Codebreakers

“Why? Have you misplaced your calendar?”

The young man shook his head and smiled. That smile was beginning to annoy Jo.

“Please ma’am, what year is it?”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, it’s 2014.”

“Yes!” The young man seemed honestly pleased with her answer. Perhaps she had won a prize.

“Can you please just tell me what you’ve done to me. I am aware that I had a fall and felt a stabbing pain in my hip. I am assuming you have done something related to that area.”

If he didn’t stop smiling, she would most certainly throw something. She looked at the bedpan.

“You are a very lucky lady.”

Jo looked again at the bedpan. The young man started to speak more quickly.

“I was on duty when you were brought in and took you directly into surgery. We implanted a titanium hip replacement – much stronger than the original!” That may have been her prize. He stopped smiling suddenly and adopted what Jo could only surmise was his ‘serious’ expression.

“You’re going to need someone to help you at home.”

“Young man, I have managed quite successfully thus far on my own. You’ve done your repair work and given me a nice new hip, thank-you very much, but anything further is my prerogative.”

“Mrs. Dardenne, it is my prerogative to protect your health and recovery. You will have to rest completely and have daily injections for the first month …”

“Injections? Whatever for?”

“To prevent blood clots.”

“I can inject myself.”

“You must have someone at least checking on you. Even going to the washroom, you should have someone with you in case you are unsteady.”

“Ha! I am as steady as she goes. I will be fine on my own.”

He furrowed his brow, rubbed his chin, and finally sat down in a chair beside her bed.

“Mrs. Dardenne, I know you are an extremely independent woman – I have consulted with your physician. And I know that under normal circumstances, you could take care of yourself. But falling and having hip replacement surgery is not normal circumstances, no matter your age. This is not negotiable. This afternoon, someone from a home care agency will meet with you to assess your needs. Once that is done and I am confident someone will be monitoring your progress and providing services to you … only then will I be releasing you to go home. Do you read me, Mrs. Dardenne?”

Jo looked into the doctor’s confident blue eyes and nodded. Although fresh-faced, he did know how to give an order and Jo certainly knew how to take one.

As soon as she was by herself again, she thought about the dream or whatever it was that she had while she lay in the snow. Fred, dear sweet Fred, smiling down at her. Now that she thought about it, he looked quite amused. He would have been, both with her situation and her stubbornness.

How long was it since she thought about that time in her life?