The Operation, 6-8 free porn video

Author's Note: Ladies, thanks for the encouraging words, I'm taking your comments to heart. If you have any constructive comments about writing style or the story flow, I eagerly await them. The second part is getting a little more detailed on Jim's new anatomy. Still, for those looking for a quick fix, you're better off waiting for the next submissions. I hope you enjoy. Hugs and kisses, Ellyssa. Chapter Six I awoke with a start, the nightmare was too real. I was sweating so badly it was soaking the bed and now rolling into my opened eyes, stinging them. It was the traditional nightmare of being naked in public, but I was neither sex. People pointed and laughed or turned away in disgust, friends, family, neighbors, my co-workers all were staring at me, whatever I was. Mary came in, beckoned by my alarms. It was nightshift again, making me realize I had slept for a long time. "Are you alright?" I shook my head, trying to focus, and blinked my eyes from the burning sweat, how could I be alright? She held my hand and loosened the restraint slightly, then wiped my forehead and cleaned my eyes. "Jim, I think you're doing very well considering all that has happened. You were placed into an impossible situation and you're holding up very well. Don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you but right now, Brent tells me that he is working with the board of directors to arrange for everything for you. While we can't ever completely compensate you, you will be very comfortable. I know it's not all about money but we're doing what we can, ok?" I was calming down a bit and money would never resolve this but I did appreciate the gesture. It certainly wasn't Mary's fault. I motioned for the whiteboard and asked what about the doctor that did this to me. "The doctor was fired and he is aware that he is responsible for a large part of your compensation. Everyone wants to make this better for you and Theresa. She is ok but cannot be let back in the hospital until she proves that she will not make a scene. There's a whole ward with other patients healing, we need to make sure there are no more outbursts, do you understand?" I understood but desperately needed Theresa. I needed to see her and make sure that she would be alright. I needed to hug her. I had no idea what she would tell the kids or our family and friends. I asked for my phone to at least text her something but the battery was dead. Mary told me she had the same phone and the charger was down the hall in her purse. She left to retrieve it. I took advantage of the loosened restraints to explore my altered body a bit while she was out. There wasn't much to see, as all the parts which had been butchered were heavily wrapped and still tender to the touch but I did discover a patch over my left hip. It was slightly sore but no one had mentioned this. Mary walked back in and noticed my concern. "That is a slow release implanted reservoir for hormones. The doctor started providing these devices for his patients. It is there for the first 60 days to deliver hormones in sufficient dosages that would otherwise have to be provided by IV. Of course, the hormones help develop a feminine appearance but they also help with the procedure, maintaining a healthy and sustainable environment for the vaginoplasty and the breast implants. Otherwise, they might not be maintained properly and medical complications could happen." The whiteboard, "Take it out, no female hormones!!!" I erased it, and wrote, "I'm a man!" "Jim, the dosage should be continued until you heal from this, or else the vaginal canal could close or harbor bad bacteria. The implants in your chest also need support of other female anatomical features. If that support isn't there, they could sag badly and need surgery to repair. You need to recover from these surgeries before having the corrective surgeries or excess scar tissue could form." So the surgery wasn't enough, now female hormones were being released into my bloodstream, making me even more feminine. When is this ever going to stop? What other surprises would there be? I couldn't help it and started to cry. Mary came to the bed and hugged me. "Honey, you know Terri had the same procedures. She can help you understand the recovery process. Everything will work out ok but your body is still weak and recovering. Most of the procedures can be reversed but you need to get your strength back before going into surgery again. The hospital will make this right, your body just needs time." I whispered, "Meanwhile, as if all this wasn't enough, you're making me more feminine with the hormones?" And the tears flowed. "The hormone effects are completely reversible, there's no problem with that, ok? You have to stop speaking for now, alright?" She