It's five p.m. on a Saturday when I'm finally able to visit my sister. The hospital where she recovers from her operation is fifty miles from my apartment, and I'm fighting like hell to get out of the miserable desk job where I'm doing nothing but tedious data entry with no bathroom breaks or health benefits. It's a miracle that my little Honda Civic doesn't run out of gas on the highway going south to the medical center. But I make it three minutes past five o'clock, hopping from the parking garage stairs to the sidewalk leading to the sliding glass doors up front. A fast check-in at Reception, and I'm on my way to the fourth floor.
Emily is lying in bed in the recovery ward. My little sister, maybe a year and a half behind me, is as pretty as ever. But the surgery took a lot out of her. Her bright red hair is matted and limp, and she looks far too pale. I initially worry about blood loss, but I see the saline solution coming in through the IV in her arm. Her little room is stuffed with teddy bears, flower arrangements, and a couple of fruit baskets. Emily is snoring, and I come in as quietly as I can.
Her eyes flicker open. Those same green eyes used to squint at me whenever I pulled some dumb prank back in grade school. Like the time I painted her black shoes white, or the time I mixed up her shampoo with a bottle of honey. She had flies buzzing around her for half a day, but Emily got me back good on my date with Stacey Slater my junior year. But in the moment, as Emily grunts and tries to sit up in bed, her eyes are shining at me. Brimming with love and relief.
"Steve," she whispers. "Was wondering when I'd see you again..."
"Hey, kiddo. How are you doing?"
"Feeling like crap, but that's nothing new." Emily sighs. She rubs at her eyes. "The, uh, doctors say it was a success. No more uterus. No more cancer. Completely gone..."
"Em, that's fantastic." I grin, feeling my cheeks tighten. "We gotta celebrate once you're out."
"Yeah, well, that's gonna be an issue..."
"Don't tell me." My stomach sinks, even as the words leave my lips. "Todd?"
"The divorce just got finalized." Emily shrugs. It looks as if it takes all her strength for that one simple gesture. "I'm no longer his problem. And he's longer mine..."
"So who gets the house?"
"Oh, I do. No doubt about it." A weak smile forms on Emily's lips. Shades of the happy little sis I used to race for the swings. "But, um, recovery care and nursing's gonna be expensive. Not to mention, I..."
"What?"
She goes silent. I open my mouth to ask what's the matter, but one of the nurses comes in. She smiles and gently asks if I'd step outside for a moment. I comply, but once the nurse draws the curtain, I hear a rustle and tapes ripping. My nose crinkles at an odd scent that carries through the curtain. One I haven't found since my little cousin Billy was still in diapers...
That's when it hits me. It's the smell of old pee and baby powder.
Minutes later, the curtain goes back. I see the nurse tuck Emily back into bed and strip off a pair of rubber gloves. She smiles at me on her way out of the room.
When I sit down in the chair, Emily blushes so hard her face almost matches her hair.
"Yeah..." Emily laughs. "So, guess there was a complication with the surgery. For the foreseeable future, I'm gonna have to use protection under my pants. Sucks, but what can you do, right?"
"So..." I swallow. "That means diapers?"
"They call 'em 'briefs' over here, but yeah..."
"Aww, sorry, Em..."
"Hey, it's fine." Emily snorts and rolls her eyes. She pats at her waist, and I hear a faint rustle under the bedsheets. "It's not like my life could be any more filled with crap, right? Or is that tempting fate?"
"I doubt Todd's gonna offer to help you out financially?"
"Bingo. And I don't know how I'm gonna afford a full-time nurse until this clears up." Emily frowns. Her eyes flicker toward the window looking out over rush hour traffic. "If it clears up..."
I run my hands along my face, trying to picture it. And I realize that, for all the trouble we gave each other as kids, Emily and I always had each other's backs. Between our own parents' divorce and a bad period of depression I had in college, I could turn to Emily for a good pep talk and a pretty funny movie night. And she got up the courage to ask out guys like Todd after hearing what I had to say about guysβand how uncomplicated we were. But the story still ended with me in a dead-end job and my sister divorced and in diapers.
My eyes shift to Emily's frowning face. I scoot my chair closer and clasp my hands together.
"Hey," I say to her. "What if I came and stayed over with you?"
"You sure about that?" Emily squirms in bed, head shifting toward me. "It's not gonna be pretty."
"I think I can handle it, Em."
"Even the..." She makes another face. Her voice drops low. "Diapers...?"
"Yeah. It's what big brothers do, isn't it?" I grin. "Besides, hanging with you all day might beat the total crap job I have right now."
"Wow. Didn't know it was that bad."