Seventy two year old George is a quadriplegic, living in a convalescent home...

“You slimy bastard!  I’ll kill you!”  George shouted, and within minutes, a nurse entered his room with a sedative.

“Now, now Mr. Jacobs, everything’s going to be just fine.  In a few minutes, you’ll feel nice and relaxed.”  She quickly dabbed his skin with alcohol, and then proceeded to give him a jab in the hip.

“I’m sorry Nurse Walters, but he seems very agitated tonight.  I was just trying to change his bed linen.”

“It’s okay Tony, don’t worry.  These things happen,” she smiled.  “Okay, Mr. Jacobs, we’ll be in to check on you a little later.”  She patted his hand and then walked out of the room.  He hated the way they talked to him…patronized him…as though he were a child.

“See you later, Mr. Jacobs.”  Tony smiled his cocky grin… the one that made George want to choke the life out of him.

“Get the fuck out of here, you son of a bitch,” George hissed as he lifted his head off the pillow.  His eyes continued to follow Tony until he was well out of the room.  As he tried to fight the drug-induced sleep, he continued to think about the orderly and how much he loathed him.

George had been in the convalescent home for the last five years, shortly after celebrating his sixty-seventh birthday.  He had been severely injured in an automobile accident, which left him a quadriplegic.  One year later, he was hospitalized after having a small stroke.  His doctors had advised against his returning home, so he entered Fenwick Nursing Center instead. 

Sarah, George’s wife, had visited every morning right after breakfast.  She would usually spend most of the day with her husband, returning home just before nine o’clock in the evening.  But when she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, she too entered Fenwick Nursing Center, sharing the same room as George. 

Although she was dying, Sarah had been able to look after herself and George… something he had been thankful for, but at the same time pained him.  After six months, Sarah had taken a turn for the worse, and within weeks, she passed away.

In the beginning, George didn’t know what he would do without Sarah.  He missed her immensely, and although he believed his life had little or no purpose before, he believed it to have even less purpose after her death.  He was seventy-two years old and alone.  Unable to move his arms and legs, he spent most of his time propped up in a chair.  With Sarah gone, there was no one to read to him in the evenings, and because of the loneliness he felt, he often prayed that he’d soon join her. But as the months passed, he adjusted… simply because he had  no other choice.  

It had been eighteen months since Sarah’s death, and he still missed her more than words could begin to express.  He would often spend his time gazing down at the wedding ring on his left hand…a thick piece of intricately woven gold Sarah had picked out for him more than forty years ago.  The ring he had chosen for Sarah was just as beautiful, but a bit more delicate, like Sarah herself.  After her death, George had worn her ring on a chain around his neck alongside his Saint Jude medal.  But now the chain was no longer in his possession.  Where it had gone was a mystery.  George just woke up one morning and the chain had disappeared.  He had his ideas about where it had gone, but he never was certain until a few months back. 

One night during evening rounds, Tony had almost broken George’s finger trying to pry off his wedding band.  When the staff had come in to see why George was making such a fuss, Tony had told them he was trying to clean up a mess George had made.  He explained that he hadn’t positioned George on his side correctly, and when he had tried to reposition him, his hand got trapped underneath him, causing his finger to swell and bruise.  Everyone believed his story, and the reason was simple.

George never bothered to tell the staff the truth, because he knew that they’d never believe him.  The night shift consisted mostly of women, and he had heard them singing Tony’s praises on more than one occasion in the hallway just outside his door.  You see, Tony was in his early thirties, tall, muscular, and handsome.  He had impeccable manners, at least around the women, and a smooth southern drawl.  He charmed the pants off every woman there…some of them quite literally. 

George discovered Tony had handed in his resignation and would be leaving the convalescent home by the end of the month.  One of the nurses had said he missed home, and was headed back to Texas to be closer to his family.  George figured it was all a bunch of bullshit, but he didn’t give a damn.  He was just happy to see the sleazy bastard go.

But what happened next really had George fit to be tied.  Tony had been cleaning a mess George had made in the middle of the night, and as always, Tony started to ridicule him.

“Look at the big shot aeronautical engineer!  He shit the bed.”  Tony maneuvered George onto his side, and began cleaning the mess.  “Don’t worry, Georgie, I’m here to take care of you.”  Tony proceeded to pull the soiled linen out from under him, and dropped it onto the floor.  “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about that hunk of gold on your finger, George.  It sure would make a nice thank you gift on your behalf after all I’ve done for you here at Fenwick.

