Navigating the halls of Delray Medical which were bustling with nursing staff, the journey is sobering.  Every 7 or 8 rooms, a physician would make an occasional cameo appearance doing their Morning Rounds. Hopefully the visitor sticker on my chest was like a billboard that said, “Your help is not needed here, continue as you were.”   TheNutsCracker tried not to make too much eye contact.

My destination, patient room 9B, was coming up.  The door was wide open and swallowing any pride TheNutsCracker had left… it was time to go in.  With a get well card and two mylar balloons in hand, TheNutsCracker walked in to visit one of his closest friends.

The hospital was nearing its capacity and most of the patients had roommates.   My friend was no different, but her roommate was a beautiful woman named Tonya being looked after by some well-dressed actor type guy.   Tonya just received notice that she would be discharged under home health nursing care service today.  Her boyfriend looked at Tonya like he wanted to scoop her off that bed, walk her out of that hospital, and fly away like Superman.  His face seemed familiar to TheNutsCracker, but it was easier to wonder how Tonya found her way into a hospital bed in the first place. 

She looked like a strong go-getter trapped against her will in a slow-paced environment that was trying to suck her spirit through a slurpee straw.  Her toes were freshly painted and peeking from under the pale gray hospital sheets.  Either her man was massaging her feet or she had a mani/pedi between nursing visits.  Her southern voice was gentle, yet bold enough to make any man respond to her demands.  With that voice and those looks, he was probably licking her toes before TheNutsCracker arrived.  Fetish!

Tonya was apparently from the same ‘Hood as my friend, who was embarrassed to see me.  Stepping to her beside “Hey,” is all TheNutsCracker could muster despite the long absence.  With no reply from my friend, TheNutsCracker sat the card and balloons down next to her beside and tried not to stare at the life support machine.  “Um, so… let me just say that…” (Pausing to take a deep breath).  TheNutsCracker continued, “Let me just say that you were not abandoned.  Things got hectic.  Life happened, ya know.  I mean, it wasn’t intentional.  I had no reason to leave you for dead.  I just got involved with my girlfriend and work has been, well… the bills keep stacking up… You know what?  It’s my fault.  I’m sorry.”  (Shaking my head).  “I’m sorry!”  TheNutsCracker stammered incoherently.

For a well-spoken individual, TheNutsCracker was giving half-baked thoughts that were handed out like twice baked potatoes at a Costco sampling stand.  No response was needed from my friend, Writing Skill. 

Ms. Writing Skill was on life support since the beginning of May.  She had not been fed, exercised and had not been put to work in a long time.  Her muscles were weak and her sight was fading.  She laid in the bed begging for my attention and disappointed in my distraction.  TheNutsCracker grew up with Ms. Writing Skill and never planned to abandon her.   She was one of my first loves.  There was no excuse to leave her behind.  That’s not the commitment that we had to one another.  It was time to make amends.  TheNutsCracker is the only doctor that can bring my Writing Skills back to life.  Crazy but true.  And this whole thing… is just LuvaNuts.

TheNutsCracker

"Bring Me Back to Life"