stroked my cheek, with genuine concern in her face. I cried for a little while, and then I was interrupted when my cellphone had sufficient charged and beeped about a hundred times, bringing me out of my misery. I had a ton of voicemails, emails, and texts waiting. I had to find out what was going on and get in touch with Theresa. Mary grabbed the phone for me and moved the plug to a nearby outlet so I could check the phone and keep it charging. Sure enough, my entire world wanted to know if I was recovering well. Oh yeah, I was just fine. What the hell am I going to tell the world? What am I going to do about my job? Larry had that report due three days ago, we have the client presentation coming up, everything was getting overwhelming again and I noticed the monitors were screeching again. I can't handle this. I decided to only text Theresa for now and leave the rest of the world waiting. "Honey, I love you and need you with me." "I love you too, wish I could be there." "The nurse says you can come back if you can be calm." "Do you know what they did to you?" "I just found out more, but I need you with me." "OMG, now what?!?!" "It's ok, they say this is reversible, please come. But you have to be cool." "OK, I'm on my way." Good, one thing settled and with Theresa coming back, I had my foundation with which to deal with everything else. We had been through a few tough times together and her support would be the only way to manage through this. For the first time, I started gathering my thoughts and prioritizing what needed to be done. First is to heal and get the hell out of this hospital. I'll have Theresa for company and better spirits. I needed to check in with Alexi and my parents, then Larry. I scanned the emails for his messages, Theresa had informed him that I was in the hospital and fortunately he understood. He's a good boss, very reasonable and he had canceled the deadline for the report and was pushing the client presentation back already. That put another burden off my mind for now. As I scanned the emails, it distracted me from the crushing feeling that my entire world had turned upside down and inside out. Mary left the room and I didn't even notice until I heard a crowd coming down the hallway. Three security guards, Mary, the charge nurse, Fr. Michael, and Theresa entered the room. Theresa ran to the bed and hugged me, crying. I started crying again too, what was up with that, I'm crying more in the last few days than in my entire life. I blamed it on my weakened state and the hormones. "I love you Jim and miss you so much, are they taking good care of you?" I nodded. "They tell me you can start talking tomorrow, I can't wait -we need to figure out a lot of things." She kissed my broken and bandaged face, it wasn't as tender but I know it still looks like a mess. She glanced at security and said we needed to see the doctor for an update. Mary paged a Dr. Reddick. "We're going to get you the full update on your recovery, care plan, and discharge plans. I can tell you that Jim is recovering well but there are some rehab and physical therapy and post discharge care instructions. He should be home within a few days." Theresa thanked them and requested some private time with me. Since she was handling things well, the hospital staff left the room. "Let's see what they did to you now. What is this new thing you texted me about?" "They implanted a device which is slowly releasing female hormones into my blood, Mary said I needed it to maintain the health of my...operations." I whispered, trying to protect my vocal cords but also protecting her from the new pitch of my voice. I was also trying to guard that sound from myself, I couldn't get used to it. Even if I had Jim's full voice, I could in no way bring myself to say my vagina or my breasts. She glanced at that small incision and bandage. "The doctor will have to explain that to me, I don't understand why we can't have that removed now." "Honey, I'm sorry, how can you stand to be near me? I'm not your husband, I'm a freak, I don't know what I am...". My eyes starting to well up again, before she could respond, there was a knock on the door and a doctor entered the room. "I'm Dr. Reddick and I'm assuming your case after Dr. Marshall was taken off the case. I received progress reports and have seen Mr. Meyer while he was asleep. He is progressing well in recovery and we are reaching out to therapists for his physical recovery. I'm sure you have a lot of questions but let me tell you what I can for his progress so far. The face is swollen, which is to be expected, but there are no signs of infection or other complications. The swelling and bruising should be nearly completely healed within two weeks, then we can take measurements, compare to recent photographs