Chapter 17: The Ward

The old man in the wheelchair has a small smile on his face.

“…here you go, your pills and a Coke.”

The nurse helps the old man in the wheelchair take the small white pill cup in his right hand and pop the pills into his mouth.

“…there you go, here’s your Coke…”

The nurse helps the old man in the wheelchair drink the Coke to get the pills down.

“…good job, I’ll be back later this afternoon before I check out. Here let me take you out to your friends on the floor.”

The old man in the wheelchair on the floor listens for the unit door to close.

The old man in the wheelchair smiles.

Suddenly his right foot is moving up and down faster.

At the same time his left hand begins to slide up and down the wheelchair armrest.

The old man in the wheelchair closes his eyes as his head starts to move back and forth.

And suddenly his body explodes.

Rapid foot movements.

Rapid left hand movements.

Head jerking back and forth.

Nurses aide starts to smile.

Jerking gets worse, wheelchair moving back and forth.

The old man in the wheelchair left hand blazing up and down the wheelchair armrest.

Right foot banging on the wheelchair footrest.

The hospital staff calls him, Mr. G.

The Vietnam Veterans who share the floor with him call him another name…

…Mop, called that because of the long hair he had in Vietnam…that…and the fact he was a guitar Rock-n-Roll God.

And every day around this time all the vets stop what they are doing and look Mop’s way.