Thin Air (Complete EDITING)

14- Shannon

14 Shannon May 19, 2020

I twist a little, trying to redistribute my weight, but I cannot get comfortable in this chair. A tangerine sized bruise has developed on each cheek from all the hours I've spent here. I'm grateful that the nurse lets me stay past visiting hours but would it have killed her to toss me a pillow? Or even better, one of those hemorrhoid doughnut cushions they give you after you have a baby?

The last four days have been an exhausting merry go round. Trying to keep the business running. Taking care of kids. Holding a bedside vigil in dad's room. Sleep a little, eat in the car between point A and point B, then start over again. Between my siblings and our spouses, Jamie included, even though she and Drew aren't technically together at the moment, Dad has not been alone. The doctors say the chances of him coming out of his vegetative state are pretty much non-existent, but we are not giving up hope.

Because Dad is a creature of habit, we figured that he was on the ground for 14 hours before Brandon found him. He is up every morning at 4:30. Coffee, shower, shave, and out the door at 5:15. Public transportation could learn a little something about scheduling from Calvin Holt. The empty coffee cup and his rough chin tell us that the stroke must have hit around 4:45 as he walked through the living room. Brandon found him just before 7 pm. That means our father laid in his own blood and filth for 14 long hours before one of us realized there was an issue.

The guilt is eating at me. I was busy on Thursday with working, shopping, and putting dinner together. The excitement of meeting Syd's man friend was at the front of my mind. That still isn't a good enough excuse. I should have checked on him when Nicole told me that he hadn't shown up for his meeting with Dean. He wouldn't be in such bad shape if he had gotten treatment sooner. I may work in an office, but even I know that quick response is essential when dealing with a stroke.

Jamie tried to assure me that it likely wouldn't have made much difference with a massive one like this. She threw around a bunch of medical terminologies and offered a reassuring smile, but I'm not buying it. Her words do nothing to lessen my guilt. She is so compassionate, always trying to comfort those around her. I know she is going to make a great nurse.

Even with her and Drew in the 'off' portion of their on and off relationship cycle, she's been here to support us. She has always been an important part of our family. Being so involved with our family can't be enough for her though, she has to be lonely with her own parents so far away. I know she claims to only stay here so my nephew can be close to his father, but I see the longing in her eyes. When she doesn't think anyone is watching, it's written all over her face.

There is something else there, too, that looks a lot like hurt. I don't know what put that look there, but I'd bet it has something to do with that slag Nicole. She is always inserting herself into their lives, like the night of Dad's stroke. I haven't gotten the whole story, but there was a sleepover involved from what I understand. I wish I could fire her, but my dad has a soft spot for her.

Since the very beginning of Jamie and Drew, Nicole has been there. This whole rivalry started when she plied him with enough alcohol at a party to get him to kiss her. When they took a break after high school, she tried to stake her claim on him again. You would think that when Jamie started wearing Drew's ring before Eli was born, she would have understood that the game was over. But she didn't. That manipulative little floozy announced she was pregnant a few weeks after Jamie did. When asked about the father, she heavily implied that it was Drew without using so many words. He swears up and down that he didn't sleep with her. When Brody was born clearly Asian, that was the end of it. Until the pants incident.

I get why Jamie is struggling to trust him, it looked terrible, but I believe him. I mean, Nicole is about as subtle as a dump truck. If Drew wanted to be with her, he wouldn't even need to put any effort in. Which tells me that he doesn't want her. My little brother may be an idiot, but he would never hurt Jamie on purpose. And being with Nicole would break her heart.

As a rule, I stay out of my little brothers' personal lives or lack thereof in Brandon's case. But someone is going to need to tell Drew to grow a pair. He's going to have to cut Nicole out of his life if he expects Jamie to accept one of the proposals he's constantly springing on her.