Keep Me As An Apple of Your Eye - 28. December 28

Saturday, December 28

7th Night of Chanukah

4^th Day of Christmas

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a brilliant light;

on those who dwelt in a land of gloom light has dawned.”

Isaiah 9:1

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me four calling bird.

from “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The four calling birds represent the four gospels.

Erick’s parents were early risers and were hungry. The three guys somehow showered, shaved and trekked to the hotel restaurant. They ate breakfast and then headed over to the hospital. Dr. Hirsch asked about the new person in their group when they met in Eron’s room. They introduced Tayloe.

“Well, you want an update. Something has happened and I don’t know what. Eron is remarkably better this morning. He wants to go home today. I am hesitant to release him. I need to know what happened for this latest change to have occurred. Medically, I am struggling to make sense of it. He is at day five or six of recovery and it is only day three.”

“I know what happened.” Everyone turned to Todd. “Tayloe arrived.”

Tayloe turned bright scarlet red. Erick’s mouth dropped open while Abraham scrutinized the young man standing in their presence. Eron lay in the bed with a lopsided grin on his face.

“He kissed my boo-boo and made it better.”

“I guess I have that magic touch.”

“Come sit here, I need you beside me to make me well.”

Tayloe moved across the room and sat beside Eron who reached out and grabbed his hand.

In a slow, slightly quivering voice Eron spoke to Dr. Hirsch. “Doc, I have my witch doctor here to help me. He isn’t as smart as you and he is just a lawyer, not a doctor, but I feel much better when he is with me. Can I please go home? Please?”

“Doctor Hirsch, I promise I will take good care of him. If he will let me?” Tayloe grinned at Eron and then leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. “He is stubborn as all get out, but so am I. We are both lawyers and I want him well again so he can fight cases in court. My mother says I have a healing touch. I have lots of experience with injured puppies and kittens.”

Tayloe looked at the doctor with his best puppy dog eyes. Eron did the same. Todd and Erick burst out laughing at their silliness.

“On one condition, Eron has to have some evaluations to determine the level of care he needs in rehabilitation. He also needs an eye exam. It is Saturday and we are not fully staffed. Let me try to get those examinations arranged for today and if, and it is a MAJOR if, we can get those scheduled and the recommendation is for outpatient therapy at this time I will release him this afternoon.”

“Okay, everyone clear out. The patient needs to have tests. I am hungry again so we will go eat while Eron passes his tests like he is sitting for the bar exam.” Tayloe was escorting people out of the room. He turned to Eron. “Pass those tests or you will be a junior associate again. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, senior attorney. I will give it my best.”

Tayloe and Eron grinned at each other.

Dr. Hirsch was astounded at Tayloe’s behavior. “Is he always like this?”

Eron laughed and said that was mild. “You should never go out to eat with him because then he becomes even bossier. He is on good behavior today.”

The family went to the hospital cafeteria. Nobody was hungry because they had recently eaten breakfast so coffee and hot tea were ordered. Abraham and Rachel had lots of questions for Tayloe. He answered them in a loving, kind way since he had a plan and needed for them to concur. There was no need to bring out the lawyer side of his personality. Instead he treated them like distant older cousins who have come to visit and for him to pay homage. They were absolutely charmed by his behavior. Todd and Erick would cast glances at each other knowing that Tayloe was wooing the confidence and trust of Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuelson.

“Why don’t the four of you go to the hotel and check out. Todd, return your car to the rental facility. Erick you can follow him and then everyone come back to the hospital. By that time, I should have Eron ready to go to Newport for the night.”

The group just nodded their heads like bobble-head dolls. Tayloe was in absolute control and the Emmanuelsons were comforted by his take charge skills. They knew that if anyone could get Eron discharged it would be Tayloe. While everyone went about their assigned tasks, Tayloe returned to Eron’s room where a therapist was testing his motor skills. Tayloe noted the deficits and instinctively knew what exercises he needed. When he was put in a wheelchair to go to the eye clinic at the hospital, Tayloe was right by his side. Tayloe sat in the examination room with Eron and asked cogent questions. He was relieved when he was told that glasses with a prism lens would resolve the double vision until the eyes healed; he was greatly reassured. Tayloe quietly conferred with the doctor about when the glasses would be ready. Eron and Tayloe had a fun time picking out the frames. Tayloe tried on frames also and suggested they get matching glasses. Tayloe didn’t wear glasses but he thought it would be fun for them both to wear them. He justified it in his mind that it would be less stigmatizing for Eron if they were both wearing glasses; his would have plain glass while Eron’s would have the corrective lens.

When they returned to the unit, they saw everyone waiting.

