Down by the River by Robyn Carr Page A

have sent up the alarm, Nancy. You need help around here.”
    “June, don’t be naive,” Nancy said sullenly.
    “What do you mean?”
    Nancy ignored her question and said, “Come in, June. If you’re patient, I’ll put the coffeepot on right after I finish Brent’s range of motion exercises. I can’t really stop in the middle—it’s so painful for him we have to get it over with. Then maybe I can visit for a minute or two.”
    “Forget about it, I’m watching the caffeine for the time being. And I’m miserable about it, too. Goahead with Brent. I’ll put this casserole on the stove for you.”
    When she got to the kitchen she could see that it was even worse up close. The sink wasn’t attached to the wall, there were no shelves in the pantry, and what few kitchen items there were had been stacked on orange crates on the floor. Groceries were either in the ancient refrigerator or still in bags. “Nancy, what do you do without a working kitchen sink?” June asked.
    “Ma! It’s time for my pain pill!” Brad yelled while Brent, whose leg was being stretched and pulled by his mother, gritted his teeth and moaned loudly. He gripped the bed rails and struggled to keep back tears.
    “Bathtub,” Nancy yelled back. “I know, honey, I know. First Brent, then I’ll get it. Just give me a couple of minutes.”
    June went to Brad’s bedside. “What do you get, Brad?”
    “Percocet,” he answered. “It’s right back there on the card table.”
    June looked at the prescription bottle, shook out a pill, poured him a glass of water from the pitcher and dosed him. Then she helped herself to some lotion from the card table laden with everything from medication to linens. “Roll on your side,” she told Brad. “I’ll work on your shoulders a little bit.”
    His leg was in traction and maneuvering was a problem, but he managed enough so that June couldpull up his T-shirt and massage his shoulders. Now his moans of pleasure mingled uncomfortably with Brent’s cries of pain. “Hang in there, Brent. When you’re through with the hard part, I’ll give you a little rubdown.”
    “Can I have another pain pill?” he asked, his voice tremulous.
    “You had one before we started,” his mother said.
    “But she’s here! She’s a doctor!”
    While June massaged Brad’s back, she took note of some pressure spots on his skin from bedrest, spots that could turn into dangerous bedsores overnight. She answered Brent, “It isn’t a good idea to have more than one doctor writing you prescriptions. Just hang in there, the pain medication will kick in soon. I know orthopedic pain is the worst. Nancy? Is your visiting nurse massaging these boys? Looking them over for pressure spots and bedsores?”
    “She only comes three times a week. We all look them over and massage them. She mentioned the other day that we could use some sheepskin, but there hasn’t been time to—”
    The front door opened and Chris came in, the look on his face one of terror. “June? Is everything all right?”
    “Fine,” she said. “I’m just visiting.”
    He grabbed his chest. “Thank God. I had my cell phone and Nancy didn’t call, but when I saw your truck…”
    “I seem to have that effect on a lot of people,”June said. “I dropped off a casserole and cake your mom made for your dinner…and I thought I’d make myself useful.”
    “Thanks,” he said. “Where’s Mom?”
    “I told her she had to take the night off, Chris. She had a spell this afternoon. Nothing too serious, I hope, but her heart was racing and she was flushed. I think it’s the stress.”
    “There’s plenty of that to go around.”
    “You should know she wanted to come out here, anyway, but I insisted—”
    “Well, if she’s okay, we need her,” he said.
    “She needs a night off,” June said firmly. “Doctor’s orders. Until I look at some blood work and we can be sure she’s fine.”
    “Chris, are you going to get that sink hooked up and running