ALL CHARACTERS ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER.
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Carrie hadn't been drinking the night of the accident. Neither had the Uber driver bringing her home from the Prom after party. It was simply bad luck, a random accident.
But it left my daughter with two broken arms and multiple fractures in both legs.
I was just grateful it hadn't been worse. Carrie was a bright, beautiful young woman with a promising future ahead of her. And while she had several long weeks of recovery ahead of her, there would fortunately be no permanent damage.
Still, it was sad that instead of enjoying her summer with her friends before heading off to college in the fall, she'd be spending most of it cooped up at home, recovering.
Since I owned my own accounting business, I worked from home, so at least I could be there for her to help.
It wasn't going to be easy. Carrie had become a very self sufficient young woman, especially after her mom died. She'd quickly learned to cook and help clean up around the house, and had been a huge help in guiding me through my grief despite her own sadness and loss.
Now it was my turn to be there for her.
Our health insurance was good enough to cover most of what we'd need, and I had enough to cover the rest.
We weren't rich, and our house was small, but we lived comfortably. Everything was on one level, so we wouldn't have to worry about stairs, and I could get her wheelchair in the house through the garage entrance.
While Carrie was still in the hospital, I'd made arrangements to rent a medical bed and had it set up in her bedroom, storing her regular bed in the garage for the time being. This would at least make it easier for her to sit up and generally rest more comfortably.
I'd considered hiring a full time nurse, but the expense was pretty steep and Carrie wouldn't hear of it. "It's too much, dad. I'll manage okay, and I know we can handle this on our own, together, like we always have."
So I brought her home, set her up in her room, and made sure she'd have everything she needed.
The first real obstacle we ran into was having to take her bedroom door off the hinges to get the wheelchair into her room.
Getting her into the bed was easier. Carrie had inherited her mother's petite frame, and I could easily handle her weight as I carefully helped lift her out of the chair.
She was still wearing the oversized nightgown I'd brought for her to wear in the hospital. The open sleeves fit easily over her casts, and it buttoned down the front so we didn't have to pull it over her head. The sweat shorts I'd also brought were a bit more of a struggle to get on from what Carrie told me, (the nurses had dressed her at the hospital) but still hung loosely on her hips. As I helped guide her into the bed, they started to slip down, and it was only then I realized, with some embarrassment, that she wasn't wearing panties.
Once we finally got her settled in and the bed set to a comfortable height, I helped adjust the shorts to a more modest position then covered her with a light blanket.
"Thanks, dad," Carrie said, her voice almost a whisper. The ordeal of getting her home and settled had left her exhausted. "I guess this is gonna be a tougher adjustment than I thought."
I kissed her forehead softly. "It's okay, kiddo. We'll get through this, you'll see."
I gave her her medications, kissed her again, then left her to rest. "I'll be right down the hall," I told her. "If you need anything, just call for me." I'd also purchased a baby monitor set and had one set up by her bedside. The other I'd keep with me, so I could hear her from anywhere in the house.
Carrie smiled and nodded weakly, already drifting off to sleep.
I exited quietly and went off to my own room, collapsing in a tired heap on my own bed.
The next few weeks were going to be stressful, and I was just hoping I'd be strong enough to get through them. I had to be, for my daughter's sake.
I awoke a few hours later to Carrie's voice over the monitor. "Dad? Can you come here, please?"
We'd left the door off of her bedroom, but I still knocked on the wall before entering, a habit I'd adhered to ever since her adolescence.
Even in the now dim light of evening, Carrie's face looked flush. "What's wrong, kiddo?" I asked as I turned on the light.
"I...I need to pee," she stammered.
I knew this was coming of course, and thought I'd mentally prepared myself for it. Still, I felt a bit tense. But I had to remain calm and steady for her.
"Okay, no problem." I adjusted her bed to a more upright position, then reached for the bed pan. I was about to slip it under the blanket when she stopped me. "Um, Dad, you need to get my shorts off first."
"Oh. Right. Of course," I said, hoping I sounded more relaxed and casual than I felt.
Leaving the blanket over her to protect her modesty, I reached under and cautiously pulled down the shorts. It took me several moments to work them off over the casts, and I had to pause twice to readjust the blanket that kept trying to slip off her.
Once removed, I slid the bedpan under the blanket, then helped lift her by the hips over it, trying my best not to jostle her still hurting arms or legs too much in the process.
Finally getting her into a somewhat stable position, I pulled back and stood silently, not sure what to do next.
"Um, Dad? I can't go with you standing there watching," said Carrie.
"What? Oh, of course, sorry." I stepped out of the room quickly and waited in the hallway.
She called me back in a few minutes later, her face beet red as I entered.
Again I carefully lifted her off the bedpan and removed it carefully, trying not to spill it's contents.
I was about to take it to the bathroom to empty it when she again stopped me. "Dad? Um...God, this is embarrassing, but...you need to...wipe me."
"Right. Sorry, kiddo, it's been a long time since I've had to do this." Putting down the pan, I opened the pack of flushable wipes I'd purchased for just this purpose.
Carrie looked close to tears as I started to reach under the blanket. "Hey, relax," I said, trying to sound lighthearted despite my own nerves at this embarrassing situation, "I used to change your diapers, remember? This isn't all that different."
Carrie let out a half laugh, half cry. "It's a LOT different, dad. I'm nineteen now. My dad shouldn't have to be wiping me."
"It's only weird if we make it weird," I assured her. "Just don't think about it."