Thursday dawned bright and early for Meghan. Her doctors rounded through her room around 7:30 that morning, and brought good news: she was going home!

“So Meghan,” Dr. Dade, her current hospital internist began, “How’d you like to go home?”

“Home? Why would I want to go home? You feed me, you take care of me, you’re at my beck and call…” She winked as the other doctors laughed. “I can’t wait! Get me outta here!”

Dr. Dade shook his head in amusement. “Well, if you feel that way about it…” he winked back. “I’m thinking I’m going to kick you out of here this afternoon. Do you have someone who can come pick you up? I’m sure that you’ve got somewhere to stay for a few days.”

“Yes, my sister and brother-in-law have been generous enough to let me stay with them the last few months. I’m sure they’ll be happy to drive me home to their place.”

**********

After the doctors left, Meghan’s breakfast arrived. Having been in the hospital long enough, the dietary team sent menus to her, allowing her to choose what she wanted for each meal. This morning was a waffle, bacon, a hard-boiled egg, apple juice, and hot tea. Meghan was grateful for the opportunity to choose her food, rather than rely on Dietary’s questionable choices. She enjoyed the breakfast and was finishing her last slice of bacon when her nurse came in.

“Good morning, Diana,” Meghan greeted, trying not to talk with her mouth so full.

“Good morning, lovely! I hear you’re flying the coop today.” Diane brought over Meghan’s medications, handing the pills to Meghan to swallow and pushing the others through the hep-lock she still had. “I need to get to your tummy, lovely. Today’s heparin day.”

Meghan shifted her gown so the nurse could access her abdomen. “I think today’s the right side.”

The nurse swabbed a spot near Meghan’s belly button and injected the medication. “There you go!”

Meghan readjusted the gown and the blankets. “When do you think I’ll be discharged?”

Diana disposed of the syringes in the sharps container in the room. “I’m not certain, love, but it’ll probably be 2 o’clock or after. Expect to see physical therapy and perhaps respiratory therapy before you leave. Do you have family coming again today to pick you up?”

“I’m sure they will. I need to call them to let them know.”

“Let us know what?” Mitch asked as he pushed open the door.

“I’m going home today!” Meghan said excitedly.

“That’s great!” Mitch held the door open for Diana, who exited the room. “I’m so happy for you! Do you know exactly when you’ll be discharged?”

Meghan shook her head. “No idea, but 2 pm or after.” She looked quizzically at Mitch. “Where’s Kelsey?”

“She had an early therapy appointment today, so I dropped her off and came up here.” He set a cup of coffee down in front of her. Meghan could see the steam rising from the hole in the lid, and decided to wait a bit before taking a sip.

“Thanks, Mitch. Have a seat and stay awhile.”

Mitch chuckled but complied. “Well, I for one will be glad to have you safely home. And I know Kelsey will be thrilled. She’s been a little depressed with all the complications you’ve had.”

“I know the feeling! I’m looking forward to real clothes – and real food – again. Plus a comfortable bed, being able to sleep through the night, not being constantly poked with needles…” Mitch looked amused at Meghan’s list.

“Sounds like you’re ready to be home to me!”

**********

It wasn’t until around 4 pm that Meghan’s paperwork was finally complete and she was able to leave the hospital. Physical therapy appointments for the next week were already scheduled, as was a follow-up from her recent surgery. The physical therapist had been by and got new crutches adjusted for Meghan’s height. Her left leg was gaining strength, but she wasn’t ready to walk about without assistance.

Meghan balanced her crutches on one of the footplates on the wheelchair she rode in down to Mitch’s car. Mitch carried Meghan’s duffel bag, her knitting bag, and a bag of supplies being sent home with her.

At the car, Mitch placed Meghan’s things in the trunk while Kelsey got in the front seat and situated herself. Meghan allowed the tech to help her out of the wheelchair and to settle into the back seat. She wrangled her crutches in, closed the door, and put on her seatbelt. Leaning back into the seat, she closed her eyes, sighed, and relished the feeling. “Freedom!”

Mitch and Kelsey chuckled. “Glad to be going home, sis?”

“Oh, yeah! I never want to darken the door of a hospital again!”

Mitch chuckled. “Kinda hard to do your job then, isn’t it?”

Meghan leaned forward and swatted his arm. “You know what I meant!” Kelsey laughed.

“Have enough energy to enjoy a meal out, sis?” Kelsey asked. “I was thinking of making Mitch take me to Bob’s. He said it was really good, but hasn’t taken me there yet.”

Meghan smiled. “Bob’s sounds wonderful to me. Just kick me under the table if I fall asleep or snore. I’ve been dreaming of real food for weeks!”

