Friday

Extended sleep eluded Mick Thursday night. But he was firing on all pistons, and by morning was divested of all IV connections, which put him in a very, very good mood—not to mention the fact that, on an early morning visit, the orthopedic surgeon said Mick was doing so well he could likely go home Saturday. For breakfast our boy endured a bowl of oatmeal , and had coffee for what felt like the first time in years. By noon he was bathed (by the indispensable Andrea), dressed in his own clothes, shaved (save for the moustache), and sitting down to a cup of vegetable soup and a turkey sandwich. His spirits were buoyant, and on a post-lunch walk, using the cane lightly, with no one supporting him, he said he felt as if he were seeing the whole place for the first time. The thrill of being unencumbered was offset by an emerging pattern of pain and spasm—natural consequences of the surgery—but Mick’s patience and forbearance are something to see. It’s as if having withstood worsening pain for so long, facing even greater pain, which he knows is temporary, is no big deal.

Mid-afternoon Erica showed up with Justin, her trainee (“preceptee” in their parlance, don’t ask, we don’t get it either), to take Mick for a final workout. This involved at trek beyond the Hyman Unit to the “rehab gym” a couple of interlocked pavilions away (like so many hospitals, Beth Israel is a winding Frankenstein-patchwork of buildings.) The gym was full, so Mick had his biggest occupational therapy challenge to date in a fire stairwell: after a second of hesitation, he walked up ten stairs, halfway to the floor above, and back down. I was in awe.

Back in his room, he was triumphant but tired, and the pain got fierce. After extensive consultation with Andrea and Elena, the Russian floor nurse, whose pronunciation of valium is a sensual delight, meds were adjusted, and Mick took a deep half-hour power nap. A couple of hospital flacks came to observe and inform him regarding post-hospital nurse visits. Both were nonplussed by his demeanor and progress. By 5:00 the parade of visitors was over and he was ready to settle in for his last night in the hospital.

The idea is that he will be released late morning Saturday (Andrea will be coming home with him for at least the first day), but of course he awaits the orthopedic surgeon’s final word.

This dude is inspiring.