Rumors and Radiology

From the feel of things this morning, it was starting to seem unlikely that we’d ever have air conditioning again. I was still thrilled to have gotten an earlier start, so I used the extra time to straighten things up once more, pausing to take in my handiwork. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

As promised in her note, Prudence was ready at the door with plenty of morning to spare. I knew I would have noticed if she had dropped by in the wee hours and gotten into bed, which she obviously didn’t, so I was innately curious as to how and where she spent the night. At first she seemed a bit hesitant to tell me and began to ramble on about the weather and such (in true Prudence fashion), and I had to stay on her for a considerable while before she finally let me know. She explained that while she was out, she came across a few well-meaning neighborhood stuffies promoting their recently opened bed-and-breakfast and soup kitchen a few blocks down from Parsnip. She signed up to volunteer, and the owners happened to be so gracious as to let her stay and test out the facilities for herself.

From that point, she couldn’t stop raving about the orderliness of the place, the kindness of the staff and customers, and the variety of the food. Nonetheless, I was a bit skeptical; I didn’t think stuffies that hospitable would consider setting up shop in this part of town. I wanted to be sure she wasn’t over-exaggerating (another Prudence-ism, as luck would have it) to make me feel less concerned about her leaving, so I made a point to her to show me the place the next time we went out, and she agreed.

 

I may not know quite what goes through Prudence’s head all the time, as she’s only been my roommate since April, but she’s begun to impress me as the kind who might fall for rumors – perhaps that some things aren’t exactly what they are made out to be. Still, I feel that I can trust her with things that matter, and I’m hoping I can believe everything she’s told me about this supposedly new place in town.

But I didn’t have long to ponder it, because there was a hospital date to make!

Some time ago, my biped companion Katherine was diagnosed as having intestinal irregularities - I don’t mean to gross anyone out, but it’s just the fact – and I’ve been accompanying her to the hospital in Nashville for a few trips, offering what guidance I can. Things have been relatively hard for Kath recently, as some of the doctors have had to affix a thick, clunky tube to the problem area on her lower right side, supposedly draining out the bad stuff. I can easily see how she’s so uncomfortable. Fortunately, we’ve made a pretty good team in the past when she’s had to have operation, and I was once again willing to help out.

We didn’t have the chance to make any pictures inside the hospital, but it was probably for the better; the doctors really seemed on top of things and I wouldn’t have wanted to hamper their smooth progress. The nurses in the radiology department (where we were) were extremely personable today, and most of them remembered me from previous times. One nurse made a special note of my name, another was impressed that I had a blog, and a few even complimented my outfit! It was a good sign.

I wasn’t able to constantly stay beside Kath during the procedure, but the doctors on call still respected my presence and allowed me a seat nearby. After watching the entire procedure and trying to brace myself during the “scary” parts, I couldn’t decide which of us had emerged the braver.

 

As the doctors were finishing up, one of the nurses decided to humor me (or maybe Kath) by equipping me with a medical cap and oxygen mask just like Kath’s! She mentioned something about my being able to say that we both went through the surgery. I’m not entirely sure whether that was a gesture of sympathy, but at least I received a new partial costume out of the deal. After all, you never know when you’ll need to masquerade as a radiology patient.

A safe journey home was had by all, and what a relief it was to find the thermostat sitting at a comfortable 75 degrees! Maybe now I can actually sleep under my new comforter. I’m off to find out!