As the personal nurse for Cassie, it was embarrassing to see her in this situation, but she was in my care and I had to do what I could to help her through it. We went to high school together and while she was always a bit of a prankster, I never expected something like this.
Cassie was laying on the hospital bed, curled up in the fetal position, clutching a pillow to her chest. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. The odor in the room was unbearable - a mix of bleach and feces that made my stomach turn.
I walked over to her and took her hand. "Hey, Cass. It's me, Kylie," I said softly. "How are you holding up?"
Cassie opened her eyes and managed a weak smile. "Terrible," she whispered. "But I'm trying."
I nodded sympathetically and went over to check on the MoviPrep container on the bedside table. As I watched, it seemed to be filling up faster than before. Great.
I turned back to Cassie and said, "Okay, sweetie. I think it's time to get you onto the bedpan. You remember how to use one, right?"
She nodded, wincing as the pain hit her again. "Yeah," she muttered. "Just let me get my pajama bottoms down and we can do this."
I helped her lift her bottom half up and watched as Cassie's bare ass came into view. God, she looked so vulnerable like this. Even though we were both women and had seen each other naked before, it still felt wrong to be seeing her like this.
Cassie positioned the bedpan beneath her and sighed heavily as she felt the warm liquid rush out of her. It was a mixture of shit and the MoviPrep liquid, and it smelled absolutely disgusting. She grimaced as she felt the pain and embarrassment wash over her.
After what felt like an eternity, the liquid stopped flowing. I looked down at the bedpan and sighed. "Okay, sweetie. Let's get this cleaned up."
I grabbed a pair of gloves and some wipes from the nearby tray and gently cleaned off the bedpan. The smell was nauseating, and I could feel my eyes watering from the stench.
Once the bedpan was clean, I helped Cassie lift back up and move back onto the bed. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" I asked, my voice shaking a bit from the sheer disgust of what I'd just been through.
"Like death warmed up," she replied, wincing as anotherwave of pain hit her. "But thank you for helping me through this. It means a lot."
I smiled reassuringly at her and said, "Of course, Cassie. We'll get through this together."
And with that, we settled in for the night, both of us hoping for a better day tomorrow.
