Sunday morning was bright and sunny. The horrible days of Charlie’s hospitalization we three weeks ago. He still felt a bit sluggish, but he thought that was just part of it. He heard Alicia in their kitchen getting their coffee poured. He was more than ready for a hot cup of coffee.
“Good Morning beautiful. How is my Baby this morning?”
“Wow, Charlie, this is the best you have sounded in days. How are you feeling?”
“To be honest, I still feel a bit groggy, and I’m still having productive coughing. I remember the doctor saying that would go on for a while. Nothing to be worried about or scared of.” Charlie walked behind Alicia and gave her a big hug.
“Charlie, come here, please.” She noticed he was warm when he was hugging her. Warmer than he should be.
“What’s up?” Charlie knew but didn’t want to let on.
“Are you sure you feel good? You feel too warm to me.”
“I’m doing good, Baby, honestly.”
Alicia had a Sunday dinner in the oven, so she had some free time. They were listening to music and played cards. She kept a close eye on Charlie. He seemed to be getting very tired. He had been up for close to five hours.
“Charlie, why don’t you lay down for a while? I’ll be in shortly and take a nap with you.”
When Alicia walked into the bedroom, Charlie was breathing erratically and coughing quite a bit. She scanned his forehead for his temperature, the unit read one hundred-two. Claudia started to worry, but she didn’t want to take any chances. She called her dad and told him she was taking Charlie to the ER at the hospital.
He told Alicia to stay at home until he got there. She said she would.
Dad arrived in fifteen minutes. He went to check on Charlie. He checked his temperature again. This time it was one hundred-three. Charlie wasn’t moving much during the examination.
“Alicia, I am going to call 9-1-1. I think Charlie is going into a relapse.”
“No, Daddy, no. He can’t get sick again. No, I’m so scared. I need my Charlie.”
When they arrived at the hospital, the nurse checked Charlie’s vitals, called the on-call doctor, and admitted him right then and there. Charlie was swept away to ICU and placed on oxygen. He was hooked up to a monitor with more leads than the last time.
The staff started tests on Charlie and set up a call for an X-ray. They needed an MRI of his lungs, and they needed it now. The doctor told the nurse he needed Charlie’s original files and to do it stat. The doctor asked Alicia to leave the room while they examined Charlie. Her dad made it clear they were not leaving.
When they took Charlie up for the MRI, Dad, and Alicia left the room to stretch. And pray.
Charlie was in x-ray for almost two hours. Alicia’s dad went to the canteen to get them a sandwich and a soda. He wanted to get some energy into Alicia. She was finishing her sandwich when they brought Charlie back to his room. He looked very pale.
“Charlie – Charlie! Baby, it’s me – Charlie.” He was unresponsive.
Alicia and her dad sat in the room for hours. Finally, the doctor came into the room. He had a very stern look on his face. He motioned them to a corner of the room.
“Mrs. Jacobs, Mr. Clemmons, Mr. Jacobs is in serious condition. Since his initial admission, his condition stabilized. The problem is his lungs were very weak. He had a very severe case of pneumonia. From our testing and the MRI, it appears that he has contracted Streptococcus pneumonia. It’s the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia.”
“His lips and finger are a slight shade of blue, indicating a lack of oxygen. He has a rapid heart and respiratory rate. Mrs. Jacobs, your husband, is in a very, very serious condition. We will monitor him twenty-four hours a day. We have a cardiac specialist on call as well. We will do our very best for your husband.” The doctor left the room.
Alicia looked at her dad and collapsed onto the floor sobbing. Her dad was crying as well. They had the impression the doctor had just told them Charlie would not survive. He got down on the floor with his daughter. They hugged and cried. “Daddy, I’m scared.”
Dad helped Alicia to her feet. They were leaving the room to try to regroup. When they got into the hall, there stood her mother and sister. Alicia’s face went from pale to crimson red with rage.
Her dad said,” What brings you two here? Guilt?”
“How dare you two useless pieces of shit show up now when my husband is clinging to life. Oh, dear, mother, I’m sure you are for no other reason but to see how your cruel heartlessness has destroyed a person.
"And you, dear sister. Are you here to enjoy seeing the man who would do anything for you, you treated him like shit and ridiculed and demeaned him and laughed at him. Let me return the feelings.” With that, Alicia started to walk away from Kathy, only to turn around and smack her so hard, she wound up on the floor.