Daddy's Girl

Ruby stretched her legs out in bed as the early morning sunshine streamed through her curtains. Her alarm clock had not sounded yet, she turned it off before her peace could be interrupted. She scrolled through her social media as she waited to wake up more. She could smell the fresh coffee in the kitchen that her husband, Mark, had left behind. Just as she was getting up to pour the first mug, her phone began ringing. “Ruby! He’s called five times already this morning! Will you be getting around soon?” “Momma?” Ruby stirred cream and sugar in her mug as she spoke. “Daddy knows we can’t visit until nine. Let me drink this cup here and grab a shower. It’s only seven-thirty. I’ll be there in an hour.” She quickly gulped her coffee and jumped in the shower. She combed her short blonde hair back and applied mousse to bring out her curls. She then slipped on a pair of soft capri pants and a t-shirt. Grabbing her purse and keys, she quickly texted Mark as she stepped into her tennis shoes. “Going to be a long day with Daddy. Dinner is in the fridge.” After getting a quick response, she started the engine and headed to her parents house. During the drive, she reflected on her father’s situation. He had been admitted to the hospital three days ago after falling in the living room. He had become weaker lately since he was hospitalized earlier in the year. It made taking care of him at home more difficult. His multiple health problems were becoming more advanced, which now made Ruby into a second caregiver for him.

Her mother was already standing on the porch as she pulled into the driveway. She waved to Ruby and picked up a small duffel bag and her purse. “He called two more times since I got off the phone with you. Had a mile long list of things to bring him!” She buckled herself in the front seat of the minivan after tossing the bag in the back. “Toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, shaving cream, a pillow, his brush, slippers, AND, a bowl of watermelon!” She groaned, exasperated. “I just know I’ll be there all day! They don’t even know when he can come home yet.” Ruby drove and listened to her mother vent her frustration. She knew her mother was secretly relieved to have something of a break. The daily routine of caring for her husband was tiring. He could be harsh and demanding, behaviors that worsened when he was in the hospital. As the two women drove, they discussed this current admission. His labwork showed some deficiencies, his legs and arms were getting weaker, and he was becoming increasingly fatigued. Any of these conditions could have led to his fall. As they approached the parking garage, Ruby rolled down her window and pushed a button on the ticket machine. She ripped the pass from the slot and began searching for a space to park. Finding one close to the elevator on an upper level, she parked and squeezed her mother’s hand. “You ready for this?” Her mother just shrugged.

Walking into the hospital floor where her father was waiting, they were met with the combined smells of antiseptic and breakfast. They found him in his room in a recliner, feebly attempting to finish his coffee. “Jean! What have you been doing this whole time?! Did you bring my razor?” He put the plastic mug down and tried to adjust himself in the chair. Jean held up the duffel bag and placed it on his unmade bed. “I brought everything you asked for this morning, Paul. Do you want your melon now?” Paul shook his head and looked up at Ruby. “What are Mark and the kids doing? Is he still fixin’ air conditioners at the trailer park?” She smiled at her father’s reference to Mark’s first job. “No, he owns his own company and supervises those guys now. Andrea went back to school early to move into the dorms. Kyle and Ben are away at band camp. It’s just us today.” Her father nodded and scratched his cheeks. “I need shaved. My face itches like hell.” Ruby prepared the basin of warm water and draped a towel over her father’s chest. As she put the foam on his face and began to shave, she listened to her parents talk to each other. Her father complained that no one would tell him about what was going on. Her mother couldn’t give him an answer since she hadn’t heard anything either. He continued to talk and worry about things at home as Ruby reminded him to stay still. The cats, the bills, the cars. Everything had been his responsibility at one time and were now left to Jean’s care, though he still had to be in control. Ruby rinsed his face with a washcloth and held up a compact mirror in front of him. “Not bad, kid.” He said, running his hand over his chin and cheeks giving his approval.

He soon dozed off in the recliner and the two women quietly chatted. Jean made his bed and put away the toiletries she had brought. They watched television as Paul gently snored beside them. The quiet was disrupted when a nurse came in to check his blood sugar before lunch. After reporting the results and giving some insulin, she told the women that the case manager would be around to discuss what the doctors and physical therapist have said. “Why can’t they just come around their selves?” Paul asked, annoyed. “It’s just what I was told.” The nurse sympathetically smiled as she gathered her supplies and left. Paul looked at Ruby and gave her a disgruntled grimace. “I want to go home.” For a moment he sounded like a little boy, pleading with a teacher on the first day of school. He was uncomfortable, scared, and homesick. Ruby and Jean knew what was coming, it had happened before. The therapists were going to recommend that he go to rehab again.

