Mrs HM Is Somewhat Conveniently Cared For (PT 1)

You KNOW Mrs. HM is sick when she asks Farmer H to sweave her to convenient care.

Monday saw me lying abed until noon. I'd been in bed off and on since 9:30 the previous evening. Still chilled to the bone. Yet at noon, I felt cozy. Comfy. The right temp. A check of the thermometer showed the fever was gone. For a while... 

By 3:00, I was back in bed, snoozing for a half hour. Cold again. Farmer H came home. I said if I wasn't better by Tuesday, I wanted him to take me to convenient care. He said, "Let's go now."

Since I was chilled, and back at 99.4, I agreed. Not even a shower. The thought of stepping out all wet made me freeze a little inside. At least it wasn't 101, but who knew how high that fever might climb again. I'd already given it since the wee hours of Saturday morning.

Of course, the problem with going to convenient care at 4:00 is that it's not all that convenient. I prefer to go just after noon, when few people are there. However, I hadn't noticed more than a couple cars there over the past week when I was in town. Monday evening, the parking lot was about half full.

Farmer H did not go in with me. They would have allowed it, and I would have liked the support as I wobbled in, but he said he didn't think he needed to go. I sure didn't want to expose him to any new germs, either. So in I toddled. Strapped on my mask at the door.

Once in the inner sanctum, I was reminded of the railyard scene in Gone With the Wind! Bodies as far as the eye could see! Only these were alive, and not soldiers. Okay. Maybe not quite that many, either. A hacking 50ish housewife, a heavy-breathing lithe man dressed in black, a young mother with the cutest little blond moppet you ever saw, and the father-daughter duo at the window ahead of me.

I hung back, leaning on the wooden rail along the wall. I was NOT feeling good. This was almost too much to bear, standing to wait my turn. I swear that guy was filling out his paperwork there. The receptionist asked assorted questions. Seems the insurance wasn't right. Tried another. Said it might have been for the girl's athletic physical in their system. Although she did not look very athletic. After about 10 minutes, they went to sit near the lithe man filling out his own paperwork.

I checked in quickly, since I'd been there a couple months back with the double ear infection. My complaint this time was that I might have another sinus or ear infection. Three-day fever, and dizziness. I sat down parallel to the 50ish Hacker. Across from Father-Daughter. Catty-corner from Cute Blond Moppet. Who was hacking a lot of congestion. No mask on the little shaver. His mom got up for some tissues, and had him blow three times. I sent Farmer H a text that I was 5th in line, and he might as well go mail that check (in its third envelope) to the Gravel Guy.

The only thing keeping me sane was gripping my cell phone, and texting Farmer H the countdown until my turn. If I'd been home, I would not have been sitting up for 45 minutes. But here I had to. And to look not-crazy. At least I wasn't shivering. The room temp, in my jacket, was pleasant. Maybe like a freezing person feels warm right before dying!

More tomorrow. It's now 10:38 p.m. My energy is ebbing, and I'm fighting HIPPIE's keyboard.