My eyes flash open to a yellow curtain
“GIVE ME A SANDWICH”
I YELL
A young nurse pulls the curtain to the side
She introduces herself as Hyacinth
PLEASE GIVE ME A SANDWICH
I ask her again, I do not know if she can hear me.
She takes my order,
And though brought the tuna on white
instead of the chicken salad on wheat,
I would have honestly eaten a car tire
If presented
I think, is there is apple juice?
I have never been more hungry in all my life.
Gable comes out of nowhere
He brought Reeses from the gift shop
Thank fucking god
When I am done picking at the carcasses of white bread crust
On this tray
And scan for any remnants of lettuce or cheese
I realize that I am lying on a stretcher.
I look at Hyacinth
“Surgery went well then, yes?”
She laughs and says that yes, the surgery is over
I ask her if I can get up, and she says no
We’ll try tomorrow
The hours pass through midnight
Gable is slumped over a folding chair onto my stretcher
And it dawns on me
Am I supposed to be somewhere else?
“Hyacinth?
Am I moving to the ICU?”
She gives me a shrug and tells me that they’re full for the night
“You seem to be doing okay here, so we’ll just monitor you from this bay for now?”
FOR NOW.
I realize Gable should get out of here, not in this chair if he wants to sleep.
I nustle him out and tell him to go to a hotel.
“I’ll text you when I’m out of here.”
12 hours later, I have been moved to a different curtained-off area.
They’ve taken out the catheter and Foley.
I’ve walked down the hallway twice
Taken myself to the bathroom
I am a goddamn miracle.
But I am a miracle stowed away
into holding bay 29.
I order a cheeseburger for lunch at 11:00 am.
They bring it to me at 12:30, cold.
I cry over my tater tots.
The nurse who brought it late remarked on how hungry I was to shovel it all down.
And I give her the bird.
I’m sorry.
Get me the fuck out of here.
I wish I had let Gable just pick up my lunch.
Jet’s Spring Recital starts at 6:00 pm
So I kick Gable out at 2:00 pm
A male nurse starts taking my vitals
But then abruptly stops halfway
He laughs towards a coworker
AND I’VE HAD IT
After he leaves, I start unplugging myself from all the devices
And announce to the room that I’m calling a LYFT
“I’M GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF HERE
YOU GUYS AREN’T DOING ANYTHING ANYMORE.”
I have lost my mind entirely.
Or just the bits they took.
The head Nurse pages a STAT order for an observation room
She tells me that they were doing her a favor
I frown and tell her that they are doing their job
I have never ever in all of my life been a bigger brat than I am being right now.
They move me from the bay at 5:45 pm to a suite on the 5th floor.
I am back on Kahn 5, the same floor I came to when I first arrived.
When I first arrived 5 nights before.
I just want to go to the bathroom.
Without someone following me.
Kathlyn Ramsey Moore 