Pepaw's new ride - part 1

No coughing, no sneezing for a couple of days. Now it was safe for me to visit my dad-in-law Saturday.

I wasn't sure what to expect upon seeing Pepaw for the first time after he broke his hip last week and endured a four-day hospital stay. The physical therapy crew and the staff at the Alzheimer's residence assured me he was doing very well after the fall that derailed his obsessive walking routine. His "riding the rails" came to a screeching halt when he stood up that Thursday morning, wobbled a little and landed on his behind and broke his right hip bone because he's so damn skinny. I was but one of the many compassionate folks who offered to given him some of their own excess padding to prevent future breaks …

Entering the main lobby at about 11:40 a.m., I expected to see Pepaw hanging around there in his new wheelchair. Nope, not there. I asked one of the CNA's if he was out and about, and she said to check the back TV room, where he would likely be found watching an episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger," which has been a blessed distraction on many occasions.

I decided to check his room first, and there he was, laying in bed asleep, fully clothed in his traditional garb of jeans, black slip-on shoes, dark T-shirt, my old hooded gray sweatshirt and bright blue baseball cap. His wheelchair was next to the bed. I slipped out and asked the staff if I should go ahead and wake him since it was almost time for lunch. They said they'd appreciate that and would be in shortly to help him into his wheelchair.

I approached him quietly and brushed my hand along his sleeve to slowly awake him. His eyes opened immediately, and he said, "Hi." I returned the greeting with a big smile.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Fine, fine." He blinked. "You have a good trip now, okay?"

I gently laughed. "I just got here."

"Oh, okay."

He was resting at a slight angle with his feet resting at the edge of the side of the bed. I wasn't sure if he could get up on his own and wasn't encouraging any movement until the CNAs arrived.

"Just wait right here. They're going to help you up."

Within seconds, the door opened and a young man and woman came in to greet him. As soon as they started to help him sit up, he shook and yelped in pain.

"No, no, it hurts." He wasn't shouting or angry.

As I winced from the corner of the room, they gently laid him back again.

"You're in pain?" they asked him. "Do you want your pain medication?"

"Yes, yes, please."

They reassured him the nurse would bring it momentarily. I told them I would stay with him while we waited for the meds. They would return shortly.

I asked if he was okay again, and he said he needed to get up. I had barely reached his arm when he sat up on his own. I was impressed, and he didn't utter one sound indicating any pain. I sat on his left side on the edge of the bed as he dangled his legs toward the floor and slightly moved his right foot back and forth.

"How does that feel?"

"Okay."

"Well, you look pretty good considering you broke your right hip. They put a pin in there to make you good as new in a couple of weeks."

"Yeah." He stared straight ahead as he worked his denture-free gums.

"The girls told me to tell you that they love you and miss you." I was eager to hear his response to see if he still remembered them. And he did, reciting the names of his three daughters without hesitation or prompting. "Good, good."

"I gotta pee."

"Okay …"

Continued tomorrow.