and have plastic surgery set up the reversal procedure. The chest is a little more complicated. The bandages and eventually compression wrappings need to be maintained for now to avoid any shifting which could damage the underlying tissues. When the original incisions are healed, we can begin discussions on removal but reopening them now would cause significant scarring. I expect that within a month we can begin planning for removal." This was good news so far and I started to feel a little more optimistic. "The vocal cords are a different story. First, I need for you to remain completely silent. Otherwise, you may entirely lose the ability to speak beyond a whisper. Do you understand this?" I nodded. Theresa was concerned about our prior conversation and glared at me for speaking earlier. I knew more bad news was coming and held her held tighter. "The Adam's apple is just extra cartilage which was shaved back. If you would like this restored, we can add silicone but it is only appearance related, not functional. A man's vocal cords are longer and thicker than a female's. The procedure performed on you reduced the size and length of the vocal cords. Adding silicone or grafts has never been attempted and a dynamic structure like the vocal cord doesn't respond well to the addition of materials. We're afraid that any attempt to alter this would be highly experimental and could leave you only with the ability to whisper. I've consulted with several experts who have all recommended that you leave this as is. Unfortunately that will leave you with a higher pitched voice. We won't have any idea of how high your new voice will be until tomorrow. Sometimes it is two octaves higher sometimes more, sometimes less but it will be higher toned. A speech pathologist will be with us tomorrow to make the final determinations and to provide further instructions." "So he'll sound like a woman the rest of his life?" "I'm afraid the best case is that he has a voice like a female heavy smoker. Obviously, smoking would further damage the vocal cords as well plus all the other negative effects so we won't recommend that by any means. The worst case is that he sounds like a teenage girl. One never knows how this works out. The inflection and manner of speaking will of course, remain the same." "And there's nothing we can do?" "I'm afraid that medical science is completely undeveloped in this area. Due to the risks, the hospital medical board of directors is following the case and has forbidden any corrective procedure in this area." "What about the hormone implant, can we get rid of that now?" "No, although that is a minor procedure which we could do on an outpatient basis. Scarring isn't much of a consideration in that area but the problem is that a healthy vagina requires estrogen and progesterone for proper lubrication and acidity. Bacterial growth and proper healing would be issues for you without the hormones. Also, the hormones are helping your chest tissue support the implants. Without the effect of the hormones on your breasts, the implants could drop substantially and leave you with sagging and severe scar tissues once we remove them." "I think he's starting to feel the effects of them". "Any effects of the hormones are temporary, especially with only a few days on them". "And, down...there?" I asked the most difficult question. "Yes, this is the difficult part. First, Dr. Demarcus does, or did, excellent work and the area is healing very well. This makes the situation easier but there is no full recovery for the penis in anything close to its physical or functional state. The testicles were disposed of, so you will have to take testosterone supplements for the rest of your life. Even a full reconstruction for female to male gender reassignment surgery does not produce a penis with anything more than marginal acceptability. I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Meyer. We can attempt that if that is what you wish but it will never be the same." Theresa sighed, "He needs to be my husband again. I want him back". "I understand but much of the tissue is gone or was completely altered in the construction of the vagina. There are mechanical devices to assist with erection but we can't build it back with little to work with. The surgery could be scheduled for roughly 3 months from now, depending on recovery which is far more complicated than the other healing processes. I'm very sorry." Theresa started crying again and I held her as best I could from the bed. "You both seem to be taking this as well as can be expected. I am removing the restraint orders and alerting Security that you are no longer a risk. Besides, it's time Jim got out of bed and started moving around, it will help with his recovery. Take it real slow and easy. I'll