HUNTERRRRR PART DOS

So today I went and visited my bestest buddy, Hunter!

AND HE WAS SMILING.

I mean, he /did/ smile, when he wasn't being forced to drink this "It'll make your insides glow!" drink.

He was sitting up in his chair when we walked in, and I sat on the edge of his bed while I talked to him. He was drinking this mix of water, crystal light, and gastrografin. The last thing is some kind of chemical that will make his insides glow so they can see the CT scan easier. It apparently tasted absolutely horrendous, because he was having real trouble choking it down. I felt really bad for him. And he had TWO of these styrofoam cups to drink. *shudder*

Anyway, I showed him the video that the children had made. Well, I took it. It's all the children's church kids saying, "We miss you, Hunter! Get well soon!" And then they wave and act cute and stuff. He smiled really big when he saw that :)

Then I showed him all the pictures I've taken this week, and then he took my phone for about ten minutes and looked at his Instagram and his Facebook and stuff. He still doesn't have a phone, because the insurance company wants $200 to replace the phone. (It's a $200 deductible for an $80 phone. He paid $80 for his SIII a few months ago, and now they want $200 to replace what is, on the market, essentially an outdated model. It's insane.) So his parents are trying to figure out what to do.

The nurse came in and changed his Wound-Vac bag. It looked like KoolAid, because it was clear liquid (I'm assuming it was pus) that was tinted red (with his blood). He said it's mega-uncomfortable.

But he had no tubes except his nutrition IV in his arm (no stomach drain, no oxygen tube, no heartbeat monitors!).

The nurses admitted that they sent him home way too early. I mean, if Hunter's parents hadn't brought him back on Monday, he would most likely have been dead by Wednesday or Thursday. The starting infection, the abscess, the blockage... It's extremely lucky that he's still alive. (But I mean, this kid's unkillable. This car crash, his concussion earlier this year [blood errawhere], car crash last year... He's lucky he's never broken a bone!) This time, he's not going home until he can manage ON HIS OWN. That means he can walk, go to the bathroom by himself, and eat by himself. He will fight to stay in longer if that's what it takes, and so will his father. (His father is really scary. I'm scared of him.)

But he really looks so much better:

This is him staring down the second "Cup o' Doom." He finished the first one, stuck the straw in the second one, and glared. It was just so Hunter-y that I couldn't help but smile.

And HUNTER SMILED. HE SMILED A LOT. It was just so perfect :) I'm so very, very happy. He looks so much better than the last time I saw him. (And I now realize that the last time I saw him, he was DYING. His bodily functions were slowly shutting down and infection was spreading through his intestines. And that is really scary to think about.)

He told me that he's finally stopped having nightmares about the crash.

He's going to be so messed up. But the fact that he was smiling today (AND HE DIDN'T WINCE ONCE) means that he must be doing much better.

I've missed him <3

***

Marina's been moved to the rehab center in the hospital, and she posted a picture today from the last day she remembers. She doesn't remember how she got to the hospital, and she's a bit forgetful. But they told her that Jake died, and she got together the pictures. She said "We had a fun night. Rest in peace Jake! We all loved you"