Chapter 20

Jenn couldn’t handle being home without Justin, so she stayed with Dad to keep him company at night. They’d go to the hospital together every day. 

Justin had kept his word and had called every night. The first couple nights, she ignored his calls. He left voicemails, but she didn’t listen to them. She could barely stomach reading his texts. She knew he loved her, he was trying so hard to be there for her, but it wasn’t enough. She needed him there to hold her. She wasn’t sure how long she and Dad could stay strong. 

…

It had been two weeks since Justin had left. Less than 10 days until Thanksgiving. Mom had a swallow test she had to pass before they could think of sending her home. She worked with a therapist, and the day of the test came. 

Mom sat in a room, Jenn and the doctors behind a glass wall. They had a video x ray type machine focused on Mom’s head. They gave her liquid to drink, and in real time she could see skeleton Mom taking small sips and swallowing. That was a good sign. The next step was the important one. They gave her a piece of soft food. Jenn could see Mom’s teeth and tongue working to chew the food, and slowly she swallowed it. They repeated this with a more normal food, making sure she could swallow it and not choke. 

“She’s doing great, this is a really good sign in her recovery,” the doctor said. 

They wheeled Mom out of the room, taking her back towards her room. Jenn held Mom’s hand and said, “You did great, Mom.”

Dad came into the room and the doctor spoke to all three of them. 

“She did very well today on the swallow test. We are now confident enough to remove the feeding tube. This means she can go home in a few more days. She will need support at home. She’ll still have the hole in her trachea for a bit. The area will need to be cleaned every day, the port washed thoroughly every day to avoid infection. We’ve been doing that here, but it will need to continue at home. Like she does now, she needs to cover the hole when swallowing, breathing, and talking. Her throat will hurt, but the more she goes back to normal function, the stronger everything will become and the sooner it will heal. It looks like she’ll be home in time for Thanksgiving.”

“Thank you,” Mom said. They were all so happy. Jenn wished Justin was there for the good news.