call Mary to assist you." He removed my bindings and raised the bed, excusing himself to retrieve Mary. I was still attached to the catheter, peeing hadn't been a concern, now it would be. Slowly sliding my legs over, my groin flared up in objection. I groaned and stopped as I noticed the higher pitch and the doctor and Mary both shushed me. She lowered the bed as Theresa showed concern all over her face. My feet touched the floor and I gradually moved my body weight over them in more a sliding out of bed than standing. My legs were weak and after being in bed for days, I was wobbly but I slowly straightened out and was standing. Supported on both sides by Reddick and Terri, I shuffled to the door. "About 20 feet today is all we're going to do. The physical therapist will be in tomorrow". I began to notice my chest and the weird sensation, or lack of sensation, between my legs. My sense of balance had changed, this was going to be difficult. I made it back to the bed, under assistance and sat back down slowly. Getting up and down was rough. Theresa provided encouraging words, being strong for me. I was making progress but to what, some barely functional male, even with mechanical assistance? The news was bad, worse than I expected. Why can you go fully male to female but not back the other way? Why can't the doctors help me? They explained therapy, and dilation, and other things which depressed me again. Several times a day I had to put a dildo, they called it a dilation device, but it was a dildo, in my...new plumbing, the V-word, to maintain the urinary tract and help it heal. They had been performing this while I was knocked out but now I had to start and maintain until I could have the surgery to return to my semi-manhood. I'm dreading this. Terri said she'd show me how and assist the first time. This was way weird, sharing my private parts with another woman with my wife listening there and sharing the same private parts, oh my god. I had enough after all this instruction and needed to rest now. Theresa held me as I drifted off. Chapter Seven Another day, another horrible nightmare. I was cast adrift at sea and eventually picked up by the Coast Guard. They ignored me, looking around the boat, sifting through the gear on board and paying me no attention. While sitting in the boat, they finally hauled it onboard, paying me no attention. I asked them if they were going to give me anything to drink and they didn't hear me. It was like I didn't exist. Finally one asked me for my papers and I had none, no license, and no identity. They asked me my name and I didn't know it. I had amnesia. Then the one guardsman who spoke to me was ignoring me again, I rushed to him to turn him at the shoulder and my hand passed through him like a ghost. I had no identity, no name, and now I didn't exist. I was slipping away, I didn't know who I was and now I didn't exist. I had awoke in the same cold sweat and the pain was coming on, if I hurt, I am. But Jim isn't, some deformed thing with female parts is. Theresa was there and tried to console me. "It's ok, honey, I'm here. You're ok, I'm here for you." I didn't want to relate the details and shook my head, dismissing sharing my personal horror for now. I then realized that talking was an option again. I wanted to show her my gratitude for staying by my side through this hell, "Theresa." I stopped and my eyes grew wide, Theresa looked at me with pained concern. I didn't sound like Jim at all, I sounded just like a woman. "It's ok, honey. The important thing is your recovery, we'll work on the voice later." My eyes welled up again, I couldn't sound like this. It wasn't me, it's some - woman. I tried to modulate that voice lower, "I love you." That was unsuccessful and I sounded like a woman completely faking a man's voice. "I know, Jim. I love you too." She hugged me and kissed me. I had to get up for the bathroom, this was it my first real experience with my new genitalia. After ambulating to the toilet yesterday, they removed the catheter so now this was up to me and my new...equipment. I was still unable to say the V-word. I slid off the bed in the same way as yesterday with Theresa assisting and shuffled to the bathroom door. I leaned heavily on the assistive bar by the toilet, slowly lowering my bottom on the toilet. "Ok, how the hell does this work?" I asked in my new voice. I definitely sounded feminine. "I don't know what to tell you, just let it flow." Theresa cocked her head at my voice, still trying to reconcile the voice and wrinkled her brow but concentrated on the task at hand. "I just do it, it's natural, don't even think about it." I tried to relax some muscles that were no longer there and others that had been completely reconfigured. There were strange feelings and sensations