There and Back Again Ch. 012

"Thanks, doc."

He was right about being moved - half an hour after he left, they had me in a semi-private room, catheter out, and had found me my clothes from when I'd been admitted. I put them on, at least relieved that they would be better than the gown. The nurses looked at me strange when I put on the extra t-shirt, the jacket, and the boots. I shrugged.

I overheard a conversation between the doctor and some nurses. Apparently, the entire time I'd been out, my catheter had drained exactly how much fluid they had given me by IV, no more and no less. Which is evidently not normal. And when you don't eat, something weird is supposed to happen to the potassium levels in your blood, but despite thirteen days of not being fed, it didn't happen to me. They were debating whether I needed a feeding tube and permanent IV lines for the next time I blacked out. The protocols said yes, but my apparently strange responses indicated that somehow, my body didn't require that. I finally stepped in, politely refusing all of the procedures unless my medical condition was deteriorating during my next blackout. It wondered if, as long as my body in Thedas was being fed and allowed to manage its own issues - like peeing - my body at home would just continue on. I briefly wondered how many papers would be written about that. I tried very hard not to think about what would happen if my body in Thedas didn't stay healthy.

I wasn't allowed to go home, but I managed to get hold of my landlady, a sweet older woman who agreed to go to my place the next morning and call me from there, and bring me anything I asked for. I got her to bring my laptop, my purse, a large bag with personal hygiene products like soap and shampoo, a bunch of clothes, and my remaining box of coin. She didn't even question why I wanted multiple pairs of socks, an extra pair of boots, and an extra jacket.

I showered and got cleaned up, dressing again in heavy clothing once my landlady had come and gone, putting more coin, shampoo, and soap in my pockets, and then had nothing to do. I read on the wiki, refreshing my memory so I could write more in my notebooks when I got back. I slept, and ate, and chatted with the nurses, cleaning staff, and anyone else I could find. Apparently my fear of sleep only existed when I was in Thedas. I dealt with my insurance company, made sure every bill I had was set to be automatically deducted from my account, and got a Legal Will kit and information about enduring Power of Attorney from the hospital's social worker. And the whole time I was just entirely frustrated wondering what was happening in Thedas. It was only one day on Earth, but it dragged on for what felt like forever.

The morning of the second day, I was walking around the hospital ward, pacing really, when the dizziness hit. I sagged onto a nearby unoccupied wheelchair, reflecting that at least this time, I didn't have to worry about what would happen to my body while I was gone.