Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes - 41. Chapter 41 S2

Chapter 41 – Making Adjustments

Ma, Pa, and I returned to the hospital to spend time with Devin that evening and we stayed as long as the staff would allow. When we left there, we returned to the house and prepared to get some sleep. When Ma went to use the bathroom, I spoke to Pa.

“Would you mind if I added your cell number to my phone, because I had to wait until they brought me Devin’s phone before I could call you. I don’t know what I would have done if his phone had been damaged in the accident as well.”

“Yes, sure. I think you should have it.”

“Do you think Gramps would mind if you gave me his phone numbers as well, since he has both a cell phone and land line.”

“No, and that’s a great idea. Hand me your phone and I’ll add our phone numbers to your contact list, and I’ll use our given names.”

“That’s fine, and I saw it’s how both of you were listed on Devin’s phone as well.”

As soon as he finished doing that, we both went to our rooms to get ready for bed. It had been a long and emotionally draining day and we were all very tired.

When we awoke the following morning, Ma and Pa took me out for breakfast first, and when we arrived at the hospital we learned that Devin was awake, fed, and alert. As we chatted with him, we asked all of the typical questions.

“How are you feeling today?” Ma wanted to know.

“I’m actually feeling pretty good, considering I got whacked in the head and shoulder by a large tree limb and I was operated on yesterday.”

“Did you get a good night’s sleep?” Pa followed.

“It was a little awkward at first, since I had this thing on my left arm, but the drugs they had me take knocked me out and I slept fine.”

“Are you experiencing any pain or are the drugs taking care of the problem?” I asked next.

“I’m feeling a little discomfort, but no real pain. The drugs seem to be helping for now.”

As we were talking, a nurse arrived with a wheelchair. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have to transport the patient for an MRI.”

“Is that even possible?” I asked. I knew he wouldn’t set off any metal detectors, but I wasn’t as sure about this. “He just had a bunch of titanium used on his injuries when they operated on him, so won’t that mess up the MRI?”

“No, titanium is a paramagnetic material that does not affect an MRI, so it won’t have any impact on the scan. He shouldn’t be gone for more than forty minutes, so you can either wait here in his room or go to the visitors’ waiting room on this floor until he returns.”

“I think we’ll just wait here,” Ma said, and then we chatted while they were gone.

“They’re probably doing the MRI to determine if he can be released or if he has to stay in the hospital for another day or two,” Pa stated.

“Yes, you’re probably right about that,” I replied, “so I hope he gets released and he’s able to go back to the house with us.”

“I think we’re all hoping for that,” Ma concurred.

We talked about a lot of other things as well, until Devin eventually returned to the room, and then we watched as the nurse helped him get back into bed before she left. As soon as she was gone, we began to barrage him with a myriad of questions.

“How did it go?” I asked.

“I guess it went all right. No one complained and they didn’t say they had to do the MRI over again.”

“Didn’t they tell you how the MRI turned out?” Pa followed.

“No, they just said they’d give the MRI scans to the doctor and then he’d evaluate the images before he comes to let us know the results.”

“So, they didn’t say anything to you about it?” Ma pressed.

“Only what I already told you.”

We continued chatting until the doctor arrived a couple of hours later, while he was making his rounds. He greeted each of us as he entered, and then he asked Devin’s parents and me if we’d please wait in the hallway while he examined Devin’s injuries. We did as he asked, and when he finished he came out to the hallway and began asking questions.

“Who will be the one responsible for changing Devin’s bandages?”

“That would be Mac, since we’ll be returning home as soon as we’re sure Devin will be ok,” Pa answered.

“In that case, Mac will you come with me so I can show you what you’ll have to do?”

“Of course,” I replied, and then I followed the doctor into Devin’s room.

He then instructed me about everything I’d need to know, along with what I would have to do. And when he finished, I went out to get Ma and Pa so they could join us and listen to what the doctor had to say.

“How’s he doing?” Pa asked.

“Remarkably well,” the doctor answered. “I’m not sure how it’s possible, but when I viewed the latest MRI I observed signs that his injuries appear to be starting to mend already.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Ma followed.

“It’s very good, although I can’t explain it. These types of injuries don’t usually show any signs of healing in just one day. It generally takes several days before I might see anything.”

“So, why do you think it’s happening so quickly for him?” Pa wondered.

“I’m not sure, but it isn’t the only unusual thing I’ve encountered with him. You see, I’d asked the nurses to draw some blood from Devin before I operated, and although I went over the written results at that time, I only recently had a chance to look at the samples personally. As I was examining them under the microscope, I encountered some irregularities. Oh, everything looked fine at first, but then I began to notice some unusual agglutination.”

