Stormy Weather – Part 1

 

The first summer after Wheels stopped walking, and then became silent, was an active tornado season.   . . . . . .

Justin and Charlene discussed what to do if the tornado siren went off.  Their homes always had a basement and that was where one went when tornado sirens sounded.   It was easy to figure out how to get Wheels down safely.  What they did not consider was exactly  how to get him back up.  The process did not reverse well.

Sirens sounded one dark afternoon just as the high winds struck, strong enough to bow the expanse of glass in the living room.  With the sound of heavy rain pounding on the roof, Justin and Charlene sprang into action.  Following the plan laid out earlier, Justin transferred Wheels to the hospital bed and  stood on one side with Charlene on the other.  At Justin’s command they moved the mattress and Wheels to the floor, sliding them together off the end of the bed, feet first.  Justin grabbed the fitted sheet and used it to pull the mattress, with Wheels on top, like a sled.

It went smoothly across the carpet and he began the turn into the tiled hallway.  The mattress sled just fit between the hall table and the stair rail.  A quick short turn aligned Wheels and the mattress to the top of the curved staircase.     Justin held the mattress against his hips and controlled the descent with his tall frame and corresponding weight.  It took a little maneuvering to get around the curve, but everything went according to plan.

When the mattress was on the lower level floor, Justin picked Wheels up and set him in a chair.  All of us spent the evening watching the weather reports on the tv.  Wheels had not been down there for quite a while and seemed to enjoy the change of scenery.   The storm quieted and passed on.  It was past bedtime and time to move back upstairs.

Charlene had realized as the evening progressed that a plan was needed to go back upstairs.  Her idea was for her to pull on the upward edge of the mattress and Justin lift the other end of the mattress enough to keep Wheels level as  all three mounted the steps.  When they reached the upper level, Justin could  shove the mattress until it was entirely on the floor.  Then they could just sled back to the waiting bed frame.  Justin’s idea was to give Wheels a piggy back ride up the stairs to the bedroom where Wheels slept.

There were a few things wrong with both plans.

First of all, Wheels was content in his chair.  He objected to being moved.  Persuasion failed.   Justin and Charlene had time to reconsider their ideas.  Justin quickly vetoed the reverse mattress idea, saying the mattress was “too floppy”.  A mattress “taco” was considered but there were no handles on the mattress.  Using the wheelchair would make Justin bend so far down to pull that he could not maintain his balance and Charlene knew she couldn’t hold the wheelchair in place by herself no matter where she was on the stairs. We disagreed.  Loudly.

By this time,  Wheel’s eyes were getting big!  He could not speak, but he could understand.

Justin knelt in front of his dad, with his back to Wheels.  Wrap your arms around my shoulders and I’ll give you a piggyback ride up the stairs, he said.  A suggestion born of desperation.    Wheels objected with a fist to the only place he could reach.  Justin remembers a white light and a headache.  And Charlene yelling, what is wrong with you two????  At this point, it was really late and everyone was more than frustrated.

Justin, still kneeling on the floor, turned sideways to his dad and pulled Wheel’s knees toward him.  Wheels leaned forward and braced against Justin’s upper back, holding him down. He was not willing to move from the chair because he was afraid for his own safety.   Justin took Wheel’s hands in his and put his other arm behind Wheel’s legs.  They smoothly stood up in a classic fireman’s carry and right up the stairs to the bedroom.  Everyone gave a sigh of relief.  And, later,  in the quiet, the cat came out of his hiding place.

Stay tuned for lessons learned!  You probably see them already . . . .