#44 All the Goodies

. She coached China to wait until the last moment to call.

China had another operation; it was her 26th. This time, it was on her Carotid Artery. Her specialist ordered it. It needed to be cleared and reinforced, so she wouldn’t have a stroke. At first, the hospital wouldn’t do it; they said it was too risky, so she took matters into her own hands. Miriam had driven her to her appointment, and her specialist had ordered the requisite tests. She trusted him implicitly. Then, he called a colleague to have the surgery done in that hospital, and Miriam was there for her when she woke up. She opened her eyes, looked at Miriam, and felt bad about killing her father, but it was time to move on.

Miriam wasn’t stupid; she put on a show of inability so the hospital would step in, and do what they were supposed to do. She cared for China emotionally. She held her hand, spoon-fed her, calmed her, and stayed with her through the process. Miriam’s own mother had passed away early, and she had cared for her until the end, so knew how to make her feel better. Miriam didn’t have a husband, was around everyday, China loved it, and so did the hospital. They put her as next-of-kin, but China never had anybody as Power of Attorney again. She would handle all of the important decisions herself, especially whether she lived, or died. She had had 26 surgeries, and survived them all. She had had her appendix, tonsils, thyroid, gall-bladder, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus removed, survived cancer 5 times, and had surgeries to correct surgeries. She was tough, and she probably valued herself more than they did. The hospital environment suited her just fine. She knew how to get small, and sleep through a crisis.

Sandra was a problem too. The hospital lumped her in with China, because they both had nothing, and they figured China would just remember what Sandra didn’t, and would take care of her. They both had the same problem of no money, but the hospital would only have to get one set of everything, and the same with money. They would treat the pair like a couple, but give themselves credit for two cases. Whatever happened after was not their problem. The hospital was efficient like that.

Sandra didn’t know she had dementia, but knew she liked China. The hospital told her everyday, and they showed her where Chinas room was. The hospital liked the Long Term Care Home solution because it was cheaper, easier, and risk-free. Sandra liked it because China did, and China did because the hospital did. Miriam would support whatever China wanted, but she was getting tired of the whole mess, yet she still had them on notice. They acted as if to please her; as if she was a witness, so all the checks and balances were in place.

The hospital told China they would only buy them a single bed, a sheet set, and a set of drawers each. They took advantage of a rule that bound the homes to make available, to the hospital first, whenever one of their rooms opened up. A room opened up at Greener Pastures, and it was in this town, so the hospital grabbed it. They figured China and Sandra could bunk together, China figured she would get rid of Sandra once she got the room, and nobody was fully informed of anything at all. Sandra wouldn’t know anything, she would become the hospitals problem again, and China would get all the goodies. China liked the free stuff, somebody else doing the work, and Miriam didn’t care as long as China was happy. The hospital wouldn’t come after China as long as Miriam was around. It was kind of like having a fierce dog, and China didn’t have any other children.

She put off getting rid of Sandra; she actually liked having her around. There was no cooking allowed, and she needed something, or someone to take care of. She enjoyed having her around, because Sandra raptly listened to her stories, and she went out in the yard with her every day. In fact, Sandra did whatever she