(no subject)

[thomas_kemp]

WHO: Thomas Kemp, Emma Kemp, open only to Kemp family (he's in the ICU so a friend and Lena post can come later!)
WHAT: Post-surgery
WHEN: Friday evening
WHERE: Hospital ICU
WARNINGS: Health stuff!, TBA



Thomas was wheeled away from his hospital room and into the operating theatre right on time, which he was more than grateful for. As they put the anaesthetic up to his face and told him to count, all he really noticed was the gradual and blissful easing of the excruciating pain that had become his entire existence. He didn't even think to hope he would wake up at the end of it all. The relief was too much.

And then, what seemed all of a minute later to him, but what had actually been six hours, Thomas blinked groggily awake in a recovery room. His head was throbbing dully, but he wasn't in anguish and that was nice. His first action, however, was to slowly roll onto his side and dry-heave over the edge of his bed while several nurses ran at him to stop him from injuring himself or pulling out any tubes. The anaesthetic had made him nauseated and, had he had anything in his stomach at all, it would have been all over the recovery room floor.

Once he was rolled back onto his back, Thomas murmured, "'m alive-" to the ceiling and promptly fell asleep again.

A few hours later, now in the ICU, he woke and found his mother sitting beside him. He felt like his head was full of cobwebs and his mouth was full of cottonballs but he still managed to half-grunt a 'hi' at her.

Emma pulled down her newspaper and she smiled at her son before putting it aside. "Hello, lovely. I have some water for you if you think you can keep it down?"

The moment water was mentioned, it was all Thomas wanted in the entire world. "Please?" he croaked with a throat made of sandpaper. She picked up the cup and angled the straw into his mouth.

"Just be slow about it," she cautioned and Thomas drank as slow as he could manage while still being a little desperate about it. Once he had finished the entire glass, she pulled it away and he blinked at her.

"Still feel a bit sick."

"Well if you need to throw up I have a bucket for you," she assured him. "Though if you want to try something to eat I have soup."

"Mmm." He had been too sick to eat for most of a week, and soup sounded wonderful. He decided to make sure he didn't throw up the water first, however. "How's my hair?"

Emma laughed loudly at that. "Well it's all gone, but your head is entirely wrapped up anyway so I can't see it. I'm sure you'll look fine."

"I'll look like Frankenstein," he informed her. "How...how did it go?" He was fairly sure he was too exhausted to move again ever, but at least he was alive, right?

"It was perfect," she said with a smile. "No complications and they got all of it. You can move out of the ICU tomorrow if all goes well, and you'll be able to go home within a week as long as you don't exert yourself and keep healing." Thomas knew if he had another seizure he'd be stuck here longer so he just had to hope that didn't happen. He wanted to go home. He hadn't been there in a month now.

"Do I have lots of tubes?"

"You do have a rather impressive collection," she said with a nod. Then she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his bandages, ever so carefully. "I'm so glad you're alright. I'm going to go tell the family they can come in now. Unfortunately Lena will have to wait until you're back in your room."

Thomas frowned at that, but he understood. Mostly, he just wanted to see his son. "Okay," he said, wishing he felt a little more human.

Comments

[thomas_kemp]

"You're making my mouth water too," Thomas chuckled at her. He was feeling more and more awake and he was so thankful they were there with him.

To that he made a face. "I really know," he said with a sigh. "But once it was nearly four years, so you know...perspective. I was a little preoccupied raising a kid."

"I actually remember after you finally got laid," Charlotte said laughing, "you called to talk to me about something and you wouldn't stop whistling."

"It was a very important day!" he laughed.

[aspectabund.insanejournal.com]

Maddy finished the top bun, dotting it with tiny ink sesame seeds. "It's good to see you smile, Tommy," she told him, capping her pen and sticking it back in her purse.

She snorted at that. "That sounds like you," she said. "But I know the boat you used to be in, Tommy. I can measure time since the last time in months now. Meh."

[thomas_kemp]

"Technically," Thomas pointed out, "I can measure it in month. Just one. But I was out of the country and then my brain exploded. Don't tell Mom or she'll try to get you laid. She used to try to set me up all the time."

"Oh god, she sent me on the most awkward blind date," Charlotte agreed.

