This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to ANYONE is completely coincidental. Anyone who engages in any "activity" is well over the age of 18.
Author's Note: Authors love hearing from their readers and I'm no exception. I apologize for the cliffhanger; I just couldn't resist a little drama. Dave and Amy's story has become a little personal to me though I don't have a sister and in the case of my children *I* am the adoptive parent. While there is some of my family in these characters, I wouldn't read too much into that. Inspiration is where you find it after all. To the "gentleman" who said Lys's kid wouldn't be Dave's relation because there was no blood shared, I can tell you that you couldn't be more wrong. I hope everyone enjoys this next installment and forgives me that this will probably be the only installment for a little over a week. I'll be away this coming weekend when I normally get most of my writing done.
Amy -- Summer Begins: The Second Week
I don't know how long I was out but I woke up and my head and left knee were singing an aria. It took a few moments before I remembered what happened. I remembered Clare telling me she was fine with me sleeping with her mother, my sister, and then tripping and face planting into the parking spot back stop. I could feel the itchy presence of an I.V. needle in my left arm and a fuzzy, worried-looking face came into focus.
Amy was sitting near me looking very, very anxious. "Nurse," she called out, "Tell Doctor Drake he's awake."
"Oh fuck," I said, "I feel like I got hit by a car."
"No, you just fell and hit your head. You have a concussion and you sprained your knee. You're damn lucky, it could have been a lot worse."
"Who are you," I asked trying not to let on I was fucking with her.
"That's not funny, David." I marveled at how much she sounded like Mom.
"Sorry, you're my sister and the best thing that's happened to me in years. I love you."
"I love you too, asshole," she said. She looked tired. Very tired. In this light she looked a lot like Mom, too. The look of worry etched deep into her face was just like Mom's. I'd only recently understood why Mom always had that look.
"Sophie is my doctor?"
"Yeah, she's stayed late keeping an eye on you."
I was never going to live this down.
Sophie walked in and said, "Ah, there is Mr. Coordination. You might be able to get him dancing but he can't walk to his own car." Haha. Real fucking funny.
"Bring me my stuff. I need to get home," I said though speaking hurt a bit. It sent seismic waves up my skull. "What time is it?"
"It's almost one in the morning. You've been out for a few hours. And as such, you are not leaving this bed until at least when I get back here tomorrow afternoon."
I started to call bullshit when Amy grabbed my arm and said, "Don't argue with your doctor. You're hurt. Do what she tells you."
I snapped my mouth shut and fixed both of them with a glare. They were right. I didn't fucking like it but, they were right.
Sophie shined a light in my eyes, "You have a pretty good concussion. No computer work for at least two days. Jags can handle it. Got it?"
I nodded.
"Good. You also sprained your knee but if you *behave* yourself you'll be able to dance with your girls on Saturday."
Trying to sound tougher than I felt I said, "I expect to be discharged as soon as you get here tomorrow."
"And you should," Sophie said. "Now, do you want something to help you sleep?"
"Yeah, please," I answered. "Sophie, what room am I in?"
Sophie's eyes grew sad. "302, Dad. I wouldn't let them put you ... I wouldn't let them do that to you. I'll get the nurse to come in with the sleeping meds. I love you and I'll see you tomorrow. Try not to fall out of bed."
"What's that about," Grace asked as Sophie headed for the door.
"Mom died in room 312," Sophie said and left.
Amy grabbed my hand then kissed and squeezed it. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Where are the kids? Are they okay," I asked.
"They're with Rose and Steven," she said. "Clare is beside herself and blaming herself for your fall. What happened?"
"Shit," I said, and I laid back wincing in pain. I told Amy what Clare had said to me right before I tripped.
"We have a fucking mess on our hands," Amy said taking a seat by the bed.
The nurse came in and put a needle in the I.V. input valve...thing. "You have to go now, Miss," she said to Amy.
Amy stood up to leave and leaned over and kissed my head. It hurt. "Sophie made them let me stay until you woke up."
"It's okay, Sis. Go get some sleep."
The nurse left the room and Amy whispered to me, "I'm going to sleep in your bed."
"No," I said. You're going to sleep in *our* bed."
The sleep medicine took me.
Newsflash: I woke up alone.
My head still hurt but it was nothing compared to the early morning. My knee was down to just a dull throb but it was a constant dull throb. Grabbing my phone, I looked at the time. It was only 8:30. Fuck it, that was close enough to noon for me. I sent Sophie a message, "I'm bored and I've got stuff that I need to take care of. Please get me out of here."
I put my phone down and began to look for the remote to turn on the television.
The nurse came in while I was looking around and I asked where the remote was, "Sorry, Mr. Drake," she said, "concussion patients don't get screen time."