“What’s that?” Ma wanted to know.

“Let me explain it like this. Occasionally when the blood of two different people mixes together, such as following a transfusion, the blood cells have the ability to clump into distinctive globules in the plasma. It happens when the red blood cells attach to one another, but the agglutination in your son’s blood is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I wasn’t sure at first, so in order to better understand what I was seeing, I consulted with several others, including two veterinarians, who might be more familiar with this phenomenon. They collectively put their heads together and reached the following conclusion. In your son’s case, it appears that his blood has not only mixed with that of another person, but it seems to have also mixed with the blood of another animal or animals. This has caused his blood to produce some unusual and unique antibodies in the process.”

“How could something like that happen?” I wondered. “Do you think there might have been animal cells in the blood you used while giving him a transfusion?”

“No, because the blood sample was taken before we gave him the transfusion. Do you have any animals at home or do you live on a farm?”

“No, we don’t own any animals, but we do live in a cabin in the country,” Pa answered.

“Then it would rule out that this might have happened in your home, and since you don’t live on a farm, it also rules out the possibility that he‘s slaughtered any animals. However, is there a chance that he could have been around an animal that was slaughtered and possibly had an open wound at the time? If he had, and came in contact with a large quantity of the animal’s blood, then it could account for how it mixed with Devin’s blood. Is that a possibility?”

“I haven’t been around when an animal was slaughtered, but I fish and hunt, so that means I have gutted the fish that I caught and I’ve field dress whatever animals I’ve killed,” Devin responded.

“And might you have had any wounds when you did that?”

“I have cuts and scratches on my hands and arms quite often when I’m at the cabin. Some of them come from when I’m chopping wood, possibly from splinters or from handling the rough bark, so I could’ve had open cuts when I was gutting a fish or field dressing an animal that I killed. Accidents happen, you know, and sometimes the knife slips when I’m doing those things.”

“Ok, then that might explain it. What types of animals do you hunt?”

“I hunt rabbits and deer, and sometimes I might kill a coyote as well, because they can be a real problem.”

“Ok, you obviously must have dressed the rabbits and deer, but do you ever do anything to the coyotes after you kill them?”

“I might move their bodies out of an open field and to the edge of the woods, especially if a farmer hays that field or allows his animals to graze there.”

“Thank you, and now I’ve got a good indication of where you might have come into contact with animal blood and how it may have found its way into your bloodstream. It also provides me with evidence that I can discuss with the others that I’ve consulted with about how these unusual globules came about.”

Even though the doctor felt the information Devin had just given him might have explained the appearance of this abnormality, I believe the rest of us were all thinking there was another explanation. I know that I felt this anomaly would most likely have occurred when Devin transitioned into an animal at some point. The thing is I don’t recall him transitioning at anytime during the month prior to his being in the hospital.

We’d been home for a month on Christmas break and he hadn’t transitioned at any point during that period, not even into Bear. He’d transitioned into Bear before we returned home, but I had no idea how long those indicators would remain in his bloodstream after he transitioned each time or if it would be a cumulative process.

“Is this a problem?” Ma asked the doctor, breaking my thoughts from wondering about this situation further. We also noticed she was looking anxiously at the doctor.

“It’s not exactly a problem, but it is unusual and something no one seems to be able to explain to my satisfaction, although field dressing an animal he killed is the most likely culprit. However, it also makes me wonder if the antibodies the agglutination produces might have something to do with why he appears to be healing more rapidly than normal.”

“Then it’s a good thing, isn’t it?” I wondered.

“As far as I can tell it is, but seeing I, and the group I’m consulting with are all unfamiliar with any similar situations, we’ll continue to assess his progress. We’re trying to determine if there might be any negative effects associated with this. Other than that, I’ll be releasing him after lunch and you can take him home with you at 1:00, as long as he keeps his lunch down, the same way he’s managed to do with his other meals. I just want to be certain he isn’t having any delayed effects from the anesthesia.”

“Great!” Devin shouted. “I’m ready to get out of here.”

“I’ll make an appointment for a follow-up visit in two weeks so I can see how you’re progressing,” the doctor added. “Just be very careful that none of you come into contact with the left side of his body, especially around the injured areas.”

“Thank you, doctor, and we’ll make certain to avoid doing that.”

After the doctor left, we continued chatting with Devin until his lunch was delivered, and then we decided to head down to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat at the same time. When we returned, the nurse met us in Devin’s room.

