Joey, chapter 19
I woke the next morning, and went straight downstairs and made Stef some breakfast. She was going to eat it whether she liked it or not. I put some toast and some cereal and orange juice on a tray and carried it upstairs for her. I gently shook her awake. She yawned and stretched.
"Good morning" I said, giving her a kiss.
"M-m-morning" she said stifling another yawn.
"I brought you some breakfast, it's about time you ate." I said to her.
"Fine, I will if I really must" she sighed. She sat up and I put the tray on her knee.
She took a slice of toast and started carefully chewing it and swallowing it down hard. She ate half her toast and then moved on to some cereal.
After she was done, she didn't eat all but she did eat some, and that's all I wanted. I went down to the kitchen and put the tray away and put the dishes in the dishwasher. When I got back upstairs, Stef ran past me to the bathroom, and started puking violently. I went in and sat beside her, rubbing her back.
"I'm taking you to the doctor Stef." I said as she finished, she nodded, her whole body shaking lightly. I hugged her for a while and gave her a kiss on the forehead as we went back to our room.
***
I took her to the doctors the following day. She had tried to eat again but she just kept puking.
We sat in the waiting room until Dr. Thomas called us in.
"Hello Miss White. What is the problem?" He asked, as he sat down in his chair behind his computer.
"Everytime I eat, I just throw it back up. I haven't been eating for a few weeks because the thought of food makes me feel sick" She explained.
"Right now I know what the problem is and with support you can pull through it eventually. I am diagnosing you with bulimia" Dr. Thomas said.
"Now I will give you this booklet on bulimia and if you still cannot keep food down in a few weeks I will have to refer you to a specialist at the hospital" He said handing Stef a booklet.
"Thanks doctor" I said as we left.
I took the booklet off Stef and read through it
Bulimia Nervosa, an eating disorder where people (usually females) engage in activities such as self-induced vomiting, compulsive exercise or laxative/diuretic abuse after a "binge" (consuming excessive amounts of food at one time)
Health risks include
electrolyte imbalances
tearing of the esophogus
internal bleeding
malnutrition
vitamin deficiency
hair loss
lowered body tempature
This is pretty serious. I thought to myself. I need to try my best to help her pull through it.
"If we just try bits and a time, I'm sure you'll get back to normal" I said as she took the booklet off me and read it herself.
"I can't believe" she said shaking and holding onto me, tears splashing on to the floor.
"It's okay Stef. I am here for you. We'll get through this together." I said, as we waited for the bus.
"Joey, I don't deserve you" she said.
"Don't talk like that, of course you deserve me" I said wiping the tears off her face. The bus pulled up and opened the doors and we sepped on. I paid out fare's and we sat down.
***
Later that night, I sat with Stef as she attempted a very small consumption of rice. Something plain and simple was best to start with. She kept it down for a while but was soon forcing it back up her throat.
"I can't do it " she said, wiping her mouth on a towel and throwing it aside.
"You can just keep trying" I said.
"I will but I may as well go and see a specialist now." she sighed
"Well would you like to ring the doctor and ask him to send you to the specialist tonight?" I asked. She nodded and we headed downstairs to the phone.
She dialed the number and spoke to Dr. Thomas.
"Hello? Doctor Thomas?" she asked.
"Yes, speaking"
"Would it be possible to refer me to the specialist tonight?" she asked.
"Yes it would but, it would mean spending a while in hospital" he replied. She looked at me and I nodded. Anything to make her better.
"Yeah that will be fine" she replied.
"Okay well I will call the hospital and you get your belongings and make your way down there, they will be expecting you then" answered the doctor
"Okay, thanks bye" Stef said hanging up the phone.
"Come on we'll get your things and my dad can drive us down" I said taking her hand and pulling her upstairs.
***
We got down to the hospital and we were took straight to Stef's room for the next couple of weeks.
"Mr Armstrong, you may stay for tonight but from tomorrow, it is regular visiting hours for you" the nurse told me.
"Okay, thanks" I said as she left.
"Well I'll go and I will pick you up tomorrow morning Joey okay?" Said my dad.
"Yeah, thanks dad." I said.
"Goodnight Stef, goodnight Joey" He said and he closed the door.
"It will be alright Stef, I promise" I said holding her hand
"We can only hope" She said squeezing my hand lightly.
"Get some sleep, goodnight" I said giving her a kiss and then sitting in the chair next to her bed.
I was slowly falling asleep, although rather uncomfortably when Stef, called my name.
"Joey" she whispered through the darkness.
"Yeah?" I asked sleepily.
"Come here" she said moving aside so there was room for me in the bed.
"Goodnight" she said giving me another kiss as I snaked my arms around her waist and fell asleep.
***
Over the next few weeks, Stef had slowly started to recover. Not having her beside me every night killed me but as long as she got well again I didn't give a shit. She had been having food fed to her through a tube to help gain some of the weight she had rapidly lost and to also, get her body used to food again. The specialist had said that she would most likely be able to come home in a few days, which was brilliant. I couldn't wait to see her again, properly, we couldn't exactly do much in her hospital room. I had been thinking a lot about us and I knew that was The one. The one I was going to spend the rest of my life with. The one who I would marry. The one who I would buy my first house with. The one I would have my first child with. Well, the one I nearly had my first child with. The one.
