Teach Me - Brollins

39.

Cali was released from the hospital a week later, after multiple more tests and scans, lots more medication and a few classes for Colby and Rebecca on how to properly care for the little girl.

She would be going to a doctor, sometimes two a week for the rest of her life. She was on medication that she hated taking, she had breathing treatments she had to do three times a day and an oxygen tank because her oxygen level still wasn't where it should be, and they sent her home with an IV that Rebecca and Colby had to have classes on how to administer medication through as well.

Long story short.. their lives that were once simple were now very complex.

"It looks like a hospital threw up in our house" Cali stated as she sat on the couch and looked at the medical supplies that was in the boxes scattered around the living room

"Because it pretty much did" Rebecca nodded as she read over one of the many papers they were sent home with

"Can we color?" She questioned and Rebecca put the paper down on the coffee table and nodded

"Are your coloring books in your room?" Rebecca stood up and Cali nodded

"I wanna get them" the little girl said as she attempted to stand up from the couch and luckily Rebecca was right next to her and she reached out to steady her "Whoa" Cali said

"Dizzy?" She asked and Cali nodded slowly

"I can go get them Cali.. it's not that big of a deal"

"I wanna do it!" The little girl exclaimed and Rebecca held her hands up in the air

"Okay..just take it easy" she said

Rebecca decided to follow behind the little girl but not too close, Colby walked out of their bedroom that was across the hallway, They had moved Cali's room from upstairs to downstairs when they knew she would be coming home with all these new medical necessities. He was confused as to why his daughter was walking around freely but when He saw his wife's face he just let it go and followed.

Once they got to Cali's room, the little girl grabbed the coloring books in her hand and dropped them just as quickly. She stared at the books on the floor before bending down to pick them up again and she handed them to Rebecca quickly.

She moved to the drawer and grabbed her pencil box filled with crayons and colored pencils and as she tried her hardest to hold onto it, it fell to the floor with a loud crash and the contents fell all over the floor.

"UGH!" The little girl yelled as she kicked the pencil box in frustration

"Whoa.. hey" Colby said as he quickly wrapped his arms around his daughter "It's alright" he said

"We can pick it up" Rebecca nodded as she quickly began retrieving crayons from under the bed

"I can't hold anything!" Cali yelled

"Cali.. it's okay" Colby nodded 

"NO!" The little girl yelled at him "IT'S NOT OKAY!" She screamed and they heard the portable heart monitor that was clipped to her shirt begin to beep quickly

"Relax" Colby sat on the floor and pulled Cali onto his lap "Take a breath" he said and she took a deep breath before letting out a cough "In through your nose, out through your mouth" he said and his little girl followed his instructions "Good girl" he kissed her head

"We're going to figure this out" Rebecca nodded as she sat the pencil case on the floor

"I'm getting weaker" Cali stated plainly, in those moments and she'd had quite a few recently, you almost forgot she was just a kid.. she spoke so clearly and she knew what was happening to her body

After getting Cali calmed back down, Colby carried her back to the living room where she had her second breathing treatment of the day before Rebecca gave her the medication through her IV and Colby placed the oxygen back in her nose.

They were trying their hardest to give her breaks from everything, to not let her life be consumed by the medical side but it was becoming clearer everyday that it was going to slowly become that.

Colby watched as Cali held the crayon in her hand and shakily tried to color the picture in front of her

"I can't" she said

"Yes you can" Rebecca nodded "We just got to get creative with it" she said "Just hold the crayon to the paper" she said and Rebecca grabbed the coloring page and moved it back and forth quickly "Is it working?"

"No" Cali laughed "It looks like a three year old colored it"

"Well thanks for the confidence, I was working hard on that" Rebecca said and Cali laughed, it was a sound that Colby always loved to hear but even more now in these times, he was cherishing every single second "How about this.." Rebecca held the top of the crayon to steady it "Now go" she said and Cali began to move the crayon with a smile "See.. I told you we'd figure it out"