Family is Forever (Sequel to Running on Insulin)

Chapter 55

The rest of the afternoon we spent hanging out by the pool. Zack and Kala came over around dinner time.

Mom made me get my insulin pen and take a shot and eat a sandwich. I sat out in the sun for a while and Mom made sure I wore plenty of sunscreen.

Around four, I'd had enough of swimming and being in a bathing suits so I went in, took a quick shower and changed back into jeans and one of my new t-shirts. I rehooked my pump and clipped it to my waistband and went back downstairs.

I sat on Mom's lounge chair with her. She put her arms around me.

"Having fun?" She asked next her face in my hair.

"Yeah," I smiled up at her.

"Disney tomorrow, beach on Monday?" She asked me.

"Okay," I said. "I've never seen the ocean."

"Really?!"

"Well, I mean except for last night at dinner. But no. I never left Ohio and there's no ocean there."

"Smartass," Mom said, kissing my head.

Debby came over and the three of us chatted.

"Do you mind if I crash your trip to Disney tomorrow?" She asked me.

"Not at all!" I said. "Why would I mind?"

"Well, you haven't seen your uncle since the new year, I didn't want to step on toes," she said.

"And how unfair would it be to make my new aunt stay at home?" I asked.

Debby smiled and hugged me.

Uncle Brendon put the barbecue on around six and by six thirty dinner was ready. I took a hamburger and a Diet Coke and a bit of potato salad. I bolused and ate my dinner and put my plate away. Dad and Josh and Brendon started singing and playing instruments - Josh was just drumming on a table.

I snuggled up to Mom and listened to them.

"Okay you," I heard. "Off to bed with you."

Someone picked me up. I opened my eyes and Josh was carrying me.

"Still adjusting to the time, huh?" He smiled.

He put me on my bed and took off my shoes.

"Night kiddo," Uncle Josh whispered, tucked me in and left. I fell into a deep, deep sleep.

In the morning, I was actually woken up by Uncle Brendon.

"Wakey wakey, my niecy weesy!"

"What?" I asked, opening my eyes. "What did you say?"

"Come on. Get up. Let's get a mooooove on!"

I groaned.

"Grab a backpack. Put a sweatshirt and a change of clothes in it. And a bathing suit in case we go to the water park. And get up!" He sang.

Once he'd quite literally bounced out of the room, I got up, went to the bathroom and got ready. I pulled out my backpack and took out my book and a few other things I had in there, and then put in jeans, a t shirt, a sweat shirt and a bathing suit. I was wearing jeans and a t shirt and I decided to toss in shorts just in case. I checked the insulin in my pump and reminded myself to grab a vial and a cool pouch and an insulin pen when I went downstairs.

A knock at the door startled me.

"Who is it?"

The door opened and it was Mom.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Almost. I need to grab a vial of insulin for the pump and a pen."

"Grab a second infusion kit too, just in case something happens to that tubing."

"Okay," I said, pulling one out of my suitcase.

We went downstairs and I pulled a pen and a vial out of the fridge and put them in my coolpak.

"What's that?" Uncle Brendon asked.

I jumped, startled. As if I'd been caught doing something wrong.

"Extra insulin," I said.

"Cool," he said.

We piled into the car and headed off to Disneyland. Uncle Brendon sang pretty much the whole way down. Aunt Sarah kept turning around and chatting with us.

When we pulled into the parking lot it was busy. Uncle Brendon seemed to have a planned place to park. When we pulled in I saw Zack and Kala and Uncle Josh and Aunt Debby.

We parked and everyone said hello and we headed into the park. Uncle Brendon handed me and Mom and Dad a bracelet and explained how they worked. They were like passes. We would just have to scan them for fast pass access. Uncle Brendon spoke to the lady in the booth about a disability pass.

"My niece is diabetic and has a pump with insulin. It can't be out in the heat for too long," he explained. She made some adjustments on the computer and said we'd just have to scan the passes at the fast pass entrance for any ride we wanted to go on and it would register. So cool.

We went on everything except the baby rides. We went to the water park as well and went to two restaurants for lunch and dinner. We also stayed for fireworks at the end of the day.

We had so much fun, I was exhausted by the time we got back to the car. Half way through the parking lot, Uncle Josh noticed I was lagging and carried me piggyback.

"Good day?" He asked.

"Mmhm," I said, putting my head on his and dozing off.

I climbed into Uncle Brendon's car between Mom and Dad. Before we hit the highway, I was asleep. I didn't even feel anyone carry me to bed.