A young girl from the kitchen cheerfully bounced in the room with an electronic tablet to take Paul’s lunch order. He dismissed his wife and daughter so they could get their own lunch. Promising to get their food “to-go” they made their way to the cafeteria. “He won’t want to go. He’s miserable the whole time. He never feels any different afterwards anyway.” Ruby listened to her mother as she mulled over the selection of sandwich wraps and salads. “I know, Momma. We’ll see what the case manager says. Maybe we can get away with a home therapist this time.” Jean reached for a chicken salad wrap and a bag of chips. “I don’t think so. He never has much success with home care. He never does the exercises and is rude to them sometimes.” Ruby nodded in sympathetic agreement as she selected a turkey wrap and apple slices for herself. “I remember. That last one was pretty bad. He absolutely refused to do those exercises. He just hates to be away from home though, you know.” She trailed off as she and Jean paid for their meals and headed back to Paul’s room.

As the two women walked in, they immediately picked up on Paul’s agitation. “What’s wrong, Daddy?” Ruby set her lunch down next to him and listened. “They want to send me to one of those prisons again! They came in and asked me for permission to kill me then gave me this list of prisons in town!” He waved a list of nursing homes in Ruby’s face. His own face was reddened and sweaty. “Daddy, what exactly did they say?” She opened the container of watermelon and handed him a slice, hoping to calm him a little. While he ate, she looked over the paperwork brought by the case manager. It was a code status form and a list of nursing homes that his insurance covered. She saw that he elected to remain a full code and did not give an option for a rehabilitation center. She took a deep breath and handed the pile to Jean. “Daddy…” Paul looked up from his third slice of melon. “…they are asking for your code status. They have to make sure that you want full lifesaving measures performed. It’s just for the records.” She opened her sandwich, noting that Jean was halfway through her own. “They want to discharge you this week. The therapists think you need more strength training.” “No!” Paul slammed his empty bowl down on his table, startling Jean. “I don’t want to go! Ruby, I just want to go home!” His plaintive tone tugged at Ruby. Jean could only stare wide eyed at them both. “Fine.” Ruby finished the last bites of her lunch and summoned a firm tone. “You will need to have therapy at home again then. You will have to do whatever they say to do everyday, no matter what. You will have to be nice too! No name calling or cussing at them! Are you in agreement?” Paul nodded. “Yes, anything! Just don’t let them send me away.”

Paul finished his lunch and drifted off to another nap. Ruby grew tired of waiting for the case manager to return. She quietly rose from her chair and slipped out of the room. The late afternoon bustle of clearing trays and staff chatting filled the hall. She found the manager’s office and knocked. “Come in!” Ruby entered the small room and settled on the lone chair. She introduced herself to a young woman who looked up from a computer screen, shook her hand, and introduced herself as “Claire.” Ruby took a deep breath and began. “Why do they want my father to go to a rehabilitation center? I know he’s weak and needs to build his strength but isn’t this something he can do at home?” Claire held up her hand, stopping Ruby before she could continue. “The therapists want him to have a regimented program. He has a history of noncompliance. We worry that he will get home and not cooperate with the program.” Ruby nodded and scratched her head. “I understand their concerns. Can I speak with the therapists about this directly?” Claire dialed an extension on her phone and spoke to someone briefly. She handed the receiver to Ruby and went back to her screen.

After a long conversation with the therapist, Ruby strolled back to Paul’s room. She hoped that bargaining to stay with him at home during therapy, in addition to detailing her nursing experience, would convince them to let him go home. Jean was busy tidying his room again. “I did my best Momma.” Jean heaved a sigh and sat back down. “What? What are you talking about?” Paul was becoming restless again trying to decipher the women’s conversation. “We’re just going to have to see Daddy.” Ruby leaned back on the bed and unknowingly dozed off. “Wake up Ruby!” Jean was tapping on her knee and collecting her purse and bag. “Sorry Momma.” She sat up and stretched her back. “What’s going on?” Paul was looking over a new set of paperwork and making marks with a pen. “They’re willing to send him home with a home therapist! He might be discharged in a couple of days! They just brought a list of home agencies to choose from. I want to go home and get the house ready for him though.” Paul looked up and smiled at Ruby. “What did you tell them?” Ruby stood up and kissed the top of his head. “I’m going to stay with you for awhile and make sure you do your work this time. No fighting, no cussing, and you will listen to those girls who are trying to help you!” Paul rolled his eyes but smiled. His spirits were lifted now more than they had been. He cheerfully dismissed his family for the night as they promised to return the next day. As they made their way out of the hospital, Ruby pondered out loud. “Do you think that will stick? You think he’ll listen to me, Momma?” “Of course he will. You’re the only one he minds anymore. It’s no surprise after all. You always were, and still are, Daddy’s girl”