“The doctor is going to release your son, and your fiancé, so I’m going to let one of you help him get dressed. That way if you have any problems or questions while doing it, then you can ask me, because I’ll just be outside in the hallway.”

“We’ll let Mac do it then, because he’ll be the one helping Devin after we return home,” Pa quickly responded. I wasn’t sure if he did it before Ma could volunteer.

“Do you want any of us to stay in the room with you while you’re doing this?” the nurse asked.

“No, I watched the video and remember what I need to do, so you can all wait outside in the hallway. I’m sure Devin will appreciate the privacy and I’ll come out to ask you questions if I have any problems.”

I’d brought a change of clothes for Devin when we arrived here earlier and I’d placed them in his locker, so now I took everything out while the others were leaving the room. As soon as the door closed, I gave Devin a kiss, although I didn’t dare hug him.

“I’m glad you’re all right, but let’s take that hospital gown off you and get you dressed in normal clothes again.”

I remembered what the video had said about removing the clothing on the side away from the injury first, and then doing it in reverse order when helping him get dressed. With that in mind, I removed the shoulder immobilizer before I started, and then I guided the gown off his right side first and then gently slid it over his injured arm.

I followed the procedure in reverse when helping him get dressed. I had him sit in a chair as I helped him put on clean underwear, since I didn’t want to take the chance of him falling during the process if we tried to do this while he was standing. After that, I helped him put on socks, his pants, and shoes, and then I helped him put on his shirt. I didn’t bring a t-shirt, because I knew that would be too difficult to try putting on him yet. Instead, I’d brought a button-down shirt for him to wear, since I thought it would be the easiest for him to put on.

I started with his left sleeve first, and then after I’d slid it all the way on, I had him put his right arm through the other sleeve. I then buttoned it up, tucked it in, fastened his pants, and zipped them up. After that I helped him get into the shoulder immobilizer again, and now that he was dressed, I opened the door to his room to let the others know we were done.

“Did you have any problems?” the nurse asked.

“No, and I was very careful and gentle while working around his injury.”

“That’s good. Before you leave, though, I have a few additional items that you can take with you.”

She then handed me a few waterproof bandages to replace those covering the areas where the doctor had operated, a prescription for some painkillers, and a card with his next appointment written on it. In addition to those items, she gave me a few more instructions about when I helped him in and out of the SUV. When she finished, I had to help Devin put his coat on over the shoulder immobilizer, starting with his right arm. Then, I merely pulled the other side over the shoulder immobilizer and zipped it up.

As soon as we all had our coats on, the nurse had Devin sit in a wheelchair so she could give him a ride down to the main lobby. While she was doing that, Pa raced ahead to get the SUV so he could pull it up in front of the automatic doors at the main entrance.

I stood on Devin’s right side and helped to support him after he got out of the wheelchair and made his way to the SUV. I had him get in on the right side of the backseat so he wouldn’t bump his injured arm against the door, and then I went around and got in the other side. I helped to carefully secure his seatbelt first, and then I fastened my own before Pa drove away.

When we reached the house, I helped Devin get out of the SUV and supported him as we walked to the front door. I was extremely grateful that the caretaker had removed all of the snow and thrown down some rock salt to make sure the area wasn’t slippery, because it would have been awful if Devin slipped and fell.

Once we were inside, I helped Devin remove his coat. After that I helped him sit down, placed a pillow behind him, and then we all talked.

“Are you two still planning on eating at the dining hall?” Pa wondered.

“Damn, I hadn’t thought about that yet, but Devin probably wouldn’t be able to, since there’s too great a chance that someone might accidentally bump into his injured arm.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“I guess I can always talk to the dining hall staff and find out if they can prepare our meals to be taken out.”

“Yes, that would be an option, but what are you going to do if they can’t do that for you?”

“Then I guess I’ll have to do some grocery shopping so I can fix our meals here.”

“I’ll leave some money with you in case you have to do that or order takeout, but right now I’ll drive you over to the drugstore so you can fill the prescription and pick up the other supplies you’ll need.”

“No, don’t fill the prescription,” Devin urged. “The doctor probably prescribed an opioid for me, but I’ll do fine with just ibuprofen. That’s all I would let them give me when I was in the hospital, other than something to help me sleep, because I didn’t want to take the chance of becoming addicted.”

“Ok, then I’ll buy more ibuprofen and some additional waterproof bandages and more wide gauze, but is there anything else you might want or need?”

“No, that should do it.”

“Your mom and I are going to spend the night here and I think we should stick around until Mac finds out if the dining hall will do takeout meals for both of you. I just hope the food doesn’t get cold while he’s walking back here.”