but at least no pain for once. I had to learn how to pee? This was humiliating and I was lost, I looked up at her for help. "I don't know what to say, just relax. It just kind of happens." Sure enough, the urine finally started flowing in a stream out of my shortened urethra and into the toilet. As it flowed, the pressure released and I realized this is the way it would be for 3 months until the reconstructive surgery. This was humiliating. Theresa unrolled some toilet paper and handed it to me. "Wipe from top to bottom." I knew that much and gave her an insulted look. We did have a daughter after all. "Just making sure." I knew she meant well but still. I slowly stood with the great aid of the assist bar and Theresa and washed my hands, looking in the mirror. They never mentioned the work on my brow and my face was still an ugly shade of purple, green, yellow, red with distortions of swelling. What a mess I was and now I had just peed like a girl. We moved back to the bed and she gave me a gentle peck on the cheek. I told her the strange dreams I've been having. The voice was strange, my manner of speaking, my words, my tone, my inflection and accent all the same but a higher pitch, I sounded like a dyke. I tried modulating to a lower register, talking through the dreams with several different tones. I must have sounded like a lunatic with multiple personalities, but a female lunatic in each and every voice that Cybil tried. She said we're going to get a psychologist from the hospital and was dialing Brent Westin to clear the matter through him. He had given Theresa his private cell number, he was being very helpful but the phone was not active. "That's strange, his phone is disconnected." I told her to try Courtney, she dialed and got the same. "Ok, something is going on here, try their offices." She dialed Brent's office on speaker and the assistant answered, "Office of the CEO, may I help you?". "Brent Westin, please". "Mr. Westin is not employed by Memorial Hospital any longer, may I redirect your call?" "Yes, would you transfer me to Courtney Brockers in Legal?" "Ma'am Courtney is not with Memorial any longer either, may I help you?" "This is Theresa Meyers, Jim Meyer's wife. They both said we could contact them for any assistance. Why were they fired?" "I can't get into personnel matters but Jack Donovan will be seeing you shortly. He is the hospital's General Counsel and will be handling your case going forward. Thank-you", she said, hanging up abruptly. Something was going on and this sounded ominous. Both high ranking people were removed and the purge was sudden and severe. I hit the call button for Terri. A nurse's aide responded on the device. "May I help you?" "Yes is Terri available, we have some questions." "Terri is off today, I'll send in your nurse." I looked at Theresa, "I think this just went from bad to worse, there's something going on and it's not good." A nurse entered the room, accompanied with a suit. "Hi, I'm Kara and I'm your nurse today..." "Where's Terri and Brent Westin and Courtney?", Theresa asked, getting riled up. "What medical assistance do you need, Mr. Meyer?" the stern man in a suit shot back. "What's going on here?" My new voice cracked and I sounded like a little boy, I can't be taken seriously by this twerp. Kara deferred to the suit, who was clearly an attorney. "Kara is here to assist any of your medical needs until discharge. Physical therapy, speech therapy and discharge planning will be in today for your discharge later today. You will be provided resources to contact once discharged. Now, do you have a medical issue?" "We were told by Dr. Reddick and Brent that discharge would be tomorrow, what's going on?" "Your new doctor is Dr. Austin." "Can we see him?" "Dr. Austin has reviewed your case and recommended discharge today. If there are no medical issues, he does not need to see you." "What's going on here?" "Mr. Meyer, your case is being overseen at the highest levels of the hospital and appropriate medical care is being provided. Thank-you. Kara?" He pointed to the door and left the room, striding urgently and holding Kara's arm. The discussion was abruptly cut short. Medical was no longer in charge, Legal was in control of everything now. "We're getting screwed here, Legal is running the show now and they've fired or removed everyone from my case. Everyone that promised us anything!" I said shrilly. This voice was really troublesome but the least of my worries now. There was another knock at the door and another healthcare professional entered with the Legal weasel. "This is Jana Miller, your physical therapist." Jana ran down a paper of instructions for exercises and produced the dilation device with KY jelly. She stuck closely to the script, promptly exited, exchanging