“You bastard! Do you think I don't know that you're the one who stole my chain ?!  I’ll break your fucking neck!”  George said quietly.  As angry as he was, he kept his voice low.  The last thing he wanted was another sedative.  He hated the stuff, as it made him feel even less than he felt already.

“And how do you think you’ll do that ,George?”  Tony taunted. “All you’ve got is your mouth. Or maybe you have some magical powers you haven’t told me about.”  Tony smoothed a fresh draw sheet under George and then moved him onto his back.  “Must be awful to sit in a chair all day, not being able to move your arms and legs. As for your chain, I guess I should thank you. I got a nice piece of change for it.”

“If I could kill you, you little pri…”

“But the point is…you can’t!”  Tony brought his face close to George’s.  “You know, I’m leaving in a few days, George.  I’m really going to miss our little chats.”

“You couldn’t leave here soon enough as far as I’m concerned!”  George looked at him with intense hatred.

“I couldn’t agree more.  And don’t think I was kidding about that ring on your finger."

“You weren’t able to take it the last time you tried, and you won’t be able to take it now!”  George was finding it difficult to remain calm.

“Oh, I wouldn’t bet on that, Georgie.”

“Get the fuck away from me, or I’ll…”

“You’ll what?  Tell one of the nurses?  Do you actually think they’d believe you?  They already think you’re a little whacked.  Better watch out George, they just might shoot you in the ass with another sedative!” As Tony bent to pick the dirty linen up off the floor, the head nurse entered the room to take George’s blood pressure.  “Just finishing up here, Nurse Walters.” 

“Take your time, Tony,” she smiled.  “George, did you know Tony’s leaving us next Wednesday?”  She asked, placing the cuff around George’s arm.

 “I’m off for the weekend, but I’m back in on Monday.  I’ll see you then Mr. Jacobs, and you have a good weekend.”  Before leaving the room, he gave George a pat on the shoulder, and although George was unable to feel it, Tony’s touch caused him to cringe.

George spent the weekend much like every other weekend… in the recreation room in front of the TV, but his mind remained focused on Tony.  His words ran through George’s head again and again, and as much as George hated to admit it, Tony was right.  Without the use of his arms and legs, he had nothing.…only his mouth.

Monday night, Tony was back as promised.  Although he visited George during evening rounds and he shot off his mouth, he never once made mention of George’s wedding band.  But George was too smart to think he had forgotten.  He assumed Tony would make his move on Wednesday, and sure enough, George was right. 

“Mr. Jacobs, how are we tonight?”  Tony smiled his cocky grin.  “You know, tonight’s my last night.  Going to miss me when I’m not here to bust your ass?” 

“Do what you have to do and get the hell out of here,” George growled.                    

“Temper, temper, George.”  Tony quickly maneuvered George about, checking his linen and catheter bag.  Lowering his voice to just above a whisper, he brought his face directly in front of George’s.  “But unfortunately, you haven’t seen the last of me.  We still have some unfinished business to take care of.  Later, George.”

George saw Tony twice more that night during evening rounds, but it wasn’t until ten minutes before shift change the following morning that Tony finally made his move.

“Well, George, I’ve come to say goodbye.  I’m really going to miss you, you know?”  As he stood beside George’s bed, George spat in his face.  “Now that wasn’t very nice, was it George? Tony grabbed the corner of the sheet and wiped off his face, and then moved within inches of George.  “It’s time to pay up now, George.”

Raising his head up off the pillow, George sunk his teeth deep into the side of Tony’s face.   Tony pulled back, crying out in agony, blood oozing from his cheek, spilling onto the floor.  Within seconds, the head nurse appeared, quickly followed by two aides.

“What on earth is going on in here!”  Nurse Walters exclaimed, bringing a hand up to her lips.

“I came in to say goodbye to Mr. Jacobs before I left, but he seems to be a little on edge this morning,” Tony explained, wincing from the pain.

“Connie, call an ambulance immediately,” she ordered one of the aides.  Turning to the other, she added, “Take Tony into the med room and give him a cold compress.  I’ll be with you shortly.”

Tony glared at George as he was escorted from the room.

“Mr. Jacobs, I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately,” Nurse Walters said as she cleaned George’s blood spattered face.  After quickly changing his bloodstained linen, she turned to leave the room, and called over her shoulder, “I’ll be back in a few minutes with your sedative, Mr. Jacobs.”  But when she returned, George was fast asleep with a smile on his face.