Note: This is the third of a six-part series. There is incest and some violence in this installment.
SCREWS LOOSE
A couple weeks after Mom removed our bedroom doors, I was back in the hospital, talking with Doctor Jones. This time, I had come in under my own power.
"Good morning, Cole. How are we doing today?" He was dressed in his surgical scrubs but was not yet wearing a mask.
I smiled. "Not sure about you, Doc, but I'm a bit chilly."
"Ah, yes; the dreaded hospital gown. At least we let you wear a tee shirt this time. I want to quickly go over the procedure before you're prepped. As we discussed, I will only be removing the screws from the rods in your left leg. I will be able to go in through the existing scars, so you'll barely notice the new incisions once they have healed. You understand that there is no guarantee this will remove your leg discomfort?"
"Yes, Doctor. And, if it doesn't get better, you may need to go back in to extract the rods."
There were two options to alleviate the pain from the hardware in my leg -- removal of the screws only or extraction of the rods. Extracting a titanium rod from the femur employed a slide hammer that screwed onto the end. That, of course, would place a huge amount of stress on the bone and could cause it to fracture again, returning to square one. Even without complications, recovery time was six to eight weeks. Removing just the screws involved a small incision and resulted in minimal restrictions on post-op mobility.
"Correct," Doctor Jones replied. "Since we're cutting through the skin there is still the possibility of infection. You already have the protocol for that, but we'll review it before you leave today. As we discussed, removing the screws will weaken the bone until the holes fill in. For the next four to six weeks, you'll need to avoid any activity that has a high potential for physical contact or falling, especially at speed. This includes things like skiing, climbing, hockey and snowmobiling. I would advise against skating or snowshoeing. In any case, do not perform any activity that causes discomfort or pain. Do you have any questions?"
"What about cross-country skiing? Mom and I were thinking of going to Algonquin after Christmas."
"I'll say 'maybe' on that one. Let me check your x-rays in two weeks and I'll give you my recommendation."
"Thanks, Doctor."
"You're welcome." He smiled. "You'll be taken in shortly, and I'll see you just before they put you under. The actual surgery will only be about thirty minutes, but you'll be out for a couple hours. I'll drop in on you after you wake this afternoon and see how you're doing, then you can go home."
***
The next thing I remembered was waking up in a strange bed. Everything was a bit muted -- colours, sounds, the feel of the blanket under my arms -- but the lights were also a bit bright. Hey, that didn't even make sense to me.
"Hey, sleepy-head. How are you feeling?"
I turned to the sweet voice, smiling as I saw Estelle. "Pretty good now. You're gorgeous, you know."
"Well, you've said that before, so I'm going to assume it's not the drugs. Any pain?"
I shrugged. "Not much. A bit of a dull ache in my legs, but nothing specific."
"The nurse said it would take a while for the anesthetic to fully wear off, so you may feel a bit more discomfort over the next hour."
I reached out and took her hand. "That's fine. This is nothing compared to the last time. I can even wiggle my toes without screaming."
"That's good to hear," she laughed. "How long until you know if it worked?"
"Pretty much as soon as the surgery pain is gone. Maybe two to four days; it depends on how long the incisions are painful."
"When will you know if you're up to skiing?"
"Probably at my follow-up visit in two weeks. The doctor will be able to tell how I'm healing, and we'll see about skiing then. He already said I can do some hiking, as long as it's not too uncomfortable."
"Yeah, but will you know you're up to the hike before you're two hours away from the car?"
I lifted her hand and kissed it. "I guess we'll see."
"You will," she pouted. "I have to go to Angus."
"You don't have to if you don't want to. You could come with us."
"No. I have to see Mom and Dad before they go to Gagetown. And, I've got to pack the rest of my stuff." She sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"I hate Angus, but it feels like I'm losing something by moving the last of my things out. And, we don't even have any idea of where we'll be in a year or two."
"Don't worry, we'll figure it out together. For now, Mom's fine with us staying here."
She pursed her lips. "I'm not so sure about that. I still don't have my door back."
I laughed softly. "Stelle, it's only been two weeks. Give it time. She was really pissed about the smoking. And, it's turned out not to be all bad, right?"
"Yeah, I know. But it still feels weird." She looked at me, then leaned in for a long kiss. "Don't worry, I'll try not to obsess about it."
Doctor Jones chose that moment to enter the room. "Well, I guess you're awake. How are you feeling?"
Estelle sat back in her chair, blushing.
"Pretty good, Doc. There's a bit of discomfort, but it's not too bad."
He nodded. "That's to be expected. The pain will fade over the next couple days as you heal. If you suspect there may be any problems, contact my office immediately. We'll see you again in two weeks unless there is a reason to come in earlier."
"Thank you, Doctor Jones," Estelle said.
He smiled at her. "Just doing my job, miss. You'll need to make sure that he doesn't move around too much for the next couple days. He's not on strict bed rest, but he needs to be careful not to pull open the sutures. Walking around the house should be fine, but nothing more than that. He must also avoid any activity that could cause him to fall or impact the leg. That's going to be the case for the next four to six weeks."
"I'll do what I can to keep him from getting too energetic."
"That would be for the best." He looked at me. "The nurse will be in shortly to go over caring for the bandages and give you some paperwork. Take care, Cole. See you in two weeks."
Doctor Jones left, but the nurse didn't arrive for nearly an hour. By the time we finally got out of the hospital, it was late afternoon. Estelle insisted in using a wheelchair to take me out, but we took a regular cab home. She had me sit in the front seat, as there would be more room for the leg. Once we were home, Estelle made me lean on her as we went inside. I didn't really need the support, but I wasn't going to object to having her close like that.
***
CHRISTMAS
A couple days after seeing Doctor Jones for my follow-up visit, I wrote my last high school exam. The next week I did my final Christmas shopping and prepared for the trip Mom and I had planned. I knew that I had passed my exams, and I was ready to begin college in January. But that would be a concern for later. Right now, it was Christmas.
I had still been recovering from the crash the first winter Estelle was with us. I was still using a cane when the school year had ended, but I had gained a lot of strength over the summer and this Christmas was different. My bones had healed, and even the incisions from the screw removal had closed up. There had been no complications, no infection, no concerns at all from that last surgery. For all intents, my injuries from the crash had healed. I could honestly say that I was looking forward to what the future held for me.
Estelle and I still did not have our bedroom doors. We had not given Mom any more reasons to distrust us, but I think that she was making a point. There was no hiding that we had become much more intimate over the past few months, but we were not yet having sex -- at least, not intercourse. I was ready; Estelle wasn't.