places with Kathy, the speech pathologist, leaving me with a flurry of instructions on my vocal cords and voice exercises. Linda entered in quick procession for discharge and resources. The attorney produced a small pile of forms for signature. "I'm not signing any of your goddamn papers, what is going on?!?!" I shrieked, I sounded like a hysterical woman. I couldn't help the way I sounded and had stopped worrying about it. "I'm supposed to get some help with fixing this!!! TODAY!", I strained it, coughing. Theresa advised me to settle down as my vocal cords were still sensitive to stress. I sipped some water and cleared my throat. "You are being discharged according to the medical advice of your physician. If you don't want to sign the releases, you are leaving the facility AMA, Against Medical Advice, and we cannot guarantee proper recovery or be held liable, so you need to complete these forms." "Get out! You're hurting his voice!" Theresa lost it and Security came flying in, they must have been right around the corner, out of sight. We were being railroaded. The tasers were drawn and they shouted at Theresa to calm down. She attempted to argue and was electrified again, they allowed the taser to do its job and removed her from the room, holding each arm, with her feet dragging behind her. "Now we need to process the documents then you can leave." "I'm not signing anything without a lawyer present. And bring my wife back here now!" "She is a threat to the staff and is being handed into the custody of the police." I got up, cursing the pain and shuffled down the hallway after them. The elevator doors closed so I moved to the stairs. Bad idea, I couldn't negotiate a single flight and slowly, painfully, returned to the elevators. The Legal weasel watched and smirked. If I wasn't so concerned about Theresa, I would have wiped that smirk off his face. I went to the ground floor, holding the back of the gown for modesty, moving slowly. There was no way I was catching anybody. I arrived at the exit in time to see the police cruiser leaving. I was pissed and returned to the room, getting her purse, my cellphone and the car keys. Kara advised me to stop, but the lawyer stopped her from saying anything else. I went to the elevators intending to follow the police to get my wife but then realized I had no idea where she had parked. From looking out the hospital window, I knew there are probably a thousand cars in the parking lots and garages. And I didn't even know where to start looking and wasn't about to hobble around the lot looking. I hailed a cab and hopped in, saying only "Get me to the nearest police station". "Yes, ma'am", the cab driver looked me up and down. My female voice alerted me and only then I realized this is my first time in public, presenting as a woman, in a hospital gown, with a purse, looking beaten to hell and half naked. I froze. Holy shit. Chapter Eight I sat in the back of the cab, assessing the situation. I needed to think this one through and not get into any deeper trouble. It was difficult to cover myself, tough to get around and I sounded and looked like a battered woman. I didn't have my wallet or driver's license. Going to the police wouldn't solve things, it would probably get me on indecent exposure, attempted identity theft or stealing Theresa's purse. I needed clothes and as we were passing Target, told the driver, "Change of plans, take me to Target, I need some clothes." He grunted, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea, you want my jacket?" I said yes and thanked him. He left the meter running and I shuffled into the store. Now what? What clothes do I buy? My breasts were wrapped tight after surgery so female undergarments weren't needed, thank God. I picked up some men's jeans and a polo shirt, tearing off the tags and putting them on in the dressing room. My bandaged breasts poked out the front. I was in the men's dressing room but it was the middle of the day and the store was nearly empty. I checked the mirror, yep, that's a woman's figure. I didn't have time to worry what or who I was, I just needed Theresa and had to help her. "Ma'am, the ladies dressing room is in the women's section." Salesclerk! Dammit. "I'm sorry", I mumbled in my new woman's voice. The clerk rolled her eyes. I still needed to replace my hospital slippers and grabbed a pair of sneakers and socks, putting them on. "Are you paying for those?" "Yes, I have the tags, just needed to replace some soiled clothes quickly", showing her the tags for everything. I started to leave then realized, I forgot Theresa's purse. Turning to fetch it, I walked to the front of the store, carrying her purse. I went to the counter and paid with Theresa Meyer's credit card and they didn't even glance at it. I looked like a