Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 48.1: 1995, Georgina

Chapter 48.1: 1995, Georgina

 

34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 

My fingers clicked on the plastic base of my hospital bed in invisible rhythm. My butt was cold. The tiles of this floor were cold because it was too cold in here in general. Did they know it was Winter? Why was the fucking A/C on?

My hand gripped the top of the plastic base again and my muscles strained upwards. That's it, goddammit. That's it- that's it-

My butt plopped down on the cold beige tile again. The same color as the ceiling. I sighed in anger. 

It was official. I was stuck. My legs were folded under me, useless. That's what I got for trying to pee by myself. Fallen next to my bed like some kind of invalid. Fuck me. Fuck everything. Fuck my legs, this hospital, number #39 beige tile over there. 

My hair was unbrushed. I couldn't feel my make-up, which meant it was gone. My finger nail polish was chipped and so was the polish on my toes. I didn't like the color anymore anyway. I felt like today was a red day but I still had on the chipped blue from two days ago. This was my life.

I didn't like my nurse. What was her name? Karen? Kelly? K something. Or maybe it began with a C. I didn't really care about her name.

A gasp from the doorway. "Mrs Florini! What are you doing on the floor? The floor is dirty! I told you to call me when you had to make. There's a button on your bed. I'll show you!"

Speak of the devil. 'I told you to call me when you had to make'. Was I a dog? And yes, the floor was dirty. I got it. The floors were always dirty in hospitals, even when scrubbed with bleach. What did she take me for? I was old enough to be her mother. Where was her goddamned respect? Did she think I chose to be on the dirty floor? I couldn't get up! 

I decided to let this be known.

"Its not like I wanted to be on the floor."

"Yes. I'll take you to the bathroom right now."

This girl. My teeth gnashed in my anger as she wrapped her arms around my front and under my arms. She lifted me to my feet and slung her arm around my back, leading me to the bathroom connected to my room. 

Except, there was already somebody in there. Making. Wonderful.

"Oh, Mrs Lewis! Are you not done yet?" my nurse chirped.

I rolled my eyes and stared out into my room. This was my life! My room mate, Mrs Shirley Lewis, making in my bathroom and I had to look at it.

"Done... done..." Mrs Lewis said softly like a child, staring straight forward.

"Oh, okay. Let me help you! One moment. Sorry." This last word was for me, and just like that we were on a journey back to my bed. Don't worry about it. I was just the Hoover Damn right now, having been on the floor for about twenty minutes. I wanted to hit things.

"There's a nice soup for lunch today! Its chicken and noodle and there's applesauce on the side! I smelled it on the way up. Its really nice!" Kelly or Karen or whatever her name was called to me from the bathroom. 

Did she want to make me vomit after seeing Mrs Lewis in the bathroom? What was her deal?

"I don't care about that shit," I called back. My eyes could bore holes right now. They felt like twin lazer beams, wanting to kill everybody. 

I was met with her gasp and the toilet flushing. "I'll be right out, Mrs Florini! You need to go BM?!"

"Excuse me?!" I shouted, my hands going into fists on my bedspread.