"But she cares," Thomas added. "About our sex lives. Which could be weird, but you know. It's us. And thank you both by the way. It's nice to smile." And it really was. "Now I just need a hamburger and maybe one of your fries," he said to Maddy. "Did you notice Jamie being all grown up and telling me I could only have one burger? My boy is an adult!"

[aspectabund.insanejournal.com]

"Hence 'used to be'," Maddy said. Then she smacked her face into one of her hands. "Ack, no. I'm fine now, because recall, if you will, some of the guys I've slept with. Rick the dick, serial deflowerer. Mike the douche. Seth of the no ambition. Etc. I know she cares, and whoever she'd set me up with would be miles above them, but still. Slightly wary of the whole dating thing."

"I shall be gracious and share my fries with you," she told him, winking. "And he is, it blows my mind sometimes. I remember when he was this tiny little thing, running around catching fireflies with me. Now he towers over everyone, and his hair is better than mine."

[thomas_kemp]

Even though he was very protective of his sisters and he didn't like that anyone might have hurt them, he was also on a lot of drugs. When Maddy said 'Rick the Dick', Thomas burst out laughing so hard it actually hurt his head. And yet he didn't stop. He continued to giggle, though he managed to get out, "Rick the dick! It's like a Dr Seuss villain!"

Charlotte just shook her head at them. "Yeah, he's on the opium there. I hear you about being wary. He's got it lucky in that he only has to deal with men if he wants to," she said with a shake of her head.

"Hahhahaa Rick the- Ahem. No, sorry. Sorry. Drugs. Yes. No more dicks. Rick or otherwise," he said, patting her arm.

Maddy complimented his son and Thomas beamed. "Sometimes I forget I made him," he said with a nod. "He used to sleep on my chest. If he did that now, it would be awkward."

[aspectabund.insanejournal.com]

Even though it had been almost five years, and she could more or less think about that time without wanting to punch things, and she knew her brother really was on a lot of drugs, Maddy still felt her eyebrows creep up her forehead. "So glad you find that funny, Tommy," she said. "I did learn my lesson, though."

She nodded at her sister. "Right? I just want to make sure I'm not going in blind or uninformed."

Jamie walked back in then, carrying two cheese burgers and a big container of fries. As a result, he caught the end of his father's comment.

"Probably slightly," he agreed, arranging everything on the table. "Since I'm pretty sure I'm bigger than you now, anyway."

[thomas_kemp]

Thomas patted Maddy's arm and then he smiled widely at Jamie. "I promise I won't try to make you then," he said with a grin. "I don't know quite how I am going to eat this but I am so excited. Maddy drew one on my head to commemorate it!"

"He's been bringing up the burger since you left," Charlotte said with a chuckle.

[aspectabund.insanejournal.com]

"Thought of that," Jamie said, holding up a plastic knife and fork. "Bite size burger...bites." He looked at his dad's head bandage, covered in Maddy's doodles, and grinned. "Very nice. And you left some room to draw that zombie."

"Do itttt," Maddy prompted. "Grr. Argh."

"Can't really blame him, though, he gets to eat real food again," Jamie replied.

[thomas_kemp]

If Thomas could have bounced he would have. Instead he just waited, mouth watering, for his burger to be cut up. "You're so good to me," he said with a wide smile. He tried to push away the thought that there would be a day when he wouldn't be able to swallow and he might not be able to enjoy food like this again.

"I am looking forward to a zombie. After burgers!"

"I can't blame him either," Charlotte had to admit. "And you missed all the sex talk, so well done!"

[aspectabund.insanejournal.com]

Jamie began cutting his dad's burger into bite-sized chunks. The knife was standard-issue plastic, and not the greatest cutting tool, so it took him a few minutes. "I try," he said, smiling. He stabbed one of the chunks with a fork. "Ready when you are."

"I have to wonder if he hovered outside, waiting for a lull and the giggling to stop," Maddy added, smiling.

Jamie snorted. "Not exactly. You wouldn't believe the line that was down there, since they're stopping dinner service soon."

[thomas_kemp]

Thomas nodded that he was ready and then he happily accepted a bite of the hamburger. When he swallowed he let out a little happy sigh. "Oh god, food."

Charlotte inched forward and she rubbed Thomas' shoulder. "Glad you're happy, Thomas. It's nice to see. And you," she said, turning to Jamie, "taking care of your father. You're lovely."