"Now what?"
She shrugged and smiled. "Now you get better. We have you on lots of antibiotics and some painkillers. You'll be here a few days and then we can send you home. You'll be wrapped up for a few weeks, but you're in excellent shape. Three months from now and you'll just have a few more scars to talk about." She sounded like she was finished, but she didn't leave, and she looked like she wanted to ask a question.
That was interrupted when Marilyn's cell phone rang. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the name pop up on the little screen. She flipped it open and said, "Governor?" After a few minutes chatting, she gave the phone to me. "It's Governor Bush."
I wasn't surprised. "Carl, how are you feeling? I hear you're out of surgery and awake."
"I'm just fine, Governor. It was nice of you to call. Thank you."
"Listen, I'll be flying in later. I'm at a fundraiser in Denver right now. We can talk and make a few plans, do a press conference, that sort of thing."
"Of course, sir. I look forward to it."
"Well, you get better! That was a hell of a thing you just did, I want you to know that! A hell of a thing!"
"Thank you." The phone clicked and I flipped it shut. Marilyn took it back. I looked at the others. "George Bush is coming in. We're going to do a press conference."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Congressman. There are reporters camped out all over the hospital trying to get in here. The Governor, of Oklahoma I mean, he ordered up the State Police to keep order! Everybody wants to see you and to talk to the doctors and everybody! It's crazy out there!", said Doctor Shooster.
"And now George Bush is coming?", added Marilyn. "What's he trying to do?"
I smiled at my wife. She could be a bit naïve at times. "He is going to bask in the sunlight of my reflected glory, or something like that. Politics 101, hun. Everything that is good happens because George Bush is wise and good; everything that is bad happens because Al Gore is wicked and evil. You ought to know that. By the time George gets through with this, Springboro will rename itself Bushville, since he was wise enough to send me to save the town from the tornado that Al Gore caused."
"You weren't this cynical when I married you.", she told me.
"I was just hiding it well." I turned to the doctor. "Okay, how about you and me and your hospital's communications director write up a press release. We can do a press conference tomorrow."
"I'll ask him about that. I'll come back around lunchtime."
"I need to find your daughters. What do I say when the reporters ask me in the lobby?", asked Marilyn.
"Just say that I am awake and feeling much better and we'll be issuing a release later on."
"Oh, by the way, I talked to both Tusker and Tessa and Marty and your sister while you were out but you need to call them as well." Marilyn gave me a quick kiss, and then I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
I woke up again around noon, when Marilyn returned with our daughters, who were carrying a large cardboard box. They both came in, shrieking happily, and set the box down on the end of the bed, where it began moving. I looked over at their mother. "Don't tell me, that's not..."
"Oh, yes it is!" She peeled back the lid and a gigantic fuzzy brown head popped up.
The girls picked the pup out of the box and set her down on my chest. "We named her Stormy!", announced Holly.
"Yeah, after the storm.", added her sister.
I bit off a smartass reply, and simply warned, "If this thing pees on me..."
Stormy didn't pee on me, but she did crawl forward and begin licking my face. How do you say no to a puppy licking your face? I reached up with my good hand and began to rub her fur, and she began licking my hand. This thing had an inexhaustible supply of saliva. She moved back to licking my face and I wiped my hand on the bedsheets.
Doctor Shooster came in at that point, followed by a corporate type and a nurse with some food, and gave a pro forma protest at seeing a dog in the hospital. This sort of abated when she put her hand on the critter and was licked. We sent them out of the room, with orders to find a leash and a collar. I wolfed down my Jell-O and juice while we crafted a press release. It didn't say much, other than that I was alive and awake, in good health. It was expected that I would survive and be released in a few days, and that we hoped to have a press conference tomorrow. The communications director added a section where I was thanking the hospital for the excellent treatment I was receiving. I thanked him, somewhat dryly, for rectifying my oversight. Then we sent him off, Doctor Shooster was sent home to get some rest, and I went back to napping.
I woke up again a few hours later, when Marilyn came back in with the girls, sans puppy. "Hey, where'd you get the clean clothes?", I asked them.
"The bus was trashed, but we could get into the luggage compartment. We got all of our suitcases and yours.", explained Molly.
"We left Stormy in the motel. She'll be okay until we get her home.", added her sister.
"Carl, feeling up for some visitors?", asked Marilyn. She nodded her head towards the door.
"Company coming to call?", I asked. She nodded without saying anything. "Do I look okay?"
"No, you look like a house fell on you." She went to the door and opened it.
Governor Bush came bouncing in, followed by a few members of his entourage. He had with him a photographer, who took several pictures of the Governor shaking my hand and looking solicitously at me, like the Governor was there and getting prepped to perform surgery on me. We talked briefly and he was curious about why we couldn't do the press conference today instead of tomorrow.
A black nurse came in as he was asking that question and told everybody to get out, and she answered the Governor by stating, "He can't have a press conference today because all his stitches will come out and he'll bleed to death. Now, everybody out! I have to change some bandages!" She was an intimidating woman, and everybody skedaddled, except for Marilyn.
I smiled at the nurse. "Thank you."
"My pleasure. Besides, I'm a Democrat. Maybe I can make it hurt."
I laughed at that, and that hurt enough. The bandages didn't take long, but then she and Marilyn gave me a sponge bath. I was going to need something a lot more serious before I could do a press conference. The nurse said she would remove my catheter tonight, and give me a chance to move around some, and if I was reacting well, they'd cover my bandages tomorrow and give me a chance in a sit-down shower and see if I could get a shave. By the time they were done, the Governor and his crew were gone.
By that evening Marilyn was sleeping in the armchair, and she snoozed through my dinner of broth, green salad with no dressing, Jell-O, and decaf green tea. At this rate I was going to ask to be put back into the basement. When my wife woke up, I kissed her good-bye and sent her to the motel to spend the night with the girls. After that, a nurse pulled my catheter and helped me to my feet, to let me walk around a bit and work my muscles. An Oklahoma State Trooper was stationed outside my door, so it would be an enterprising snoop who could disturb my sleep.