"The Right Stuff"

 

The next morning we go to see Dad.  He is sitting up, waiting for us.  He asks for water.  

 

Twelve years ago he had a stroke.  For the first few days, he could not move nor talk.  The Case Worker told my mother and me that we should find a long-term care facility as my Dad would be a vegetable for the rest of his life.  We disagreed and told the Case Worker we weren't giving up on him.

 

I sat by his bedside that day reading "The Hunt for Red October" by Tom Clancy.  It was about lunch time.  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Dad trying to move his hand.  I put the book down, and heart racing, hurried to his bedside.  He could barely talk in much more than a whisper.  "Wa-er" he managed to say.  He reminded me of Patty Duke as Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker".  He couldn't say the word water but I knew what he was asking for.  I rang for the nurse and got him some water.

 

Standing there that Sunday morning, that story came back to me as Dad once again could barely talk above whisper and history repeated itself as he asked for water.

 

By now most everyone in the ICU, it seemed, knew the story of what had happened the day before.  The one tough hombre who had defied the odds and refused to die. 

 

His catheter bags are not filled with blood.  Dr. Ibarheem says that it looks like the bleeding has stopped.  He reminds us that Dad is still on the vaso-suppressors but he hopes in the next couple of days that he can ween  Dad off of them.  He reminds us of their side affects and says we will have to pay close attention to Dad's legs and feet.

 

We are physically and mentally tired but stay with Dad for most of the day.  

 

Before I leave, I talk with Dr. Ibarheem and thank him again for all his help.  I ask him if we will see him tomorrow.  He smiles and says he'll be here.

 

We leave Dad sleeping not knowing that tomorrow we will have a new doctor and that is the last time we will see Dr. Ibarheem, our guardian angel.