Chapter 10
The next morning, after Dr Gerber met with the Danish doctor and nurse, and happily handed the case over, Dr Gerber, with several of the hospital staff, bid Max farewell and they were escorted from the ward out the hospital into a waiting ambulance, under guard and transported directly to the airport.
There the medics under supervision of the Danish Doctor and nurse, had Max installed into the plane's main bedroom and the medic's departed. While the Danish Doctor sat and read through the file and made notes, the new nurse triple checked Max and noted on her chart his obs.
Shortly afterwards, they heard a few cars pull up to the plane, and then a sound of running feet in the plane. Ashley was directed to the room where her Daddy was lying on the bed.
Entering the rear bedroom, she stalled for a bit at the sight of him and a nurse hovering, and warily looked at her Dad, scared to come nearer. Carolyn entered the room after her and smiled as she stood behind Ashley. The nurse hurriedly curtsied, then departed quietly while Carolyn guided Ashley to the bed, and they both sat. Carolyn kissed him on the lips in greeting, and as the nurse was now gone, Ashley climbed towards her dad. At their guidance, snuggled to his right side and she signed. 'What is wrong with Daddy?' (which Max translated for Carolyn's benefit), and Carolyn chose to answer.
"You know your Daddy was in hospital, right?" Ashley nodded.
"Your Daddy is still healing and will be a long time before he can run around with you."
"Poppet, I have four very sore 'eina's' and the doctor says I am not allowed to walk or sit for a few weeks. You can sit on my right side and hold my right hand, and hug. But be careful of my left arm, left hip and my lower back. But I will remind you each time. I am getting better, and soon I will be able to hold you with both arms. And we can go swimming, walking and having fun. Come, give me a kiss please. I missed your special kisses."
Ashley carefully moved and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. Then she rested her head on his shoulder while cuddling into his right side. One handedly, she signed: 'I missed you Daddy' and he felt a few tears drip onto his shoulder.
"I missed you too. I really did. But I knew Mommy and Jesus were watching over you while I was in the hospital. I knew you were also safe with Granny Lauren and Nana Joyce. I wanted to come home sooner, but I couldn't."
'Daddy. Tell me what is really wrong with you. Please?' Ashley pleaded after sitting up and looking directly at him.
Max looked at Carolyn, took a deep breath, then slowly carefully explained as simply as possible, his injuries. After a bit he had Carolyn reveal his left arm, his stomach and hip. He told her he couldn't turn over to show his back yet as he is not allowed to move. Ashley, wide-eyed, declared she was going to be his nurse and help him heal. To which both Max and Carolyn laughed and hugged her together.
"Ashley" Carolyn said "we will both look after Daddy and with the help of the Nurse and Doctor. We will all make sure your Daddy heals faster. But now we have to prepare for take off. So you need to come with me and sit in the chair with your seatbelt on. After we are in the sky, we can come back and talk a bit more with Daddy. Ok?"
Ashley looked at her dad, who nodded his agreement. She turned towards Carolyn and readily climbed into her arms. After sending an air kiss, Carolyn whisked Ashley into the main cabin of the plane and seated her next to her, in the double seater that had some of her teddies waiting for her. Across from her Ashley saw Nana Joyce was sitting already buckled up, and excitedly signed to her. Joyce laughed and informed Carolyn that Ashley was telling her they were going to fly into the sky.
'Are we going to be closer to Jesus, now that we're going to fly in the sky?' asked Ashley to Carolyn (translated by the Nanny who sat across the aisle, as Joyce struggled to translate it properly).
Joyce nodded to the Nanny in thanks and Carolyn replied. "While God and Jesus live in Heaven with your mommy, heaven is very, very, very far away. So no, we would not be closer to them. But they are always with us, like Angels. And we remember them in our minds and hearts."
Joyce smiled at this and agreed too.
'But would my mommy, my real mommy, who is in Heaven, be upset that I want you to be my new mommy?'
"Cookie, while your mommy will always be your mommy. And I know Jesus made sure your Daddy and I met, so I could become your second mommy, your birth mommy would never be upset. She knows I love you so much, as I love your Daddy. So why don't you rather call me Mor or Mama. Mor in my Danish language and means Mommy. But Mama is Mama in both English and Danish."
'I like that, but what is the sign for ..' and she looked at Granny Joyce for help.
