Wake Up Little Suzie (with thanks to the Everly Brothers)

1

Dinner is always a family meal when possible. John, Susan, Jackson and Cheryl have gathered for that rare family dinner. Rare since covid19 ane the pandemic had turned everyone's world upside down.

"I really don't want you taking any vaccine," John pleaded.

"Got no choice. The doctors all got theirs last week. This week is us nurses."

"Well, I wish you had a yes or no option."

Twelve year old Cheryl sounded as anxious as her father. "Are we gonna have to get a shot too?"

"Not any time soon. Health care workers and older adults are tops on the list."

"Good!" declared Jackson.

2

Susan began her twelve hour shift the next morning. At eight she was paged for her turn to get the first vaccine shot. After getting her shot she at once realized all of those who complained of sore arms were right. Her arm hurt like the dickens.

She ried to keep extra busy so she would not think about the pain. But it would not go away.

Just before lunch, as she was making her rounds, she began feeling a bit light headed. She was in the middle of checking a patient's vitals.

"Sorry, Mister Payne. I think I am going to have to sit for a minute."

"Go ahead, dearie. I ain't going anywhee."

So she sat down hoping it would pass quickly.

Moments later she slumps over and hits the floor with a thud.

Mister Payne yells for help and pushes his call button..

The respondng nurses are surprised to find Mister Payne sitting up and appearing to be just fine. But he was frantically pointing to the floor.

3

John rushed to the hospital as soon as he got the call. He opted to leave the kids in school until he found out what actually had happened.

When he arrived at the hospital, they had already admitted Susan as a patient. It had to have been that damn shot. He had told her he did not want her to get one. But as a nurse she was required to get one.

Already she was hooked up to monitors and an IV. Three doctors were standing there discussing what could possibly have caused Susan's aparent blackout.

But it had been over an hour now so it cannot have been a normal blackout.

As John looked the situation over , he said the first thing that came into his head, "What's up, Doc?"

Trying to keep himself from laughing, the nearest doctor spoke.

"Not sure what happened, John. She was with Mister Payne and complained of being light-headed. She sat down and moments later slid to the floor."

A second doctor tole his observation. "All her vitals are good. She is breathing on her own. She is just out of it and we just don't know why."

The third doctor had to get his opinion in as well. "Most blackouts are only seconds to a couple minutes. She has been like this for almost an hur now."

"So what do I tell the kids. They are going to want to know what is wrong."

"Not sure, John. we're gonna run some tests to try to determine what happened and the cause."

"Can I bring the kids up to see her?"

"I would wait until we have some idea of what we are dealing with here."

When the doctors roll her out for the battery of tests, John heads home to wait for Jackson and Cheryl to get home from school.

4

Jackson and Cheryl are running in and out of the water avoiding the waves. John is grabbing another beer from the cooler and she is just basking in the sun.

"You gonna work on that already bautiful tan all day? Or are you afraid of the water. Or you trying to avoid me."

"We came here to relax. Jackson and Cheryl are playing in the ocean. You are sitting here drinking beer instead of watching the children. Someone has to do the relaxing."

Susan lay back down to the sounds of the ocean, the screams of the children at playand the sounds of jet skis rcing around in the water.

5

John is getting pretty frustrated with the doctors. It has been almost a month now and they all knew as much now as they did the day it happened.

Only thing that seemed a certainty ws that Susan was in some sort of a coma. What caused it and why still unknown.

"I cannot believe you are planning to give her the second vaccine shot. You can see for yourself what the firt shot did."

Doctor Melborne tried to sound reassuring.

"You could be right. We have been unable to rule it out. But then this second dose could bring her out of this state."

"I have her kids down in the lobby. they have not been allowed to see her yet. Would they be able to see her before you administer the second dose?"

"Okay, but not for very long."

Jackson will not even look at his mother. He walks straight to the window and looks out at anything and nothing.

Cheryl sits beside her mother, holds her hand and begins to cry.

It is John's turn to sound hopeful.

"Don't worry, baby. It's gonna be all right."

"No it isn't!" Jackson says angrily. "Can't we just pull the plug and let her go peacefully?"

"She's not plugged into anything. She is breathing on her own. The IV's are her hydration and her food,"

"Can we go now?"

Jackson still does not want to be there.

"Tell you what. Let's go home and make a recording of every song about Susan or that even mentions Susan in the song. Then our next visit we can play it for your mother."

"Fine. Let's just go."

4

It was the strangest birthday party she had ever had.