“Let me find the doctor so I can get this poor little puppy dog out of this hospital.”

Todd laughed at Tayloe’s reference to Eron as a puppy. Tayloe was practically bouncing up and down acting like a little boy who was to get his first pet.

Even with the doctor’s orders it was almost nightfall when Eron was finally wheeled down to the lobby and put in Tayloe’s car. Tayloe and Eron got in the back seat and Erick said he should drive because he wasn’t sure how clear the roads would be of ice and snow. They were headed to the Emmanuelson’s home in Newport. As they headed into town Mr. Emmanuelson took a turn and Erick kept straight; Eron told Tayloe that his parents were stopping to pick up dinner for everyone. Erick stopped in front of a wood shingled Cape Cod style home. They got out and Tayloe ran around the car to help Eron up the sidewalk.

“I am not a cripple, Tayloe.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to fall. Let me help, please. Please.”

Todd and Erick were getting luggage from the car when Erick whispered something in his boyfriend’s ear. Todd smiled and nodded.

They went inside the cold damp house and Erick immediately grabbed wood to build a fire in the masonry fireplace. Todd looked around and realized that while it was a pleasant house that it was small. Very small. The apartment where he and Erick lived was about the same size and Todd thought that was small.

Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuelson came through the front door with bags of food. Todd could smell fried fish. The furnace was warming the house and everyone was taking off their coats. Erick got a stack of plates from the cupboard for Todd to set the table. Tayloe was holding Eron in his arms while they sat on the sofa. Todd gave him a questioning look.

“I don’t want him to get cold. Pneumonia can set in. He doesn’t need pneumonia on top of everything he has been through.”

Mrs. Emmanuelson lit candles on the table and called everyone in to dinner. They sat at either end of the table with Todd and Erick on one side and Tayloe and Eron on the other. Mr. Emmanuelson stood and said prayers for Eron’s recovery and grace for the meal.

“Yumm, I love fish and chips. Oh my gosh, it has been a while since I have had this. I hope you got extra tartar sauce. I could eat that just by itself.” Mrs. Emmanuelson smiled as she knew Erick’s eating habits.

Erick was grinning and digging into his food. Eron was trying to pick up his fork but his eyes would not align and his fingers weren’t working properly. Tayloe immediately turned in his seat, pulled Eron’s plate toward him, and started feeding Eron. Eron could pick up the fries with his fingers, but the fish and Cole slaw were being fed to him. Tayloe didn’t bother using different forks but fed both Eron and himself with the same. When Eron tried to drink from the tea cup he spilled some of it down his front. Tayloe immediately held the cup while Eron slurped.

“I haven’t heard you slurp like that since you were a child.” Erick smiled at his brother.

“You slurped also. At least I didn’t spit in mine.” Erick and Eron both laughed.

When the meal was finished, Tayloe helped Eron back to the sofa where he pulled the afghan off the back and wrapped it around his patient. He then wrapped his arms around Eron to hold it in place. Eron sighed and leaned back with his head on Tayloe’s shoulder.

“I’m tired. I need to go to bed, please.”

Erick helped them up the narrow stairs and told Tayloe where everything was located. Tayloe looked at the twin beds with a skeptical eye.

“Todd and I are going to get a hotel room. We don’t want to sleep on the sofa downstairs. We will be back in the morning.”

Tayloe started helping Eron to undress and realized that he still had the electrode patches on his skin from the EKGs. His hair was a mess from the goo used with the EEG electrodes.

“You are a hairy beast but I need to get these patches off of your skin. It may pull out some hair. Will you let me do this?”

“Can it wait until tomorrow? I am so tired, Tayloe. I just need to sleep. Please.”

“Of course, a shower in the morning will make you feel much better and will help to loosen the electrodes.”

Tayloe had gotten all of Eron’s clothes off, helped him into pajamas and tucked him into bed. By the time he had stripped he realized that Eron was asleep. He crawled into the twin bed on the other side of the room and lay awake thinking of everything that had happened in the past 48 hours. He heard Eron moan and Tayloe immediately sat up in his bed. The room was pitch black. He listened again and heard another moan from Eron. He crossed the room, sat on the edge of Eron’s bed and reached out and touched Eron’s head. Eron let out a big sigh and relaxed. Tayloe crawled under the covers and held onto Eron. Eron’s arm wrapped itself around Tayloe’s torso pulling him in closer and his head was on Tayloe’s shoulder. Tayloe felt a kiss on his neck and then he heard snoring. A single tear fell from Tayloe’s eye as he fell asleep.

Suggested Music:

“Fly to Paradise”

Composer: Eric Whitacre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8oDnUga0JU