"Are you kidding me," I bristled, "I'm not a frigging toddler."
"No, Mr. Drake. I am not kidding. And Doctor Drake called and said if you don't stop using your phone, I'm to confiscate it." She smiled and retreated from the room. Sophie was fucking loving this, I knew it.
Amy and Chris came in at 10:00. By then I was so starved for something to do that I'd have been happy to see Dean or Cal. Both gave me a careful hug.
Chris filled me in on his sleepover at Rose's and I handed Amy my phone.
"I'm not allowed to look at the screen," I growled.
I gave Amy my code to unlock the phone and asked her to call the mechanic in my contacts to set up an inspection for the R.V. on the following Monday. Then we spent time calling campgrounds near Gettysburg until we found one that still had a site for June 30th through July 5th.
"You can get the time, right," I asked, and she assured me it would be no problem. For his part, Chris was overjoyed that we were going camping somewhere he'd never been. I was more than a little surprised to still get a site for the holiday but I was happy that it meant me getting back out in the camper again. I always loved when I could take someone on their first trip.
12:30 rolled around and I was getting antsy. David antsy is David obnoxious and I wanted to get moving before I pissed anyone (especially Amy) off. *Finally,* Sophie wandered into the room with a bag of real food from a restaurant across the street. She would have gotten me Frank's but Frank closes on Mondays. Though Lys had told me he was having an event for family and staff, so she was at work, anyway.
"Lys says that Frank has told her you're eating free for a month. He feels really bad that you fell."
I shook my head, "I tripped on my own feet. Frank had nothing to do with it."
"And that's why I'm going to make you an appointment with a neurologist. It isn't like you to be that off balance no matter what shit I give you."
I could see the genuine concern on Sophie's face. Amy, on the other hand, started laughing at me. Oh yeah, she's my sister, alright.
"I fail to see what's funny," Sophie said, annoyed with her aunt.
I sent Chris to go look at the vending machine in the hall then I reluctantly told Sophie the story of what happened and what led to my fall.
"You two have created quite the fucking mess," she said. Then she fixed me with a stern glance that could have come from her grandmother. "Don't fuck this wedding up."
Sophie shined her pen light in my eyes again and noted something on my chart. "I'll be back in a few minutes with a wheelchair, your papers, and some meds." She walked out of the room calling Chris to come hang out with her for a few minutes.
"Is she always that blunt," Amy asked.
"Oh yeah. She gets it from her mother and my mother. But she's right, we can't let this situation go to shit until after Saturday."
"Are you assuming it is going to 'go to shit,'" she asked. Oh hey, there's the "fuck around and find out" look my...our mother was so good at.
"I'm not assuming jack or shit," I said defensively, "I just don't know how the rest of the family is going to feel about me fucking my sister."
Clare had made her stance on the subject clear the night before. Whether or not she kept her feeling that way after a family reveal would be hard to say. Chris was eight years old and I had no real idea of how he'd react. Or if he could keep it to himself, which was the far bigger question. I did know how Aunt Ellie, Sophie, and Lys felt and I was pretty certain where we stood with Amy's brother, Bill. That left Rose, Steve, Amy's parents, and Allen to worry about. Oh, and of course the butt heads. Though in all honesty I didn't care what they thought as long as they didn't do something stupid like turn us in to the authorities.
Sophie came in with a courier and Chris riding along in the wheelchair. Chris hopped out and attached himself to his mother.
"I don't need that," I said, pointing to the chair.
"Okay, stand up," Sophie challenged.
I started to stand and my knee immediately told me to sit my ass back down. Sophie looked at me smugly as she handed Amy the bag of medications.
"The blue one is for his knee. It will keep it from swelling-up like his ego. The white one is for his head. That's for pain. No more than twice a day as needed, it is a narcotic."
"Got it," Amy said.
"I will check you every morning before I leave for work," Sophie said to me. Until I say so, no screens. No work. You can read a book if it is big print and you don't need your glasses. No driving," she ordered. Then to Amy she said, "Can I count on you to enforce this?"
"Yes, Doctor Drake," Amy promised.
Sophie handed me a cane. "Use it. Don't try to be tough. If you behave yourself, you'll be okay by Saturday. But if you get any headaches that the med doesn't knock out fast you get your ass back here. I don't need to point out how lucky you were you didn't do some serious damage, do I?"
She didn't need to point it out. I was quite aware that I was lucky to be leaving the hospital at all and not in a hearse headed for Feinberg's Funeral Home in town. A fall like that could have killed me. I thanked Sophie and she gave me a forehead kiss for a change.
"I'll be fine," I said, "I'm not going down that easy."
