Part 147 The ship leaks, the sky leaks


I may be better in the morning, but little Brooke continues to have fears whenever Becah or I are out of sight. Becah leaves with the kids for a party and takes GG back to her home. While they are gone, I listen to the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” and Buffalo Springfield’s “Last Time Around”. I am buoyed by the music and happy that my nausea has abated. However, the tube abruptly leaks profusely. I piecemealed a bandage as best as I could, until Becah returned with the kids and fashioned a better one.

Brooke wants to watch “Lord of the Rings” again. I watch a little with her, enjoying both her closeness with her and, despite all the times we’ve seen it, the movie. Later I view “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, the greatest western ever.

Becah is feeling the stress of caring for three persons, so I prepare dinner for the family. Bree is excited by my efforts, as she remembers the days when I routinely cooked.

After a rough night getting to sleep initially, I rest well during the night (only awaking once!). I am still fatigued in the morning. After hearing a sad sermon at church, I steer the family home in my first driving effort since my hospitalization.

Becah and I lie on the bed, tensions mounting as we discuss my ability (or not) to return to work the next week. My voice is still hoarse when I talk. We take a brief nap, to be awakened by a burst of distant thunder, signaling the coming rainstorm, which is the first precipitation in some time for this arid summer.

After a bit, we start up a game of checkers with Bree. Soon I am detecting a foul odor emulating from the j-tube. GG has returned to stay with us, and she feels this could indicate an infection in the area. I can take no more of this, and make my feelings known. Breanna dances for everyone in the den to attempt to lighten the mood. At the end of the evening, I kick back with more reading of “Watership Down”, and somehow drift off to sleep in a better state.