Chapter 25.
Jen tried to slip out of bed without waking Mel. It was early, a few minutes before 6, but Jen’s mouth was really hurting. She slipped out of the bedroom and pushed the door shut silently. In the kitchen the first thing she did was shake out a couple of ibuprofen and poured herself some water. Swallowing the pills was once again a struggle. The metal expander felt huge in the roof of her mouth. The four screws holding it in place dug into her tongue every time she tried to swallow. She really hoped she got used to it and did so quickly. While she had taken the day off, and would have loved nothing more than to curl back up beside Mel, she knew she would struggle to fall asleep with the pain plus Mel had to go to work.
So instead she started a pot of coffee and pulled out a skillet. She wanted to cook breakfast for Mel. And even though her mouth was hurting, she thought she might be able to manage a few bites of scrambled eggs and yogurt herself. As she cooked the 4 eggs, she took a bowl of cantaloupe and honeydew out of the fridge and laid it on the counter. She then pulled out a tub of greek yogurt and some shredded cheese. She had just sprinkled some cheese on the eggs when she jumped. She had been so invested in the eggs she had not noticed Mel slip up behind her. When Mel wrapped her arms around her waist it startled her. Mel softly spoke into her ear “Good morning beautiful, I didn’t mean to scare you. Did you sleep ok?”
Jen turned around and looked at Mel. Even without any makeup on and her hair a mess she thought she looked gorgeous. Jen said “I did, musch better than I tthought I would. Thank you for lash night. Thank you for everysthing. It ishn’t enough, but the leasht I can do is fix you breakfast. I am jusht about done”. Mel leaned over, gave Jen a quick kiss and said “I will help”.
They sat across from each other at the kitchen table, each with their scrambled eggs, yogurt and coffee. Mel had gotten some of the cut fruit, but Jen refrained from any, thinking her mouth was not up to it. Before they started to eat Jen said “I want to apoloshize in advansh, I am afraid that I am going to look and sound like a train wreck trying to eat.” Mel reached across and took Jen’s hand and told her “do not apologize for that. First, you are going to get the hang of it in no time. And second, did you forget how much I have going on in my mouth? I know exactly what it is like”. Jen was able to eat a little. It was not fun, but by taking small bites and taking her time she was able to manage the eggs and yogurt. Once they were done, Mel told Jen not to try to do a thing, she was going to clean up. Jen got up and made herself comfortable on the couch while Mel quickly got everything put up and the dishes rinsed and in the dishwasher. She then came over and curled up beside Jen. Mel looked at Jen and said “I wish I had taken today off too, I would love to stay curled up beside you. But I have to get ready. Do you mind if I take a shower here? I have a change of cloths with me”. Of course Jen agreed. Mel continued, “Thank you. Will you come with me to the bathroom? I need to clean my braces. And you need to as well, I want to help you. Plus I want to take a closer look at them if that is ok”. Jen got up and took Mel’s hand and led her to the bathroom. Once there they brushed. Again it was awkward for Jen, but Mel was a pro. Once they were done brushing, Mel asked Jen to turn and face her. She had Jen open her mouth, and very gently used a proxy brush to clean between the brackets and wires of Jen’s braces. She then took a braces flosser and flossed Jen’s teeth. As she worked she was also examining the expander in Jen’s mouth. She told her friend “that is an impressive device. And don’t we make the pair, you will be used to yours in two weeks, and I will be getting mine. We are going to have to get creative with our soft food, between the two of us we will be eating it for a month. And there, you have shiny clean braces”. Mel then turned her attention to her own braces, making quicker work on herself than on Jen. Jen just watched what she was doing. Once Mel was done, she asked Jen “do you need to turn your expander?” Jen said she needed turn it sometime today, she might as well do it now. She opened the medicine cabinet and got the blue key out. Mel stopped her as she turned towards the mirror and asked her “do you mind if I turn it for you? I have watched enough Youtube video trying to prepare for my own.” Jen handed Mel the key, sat down on the closed toilet lid, opened her mouth as wide as she could and tilted her head back. Mel told her “I am going to be as gentle as I can, if I am hurting you just hit me and I will stop”. As Mel carefully inserted the key into the hole, Jen felt a tingle in her body. Not from pain or discomfort, but from the intimacy between the two of them. As Mel turned the key, she felt a different kind of tingle. This one was in her face, radiating out from her sinuses to her cheek bones. Once she was done Mel gently removed the key from the hole and removed the key from her mouth. Mel hugged Jen and said “you did great. Does it hurt?” Jen answered “it hurtsh a little, moshtly just a lot of preshhzure.”
Mel looked at her and said “while we are here, I think I need to also examine the patient for any pressure spots from her brace”. She slipped the robe off of Jen’s shoulders, and then unstrapped the brace from Jen’s body.
After they had finished showering together, Jen dressed in some comfortable sweats and took her book into the living room as Mel finished getting ready for work in the bathroom and bedroom. Jen was reading out loud as Dr. Cooper had recommended when Mel came out of the bedroom wearing her facemask. She settled on the couch and said “I am in trouble. I didn’t wear my facemask at all last night. I am going to have to figure out how to make it up. I have never worn it outside of a closed door, but I am at least going to wear it on the way to and from work today. That is at least an extra hour. And not to be a nag, but you might want to try to catch up with your neckbrace today. And try to wear your facemask to get used to it. The more you wear it the faster you will get used to it. I will bring some moleskin from work and I will put a little extra cushion on your’s this evening. It really helps, especially on your chin. I wish I could stay, but I have to run. If you need anything, just text me.” She hugged Jen, and headed out the door. With her head down, she made her way quickly to her car. Once she got in and got her seatbelt on, she had a realization. She didn’t really care what anyone else thought. The only person she really cared about was inside where she had just left, and she had already seen her wearing the mask. Not only that, she had a facemask of her own. Feeling a little more confident, she cranked the car, backed down the driveway and began her drive to work.