“…Eyeballs…” Bk I: 7. Zack and Zoe
Hey! You Got Eyeballs In There?
By Kate Chamberlin
As Grace grows up, some of her stories are happy, some trying, some enlightening, and a few themes are sad, but, they’re all the warp and woof of what goes into the tapestry of life we call Family. The daily living skills and techniques demonstrated by the fictional characters in these stories are valid, tried and true.
#1. If You Can’t See…
#3. The Night Search For A Missing Puppy
#4. JUST DUCKY
#6. Grace, Martha, and The Sleep Shirt Solution
“I’m so glad you’re here, Zack,” Grandma Kate said, hugging him and ruffling his brush cut, as her two dogs licked his face.
“After I have a drink of water, can we go see the new kittens in the barn?” Zack asked.
“I love being here on the farm with you and Grandpa Carl,” Zack said, skipping along beside his Grandma as she held her guide dog Finchlee’s harness with her retired guide dog Wheaton following them to the barn.
“They are so little,” whispered Zack. “They don’t even have their eyes opened! I wish I had another drink of water so I could stay here longer.”
“Grandma,” Zack said with alarm. “What’s the matter with Wheaton? She’s shaking and jerking all over.”
“Oh, Dear Gussie. She’s having a seizure,” Grandma said. “Move the bucket away from her head. Let’s wait quietly next to her. When she stops shaking, we’ll go get you your drink and Wheaton her pill.”
“I’m too tired to go to the barn,” Zack said.
The kittens may have opened their eyes, but, Zack couldn’t keep his own eyes open.
“Are you feeling okay?” Grandma asked Zack, when she found him curled up on the hearth rug next to Wheaton for a second nap.
“Zack? It’s your turn to move your checkers. Zack, can you hear me?” Grandpa asked. “You were zoned-out.”
Full of concern, Grandpa remembered that he used to have that happen to him, too. Even now, he had to keep his weight down and eat right.
“Zack, drink some juice,” He said and after a few minutes, they could play checkers again.
“Grandpa, I beat you at your own game,” Zack laughed.
“Zack,” Dr. Brittany told them after his appointment. “The tests we did show us that your body has a problem using sugar. It’s called Diabetes.”
In the hospital, Zack’s finger was pricked to check the sugar level in his blood. He needed shots of insulin.
Zack saw a girl with a kind of helmet on her head. Her name was Zoë
“I hate this helmet, but it protects my head when I have a seizure,” Zoë told him. She needed medicine to control the seizures.
“Hey, “Zack said, a week later at play group. ”Do you want to meet Zip?”
“Who is Zip?” Savannah asked.
“Is he your pretend friend?” John asked.
Zack pulled up his shirt. “Look what I have,” Zack said, pointing to a small box on his belt.
“It’s a cell phone,” Savannah said.
“It’s a beeper,” John said.
“No,” Zack said. “It’s an insulin pump.
“Zack,” Zoë said happily, “you got a pump.” and thought: I wish I could have a little box instead of this big helmet.
“Right, Zoë,” Zack said putting his shirt back down. “Now I can eat birthday cake and not get sick. I can run and play without getting tired. And I don’t need any more shots.”
Zoë wondered if she’d ever get rid of her ugly helmet. Zack hugged her and went over to the Star Wars center.
The next morning, Zack said, “Mommy, I finished my breakfast and I’m ready to go to school.”
After he’d told his Mom the numbers on his insulin pump, she pushed the little button, and they walked to Zack’s Kindergarten. He happily sang a little song as he skipped along beside her.
They met Zoë and her Mom walking to school and joined them. Zoë hoped Zack would notice that she didn’t have on her helmet.
At school, Karrah asked, “Zack, what’s the lump under your shirt?” as they put their lunch boxes in their cubbies.
“It’s Zip,” Zack said and explained his insulin pump.
“Why do you call it Zip?” Sarah asked.
“Zip. No more shots!” Zack laughed.
“Boys and Girls, this is Zoë,” Miss Alexandra said. “Her family has just moved here, so let’s come to our circle time on the rug and get to know each other.”
Zack and Grace sat together. “Can I feel your pump?” Zack’s cousin, Grace asked reaching out her hand. Zack knew she was blind and couldn’t see anything.
“Okay, but don’t push any buttons,” he said and put her hand on the pump.
Suddenly, Zoë flopped over, shaking all over. Zack went over to move the chair away from her head, then, quietly sat on the rug next to her until she stopped shaking.
“Did you forget to take your pill today?” Zack asked, remembering how Grandma Kate gave Wheaton a pill after her seizure in the barn.
Later, “M-m-m,” Grace said at lunch. “It smells like I have a cream cheese and black olive sandwich and a dill pickle. What do you two have?”
“Oh yum,” Zack said. “I have peanut butter and the strawberry jam Mom and I made on whole wheat bread with carrot curls. My favorite,” Zack said. “Zoë, what do you have for lunch.”
“I have a cheese stick and turkey roll-up,” she said, quietly, wishing she didn’t have to put her Helmut back on.
After lunch, Miss Alexandra said, “Zack and Zoë, It’s time to go down to the nurse’s office. Your partner today is Tyler.”
“Hello, Zack, Zoë, and Tyler,” the nurse said. “Zoë, let’s start with you and your blood pressure. Very good. Here is your pill so you won’t have another seizure today.
“Zack, what are your numbers now?”
“7 dot 7,” Zack read from the pump. “That’s pretty good, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” the nurse said. “Someday a computer chip will do what your pancreas should do. For Zoë, a different chip will help control her brain synapses.”
“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks ,” Zack and Zoë said as they left to go back to class with Tyler.
“What are you doing?” Zack exclaimed when they walked into the classroom. His eyes were wide with surprise to see all the children wearing small boxes: in their sock top, stuck in their waistband, or bumping out their shirt pocket. Grace wore her box as a necklace.
“Why do you all have boxes?” Zack asked.
Zoë and Tyler shared a smile. They were in on the secret box project, but, she too was surprised to see all the children had on a balloon ring that looked a lot like her helmet.
“We wanted to have our own Zips and helmets,” Matthew said. “Now we can all be cool like you.”
“Oh you guys! You’re the best friends ever,” Zack said grinning from ear to ear, as they all lined up for recess.
Holding Tyler’s hand, Zoë was grinning, too, because she felt the same way Zack felt: happy and accepted.