Educational Experience

Part III--Chapter 19

Last two or three chapters, comin' up! Finally, right? It's been quite an adventure, this first draft. And having some of you along for the whole ride has been one of the best parts of the ride. The writing process is mysterious, miraculous and sometimes absolutely excruciating, but knowing there were people out there who had fallen for these characters and cared what happened to them, and to me, was a blessing. I think I like this writing thing. I may just do more!

Meanwhile, in this installment, Colt's sneaking off to rescue his babies from Child Protective Services. But first, one more pit stop on the Road of Life. About which he has lots to say. As usual...

So, my first mistake was forgetting that Band Aid surgery was still surgery.

I tried to be slick and didn't swallow any of the pain meds they gave me that night. I wanted to be clear headed enough to get out of there sometime 'way before dawn. And I also wanted to have a little stash to take with me, in case the pain got too bad for me to think straight at the meeting I was planning to crash.

I had to make them listen to me, and that meant stating my case as clearly as I could. The meds might be a problem, but the pain would be worse. At least if I took maybe half of something, I'd be calm enough to make a sensible defense.

The first time the nurse came by, I pretended the pills had gone down the "wrong way" and started coughing like mad so I could blow them into my hand and slide them under my pillow. The second time, I dumped them out of the little cup thing into my hand and pretended to throw them into my mouth. But I actually palmed them and slid them under my pillow.

Then the last time, the late night time where they wake you up to give you something to help you sleep-seriously, "Here's something to help you sleep," she'd say, that night nurse--I told her the pills were making my stomach feel weird, but to leave them, in case. And she actually did.

I'm not sure if that was breaking any rules or not. They were just Tylenol with codeine, the last ones. So I don't think they were worried that I might sell them or anything. You can sell damned near anything of course, but they knew I didn't exactly need the money, right?

Anyway, I had a fist full to take with me by the time I was ready to make a run for it. And when I eased upright in bed around 2 a.m., I got my comeuppance. The part of my back where they'd done all the cutting the day before hit me with this raw, mind blowing pain. Because the wounds were fresh in there. Nothing had knit back together yet at all.

So I felt a jolt, like every nerve they'd uncovered when the removed the cyst and whatnot was firing up in there. When it hit me, I grabbed hold of the rail thing they kept putting up because I think they were afraid the meds had me so loopy I might roll out of bed. And I just sat there breathing like I was in labor or something. I mean, it really hurt. So bad I couldn't even move for a while.

Which meant I had to take one of my pills, even though I didn't want to be all dopey later that morning. And also, they actually did make me nauseous. I'd squirreled away some fruit and some of the snacks they give you. I had a sandwich they'd brought me that was in this little plastic container. But it was mostly fruit and sweets, little cupcakes and stuff, sort of like those Little Debbie things that nobody should actually eat. You ever notice how Little Debbie stuff tastes like it's made out of stuff no farmer ever raised? Synthetic, like?

Well, I knew that if I ate any of them after I took the pill, I'd barf it all up. But if I didn't eat anything, I'd feel sicker. So I ate one of the bananas. And I felt steadier and less barfy after a few minutes. I wished I'd saved a few more once I realized how well they worked with those pills.

I stuffed all the food into a pillow case. And I'd held onto a plastic grocery bag that the girls had brought me some other goodies in. So I cut one corner off, so I could put the pills in there and then twist the top and tie it. That went in my pocket.