Changes

A Brief Lift In Spirits

Jack lay brooding in thought for a few hours, though to him they seemed to last an eternity. Periodically Dr. Stephens or one of the nurses would stop by to check in on him. At one point, one of the nurses brought him a plate with a lid over top to keep the warmth in, along with a steaming cup of tea. When he uncovered his dinner, his stomach recoiled to see a muddy looking slab of meat trying to pass itself off as Salisbury steak, along with a side of mushy peas. He forced the whole dish down with a grimace, chasing each bite with a gulp of the tea which desperately needed cream and sugar, but to his dismay none had been provided.

"The trials and tribulations of hospital food." He thought to himself darkly, briefly pondering a thought in a similar train of thought to his mother's spiel earlier: If people had to pay so much to recover in the hospital, shouldn't some of that money go to giving them a decent meal.

Dr. Stephens made one final visit before he was due to go home around eight.

"Well Jack, how are you feeling? Your vitals seem proper, so I'll tell the nurses to try and not disturb you too much tonight, just so you can get some rest."

"My body is aching so much, I don't know how much sleep I'm gonna get. Especially after being out for close to a day and a half."

"Well, I'll have a nurse stop in to check in on you around midnight when they make their rounds; if you're still awake, I'll tell her she can give you something to help you sleep. Anyways, I'm headed home for the night Jack, I'll be back in the morning, and hopefully we'll figure out how long we should keep you here for. If you don't show any belated signs of head trauma, you may be home the day after next."

"Gee, first you tell me I can have some drugs, then you tell me I might not have to spend the rest of my life in here. I really must be lucky. Next you're gonna tell me that tomorrow is when the five-star chef comes in to cook all the food." Jack said, letting a smile through at this last bit of sarcasm.

Dr. Stephens also smiled at his last comment, relieved to see that Jack's spirits may have lifted a bit. He had seemed quite depressed the last few times he checked in on him. 

"I'm afraid we'll have mostly the same cooks on tomorrow, but just be glad you probably won't be here for the ones who come on for the weekend shift; I believe it is true what they say, that practice makes perfect." The doctor said, maintaining the smile which he seldom got to show whilst working. "Oh and one more bit of news. We called  your mother earlier. Typically we don't let visitors in after seven, but she said she couldn't leave work in time, so we're going to make an exception. She should be here any time now."