169 - Dino and Darkness

*Becks has asked that you come see her, bring Camille’s man, Darkness, with you. – Noel*

Christmas had been too much for Becks and Dr. S ordered her to the hospital on the twenty-sixth. The first few days she slept almost the entire time. Before the end of the year, the doctor called a family meeting with Molly and his pretties. Priscilla insisted on being there.

Dr. S walked in with Case, Noel and the hospital case worker. She looked at the family clustered around the bed of the sleeping woman and tears filled her eyes. This was the worst part of her job.

The women all still had short hair, artfully cut and styled by a very talented Michaela. Tammy wore her dark blue pregnancy scrubs from the clinic and Alicia wore some with cartoon kittens. Yvonne was in jeans and a polo shirt for her family’s Mexican food restaurant. Michaela wore dark jeans and a plain black T-shirt.

Molly wore the same thing that he always wore. Not once had Dr. S or Case seen him in anything other than his jeans, T-shirt and club cut. His oldest daughter was dressed very similarly, the difference was that her Harley Davidson T-shirt was a soft purple and his was black. The one thing that they all had in common was that they all wore thick soled motorcycle boots.

Unconsciously, Noel compared them to what she and the other three wore. Case wore Boston College Eagles hockey scrubs. Not once had she ever seen the woman in anything but sports scrubs for work.

The doctor and case worker both wore gray slacks and dress shirts. Dr. S wore a white lab coat over her dark blue button-up shirt. The case worker, Noel was struggling to remember her name, Carrie, Mary, it was one of those names. Carrie Mary Berry wore a shimmery green shell under a black blazer.

She herself wore jeans and a Devil’s Saints sweatshirt. And the old, battered motorcycle boots that she had gotten when she was a bartender at the Shack. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she worked there.

They all looked at her with tears in their own eyes. It was if they knew what was about to be said of the woman in pink pajamas that now seemed to swallow the small frame in the bed. The custom quilt with all their family names covered the bed.

Flowers and cards covered the shelves and bedside table. The machine that monitored her vitals, beeped occasionally and the oxygen hissed softly as the IV machine clicked away as it mixed her saline with the medication.

“There’s no nice way to say this,” she said with her voice thick with emotion, “we’re at the end. There’s nothing else that we can do.”

“How much time do we have?” Tammy asked as Molly leaned over and kissed Becks’ forehead.

Her eye lids fluttered as his long beard tickled her skin. They never opened but a soft sound escaped her mouth.

“Two, maybe three weeks. We’ll probably see her more like this than awake from here on out.”

“She can still hear you,” Case reminded them. “Typically, we don’t have these conversations in front of the patient. But Becks insisted on being present for all the meetings. All the decisions.”

“We all know better than to argue with Momma Becks.” Noel smiled. “It’s a waste of time and effort.”

“Noel has told me that there are a few things that Rebecca has requested.” Carrie Mary Berry said and then received dirty looks from everyone in the room.

“She hasn’t gone by Rebecca in over twenty years.” Molly told the woman roughly.

“Sherry, -“

“Sherry!” Noel whispered.

Case looked at her and Dr. S glanced over her shoulder at the woman. Noel shrugged and mothed sorry. Case gave a small laugh, and the doctor rolled her eyes as she turned back to the caseworker. The caseworker gave the Death Doula a dirty look.

“Sherry, Becks prefers to be called Becks and does not use her given name. please respect her and the family’s request.” Dr. S reprimanded gently and Sherry nodded.

“I’m sorry, I’ll make a note of that,” Sherry said as she opened the file and wrote something on the top page.

“She has made it clear that she does not want to die here in the hospital nor at her house.” Noel said. “I know that you have been staying at a house a dozen or so blocks away. But I would recommend someplace a little closer. There is the hotel that is just across the highway that she and I have talked about.”

“We talked about it, too.” Tammy confirmed. “The hotel and private nurses.”

She looked at her husband who was whispering to Becks as he caressed her cheek. Reaching over, Tammy rubbed her hand down his long braid and Priscilla reached across the bed and touched his shoulder.

“Daddy…” the teen said on a soft sob.

He stood up and moved around the bed to pull his oldest daughter into a tight hug.

“Why don’t we all go get some space.” Yvonne suggested, wiping tears off her cheeks.

Following Yvonne’s suggestion, the family all kissed Becks on her cheeks and then made their way out of the room. That left the medical personnel to work out a few details.

“I can find some nurses to sit with her.” Case offered. “We have the home health nurses that are under contract.”

“Might I suggest ones with a good sense of humor?” Noel suggested.

“Definitely.” Case agreed as she pulled out her ever-present tablet and began looking through her home health nurse profiles. “Male or female?”

“She’s bi, so both are good.” Noel smiled as she sat next to her friend and patient. “I’ll stay here until we can arrange for hospice and nurses.”

The other three women agreed and left Noel in the quiet hospital room. She pulled out her laptop from her backpack and began to work. Around an hour later, Becks stirred slightly.

“No… el” she murmured softly.

“I’m here, sweetie.” Noel leaned in close to hear what the other woman said.

“I need Dino… Darkness.”

“I’ll get them.” She promised and pulled out her phone.

Around an hour later, the two men arrived, and Becks was sitting up with her notebook in her lap. Dino walked over and kissed her cheek.

“Hey, sweetie. You look like shit.”

Becks smiled at him. “So do you.” She reached up and touched one of his horseshoe piercings. “I have the drawing.”

He accepted the drawing from her. A capital B with angel wings and a halo. “And in pink?”

“Of course. Tweak if you need.”

“I’ll draw it up and bring it to you.” He promised. “Oh, have you met Darkness?”

Becks held out a hand and the large man moved towards her. He took her smaller hand in his darker and larger one. As soon as their skin touched, he felt the impending coldness and death that was looming near.

“You are like Ness.”

“Somewhat.” He grinned. “I hear but she sees.”

Becks nodded. “I’m not special like you are, but I know my kids. Camille is one of mine.”

He smiled. “She is special.”

“She is. Take care of her. She needs happiness.”

He kissed her cheek. “I will make sure she has it.”

“You know she’s not… normal.”

Darkness chuckled. “I would not want her any other way.”