Chapter 30: CHAPTER THIRTY

Dwight tightened the last screw into place and flipped over the large bed he was putting together. He flexed his hands which were tightening from all the housework he’d been doing lately. He’d installed new windows in Isabella’s room, ones with locking mechanisms. He’d ripped up the old carpet and replaced it with hardwood floors. All the faucets in the house boasted new fixtures and he updated the bathroom. Now there was a shower feature as well as a Jacuzzi tub.

He’d also built a platform for Izzy’s bed. Not that she needed one, but he was in the mood for building. Besides, while he was banging nails into the walls or painting something or installing something, he didn’t have to think about the giant chip on his shoulder. Or the woman who put it there. Dwight stood and surveyed his work. Her walls were striped pink and purple and he had painted her new bed to match. She had ruffled curtains and a new bookshelf.

The basement was almost finished. He had ripped out the brown paneled walls and hung new drywall. Of course, he had friends who helped, but he spent most of his time adding this, painting this, or fixing that. He took one last look around before turning off the lights and closing the door. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and dropped into one of the new chairs he had just purchased.

He did his best brooding in the dark. He didn’t have to be distracted by the things in the room. He could feel the rush of blood to his head as he turned his body to lay his head on one of the headrests. So, it was definitely over. He squinted. Apparently, the moon had no intentions of taking a hike when he decided to brood. There it was, large, white and teasing. He followed the beam of light cascading from the moon to a box stacked in his living room. He sat up quickly, something having flashed and caught his eye. He put the bottle down and followed the beam. Within seconds, he had found the frame that had been illuminated by the moon. It was his most favorite pose of Savannah. She was lying on a bed on her stomach, naked. Well, you couldn’t really see her nakedness because part of her was wrapped in a sheet.

The way her head was tilted, she was able to lock eyes with the camera as well as have some of her hair draped across her face. Just thinking of it now made him warm all over. He carried the large picture and leaned it against the wall. Sitting back on the couch, he locked eyes with Savannah. Dwight took a sip from the beer he had sitting on the floor and placed it on the end table. He realized that hanging it in his new place would be the opposite of moving on, but he had already chosen a place for it.

“Why do they put these scientific photos in frames? Why take the time to do that?”

Savannah watched her sister. Kim was hilarious when she was worried. For instance, at the moment, she was picking lint from her lint-free maxi dress. And glancing at Savannah. If she was a different person, she would have taken that behavior as an omen that was predicting her death. Savannah smiled at the silly thought and peeled at the tape holding in her IV.

Her mouth was dry, and it was all she could do to keep from dragging the ice machine into her room. She rubbed the hair on top of her head. It was finally filling out. In fact, Dr. Sloan had called with excellent news. The new tests were showing even more decreases in the cancerous cells. With the new vitamins, her energy was returning. But for whatever reason, her blood pressure refused to get on board her recovery train. It was the reason she was in the hospital currently.

Savannah looked down at her arms. She had lost more weight. Her appetite was still trying to correct itself and no matter what kind of delicious dinners she prepared for her kids, she couldn’t bring herself to eat. Most things made her nauseous, a feeling she was not used to.

“Kim, sit down.”

Her sister stopped pacing and smiled weakly in her direction. She lowered herself into the chair next to the bed. “Sorry. You know how I feel about hospitals.”

“I know. But you’re making me nervous. And what’s going on with you lately? You’ve been a little unwound.” Savannah sat up against the pillows behind her back.

“I don’t know. You remember when Mama was in the hospital? I watched her fade away. It was like watching someone’s life in slow motion. She got thinner and thinner, smaller and smaller. Until she was nothing. I watch you every day and you seem to be melting away. I know that’s not what you need to hear right now, but I can’t think of any other way to describe it. I’m just worried about living without you.”

“I know.” Savannah held her hand out and wrapped her fingers around her sister’s warm hand.

“I’m sorry.” Kim wiped the tears from her eyes with her free hand. At that moment, the doctor walked in, clipboard in hand.

“How are you feeling, Savannah?” He walked over to the small sink in the room and washed his hands. He tossed the paper towel in the trash and walked back over to the bed.

“I’m really thirsty. The ice used to help but now it’s not. And I’m still a little nauseous.”

“Well, I’ll have the nurse bring you some ice water and some pills for the nausea.” He pressed his hand against her forehead. “Can you sit up for me?” He pressed his stethoscope against her back. Savannah did her best to take deep breaths without shivering. But she was cold.

A few minutes later, he was done with his short exam of her body. Now he stood near the bed and held her hand. “Good news, your pressure has come down. If it stays down for the next few hours, you’ll be able to go home. Let me take a look at your treatment results.” He flipped a few pages over on the clipboard. “The tumor has shrunk. So that’s good news. Your body is really responding well. We may be able to lower your rounds of chemo. We just want to make sure that we keep your pressure under control. I’ll write up your discharge papers and if all goes well, we can get you out of here soon.”