Camy Tang - Sushi for One?

She’d be unconscious. And she might not wake up.

Her stomach started to ripple. Her hands trembled where they lay against the warm blankets. She licked her dry lips, swallowed against the ball of fuzz lodged in the base of her throat.

She had to go to the bathroom. The warm blankets added to her incontinence problem.

“Venus, flag down a nurse.”

“Why?” Venus tore her eyes from the TV.

“I need to know if it’s okay to go to the bathroom.”

“Sure,” the nurse chirped once Venus had explained everything.

“Just take your IV bag. There’s a hook next to the toilet.”

Venus had to carry the bag while Lex grabbed her crutches and hopped to the bathroom. Once she sat down, the IV line also got in her way.

Back in her recliner, she felt a little better, although her stomach still jiggled.

A nurse peeked in on the older woman sitting in the other recliner.

“You’ll be going into surgery in a few minutes, Mrs. Tyler.”

Lex couldn’t see her around the curtain, but she heard Mrs. Tyler’s quavering voice speaking to her husband. “Charles, look at me.”

“Mm-hm.”

“Turn off that TV. Look at me. This might be the last time I talk to you.”

“Now, don’t be scared, honey – ”

“Don’t be scared? How can you say that to me now?”

“It’s a simple procedure – ”

“I might never wake up.”

Lex’s chest squeezed tight.

“Charles, promise me you’ll give me a nice funeral.”

“Honey – ”

“And don’t invite your cousin. I can’t stand her. And promise me you’ll marry again. You need someone to take care of you.” Her voice ended on a sob.

“Honey, you’ll be fine.”

“I’ll miss you so much, Charles.” Sniff, sniff.

“I’ll miss you too – I mean, what are you talking about? You’ll be okay.”

“And don’t forget to water the gardenia plant.”

The nurse bustled in. “Mrs. Tyler, they’re ready for you.”

“Oh! Good-bye, Charles. Don’t ever forget me.”

A nurse wheeled the weeping woman out the door. As she passed Lex, she clutched her bad shoulder – marked with a “yes” – and her distraught husband trailed behind.

Lex and Venus stared at each other with wide eyes after she had left. Venus bit her lip. “You, um… want me to pray for you?”

“Yeah… yeah, I guess.”

“Dear God… Thanks for Lex. Thanks for her really skilled surgeon. And really good nurses. And really excellent surgery center. Please help her feel calm. And, uh… help her wake up afterward. Amen.”

“Gee, Venus, you pray so eloquently.”

“Hey, it’s a prayer.”

“True.”

A new patient strolled into the room, this time a college-aged, athletic redhead. “Hi.” She smiled at Lex and Venus.

Lex searched her joints for any swelling. “Are you sure you need surgery?” she asked the girl.

“Oh, sure.” She sat in the recliner and automatically held out her arm for the IV. She peeked at Lex around the curtain. “I re-tore my ACL a month ago, so the swelling’s gone down.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, this is my third ACL surgery.”

“Third? ”

“Uh huh. I keep snapping them like rubber bands. But Daddy’s an ex-football player, and he has great insurance. He coaches a college team now, but he’s loaded.”

Lex suddenly had visions of years of surgeries draining her pocketbook. “Venus, I need to go to the bathroom again.”

“What’s your problem?” Venus grabbed the IV bag.

“I have to go when I get scared.”

“Oh, great.”

Lex relieved herself – wow, she had a lot this time – and sat back down just in time for her anesthesiologist to arrive.

Dr. Frank looked like he’d sucked a lemon. He adjusted his glasses and glared at her over the rims. “Any allergies?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Any family history of heart disease, yadda, yadda, yadda?”

Did he just say, “Yadda, yadda, yadda”?

“Uh… no.”

He sighed and pursed his lips. “How’d you tear it?”

“Accident.”

He grunted. “Well, obviously. How?”

“Someone fell into me.”

“Hmph.” He scribbled in his chart. “Okay, that’s it. Oh, and I have to disclose that there’s a slight chance of complications, nothing is 100 percent guaranteed, yadda, yadda, yadda. Understand?”

He liked that “yadda” word. “I guess.”

“No questions?”

“Uh…”

“No.” Venus pinned him with a hard gaze. “Just make sure she wakes up again.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He left.

Lex’s legs quivered. Her mouth had become Death Valley. “Venus, I need to go again.”

Venus rolled her eyes but reached for the IV bag. She paused as she studied it. “Hey.”

“What?”

“It’s almost empty. It’s dripping awfully fast.”

Lex studied the drip-drip-drip. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Venus flagged down a nurse and pointed it out.

“Oh! Sorry about that. We forgot to slow it down after we got the antibiotics in you.” She changed the bag and slowed the drip.

“I didn’t flush all the antibiotics out of me, did I?”

“No, don’t worry, dear.” The nurse bustled away.

After another trip to the bathroom, Lex sat with Venus, not saying anything, just watching a rerun of Oprah on TV. Finally, the nurse peeked in. “We’re almost ready for you. A few minutes.”

Lex’s fingers fidgeted on her lap until Venus slapped her hand down on them. “Stop that. You’re driving me nuts.”

“You’re nuts? Think about me.”

“You are so egocentric, you know that?”

“I’m about to go into surgery. I think I’m entitled.”

“You’re going to wake up, perfectly fine and as crabby as ever. So stop making my day worse than it already is.”

“Okay, Lex, they’re ready for you now.” The nurse walked over to Lex with a wheelchair.

Lex stood and moved into the chair, surprised her legs didn’t collapse under her. She grabbed Venus’s arm. “Take my mom’s diamond earrings. I want you to have them.”

“Oh, stop.”

“And that picture frame we fought over as kids? It’s in my closet.

You should have gotten it.”

“Will you shut up?”

“But make sure I get cremated with my ratty bunny. He’s on my bed.”

Venus shoved her face in close. “I’m going to deck you so you don’t need anesthesia.”

Lex swallowed. “I need to go again.”

Lex opened her eyes. Hey, she was in a different room. She could have sworn she’d been wide awake when she counted down to eight in the surgery room. Now she felt fuzzy and she couldn’t move her leg.

Oh, no! She was paralyzed!

She would panic after she threw up.

“How are you?” A smiling nurse who was way too cheerful nudged her bed and did something with her IV. She started raising Lex into a sitting position.

“I’m going to puke.” Her mouth had weeds growing in it.

“Not quite yet.” The nurse tugged at her IV and injected something.

Another ten minutes, and Lex realized her mouth had suddenly dried up. She tried to speak but couldn’t move her tongue. “Wa…wa…”

“Juice?” The nurse shoved a straw into her mouth.

“Nnn…”

“Drink up.”

Lex shook her head. The room spun.

“Rise and shine.” The nurse bounded over with Lex’s crutches. Where’s the fire, lady? Lex’s leg started to ache with fierce, bone-deep pain.

“Let’s get you to a chair.”

“Wha -?” She could barely sit up.

“The anesthesia is still in your system. Move around and it’ll clear. Otherwise, you could sleep here all day.” She giggled. “And we’re not a hotel.”