“Bob’s it is, then,” Mitch determined, amused at his wife and sister-in-law. Truth be told, he was so happy to have Meghan out of the hospital, he would have treated her to any restaurant she requested.

As they walked towards their table at the restaurant, Meghan spied Jerry sitting by himself near the bar. “I’ll be there in a sec, Kelsey.” She watched where they were seated, and then made her way over to Jerry’s table. He was looking down at his phone, so he didn’t see her approach.

“Hey there, big boy. Buy me a drink?”

Jerry looked up and grinned. “Hey, Squirt! When did they let you out of the hospital? Sit down!”

Meghan perched on the booth seat across from him. “I just have a minute, as I’m with family. I got sprung about half an hour ago. How are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m fine. And glad to see you. How’s the leg?” He gave her an assessing look.

She proudly held out her left leg, bending and straightening it as she spoke. “No cast! I’m all healed and working on getting it strong enough to come back to work. They’ve got me set up for physical therapy, so I can get back into tip-top shape.”

“That’s good, Squirt, I’m glad. We need you back on the job, even if it does give me gray hairs.” He winked at her. “Say,” he said, just remembering. “We’re on for another breakfast at the café on Saturday. Want to come?”

“Heck yea! But let’s try not to work a wreck on the way this time, okay?”

Jerry chuckled. “Deal. I think the fire guys would have my head if I was on-scene and drug you into another car wreck.”

Meghan laughed. Jerry was delighted that she had obviously recovered a lot since he had last seen her in the ICU, but he also worried at how much weight she had lost. “Squirt, if you don’t mind my asking, how much weight did you lose while you were in the hospital?”

“About 30 pounds, Jerry.”

He tsked at her. “Too much, Squirt. Yep, you need to come to breakfast. The gals at the café will be happy to help fatten you back up.”

“Hey! Are you saying I was fat before?” Meghan asked with mock indignation.

Jerry just held up his hands. “I don’t believe those words came out of my mouth, no.”

“You…” she huffed. “I’m going to go enjoy some real company.” She stood, and Jerry left his seat as well.

“I’ve missed you, Meghan. I’ll see you Saturday, then, around 7. Take care of yourself, Squirt.”

She smiled and headed over to the table where Mitch and Kelsey were seated.

“Was that Jerry?” Mitch asked.

Meghan nodded. “He’s going to pick me up Saturday morning. Apparently, there’s another breakfast planned for the café.”

Kelsey looked at Mitch, and then at Meghan. “I think you should go. It’ll be good for you to see your coworkers again.”

“Yeah, need to go show them that I’m not dead.” Meghan picked up her water glass and took a drink before the expression on Mitch and Kelsey’s faces registered. “What? Just an expression.”

Kelsey just shook her head.

Dinner was good. Meghan worked her way through half of a sirloin steak, part of a loaded baked potato, a salad, and as many rolls as she could, slathered with honey butter. Mitch was glad to see that her appetite was healthy. After a final sip of her sweet tea, Meghan called it quits. “Oh, that was good! I think I’ll take the rest of this home, though.”

Kelsey agreed. “I’m fuller than a tick! This is a great place, Meghan. We need to come back here again.”

Mitch chuckled. “I think that could be arranged.” The waitress came by, checking to see if they wanted dessert, which was met by groans. “I think we’re too stuffed tonight. Could we have the check, and a couple of to-go boxes, please?”

The waitress returned shortly with boxes and the check. Mitch paid while the sisters boxed up their leftovers. “I’ll carry these,” Mitch offered and helped both women up from the table.

**********

Arriving at home, Mitch headed for the kitchen to put the leftovers in the fridge. Kelsey and Meghan headed down the hall to the room Meghan had used before. “Meghan, I wanted to let you know that you could move to the actual guest room if you’d prefer. We don’t need to have you stay in the exam suite.”

Meghan smiled at her sister. “Thanks, sis, but I’ll be fine here. It’s become a home-away-from-home if you know what I mean. Besides, the bed rail still makes it a little easier to get up when I’ve been laying down.” She looked down towards her abdomen. “My abs are still weak from the surgery.”

Kelsey nodded knowingly. “Nothing like a surgical incision to ruin a good six-pack.” She smiled. “Give yourself a few more weeks before starting back with the ab workouts. Dr. Meyers can give you a better idea as to when it’ll be safe to do so.”

“Yeah, I know. But I’m ready to start training to get back to duty. I’m missing out on all the fun stuff at work!”

“Speaking of work, do you know anything yet about your next round of EMT classes?” Kelsey inquired.

Meghan shook her head. “No, I don’t. I’m hoping to see Fred on Saturday so we can chat about it. I know that I can be on light duty and still teach. But I’ll have to be released fully before I can get back on rotation.”