Water Ch. 62 - Everybody's Broken

Beth was woken up by the nurses checking her vital signs and to give her another dose of pain killer. She's starting to feel a few more aches and pains and hope the medication she just had will help with those. She positions herself in the bed, so that its easier to get out of bed, she needs to use the bathroom.  Dragging herself to the edge of the bed, she looks at the time on her watch that's on her bedside table.  It's 4:30 in the morning, now she's irritated, she isn't tired any more and has nothing to do.  Getting out of bed wasn't as easy as she thought it would be.  Her sense of balance was off and the cast made her uneven, as she refers to it.  Limping her way to the bathroom she curses her boss for putting together this retreat, nothing good has come of it yet. 

Looking at herself in the mirror, she is horrified.  Both eyes are black and blue, and her right eye ball had a small hemorrhage, leaving the white of her eye bloodshot and gross.  She has a bump over her right eye that's practically the size of a golf bad, and just as hard.  She can see that she has abrasions on her arms.  She starts to cry.  How can she be so messed up, so far from home.  Finishing what she needed to do in the bathroom, she limps her way back to her bed.  Upset by what she saw and how she feels she's thankful that the pain medication is kicking in.  She lays back in her bed and closes her eyes, thinking to herself, I'm going home, when I get out of here today.  Her eyelids are heavy and she sees no point in fighting it.  She dozes off.  Her dreams have to feel better than she does right now.

Her eyes don't open again until Tammy slightly shakes her, to wake her up.  "Beth, Beth."  Her assistant says to her.  Beth opens her eyes, feeling like she has been run over by a truck.

"What?" she says, with her mouth stuck together from sleeping with her mouth open.  "Please go get me a toothbrush and toothpaste."  Beth tries to sit up, and wasn't very successful at it.  Tammy tries to help her, but Beth isn't receptive to help.  "I can do it, please just get me a toothbrush and paste."  Beth doesn't mean to bark at her.

Tammy turns to leave and knowing Beth, she better ask if there is anything that Beth needs or wants.  Looking at her battered boss Tammy asks, "Is there anything else you you need or want?  I brought your phone, it's in your bag." 

Beth, looking through her assistant, unable to focus says, "I would love some 7-up, can you get me some of that?  All I really want is to brush my teeth and wash my face.  And have the nurse come in please, I want out of here." 

"I'll be back in a flash."  Tammy leaves, going to fetch what her boss asks for, wondering if they're going to let her leave today.

Beth looks over and sees her bag, knowing her phone is in there, she grabs it and gets her phone out.  She is hoping there was something from Jon.  A text, missed call or even an email.  Nothing.  No attempted communication what so ever.  Staring at the keys on her phone, running her fingers over them with out even thinking, she tells herself that she should call him.  After all, she said that she would.  It's 11:30, he should definitely be up and about.

Searching through her contacts, she finds the one that's RockStar and pushes the green call button.  It rings three times before she hears, "Hey!" 

"Hi.  Are you busy?" she doesn't want to interrupt anything he may be doing.  Simply because he may be doing something pertaining to the divorce.

He tells her, "I'm at Dorothea's dropping the kids off, can I call you back in a few minutes when I get out of here?" 

Surprised by his response, now twisting her dirty hair into a knot, she says, "Yes, of course, that's fine.  Take your time." 

She can hear Dorothea in the background very childish like say, "Is that Beth?  Tell her that your wife says hello."

"Dorothea, knock it off.  Act your damn age."  Jon is pissed now and Beth can hear that.  She thinks it's kind of funny because it's directed at Dot.

With a big smile on her face and an attitude in her voice, Beth tells Jon, "Please tell her hello for me."  And then she laughs.  "I'm sorry, please call me when you get a minute.  I love you and miss you."  With those words out of her mouth, she wonders what he will say.

"I love and miss you too.  I'll call you in a few minutes, okay."  She can hear the love in his voice and he really does miss her.  She can hear it. 

"Okay, until next time."  Beth pushes end on her phone.  But she keeps the smile on her face, even with all the pain she's in. 

In walks the nurse, a healthy woman that truly loves her job.  Walking up to Beth's bedside she starts to fluff her pillows and tells her, "Beth we need to get you up and moving.  Specially if you want to leave today.  I need to know that you're mobile on your own."  She's an African American woman with short hair and beautiful green eyes.  She has a great bedside manor and Beth can tell she's one that does it for the love of the job.  She pulls Beth blankets back and looks at her injuries.  "How does the cast feel?" she asks as she drags Beth's legs over the edge of the bed.

"I can do that."  Beth barks.  "The cast is irritating, how should it feel?"  Beth stops herself, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap."

"Oh sweety, you haven't said anything I haven't heard before. "  The nurse assures her.  "Can you get to the bathroom on your own?"

Beth looking over at the door, thinking where the hell is Tammy, says "Yes I can.  I am waiting for my assistant to bring me my toothbrush and toothpaste." 

The nurse understanding the need for clean teeth can relate, but she says to Beth, with firmness, "Let's get you in there and start getting you cleaned up.  I need to check all of your wounds, before we can release you.  We can wash you up while we wait for your stuff."  She is talking in a tone that tells Beth she really doesn't have a choice.  Now there are two strong willed women in charge of Beth and Beth is going to lose. 

Beth, with all her might, tells the nurse, "I'm expecting a phone call and I'm waiting for my assistant to bring me my things." She thought she sounded serious.

"Well, you can wait for your phone call and your assistant" she is now lifting Beth off the edge of the bed, with one hand under her arm.  Beth winces. "in the bathroom.  Let's go."  Beth takes her lead and works herself into the bathroom.  She hurts pretty bad now.   The nurse lowers her to the sit on the toilet, "Are you okay?"  she asks Beth.

"The pain is pretty bad, can I get some more pain killers please?"  Beth doesn't normally take medication, other than the occasional headache pill.  But she hurts so bad she's ready to beg.  The nurse is filling up the sink with warm water to give Beth a sponge bath.