16. Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SAMMI
“L et’s get this continuous glucose monitor on and hook it up to your phone so you can keep track of your blood sugars,” Daddy said. “Do you want to put it on your arm or thigh?”
“Arm?” It sounded more like a question than an answer.
Sammi was still surprised that she had fallen asleep last night. She was certain she would be tossing and turning like normal, but she hadn’t. Maybe it was knowing that Daddy was there in case something happened. Or maybe it was from the head scratches he gave her. Those were divine.
“From everything I read, we’re going to clean the part of your skin where we’re going to attach it, let it dry for a couple of seconds, and then place the applicator there and press down. I read online that you may feel a little pinch where it sticks you but that it’s not too bad,” Daddy explained. “Also from what I’ve read online, this patch will last for seven to fourteen days.”
“How will I know when it dies?” Sammi asked, already feeling like she was underwater.
This was so much to take in, and she didn’t know how much she needed to fully comprehend. Was she ever going to understand everything she needed to in order to live? The little she had looked up since her diagnosis made her want to cry and give up. There were so many things to remember.
“It will alert you when it’s getting low,” Daddy said. “I also read that it’s not fully accurate on the first or last day. So, we’ll need to watch carefully on those days to make sure you’re okay.”
“How am I going to do this?” Sammi whispered to herself.
Daddy cupped her face and gently ran his thumb over her cheek, trying to comfort her.
“We’re going to get through this together. I wasn’t lying when I said I would be there to help you with everything. I mean it. I want you to know that. It’s a lot of information to take in, especially since you’re the one with diabetes, so you’re going to rely on Daddy heavily right now to help you.” He kissed her forehead. “I don’t know everything, but I’ve been doing some research. We’re going to get through this together. Slowly, you are going to recognize what to do, but you need to give yourself grace.”
Tears pooled in her eyes at his words. He was just solidifying that he really was going to stay by her side through everything.
“When can I go back to work?” she asked, filling in the silence.
Work probably shouldn’t be on her mind, but she couldn’t help it. She needed to earn money for brother’s the debt. How was she supposed to do that when she was stuck at home?
“Let’s not worry about that right now. First, we need to get a handle on this, but I’m not going to fire you, understand?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good. Now let’s get this CGM on and hook it up to your phone.” Daddy took his hands off her face.
Sammi pulled up her shirt, freeing her right arm for him to clean and put the device on.
“How much do I owe you for all of this?” she asked.
Right before she had stopped looking at things this morning, she looked up the cost of everything. Some insurances covered things like this, but some didn’t. If her insurance didn’t, it was going to get costly. Sammi was hoping that her insurance did because she didn’t know if she would be able to afford it on top of the debt.
She really needed to talk to her brother about how much he still owed. Were they almost done, or did they still have a lot left? They hadn’t talked in a while about it to know if he had repaid any of it.
“Insurance took care of it. Covered it in full,” Daddy responded.
Sammi breathed out a sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about. Hearing that she had coverage was music to her ears. Even if he said it was mostly under her insurance, she would have to figure out a way to pay the rest. She couldn’t go without it, which meant if she had to pay for it, she would just give less money to her brother. Not something she wanted to do but she wasn’t any good to him dead.
“I looked into it while waiting at the pharmacy. If they make you pay anything, direct them to me or call me, and we’ll figure it out. Understand?” Daddy asked.
She nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”
It wasn’t not like she was planning on not paying for what she needed. Maybe something cheaper if it came to it. Daddy wanted the best for her. He told the pharmacist that when they were at the front counter.
Sammi also figured that Daddy was going to be keeping a very close eye on her, which meant if she changed anything, he would know and ask questions. There was going to be no hiding anything around him.
Some people might have thought that was a good thing, but Sammi wasn’t so sure. In some instances, it might be, but she didn’t want him to worry about her. How was she supposed to make sure he didn’t wasn’t stressing about anything when she had just got this diagnosis?
She couldn’t do anything. At least not for the first several months.
“Good. Now I’m going to push this and then it’s going to pinch just a bit for a couple of seconds. I want your hand wrapped around my forearm. If it hurts, I want you to squeeze my arm as hard as you can. You ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she mumbled.
There was no way she would ever be ready for something like this. Was anyone? And she got to do this for the rest of her life. Would she ever get used to this? She felt like the answer was no, but deep down, she hoped it was yes.
“Okay, I’m going to press, and within the first five seconds it should do its thing. That’s when you’ll feel a little bit of pain,” Daddy explained.
Sammi nodded, moving her hands to his forearm so she could do what he’d said. She heard Daddy press the applicator, making her hold her breath as she waited for the device to prick her.
“Owie!” she yelled as the device did what it was supposed to do.
She didn’t have time to squeeze his forearm before the pain went away. Letting go of him, she looked at her arm to see the CGM on her arm. Daddy leaned forward, kissing around the device before wrapping his arms around her.
