Home Chapter 17

Jim
      Jim finally made the decision he could no longer abide Des having to support both of them being in poor health herself from sheer exhaustion and a recurrence of the arthritis that afflicted her spine and hips. Leaving in the only way possible now, he crawled down the path, past the old tent and seeing the snag that had dumped him into the flood water so many months ago. Over the big log, through the brush and out to the service road. A light rain began falling and he was thankful he had wrapped his personal effects in layers of plastic sheeting. He was short of breath and his chest was hurting as he crawled a few feet, stopped to get his breath and resumed crawling a few more feet. He finally reached the last obstacle before the open field, a 12 foot wide mud covered construction road. slogging through was the only way over. He finally reached the open field in sight of a strip center and by shouting and waving from his knees was able to attract one of the workers who had met and recognized him and called 911 for an ambulance. He was loaded and taken to the emergency ward of a nearby hospital. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, a flare up of his copd, exhaustion and dehydration. He was admitted and spent over three weeks fighting to regain control. He was transferred to a rehab center where he spent three weeks gaining strength and learning to use his new wheelchair. Then he found a personal care home, moved there and lived in a room up to now.

    Destiny
      She had gained so much self-confidence and self-reliance over  these months as well as freedom that now she opted to refuse going to some shelter or home but stay in the woods in a smaller tent across the highway. A social worker helped her get her Social Security Disability, Medicare and Medicaid reinstated now that we no longer lived together. She and Jim kept track of each other through their son now working his way through college in another city. Once they settled they began talking regularly over the phone. Her mother passed away this year and she moved out of her tent and into the place her mother had occupied. They talk every day, see each other as often as possible and will always occupy a special place in each others heart.