you need help when you shower?”
“No, actually, I don’t. I have a waterproof sleeve that fits over my cast. I know where everything is. I’d like to be able to take a shower without someone watching me. Thanks, girls.”
“Take your time. Yell if you need us,” Sara said.
When the door closed behind Cisco, Hannah looked at her sister. “I hate even thinking this, but do you think once we leave, the people at this place are going to take their anger out on Cisco? We haven’t been the ideal visitors, if you catch my drift.”
“I was wondering the same thing. The long and short answer is, I don’t know.”
Sam and Freddie sailed into the room just as the phone rang.
The Trips looked at one another. They mouthed the word, “Dad,” at the same time.
No one made a move to pick up the phone.
“He’s just going to keep calling,” Sam said. He played with Freddie’s leash, swinging it one way and then the other before he looped it over the doorknob.
The phone continued to ring. They all ignored it. Finally, it stopped ringing.
“We can stay till Sunday afternoon, but we’re going to have to go to a motel if the rules say we can’t sleep here. Once Cisco is asleep, we can leave and be back here by five-thirty when she wakes up. We need to make some kind of plan. There must be a dozen motels in the area, so that’s not going to be a problem,” Sara said.
Hannah looked around the tiny apartment. “This place looks worse in the daylight than in the dark. Oh, look, Freddie is waiting outside the bathroom door. Thank God for that dog’s devotion. Listen, let’s take Cisco out today. I say we head for town and get that second opinion we were talking about. Since this is a holiday weekend, doctors might not be too busy. I’ll call the AMA and see if they can recommend a good eye surgeon. What do you say, gang?”
“Let’s go for it,” Sam said. “There goes that pesky phone again.”
The cranky nurse with the wiry gray hair barged into the apartment, a breakfast tray in her hands. “Answer the phone!” she ordered.
“We don’t want to,” Sam said. His tone clearly said she better not want to either.
“Smart-ass,” the nurse said under her breath. “Is she still in there?” She gestured to the bathroom.
“Yes, she’s still in there,” Sara said.
The phone stopped ringing just as Cisco appeared, fully dressed, her hair brushed back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, a rosy glow to her features. She looked wonderful.
“I brought your breakfast, Mrs. Cisco,” the nurse said as she prepared to set it up.
“Oh. What is it?”
Sam lifted the dome off the plate and frowned. “It looks to me like a cold scrambled egg.” He touched the yellow glob with his index finger. “Yep, a cold scrambled egg. Four cooked prunes. You hate prunes, Cisco. One slice of…yep, cold toast. Some kind of spread on top of the toast that leads me to believe it’s artificial. A cup of coffee. Now, why did I know it was going to be cold, too. A packet of powder for cream and one sugar packet. I wouldn’t eat this. Would you guys eat it?” he asked his sisters.
“Nope.”
“Let’s see if Freddie’s interested.” Sam set the plate on the floor. Freddie sniffed it, looked up at Sam as though to say, “you’re kidding, right?” She walked away.
“We’ll be going out to breakfast,” Hannah said, picking up the plate.
“Cisco, how does blueberry pancakes, eggs over easy, crisp bacon, hot toast, warm syrup, soft butter, and fresh-squeezed orange juice sound? Not to mention pots of hot coffee, “Sara asked.
The phone started to ring again. The cranky nurse looked like she was about to pick it up, but Sam’s scowl stopped her.
“You can’t take patients away from the premises unless the guest has a pass. All the office personnel are off for the holiday, so no passes can be issued. These matters have to be taken care of in advance. We have rules!”
“Oh, well! I guess we’ll leave
“No, actually, I don’t. I have a waterproof sleeve that fits over my cast. I know where everything is. I’d like to be able to take a shower without someone watching me. Thanks, girls.”
“Take your time. Yell if you need us,” Sara said.
When the door closed behind Cisco, Hannah looked at her sister. “I hate even thinking this, but do you think once we leave, the people at this place are going to take their anger out on Cisco? We haven’t been the ideal visitors, if you catch my drift.”
“I was wondering the same thing. The long and short answer is, I don’t know.”
Sam and Freddie sailed into the room just as the phone rang.
The Trips looked at one another. They mouthed the word, “Dad,” at the same time.
No one made a move to pick up the phone.
“He’s just going to keep calling,” Sam said. He played with Freddie’s leash, swinging it one way and then the other before he looped it over the doorknob.
The phone continued to ring. They all ignored it. Finally, it stopped ringing.
“We can stay till Sunday afternoon, but we’re going to have to go to a motel if the rules say we can’t sleep here. Once Cisco is asleep, we can leave and be back here by five-thirty when she wakes up. We need to make some kind of plan. There must be a dozen motels in the area, so that’s not going to be a problem,” Sara said.
Hannah looked around the tiny apartment. “This place looks worse in the daylight than in the dark. Oh, look, Freddie is waiting outside the bathroom door. Thank God for that dog’s devotion. Listen, let’s take Cisco out today. I say we head for town and get that second opinion we were talking about. Since this is a holiday weekend, doctors might not be too busy. I’ll call the AMA and see if they can recommend a good eye surgeon. What do you say, gang?”
“Let’s go for it,” Sam said. “There goes that pesky phone again.”
The cranky nurse with the wiry gray hair barged into the apartment, a breakfast tray in her hands. “Answer the phone!” she ordered.
“We don’t want to,” Sam said. His tone clearly said she better not want to either.
“Smart-ass,” the nurse said under her breath. “Is she still in there?” She gestured to the bathroom.
“Yes, she’s still in there,” Sara said.
The phone stopped ringing just as Cisco appeared, fully dressed, her hair brushed back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, a rosy glow to her features. She looked wonderful.
“I brought your breakfast, Mrs. Cisco,” the nurse said as she prepared to set it up.
“Oh. What is it?”
Sam lifted the dome off the plate and frowned. “It looks to me like a cold scrambled egg.” He touched the yellow glob with his index finger. “Yep, a cold scrambled egg. Four cooked prunes. You hate prunes, Cisco. One slice of…yep, cold toast. Some kind of spread on top of the toast that leads me to believe it’s artificial. A cup of coffee. Now, why did I know it was going to be cold, too. A packet of powder for cream and one sugar packet. I wouldn’t eat this. Would you guys eat it?” he asked his sisters.
“Nope.”
“Let’s see if Freddie’s interested.” Sam set the plate on the floor. Freddie sniffed it, looked up at Sam as though to say, “you’re kidding, right?” She walked away.
“We’ll be going out to breakfast,” Hannah said, picking up the plate.
“Cisco, how does blueberry pancakes, eggs over easy, crisp bacon, hot toast, warm syrup, soft butter, and fresh-squeezed orange juice sound? Not to mention pots of hot coffee, “Sara asked.
The phone started to ring again. The cranky nurse looked like she was about to pick it up, but Sam’s scowl stopped her.
“You can’t take patients away from the premises unless the guest has a pass. All the office personnel are off for the holiday, so no passes can be issued. These matters have to be taken care of in advance. We have rules!”
“Oh, well! I guess we’ll leave
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