger tips to his lips , then pressed his fingertips to her temple.
She stirred softly, her sleep laden eyes looking up at him. “Hey handsome. Care to join me, or are you going to make me sleep in this big ole’ bed by myself?”
He smiled. “Scoot over so I can lie down if you want me to join you here.”
She inched over slowly and carefully so as not to wrench her back. When he slid into the bed next to her, she laid her head on his chest and drifted back to sleep without another word. All he could do was turn on the television in their room and find a movie to watch.
---------------
Jake took his little family out to their little house and put his daughter down for the night. He had mixed emotions about the news he’d received after his parents got home. He knew that his twin was battling the same acid reflux problems their father had in his late twenties early thirties. He was dealing with the battle with is blood sugar that he mother had. No one knew that Brie Draiman was a Type I diabetic but her family. Her husband and children knew, but that was the extent of it. His mother had the problem under control. He was wondering if he ever would. He was thankful that he didn’t yet have to check his sugar twenty minutes before every meal and probably never would if he kept his diet under control.
Then, the news about her back. The vertebrae in her back were fusing together. The meant a limited range of motion and one crazy Brie Draiman. She was going to have to cut back on how much she worked and he knew that she hated that idea. He thought about getting checked out for it but his father’s words sounded in his ears. You probably won’t have to worry about until you’re a lot older. It didn’t start with your mother or grandfather until they were in their late fifties early sixties. At least he had time to get used to the idea that he might end up having to leave his field of choice. Apparently, it had snuck up on his mother.
Delilah noticed the look of worry on her husband’s face. “What’s wrong, baby?” she asked.
“Just thinking about what I talked about with Dad. It seems that Jordan and I are battling the health issues of the parent of the opposite sex. Jordan’s got Dad’s problems and I’m dealing with Mom’s. I’ve know I was diabetic since I was a kid. Type I diabetes is a bitch because my pancreas has always been fucked up.”
“I remember you telling me about that when we were in school together. I asked you why you didn’t eat a lot of candy and you told me it was because you were diabetic.”
“Well, my mother is also a diabetic. She manages it just fine and she doesn’t use artificial sweeteners. Splenda, Sweet n Low; she won’t use it. She uses sugar and she taught me how to manage it and still be able to use sugar. Granted, my job is a bit of a bitch and doesn’t make it easy to maintain my sugar the way I have since I was a kid, but I manage. Now, this news about Mom’s back has me a little worried.”
“Why?”
“Because what’s going on with her back is a career ender… if not a life ender.”
“What’s going on?”
“The vertebrae in her lower back are fusing together.”
“Her lumbar spine?”
“Yeah. Dad didn’t go into detail about which ones are fused, but if her back is giving out then it has to be at the bottom and working its way up. My Mom’s not going to go out quietly with this, though.”
“Of course not. Neither would your father were it him. And you’re just like your parents. You won’t just lie down and let it beat you should it happen to you.”
He smiled. “You’ll stand by me I if I have to battle with that?”
“Of course, silly man. I love you. I’ll always stand by you.”
He did the only thing he could think to do. He kissed her passionately and carried her to their bedroom.
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