She somewhat remembered number five as her mother had tried to go all out.

Number ten she could not forget as it had come with braces. She hated them but they were supposed to correct her bite.

Thirteen had been unfogetable. Her first party that included a boy. Granted he was the boy next door but she thought he was cute and insisted he be invited.

Sweet sixteen was just that, sweet. Her first spin-the-bottle kiss had been with paxton Meeks, captain of the school swim team. Then her seven-minutes-in-heaven had been with that boy next door, Tommy Ward, why by then was her steady.

But this, the strangest party ever, her two children had planned for her. They were seven and nine at the time. They had invited all their friends. She had to bake the cake. She had to clean up while all the guests played games. But it was fun, funny and by far the strangest party ever.

5

Eight months have passed and still Susan lay in what the doctors finally admitted was a coma.

The tape of the Susan songs plays softly day and night.

Jackson has been refusing to even go to the hospital for several months now. Cheryl goes once a week and John is visiting twice a week, one being with Cheryl.

John is worried that the bill will be so high that they will be unable to pay. Doctor Melbourne tells hem not to worry.

"It had been determined to be an on-the-job incident. So between her hospital insurance and Workman's Comp, the bill is pretty much covered."

"How long do you keep her here before you send her ro one of those total care nursing homes?"

"Susan is one of our own and we are still trying to determine the cause. Besides, if we would send her elsewhere, the workman's comp would end."

6

It was a day they had been looking foeward to and yet a day they had been dreading.

After almost two years of concentrated training, today would be their first major in-the-field test.

The Red Cross and hospitals across the country found themselves in a critical blood shortage. So today these nursing students would be helping draw blood at a local blood drive. Two RNs and a doctor were there to help them if needed.

All was going amazingly well until a small middle-age lady came in to donate. She refused to let any of the nurses draw her blood. She insisted it had to be a doctor. So Susan and two other AANs-

short for Almost A Nurse-went to get the doctor.

"She won't let any of us near her. She is very insistant on having a Doctor draw her blood."

The doctor looked at us with a crooked grin. "I'll do it but she will never ask for a doctor to draw her blood again."

7

Thanksgiving and Christmas pass with very little excitement. I did try to make Christmas as fun as possible. But it was not like a Susan Christmas.

Cheryl insisted we get something for her mother. Jackson is beyond caring.

Visits became fewer. John once a week. Cheryl every three weeks and Jackson still refusing to even visit.

In two weeks it would be a full year since Susan went to work and never left. He was going to make Jackson go with them on that day.

8

Jackson is two and a half years old. He is waiting with Granny Grimes for his daddy to return home with his mother and new baby sister.

"Granny, why did they go out and get me a baby sister?"

"For you, Jackson. They did not want you getting lonely with nobody to play with."

"I was just fine. Did they get tired of me?"

"Oh, no, sweetie," and Granny Grimes picks Jackson up and gives him a big hug just as the front door opens.

Jackson struggles to get down but then runs to greet his mommy and daddy.

"Jackson. Meet your baby siser, Cheryl."

"Hi, Cheryl. Just so you know I am the boss around nhere."

Everyone laughs.

9

Susan has now been in that same room for a year. John insists all of them visit her today.

Jackson thinks he has a sure fire excuse. "Remember when Granny Grimes got that memory disease and the preacher said it was not really her anymore. Well, mama isn't in there either so I don't think I should have to go."

"Very clever, young man. But it is the first anniversary to the day that your mother began this hospital stay. I'd like for all of us to be there."

Mumbling something to himself, Jackson finally agrees to go.

At the hospital all the nurses and doctors greet them like family.

When they enter Susan's room, they hear the Susan tape playing. John got an eerie feeling as the first song they hear is the Everly Brothers singing "Wake Up Little Suzie".

The three of them just stand there silent, looking at Susan, until the song ends. Then Cheryl says she is thirsty so she and her father walk down the hall to the water fountain. But since covid all the water founains were cut off. They had to go all the way to the first floor snack area.

Jackson stays alone with his mother. He tries to hold back but he finds himself with tears rolling down his cheeks. He hates seeing his mother like this. It has been the worst year of his young life.

Reaching for his mother's hand and trying not to move the IV, Jackson speaks to his mother for the first time in a year.

"Mama....I love you. If you are in thee, we need you at home."

Then he walks over to the window just to stare out at nothing again. As he looks out, wishing he was at home, he hears someone say his name.

"Jackson. Is that you? I am starving. Can you bring me something to eat?"