The Nanny silently looked at Carolyn and when invited, she showed the Danish sign for 'Mor'.
Carolyn then signed the same back to Ashley and Carolyn then explained that her real mommy will be – and she signed the traditional ASL sign for mother - and explained her name can be – and she signed the Danish version of mother.
Ashley thought for a bit and shook her head and signed.
'No. You are mother' she said, using the ASL sign. 'And my mommy in heaven will be this sign,' she signed the South African version of mother with an extra bit added afterwards, signifying she is in heaven by pointing her hand up into the air with her index finger pointed to the sky.
Tearing up, Carolyn leaned over and hugged her, and Ashley grinned as she hugged Carolyn.
Then Ashley realised the plane was moving faster and faster. In awe. Ashley looked out the window and saw the ground fall away and the houses with its streets grew smaller. Shortly, they crossed over the beach and were now over the water.
After a bit, the plane banked to the right to turn, and higher they went till they flew into some clouds and popped out the other side.
Ashley excitedly stared out the window, not wanting to miss anything, signing:
'Look, cotton! They look like cotton.' (translated by the Nanny with a giggle)
Carolyn explained they were clouds and we were flying above them.
'Can we tell Daddy?' she asked, and as Carolyn was about to enquire when the seat belt sign 'binged' off.
So, Carolyn pointed to the seatbelt light and told her. "Yes. Now we can. See the sealbelt light is off. If the seatbelt light is on, you have to put your belt back on. Let me check with the nurse and see if we can go back there."
Carolyn unbuckled both their belts and left Ashley, who was now climbing onto the seat to get a better look out of the window. Carolyn went towards the doctor, who was sitting in the first row of seats, just outside of the room, to check if they could go in.
The nurse was just exiting the room and quickly curtsied to Carolyn, then gestured she was allowed to enter. Peeking in, Carolyn asked. "A certain young lady would love to come tell her Daddy about the clouds."
"About time my girls want to come see me, hurry up," he joked with a laugh.
Five seconds later, Ashley and Carolyn came into the room. Ashley climbed onto the double bed, carefully going around him with Carolyn assisting her, so she could get to the window, where she sat and started to describe the clouds and view.
Smiling, Max 'listened' intently and corrected her where needed. Then Ashley signed 'mother' to Carolyn, and asked her if she would take her to the toilet.
Carolyn was shocked at the request, after Max translated. Carolyn picked her up and took her to the bathroom adjoined to the bedroom.
After a bit they returned, and Ashley asked if she could draw in her book.
"Why don't you go get your crayons and books and come sit with me on the bed."
And off she went, taking a bit of a wide bend around the Doctor and nurse - who were both sitting in their seats, smiling at her as she passed and she headed to Granny Joyce, who redirected her to Selene, who had her stuff.
The nanny invited Ashley to come sit with her and Granny, and draw some pictures. Which surprisingly, she readily did. She made herself comfortable on the aisle seat with Granny on her left and the Nanny on the right across the aisle.
When Max realised she was not coming back, he invited Carolyn to come snuggle with him on the bed.
"Ah, how I have longed to hold you. Now I am not letting go." And he kissed her forehead.
She semi sat up and smiled at him, "you will, if you want to eat and all allow me to eat too!". Then she bent forward and kissed him on the lips. Only to deepen the kiss, but pulling away when they heard the door closed.
Blushing, she snuggled her head into his shoulder and lay there, enjoying the time with him. After a while she noticed his breathing slowed and deepened, and guessed he fell asleep.
She carefully tried to move without waking him, to dig her phone out and send a message to Selene, then turned the phone on silent in case it rang and woke him. Then she closed her eyes and drifted off.
Ashley, totally unaware the two-love birds were sleeping. Granny Joyce and Nanny, after receiving a quiet word from Selene, played with Ashley, had some lunch, and after a bit of encouragement, took a nap in the seat which angled backwards into a mini bed.
Granny Joyce too chose to take a nap too and was promised by the nanny, who was also Joyce by name, would watch over Ashley.
Selene continued to work on her laptop and soon heard the Doctor choose to also have a snooze. Selene smiled and told the nurse to also take the opportunity to catch up on some sleep, as she would be on night duty with the patient. Soon, everyone was asleep except for Philip who was reading on his phone, and Selene during necessary work, messaging with various staff back in Denmark.