“That won’t happen, because I’ll drive the SUV there and park it in a visitor or handicap spot when I pick up the food, and that way I’ll get back here before it gets cold. If that doesn’t work, I can always microwave it for a minute or less to warm up our meals when I get here. I’ll also contact campus security and let them know why I have to do this, so I don’t get any tickets.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Now that this was settled, Devin’s dad drove me to the drugstore to pick up the items we needed. Of course, he paid for everything, and then he stopped at an ATM on the way back and withdrew some money, which he immediately handed to me.

“You can use this money to put gas in the SUV, since you’ll be driving it more often until Devin’s completely healed. You can also use it to purchase any other items Devin might need or to cover any other expenses you incur.”

“Thank you and I’ll try not to spend it all.”

“Spend whatever you need and however you think it’s needed. I trust you completely.”

When we returned to the house, we all sat down in the living room to discuss the situation further. The rest of us sat in chairs, while Devin was sitting on the sofa.

“We won’t be going to the dog park any time soon,” I said, playing Captain Obvious, “and you probably shouldn’t transition at all, no matter what happens.”

“Mac’s right” Pa quickly agreed. “You’ll have to wait until you’re completely healed before you can start doing that again. Besides, the doctor was curious enough about the animal globules in your blood and I don’t want him to become more curious and possibly figure out our family’s secret.”

“Why would he be able to do that?” Devin challenged.

“He’d certainly become more suspicious, since you can’t go hunting and field dressing any animals in your current condition, and yet he’d be seeing more globules in your blood. If he thought that situation was increasing, he might want to investigate you further, and possibly look into Mac and me as well.”

“Yeah, I don’t want that to happen.”

“And I should also go over to the dog park to let Preston know we won’t by coming around there for a while.”

“Who’s this Preston guy?” Ma asked.

“He’s a college professor who brings his dog to the dog park at the same time we usually go there. He’s a really nice guy and I usually talk to him while Bear interacts with his dog, Bailey. Preston says she gets very moody when we’re not there, so this will let Preston know what he’s going to have to deal with. It will also keep him from worrying that something has happened to me.”

“Is this Preston one of either of your professors?”

“No, he’s in the anthropology department.”

“Have you known him long?”

“We met him at the beginning of the last academic year.”

“Then obviously his dog’s had to deal with last summer and the Christmas holidays both years.”

“Yes, and he said his dog was a neurotic mess by the time we returned, because she only seems to like hanging out with Bear.”

“That’s strange,” Ma muttered.

“Not really, because Bear’s taught Bailey how to navigate the obstacle course and he also found her one time when she got out of the dog park before we arrived there and got caught in a trap. They seem to get along very well with each other.”

“I hope that dog doesn’t expect him to mate with her!” Ma stated emphatically. I didn’t respond to her comment and changed the subject instead.

“There’s something else that I thought of,” I mentioned. “I told my parents that I’d come home for spring break, since I’ll be gone for most of the summer. My mom and dad are organizing things we can do together during that time and they’re planning on Devin going with us, but spring break is only about ten or twelve weeks away. The doctor said it could take six to twelve weeks for his shoulder to heal and up to six months before he has full use of his arm again, so what am I going to do if he can’t do those things with us? I don’t want to disappoint my mom and dad any more than I already have when I told them I’d be gone this summer.”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll drive to your house and pick him up so he can spend the week with us, and then I’ll drive him back to your place so he can ride with you back to campus.”

“Ok, that will work, but I hope it won’t be necessary. Do you think Devin will be able to transition by the time we go to Missouri, because Gramps and Pops said we’ll have to transition into different guys this time while we’re looking for the treasure? We might also have to transition into different animals, depending on how large we can make the opening through the rubble in the cave.”

“We’ll have to play that by ear and he’ll just have to survive with whatever situation he has to deal with.”

“You guys don’t have to worry about any of those things,” Devin chimed in. “The doctor said I’m healing quicker than he expected, so I probably won’t even need six weeks to recover.”

“We’ll let the doctor decide that,” Pa responded in a tone that let Devin know he was serious. “We all know that you’ll say you’re ready to do things even if you aren’t, so Mac will go by what the doctor has to say and you’ll do whatever Mac tells you. Otherwise, we won’t allow you to go to Missouri with them.”

“Ok, I’ll let the doctor decide when I’m healed and I’ll do whatever Mac says.”

“And how will I be able to tell you guys how he’s doing?” I asked.

“I’ll call every now and then at night and you can fill me in at that time. Ok?”

“Yeah, that works for me.”

