Bad Idea

Another doctor story

  Shelby sat semi-catatonic in her dilapidated wheelchair. Mark, married to her for thirty years, looked at the doctor sitting comfortably in his new padded office chair, writing the prescription. Mark knew what those medications did to his wife. No longer could she keep house or make love.

 

Mark didn’t like it when she ranted and raved about his faults and lack of monetary contribution to the household, but liked her state of compliant behavior even less. She was a great cook and a spectacular lover when she wasn’t heavily sedated.

 

  “Here you go, Mr. Hayes. Keep her on these and she won’t ever give you any trouble.”

 

  “She won’t give me any pleasure, either,” he replied.

 

Mark tore up the piece of paper and threw it into the trashcan. He took out the roll of nickels from his pocket, griped it in his fist, and smashed the doctor’s jaw.

 

***

 

 

 

 Days and weeks slowly worked their way into the painful life of Shelby Hayes. Her body felt like it

 needed to stretch but when she tried to do that, she had severe cramps. Every morning she woke up with severe headaches and diarrhea took over her digestive system throughout her day.

“Where are my pills?” she asked Mark, watching him kick back in front of the television .

“I didn’t refill them. You just lay in bed all day and I got tired of living with a corpse.”

“I’m worse off without them. I can’t sleep, hold down my food or control my bowels. I’m going through withdrawals.”

“I thought you’d be able to function better without those horrible drugs. I didn't know what would happen to you if you stopped cold turkey.”

“You didn't remember what happened when I wasn’t sedated.  I tried to kill you." 

Reviews

[augustus]

My God! What a sick story about a couple of sick people! The husband ought to seek help! Vividly written and easy to read!

[Serendipity]

Funny, how could he not remember that she tried to kill him. I wonder who really was the one on drugs.

[Deborah Leah Krempa]

Well written with a great sense of humor. Thank you for sharing. Debileah

[James K. Blaylock]

I truly love your brand of humor, but that guy better get some more meds or sleep behind a locked door.

[Yvonne Heidt]

"Here you go, Mr. Hayes. Keep her on these and she won't ever give you any trouble."
"She won't give me any pleasure, either," he replied...."

Another slice of real-real life... Janyce - they are entertaining as well as telling the world about things that only someone who has been there knows it to be.

[Gaiamethod]

Ok not what I expected! The roll of nickels I thought was an over reaction and totally threw me. And the fact that the selfish husband would rather have his own pleasures than his wife's health, well!! And then to top it all off she was pathological and that is why she is on medication..... Very strange. Sounds like the husband needs therapy!!:)

[Rain]

I can identify with this piece. Loved the roll of nickels. I'm a high rater..just to let you know, but I want to read a couple more piece to make sure I'm learning your style. :) Rain..

[Jacqueline]

You come up with the most colorful characters! That line about knocking the doctor in the jar with a roll of nickels as well as the retort Shelby gave Mark at the end threw me for a loop. It has me wondering if Mark is looking for *some* kind of excitement from his wife that he'd risk her trying to 'kill' him-sounds kooky but some people are desperate for anything!

[['tatiz speis]]

Oh, that's intense. Are you going to finish it? I mean, it can't end this way. Please, don't let it end this way! But I digress. It was really good. I hope you do finish it.

[BrightEyes]

ut oh...this guy might be in trouble lol. I wondered why the doc was giving him such strong meds for his wife - and did wonder about the consequences when he didnt refill it. I'm wondering where they wound up from here! lol

laura