“Such a good girl,” Daddy praised. “You were so brave for Daddy. Daddy is so proud of you.”
He continued to hold her, gently rocking them back and forth. Sammi relaxed into his embrace and allowed him to whisper praise to her.
“Let’s get it set up on your phone so you can be on alert.” Daddy pulled back.
With everything she did it was a constant reminder that her life had changed. Long gone were the days of working and not eating and drinking. Long gone were the days of not paying attention and living carefree.
Sammi was now going to have to make so many decisions daily, and she didn’t know how she felt about it. Part of her wanted to switch bodies with someone else who could take this mentally and physically. But she knew nobody could ever do that. And honestly, she wouldn’t either because then it would change their lives drastically and she didn’t want that.
Daddy grabbed her phone and downloaded the app before setting it up for her. Sammi tried to pay attention to what he was doing, but she was at a loss.
“All right, it’s ready to go. This will beep when your blood sugar is too high or low. When it’s too low you need to eat some candy to bring it back up. After you eat the candy or have juice, you need to also eat something so that your blood sugar doesn’t drop again. If it’s too high, we’ll need to give you some insulin to bring it back down,” Daddy explained.
“H-how do you know all of that?” she whispered.
“The nurse discussed this with us yesterday. I was paying attention, so you didn’t have to in the moment. I know you were overwhelmed so don’t even feel bad.”
Sammi nodded like she was understanding everything he said, but she didn’t. She was not grasping anything he was saying. It was all too much, and she was struggling. How did they expect anyone was able to understand everything and still live their lives?
“I know it’s a lot, and that’s why I’m going to help you. You’re not going through this alone. I would never allow you to do that. I’ll be keeping an eye on you to make sure everything is okay. Nothing bad is going to happen. You’ll slowly get the hang of this,” Daddy gently said, cupping her face. “It’s going to be tough the first couple of months, but we’re going to get through this together.”
Tears formed, making her blink to try and get rid of them. Daddy was being incredibly sweet and supportive. She figured he would have run for the hills when he first heard about her diagnosis, but he ran to her instead. He was learning things about type 1 diabetes so he could help her.
He was the real deal.
How did she get so lucky to have him in her life? How did she get so lucky for him to finally notice her? Sammi didn’t know what she had done, but she wasn’t going to complain. She was going to hold on and not let go.
“It’s okay to cry, Little One. It’s a lot to take in. It’s okay to cry and show emotion,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “Any time you need to cry, let me know. I’ll hold you for however long you need. Crying isn’t weak.”
She nodded and leaned into his touch. His hands were so warm as they cupped her cheeks, making her tired. How was she already tired when they hadn’t even hit the afternoon yet? She hadn’t worked and she was already exhausted. Everything was crashing down on her from the past twenty-four hours.
“Let’s go get you a little snack, and then we can relax on the chair today.” Daddy stood, taking her hand and leading her from the room. “When we go out to buy food, we’re going to buy some things you can keep in your purse, back pocket, and put everywhere in your house, my house, my office, and around the farm so if your blood sugar drops, you’ll have something to hand. So, I need you to think about what snacks you would like to have.”
“Okay,” she whispered, following him to the kitchen. “Don’t you have work today?”
She didn’t want him to be away from work, even though she needed him. He had employees, people who were counting on him for things. She didn’t want to ruin that or have him lose business because he was helping her.
“Nope, Ezekiel has everything handled for today. I may get a text or a call once or twice, but he has everything under control. My sole attention is on you and you alone.” He smiled.
“Ugh, I was hoping they would need you. Take you away so I don’t have to be near you for one more second.” Sammi smirked and looked away as they walked into the kitchen.
But she couldn’t help but peek at Daddy staring at her like she had lost her mind. Giggling, she took a step back and looked at him.
“Are you trying to get rid of me, brat?” Daddy asked.
Sammi pointed at herself. “Me? Get rid of you? I would never, Daddy. I don’t know where you heard that.” She couldn’t help the giggles now.
Before she could even blink, Daddy had his arms wrapped around her, tickling her. She screeched and laughed, trying to get out of his hold, but he had her locked in place.
“Please, Daddy! I wasn’t serious about you leaving!” she yelled as he continued to tickle her. “Stop! Stop! I’m going to pee!”
Daddy immediately stopped and held her still. Sammi relaxed in his arms, tilting her head back to look at him.
“I love you,” she whispered before she could stop herself. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Daddy.
“I love you too,” he said before she could get away. “For a while, but I never knew how to tell you.”
She flung her arms around him, holding tight as she took a deep breath. She wasn’t expecting him to say it back. She honestly wasn’t expecting to say those it to him. Sammi had felt this way for a while, but she wanted to tell him at the right time. The perfect and special time.
“I will always love you, no matter what. You are it for me,” he whispered in her ear.