A Call in the Night
by Jerome Norris
Copyright© 2010 by Jerome Norris
: Four a.m., awake in my bed, waiting for the familiar call over the bedside monitor. It would come soon, as it did every night.
Tags: Spiritual
Sleep will not come. One ear buried in my pillow, the other listens for the call, surely soon to be heard through the faint buzz of the intercom.
Much later (am I asleep? Awake?) I hear her call: "Jenny? ... Alan?"
We've encouraged Molly to call out our names when help is needed. It seemed more likely we'd hear her. Still, Jenny's stroke-paralyzed mother often just calls out, " ... I need to get up."
Now, far too early, I lie awake anticipating Molly's call. Finally I hear her and rise to respond. It's 4:11 in the morning. The ritual will require only minutes: Raise Molly's upper body in the powered bed; shift her feet to the floor; lift her into a standing position and, after adjusting her clothing, shift her onto the portable toilet.
A few moments together in the dimly lit bedroom. Quiet words. Then Molly will tell me she's ready to return to bed.
Readjust her clothing. Reverse the process; tuck her back in. Say goodnight. Empty the pot, wash up, and back to bed. It's a practiced ritual: One can almost perform it while asleep.
But it's hard to find sleep again after a call in the night. On too many four o'clock mornings, starkly awake, I give up and rise for the day. I'm awake long before Molly needs me, and hours later I find myself on the couch, snoring by her side.
On this four o'clock morning however, the ritual is not the same. When I reach her room, Molly is already sitting up with both feet on the floor! She's awake and alert, but there is something else — a brightness in her eyes that is unfamiliar.
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