Learning to Love

Chapter 14

When I woke in the morning, I heard Abbie's voice "Look Josh isn't it the cutest thing ever? I really hope she will love it. And look I got her a whiteboard and marker/ eraser so that she doesn't have to use so much paper and it will be easier for us to see what she wrote." "that's actually a great idea Abbie, I called Gabby while you were out, Gabby and Jordan are both really excited to meet her and have baby-proofed the house, and gotten her room ready to go, she said they didn't want to decorate it too much because they didn't know what she would like."

Why would they need to baby proof the house? I was a big girl. I decided I should open my eyes. I blinked and stirred a little bit, I saw Abbie smiling at me "Good Morning Cali, did you sleep really well?" I nodded, I slept really great, wasn't sure how long it would last before I was back on my own. "I went to the store while you were sleeping, look what I got you." Abbie put down a bag on the edge of the bed, then pulled out a white board and a marker. "This is so you can write on the board and erase it with this and then write more, cool right?" Abbie shoved her hand back in the bag and brought out a black thing and brought it across the board. She handed the board, marker and eraser to me. I took them with shaking hands, this was only the second time someone had given me anything, I still wasn't sure of other people but maybe it would be okay to trust Abbie.

"And look at this Cali, I got you this pretty dress and matching socks and shoes, aren't they so pretty?" I looked up from the white board and nodded. I let go of the white board and clapped my hands and bounced on the bed. "I thought you could wear them when they finally let you out of this place what do you think?" I nodded my head super-fast, I really wanted to wear that it was so pretty, and I'd never seen anything like it before. Abbie smiled at me "oooh I'm so glad you like it sweetie, we are going to have so much fun shopping together I can tell." Josh cleared his throat "Abbie..." Abbie stopped looking at me and turned to Josh "Oh Josh let me have my fun for now, please?" Josh just stared at her for a long time then smiled at her "Fine but don't say I didn't warn you" I cocked my head sideways at their exchange, wasn't too sure what that was about but all right.

I heard a knock at the door, "Good morning, everyone, okay if I come in?" I heard Dr. Angie's voice, I clapped my hands again and nodded my head super-fast, then suddenly stopped and reached for my white board. I wrote on it quickly then turned it to face Abbie, she read it then widened her eyes "Dr. Angie you came at the right time, she needs to go potty badly" Angie walked into the room quickly "Well sweetheart let's get you to the potty, right quick then." Abbie turned to look at me, "Can I carry you to the bathroom so that we can get there faster?" I nodded I really had to go, and I didn't want to go in the pull-up. Abbie reached over the bed to me, and I immediately tensed up, Abbie didn't seem to be bothered though and popped me onto her hip as Angie came and grabbed my I.V. pole, they both walked quickly into the bathroom Abbie set me down, "I'm going to pull down your pull-up then set you on the potty okay Cali?" I nodded and started dancing in my spot, I really really had to go.

Once I was sitting on the potty and had down my business, I blushed realizing that Angie and Abbie were still in the bathroom with me. "You all done Cali?" Abbie squatted down in front of me, I nodded and then pointed to the floor, she smiled at me "Okay you ready I'm going to lift you down and then I'll pull up your pull-up for you, okay?" I nodded I was fine with that; I could handle Abbie touching me I think, I mean she did just carry me to the bathroom and didn't hurt me at all.

I was back in my bed, holding teddy close to me when Angie spoke "Alright so today we are going to take out the feeding tube, take a few tests and grab a blood sample, we are going to put her to sleep though so that she doesn't feel too much pain." I didn't want to look up, I didn't want to go back to sleep, and I didn't want to give a blood sample, that sounded like it would hurt, and it was my blood why did she want it? I heard Josh "You're going to put her back to sleep? Will she be, okay? Shes already been under twice, hasn't she?" "Yeah, she will be fine, we will be keeping a very close eye on her, in fact we have a nurse already in the room that she will be taken too, that will be the only job they have to do, is watch her." I heard someone new coming into the room, and I looked up to see a male nurse walking in with a weird looking mask thing in his hand. "Cali?" I heard Angie call my name and I turned my face towards her but kept my eyes down, "we are going to put this on you, I need you to breathe normally for me and count down from 100 can you do that for me?" I brought my eyes up to look at her face, she gave me a soft smile and I nodded just once, I guess I could do that for her. "You're such a big girl, aren't you?" I smiled and gave her a bigger nod; I was a big girl. She lowered the mask over my nose and mouth, "Okay count with me 100, 99, 98, 97" I was watching her mouth and mouthing back the numbers with her. I looked towards Abbie and Josh and reached out for Abbie as I felt myself falling asleep.