"Good morning" I said, giving her a kiss.
"M-m-morning" she said stifling another yawn.
"I brought you some breakfast, it's about time you ate." I said to her.
"Fine, I will if I really must" she sighed. She sat up and I put the tray on her knee.
She took a slice of toast and started carefully chewing it and swallowing it down hard. She ate half her toast and then moved on to some cereal.
After she was done, she didn't eat all but she did eat some, and that's all I wanted. I went down to the kitchen and put the tray away and put the dishes in the dishwasher. When I got back upstairs, Stef ran past me to the bathroom, and started puking violently. I went in and sat beside her, rubbing her back.
"I'm taking you to the doctor Stef." I said as she finished, she nodded, her whole body shaking lightly. I hugged her for a while and gave her a kiss on the forehead as we went back to our room.
***
I took her to the doctors the following day. She had tried to eat again but she just kept puking.
We sat in the waiting room until Dr. Thomas called us in.
"Hello Miss White. What is the problem?" He asked, as he sat down in his chair behind his computer.
"Everytime I eat, I just throw it back up. I haven't been eating for a few weeks because the thought of food makes me feel sick" She explained.
"Right now I know what the problem is and with support you can pull through it eventually. I am diagnosing you with bulimia" Dr. Thomas said.
"Now I will give you this booklet on bulimia and if you still cannot keep food down in a few weeks I will have to refer you to a specialist at the hospital" He said handing Stef a booklet.
"Thanks doctor" I said as we left.
I took the booklet off Stef and read through it
Bulimia Nervosa, an eating disorder where people (usually females) engage in activities such as self-induced vomiting, compulsive exercise or laxative/diuretic abuse after a "binge" (consuming excessive amounts of food at one time)
Health risks include
electrolyte imbalances
tearing of the esophogus
internal bleeding
malnutrition
vitamin deficiency
hair loss
lowered body tempature
This is pretty serious. I thought to myself. I need to try my best to help her pull through it.
"If we just try bits and a time, I'm sure you'll get back to normal" I said as she took the booklet off me and read it herself.
"I can't believe" she said shaking and holding onto me, tears splashing on to the floor.
"It's okay Stef. I am here for you. We'll get through this together." I said, as we waited for the bus.
"Joey, I don't deserve you" she said.
"Don't talk like that, of course you deserve me" I said wiping the tears off her face. The bus pulled up and opened the doors and we sepped on. I paid out fare's and we sat down.
***
Later that night, I sat with Stef as she attempted a very small consumption of rice. Something plain and simple was best to start with. She kept it down for a while but was soon forcing it back up her throat.
"I can't do it " she said, wiping her mouth on a towel and throwing it aside.
"You can just keep trying" I said.
"I will but I may as well go and see a specialist now." she sighed
"Well would you like to ring the doctor and ask him to send you to the specialist tonight?" I asked. She nodded and we headed downstairs to the phone.
She dialed the number and spoke to Dr. Thomas.
"Hello? Doctor Thomas?" she asked.
"Yes, speaking"
"Would it be possible to refer me to the specialist tonight?" she asked.
"Yes it would but, it would mean spending a while in hospital" he replied. She looked at me and I nodded. Anything to make her better.
"Yeah that will be fine" she replied.
"Okay well I will call the hospital and you get your belongings and make your way down there, they will be expecting you then" answered the doctor
"Okay, thanks bye" Stef said hanging up the phone.
"Come on we'll get your things and my dad can drive us down" I said taking her hand and pulling her upstairs.
***
We got down to the hospital and we were took straight to Stef's room for the next couple of weeks.
"Mr Armstrong, you may stay for tonight but from tomorrow, it is regular visiting hours for you" the nurse told me.
"Okay, thanks" I said as she left.
"Well I'll go and I will pick you up tomorrow morning Joey okay?" Said my dad.
"Yeah, thanks dad." I said.
"Goodnight Stef, goodnight Joey" He said and he closed the door.
"It will be alright Stef, I promise" I said holding her hand
"We can only hope" She said squeezing my hand lightly.
"Get some sleep, goodnight" I said giving her a kiss and then sitting in the chair next to her bed.
I was slowly falling asleep, although rather uncomfortably when Stef, called my name.
"Joey" she whispered through the darkness.
"Yeah?" I asked sleepily.
"Come here" she said moving aside so there was room for me in the bed.
"Goodnight" she said giving me another kiss as I snaked my arms around her waist and fell asleep.
***
Over the next few weeks, Stef had slowly started to recover. Not having her beside me every night killed me but as long as she got well again I didn't give a shit. She had been having food fed to her through a tube to help gain some of the weight she had rapidly lost and to also, get her body used to food again. The specialist had said that she would most likely be able to come home in a few days, which was brilliant. I couldn't wait to see her again, properly, we couldn't exactly do much in her hospital room. I had been thinking a lot about us and I knew that was The one. The one I was going to spend the rest of my life with. The one who I would marry. The one who I would buy my first house with. The one I would have my first child with. Well, the one I nearly had my first child with. The one.
