Five hours to go, hopefully.

I was a mess and needed a plan.  Five hours was an eternity.  I decided to break it down into fifteen minute chunks.  Twenty fifteen minute chunks.  I would use my stopwatch.  I didn't want to know what time it really was, I just wanted to count down each little chunk.  Then, I realized that I had twenty-five pieces of cracker on the table.  Again, I did the math, and decided that every twelve minutes, I would eat a piece of cracker, then reset my watch.  When all the cracker bits were gone, five hours would have passed.  It was the best plan that I could come up with.  I looked at my watch.  Three minutes had gone by.  Nine more minutes until I could eat some cracker.  Hopefully I could hold it down.

One hour went by.  Then two.  Things were getting worse.  I was sticking to the plan - fifteen pieces of cracker were left, but it wasn't enough.  I had to move.  I decided to add push-ups back into the equation.  I would do ten push-ups every twelve minutes and eat a piece of cracker.  Three hours passed.  I started to pace; I was out of the bed now.  Then back in, then out.  I couldn't stop moving.  I tried to drink some water.  Ten push-ups and a cracker.  Four hours passed.  Then I remembered, weren't they going to draw more blood? That would take time, too, to get the results. The thought put me over the edge.  I scooped up all the cracker bits, threw them in the sink, and rang the nurse.  'Yes?'  'I need help,' I told her.  It had worked with the police. 'I'll be right there,' she said.  And she was.  'What's the matter?' she asked.  'Look,' I said, 'Can you draw my blood to see if my level is low enough for some medication?  I can't take it.  I'm falling apart.'  I wrapped my arms around myself for emphasis.  'Well, let's see what time the last sample was drawn,' she said.  'It's been nine hours,' I said, 'I'm sure, I timed it with crackers.  Please.'  I was clearly losing it.  'OK, let me see if I can get someone from the lab up here,' said the nurse.  I crawled back onto the cot with a low moan.