blanket

The other day a friend of mine was in the hospital having a colonoscopy/polyp removal procedure. Now it all sounded pretty crappy so I decided I would go to the hospital as well to offer moral support even though I really have no morals. Truthfully I was just hoping to score some of that hospital jello! My friend has a family history of cancer and these visits in particular are somewhat more taxing for her. So what better than to have me there, a klutz, that will hopefully not trip over her IV or unplug anything important? Forget about having white-coat syndrome, just make sure Char doesn't doodle on the medical chart or press any shiny buttons. In my defense I really did think that chain hanging in the bathroom was a way to flush the toilet -irregardless if it had the words Emergency Only on it. Hey, I've seen what goes in a commode and believe me sometimes it could constitute an emergency. In all seriousness, I was there because at one point in my life this particular friend was an extremely important part of my life. She was like a big brother to me and we were inseparable. Unfortunately last year we had a misunderstanding which caused a falling out of sorts between us. I've been told that I have a way with words, but it was my words in this instance that helped fuel the flame of indifference between us. Things are now somewhat awkward and even tense between us, but not only do I believe in forgiveness, I believe in owning up to being an idiot. And even though we both played a role in the rift, I wasn't going to let heavy air and unsaid apologies outweigh my being there for her procedure.
My friend was scheduled to be there at 7:45am and I'm not sure who had the worst end of that deal- her for having to be violated that early in the morning, or the doctor for having that be his early morning view. I know we've all worked with assholes, but this is... Anyway I'm certain that someone with an ist in their name realized that hospitals must be the exact temperature as Siberia in January due to some scientific reason for killing germs and all. However, why then do I usually get sick after visiting a hospital? But I'm not a scientist so anyway it was cold in there. My friend made it through her procedure just fine and while waiting for her discharge instructions, she looked over at my frozen self and then proceeded to take off her blanket and throw it at me. Now my rear-end has always been an "exit-only" portal (but I don't judge those that can find pleasure in that orifice) so I can't even begin to imagine the discomfort she was in and then couple that with her only having a hospital gown on in sub-zero temps. She just looked at me and said "take my blanket." I was dumbfounded. Here I am, we barely even talk anymore and you are giving me your blanket! Mark your calendars because I was speechless - which would've helped a year ago. I could not fathom why she would do this for me, clearly the morphine had not worn off. But no, she was lucid and there I sat with what felt like more than just a blanket around me- it felt a lot like love, and maybe even forgiveness.