We also discussed what we were going to do about supper this evening, since we obviously can’t take Devin out to eat. There was just too great a risk that another customer or one of the employees might bump into his injured arm.

“I can always fix supper here,” Ma offered. “We’d just have to run to the grocery store first, so I can pick up a few items.”

“Let’s just order takeout and I’ll go pick it up,” Pa countered.

“That’s a good idea and there’s a Chinese place that should be open, as well as a pizza place, and they have much more than just pizza,” I offered. “Which one would you prefer?”

We all agreed to go with Chinese, so I grabbed the copy of the takeout menu from the drawer in the kitchen so we could all look at it. Once we knew what we wanted, I called in the order. After I did that, I told the others that I’d ride with Pa to make certain that he didn’t have trouble finding the place, and I would also help him bring the food back to the house. Actually, I wanted to speak with Pa alone about something else and I thought it would be best if we were alone when I asked my question.

“Are you sure Ma is ok with Devin spending spring break with me and my family? She certainly didn’t look very happy about the idea when we were talking about it earlier”

“If it’s what Devin wants to do and he’s been cleared by the doctor, then she’ll have to deal with it. It’s just that her baby is hurt and she wants to be the one nursing him back to health, but you seem to be doing a very good job of taking care of him.”

“I do my best. I’m always here with him, except for when we’re in class, and I’m not sure if he’ll be able to attend his classes, even if he’s able to do everything else that’s required. It’s just that walking around the campus would dramatically increase the odds of someone bumping into his injured arm or that he might slip and fall while walking to and from his classes.”

“I know, so maybe we should delay our trip home until you find out the answer to that question,” Pa replied. “I would hate to see him lose a semester, but if it turns out to be the case, then we’ll just take him home with us.”

“I’d hate for that to happen, but it would probably be easier on him if he wasn’t here after he learned he wouldn’t be able to attend any of his classes.”

We picked up the Chinese food and took it back to the house, and while Ma was taking everything out of the bags and organizing it on the dining room table, I spoke with Devin.

“Pa and I had a nice chat on the way over to pick up the food and he feels that Ma is upset that she can’t do more to take care of you, now that you’re injured. What if I let her help you while we’re eating?”

“Ok, that sounds like a good idea and maybe it will help to put her in a better mood. She made a few comments that seemed strange to me while you two were gone, but now they make a little more sense, so I’ll let her help me with everything tonight.”

She seemed thrilled when Devin asked her to help him out to the dining room and for her to open the food container so he could eat. He also requested that she get a can of soda from the refrigerator and to pop the tab for him. He even asked her to open the packets of duck and soy sauce that he wanted to use, and he also asked her to unwrap the fortune cookie later. Other than doing those things for him, he was able to do everything else for himself. However, he‘d let Ma do enough that she seemed to be in a much better mood by the time we finished eating.

When we went back to the living room, I let Ma arrange the pillows on the sofa to prop up Devin’s back and injured arm, and I also let her sit beside him while we chatted. At one point when I glanced over at Pa, he gave me a wink and a thumbs-up sign when he realized that I’d arranged for all of this to happen. I also suspect that he felt his wife would be in a much better mood when they headed up to bed this evening.

After chatting for a while longer, we all decided to turn in. Devin didn’t want his mom to help with the more sensitive and personal tasks of getting ready for bed, so I did those things for him.

I put the toothpaste on his toothbrush while he was taking a leak, and after he brushed his teeth, I helped him undress and I washed him off. After I helped him get dressed again, I let Ma prop up the pillows on the left side of the bed. I also let her help him get into bed and get comfortable, and then she and Pa went to their room to turn in.

Once they were gone, I turned off the light and got in on the other side of the bed. I had just closed my eyes when Devin spoke.

“Thank you for suggesting that I let my mom do some of those things for me tonight. She seemed to be in a lot better mood after doing that stuff, and even though none of the tasks were very difficult, she was definitely much happier than she was before you and my dad left to pick up the food.”

“Yes, I thought so as well, and I think your dad agrees, so let’s go to sleep.”

“Will you read me a story first, Daddy,” he said putting on his little boy charm and sticking out his lower lip.

“Oh, shut up and close your eyes. I have classes tomorrow and I already missed the first day of classes today. I hope my professors accept my excuse, but I can’t afford to miss the first day of my other classes. I also have to contact your faculty advisor tomorrow and give him time to contact your professors.”

“Oh, I forgot about that and I really appreciate all that you’re doing for me.”

“I’m glad to do it, now shut up and go to sleep.”

He did as I asked and we both eventually fell asleep, although it took me a little longer than it did him, because I was wondering if we were going to make it through the night without any problems.