Page 61 of Tacos & Toboggans
“I can’t divulge patient information.”
Dawson shook his head. “Fine, I’ll tell them, then. When someone we know got down to business, he discovered that Alan had…” he paused as though trying to remember the word.
“Osteopenia,” I supplied, and he pointed at me.
“That, which means his bones are weak, right?”
“Osteoporosis means weak bones or low bone density,” I agreed.
“Right, so that’s why Alan’s hip broke. However, the good news is that the doctor we won’t name was able to pin it, as it wasn’t as badly fractured as originally thought. Then the same said doctor spent half the night finding a pharmacy that had the medication to heal the bone fracture and improve his bone density at the same time.”
“It wasn’t half the night,” I said with a chuckle.
“Anyway, to your original question, Alan is no stranger to rehab, so he’s happy to go there in a few days and get to work so he can be home by Christmas.” He turned to me. “Do you think someone in his position could do that?”
“From the sounds of it, I’d say yes,” I said with a shrug. “The holidays are always a motivating factor for people, so I think he will likely make that goal easily since it’s over four weeks away.”
“Speaking of the holidays, maybe that’s one way to help,” Gabe said. “We could get him to the tree lighting.”
“No,” I said without thinking, then grimaced as I tried to backpedal. “Uh, if I were his surgeon, I would not sign off on that. It’s less than a week away.”
“Even if we got him there and back in a wheelchair?” Gabe asked, but I shook my head.
“It would still involve a lot of transfers, and an accidental fall would be catastrophic. Not to mention, riding in a car always poses risks.”
“They take everyone to the rehab floor to see the tree light up anyway. At least everyone who can go,” Mason said.
“True, but you can’t hear any of it,” Gabe said.
“You don’t livestream it?” I asked, setting my cup down as the room went silent. I glanced up at blank faces.
Mason turned in his chair. “Shep!”
The man who had been helping his wife with a few final decorations headed our way. “Did you need something?”
“Major just asked why we don’t livestream the tree lighting, and I can’t believe we haven’t thought of that,” Gabe said.
“I’ve thought of it, but I don’t have the equipment or the people to do it. I’m only one person, and my job is under the gazebo.”
“But do you know who has the equipment and the people to do it?” Dawson asked.
“The school!” Cameron exclaimed.
“The kids who run the livestreams for the sports have it down pat,” Dawson said. “They’re the ones who helped us with the vlogs we did for the bicentennial event. There are a few seniors left, but they trained the freshmen, so everyone knows what to do. It wouldn’t be hard to set it up without it coming off as commercialized.”
“Won’t that cut down on attendance, though?” Shep asked, leaning against the table. “If people can watch it at home, will they just stay home?”
It was Ellis who snorted sarcastically this time. “Did you just ask that, Shep?” His words were filled with incredulous indignation. “And miss the arrival of Moi?”
The table burst out laughing as he ran his hands down his body like a model.
“What was I thinking?” Shep asked, still giggling.
“To answer the question, I don’t think it would impact attendance enough to be noticeable,” Dawson said. “However, I could see where people who can’t go to the park because of little ones, disabilities, or age would enjoy being able to watch it. The hospitals in the area could also inform people about the channel it will be on if they’d like to watch. Bells Pass Hospital can take everyone to the rehab floor to watch the tree light up, but also play the livestream so they can hear the carols and the speeches.”
“There are several of my madrigals who have parents who are deployed, and some with grandparents in other states. I’m sure their families would love to watch it as well,” Gabe pointed out.
“The troops!” Dawson and I said in unison, making everyone laugh again.