woman, but nothing like my wife, not that anyone could tell with the bandages and bruising. The cab was waiting outside and I got in. "Now where, lady?" So I have Theresa's ID, none of my own and I probably needed to bail her out. The police would probably check my ID versus the credit card, which would cause more problems. I had no idea what to do, I was in a jam. "Hold on a minute, I have to make a call." But I couldn't call anyone with this voice. I texted our oldest daughter, Alexi. "Can you get out of school and help Mom out, she was arrested." "WHHAAAT? Is she ok?" "She'll be fine, please hurry." "How are you, are you in the hospital?" It would be easier explaining this by saying yes. "Yes, I'll send a cab to meet you at the police station, he'll have Mom's credit card." "OK, hope you're feeling better." "Thanks, love you honey." I got back in the cab and told him to drive back to the hospital. I needed to get my clothes and wallet and the instructions I had left in my rush to help Theresa. When I got out, I told the cabbie to take my credit card to the police station and meet my daughter Alexi in a red Honda Civic. I fished a picture out of Theresa's wallet. I told him to put the fare on the card plus 20% tip. "Thank-you, ma'am." Checking with security at the hospital entrance, they told me to have a seat. I sat in the lobby as usual and started getting funny stares, not about my face or the bandages. Nothing to be done about that and people are going to see some bruises and bandages in a hospital. Finally, an elderly prudish lady cleared her throat and pointed her index and middle fingers at me, spread wide, closing them. Ah, hell. I closed my legs and sat in a more ladylike manner. Crossing my legs was not an option as it was still very tender and would have probably ripped something. Kara finally showed up with several bags, somehow managing to sneak down from the floors without the Legal weasel attached to her hip. "Mr. Meyer," the elderly lady almost had a heart attack, "here are your belongings and the post-discharge instructions and your dilation devices. I wish this was easier for you." I thanked her and retrieved my wallet, placing it in my back pocket before realizing that wouldn't wash with the rest of the picture. "Listen, if you need any assistance, here is Terri's number. She can probably help you. Most of us are really sorry for what happened today and with the operation." She hugged me, "We wish you the best." The lawyer cleared his throat and interrupted the moment, "Mrs. Joekel, that's enough." I thanked her and gave the lawyer the finger and exited under the wary eye of security. Alexi then called me and I almost picked up the phone and answered before thinking. Theresa hadn't told her much beyond the appendectomy and that there were complications but that I'd be alright. We were still trying to figure out how to break the news to her. She had a busy life and Theresa told her she would update her with any new developments and not to let her grades or other activities slip. I texted her back. "Can't talk right now, things are ok, did you get the credit card?" "Yes, I'm doing some paperwork and Mom's going to get out. She's charged with disturbing the peace and assault. What happened?" I didn't have any idea how to do this, "Ask Mom, can't talk now." "Are you ok, I want to come see you?" "Maybe later, I'm fine." "Miss you Daddy! Get well!" "Love you baby girl, see you soon. Have Mom call me when she's out." One crisis solved, now what to do? I needed to get in touch with Theresa directly to come up with a plan. The hospital was suddenly uncooperative. There would be no assistance and all the promises made by the previous administration were off the table. I was on my own there but there's clearly liability. I had enough cash in Theresa's purse to make it home, so I hailed another cab. Getting home, I fished the keys out of the purse. A neighbor saw me and waved, I waved back but continued walking as rapidly as I could to the house. I did not need to discuss and explain this with anyone so I hoped he'd think it was a family friend helping out on an errand. I unlocked the door and entered, shutting the door. Whew! Luckily it was my neighbor, Brad. His wife, Peggy would have run over to gossip and then all hell would have broken loose. I got a drink from the fridge, took a pain pill, and emptied the bags on our bed. I was still exhausted from the surgeries and collapsed on the bed. All the emotions and traumas of the day overwhelmed me and I began to cry again, dammit! I sobbed for easily a half hour before being able to stop. I was emotionally and physically exhausted and the painkiller started doing its job. I fought the sleep and the expected nightmares but fell asleep before I thought about anything else.