Once the younger kids left for school, David, Brie, Jake, Delilah and Miri all left for Brie’s appoint with the orthopedic surgeon. The passenger seat of the truck had to be laid back for her to be any sort of comfortable. Comfort was impossible to find for Brie Draiman. She was near tears by the time David parked the truck at Dr. Morgan’s office. “We’re here, baby”, David said softly.
“Thank God”, she nearly sobbed. “Now, the movement of the truck isn’t jostling my spine. Oh, Holy God, this shit hurts.”
He reached over and brushed her hair from her face. “It’s ok, honey. Do you think you can walk into the office?”
“I can’t feel my legs after that. I don’t even think I could stand.”
He nodded. “I’ll have Jake go get a wheelchair then unless you’d be objective to my carrying you inside.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I wouldn’t object.” She stopped laughing and took a deep breath. “Oh, GOD, it hurts”, she said, the end turning into a soft sob.
“When I get you home, you’re going to eat a little lunch and get a pain shot. That seems to be the only time you’re not nearly sobbing in pain these days. Christian had better operate or I’m going to kick his ass.” He gently rubbed her back as she rolled onto her side, put her head on his thigh and began crying.
Jake knocked on the window. “Dad, is everything ok?” he asked. He had Miri’s car seat in his other hand.
David shook his head as he rubbed his wife’s back. “No, your mother’s in pain and I can’t give her anything for it until we get home.” He felt every muscle in her back spasming and twitching under his hand. “Go get a wheel chair please, Jacob.”
Jake handed Miri’s car seat to his wife and ran into the office. When he reached the desk, he got the nurse/ receptionist’s attention. “I need a wheelchair for my mother please. She’s having difficulty standing and my father can’t get her inside.” He spoke with an air of authority that said that he was a doctor. He may not have been their boss, but he was still in charge of a group of nurses somewhere.
One of the nurses looked at him. “Right away, Doctor.” She ran to the back and grabbed a wheelchair and wheeled it out. “Here you go, Doctor.”
“Thank you.” He turned and took it back out to the parking lot. “Here you go, Dad”, he said when he got back out to the vehicle. When his father got out, he pushed it around to the other side. After the door was opened and his mother was out, he shut the door for his father and started to push the chair that held his mother toward the building. David was getting his keys from the ignition and locking the door.
“Freeze”, David called after Jake. “You go on ahead; your mother and I are right behind you. I’ll push her in, Jacob.”
Jake nodded. “Whatever floats your boat, Dad”, he said as he let go of the chair and headed in. “We’ll get Mom checked in then”, he called as he and his wife and daughter walked into the building.
“Sounds good.” David squatted in front of his wife. “Are you ok?” She shook her head and laid her head on his shoulder, tears falling down her cheeks as she did. He took her in his arms and held her while she sobbed. He was used to being her rock when she broke down. He knew that she needed him and he would be there. It didn’t matter what the problem was, she knew that she could count on him to give her is undying support because she would do the same for him were roles reversed.
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Jake stood in Dr. Morgan’s office with him as he looked at his mother’s X-rays and MRI results. Jake couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t smile because he liked what he saw. He smiled because he knew that he’d see it from what was going on with his mother. Dr. Morgan looked at him. “You’ve got to tell me how you knew”, he said.
“All I had to do was palpate her spine and I could tell. Seeing it on film in front of me just confirms what I knew.”
“Jacob, this is worse than I thought it was. I thought she was just in the beginning stages. When I saw these last night I scheduled her for surgery tomorrow morning. What has her behavior been like at home?”
“She can barely walk, some days the pain is so bad that she can’t get out of bed, let alone walk. Dad pretty much has to keep her sedated. You need to operate as soon as possible.”
“What is your mother’s pain tolerance like.”
“From what I understand, every time she’s gone into labor, she doesn’t feel it until she was nearly ready to deliver. She has a very high pain tolerance.”
Dr. Morgan nodded. “Go get them from the waiting room and bring to back to room 2. It the one right across from my office here. I’ll be standing in the door way waiting.”
“You got it.” He walked out of the office and toward the waiting room.
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While Jake was in the back talking to Dr. Morgan, David and Delilah sat and comforted Brie. “Mom, when he operates, Jake, Maddie and I will keep the house together. If we should need help, I’m sure that Malachai and Mandy, and Jordan and Davina will happily help. That way, Dad can stay with you and the house won’t fall apart.”
Brie was taking deep, even breaths, trying to think past the pain to carry on a normal conversation. “I’m not worried about the house not falling apart. I’m worried about not being able to walk again after this happens. It scares me. Not being able to be independent scares the hell out of me.”
“The only way that’s going to happen is if he severs a nerve”, Jake said from the door to the back. “Come on back. He wants to talk to you.”
David stood and pushed the chair past his son and spotted Dr. Morgan and went straight for the room he was standing in. He paused at the door to whisper to the young doctor. “When you cut her open you had better take really good care of her.”
“You have my word, Mr. Draiman”, Dr. Morgan responded.
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“I want to operate first thing in the morning”, he said after he confirmed to everyone what Jake had told her a couple of days before.
Brie’s eyes doubled in size. “You want to operate when?” she asked.
“Tomorrow morning, Mrs. Draiman. Your son was right and if the calcification gets any worse, you’re going to completely lose mobility and sensation in everything below the waist. The nerves are, in fact, being impinged.”
She looked at her husband. “What are we going to do about the kids?”
“Don’t worry about that, baby. I’m sure that our older children will make sure that everything at home runs smoothly when we’re away.”
“You should be at home with the kids, David; not miserable in the hospital with me.”
“Like I’m going to let you sit in that hospital alone for ANY length of time.” He looked back to Dr. Morgan. “What time do you want us there?”
“Eight o’clock sharp and I want her to come in fasting. I know she’s a diabetic, but I need her to be fasting when she comes in. It will make it easier to operate on her.”
“I’m sitting right here, jack ass!”, she snapped. “Don’t just talk to my husband, talk to me too, God damn it!”
“Mrs. Draiman, you need to be fasting when you come in for the surgery tomorrow morning. Can you do that for me?”
“What time do I need to start my fast by?”
“Midnight.”
“I can do that. But, Christian, if you EVER insult me that way again, I’m going to kick your mother fucking ass. Do you understand me?”
“Understood, Mrs. Draiman. I do apologize.”
“Good. I’ll see you at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.” She turned to her husband. “Take me home now, please. I’d like to eat a little something and set some sleep.”
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