Laura tried holding up the paper, pointing to specific instructions. “How about this part? Are you sure?”
“Yes, yes. Very sure.”
There was no sense of shame whatsoever on the doctor’s part. She clearly didn’t understand why this would be a problem for a woman like Laura. Once the doctor had gathered all of her things, she made her way to the door and left, giving a final bright smile and wishing Ben a speedy recovery.
“I will be back in two days to check,” the doctor said happily. “Please follow instructions. They are easy. When you do first exam today, call me and let me know! I’m eager to hear how Ben is doing. I suspect he will be fine, but we mustn’t take any chances.”
When the doctor left, Laura closed the door and sighed. This was going to be a long day.
***
A few moments later she entered Ben’s bedroom. He was resting comfortably, dressed in fresh clothes, tucked under the blanket with a remote control in hand to switch channels on the old television set he was watching. It was like nothing had happened.
“Feeling better?” she asked.
Ben nodded, taking his eyes away from the television. “I’m fine. A little cold still, but I’m okay.”
She pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed. Her motherly instincts kicked in and she fussed over her son – touching his forehead and checking up on his general condition to the best of her ability.
So far, Ben looked good overall, but looking in his eyes, Laura could tell that he was still slightly disoriented, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. It seemed like nothing to worry about, since he was recovering, but Laura was a worrier.
Laura examined him even closer. “You look a lot better than before, but I’m still concerned.”
“Don’t be,” he reassured. “I’m fine, seriously.”
“There’s still a small risk of some lingering effects of hypothermia, or worse, some of your vulnerable organs could be damaged.”
His eyebrow rose. “It’s that serious? All I did was fall into ice water.”
“Yes, but you were in there for too long and it took you a while to get out. Plus, we’re in a remote area and getting medical help during the snow storm is a big problem. This is my fault.”
There was genuine remorse in Laura’s voice, a slight trembling. She had always been overprotective of her son, who was the center of her universe.
He reached out and held her hand. “Don’t blame yourself, Mom. I was the one goofing around on the ice.”
“But I was the one who wanted to come to such an isolated area, in a country we’ve never been to. I should have planned this better.”
“It’s not a big deal. Like I said, I feel fine. Plus we’ve had plenty of cool experiences here, right?
Ben always knew how to cheer her up, and Laura felt better. He was right, too; the trip wasn’t all bad. At least they got to bond, have a nice vacation, and visit places new to them but familiar to their ancestors.
“You’ll understand my protectiveness when you become a parent someday,” she managed to smile. “Until then, I’ll start preparing lunch, hot soup, of course. Then later, we’ll begin the checkups.”