Spiral Bound Journal

We Will Find a Way to Talk

Unlike some past wading attempts, Dana and Quinn found that the water levels stayed around their knees or mid-thighs for a significant distance. This relative shallowness allowed them to guide Morgan away from the busier beach surrounding the lagoon into a more remote section of water and mangroves. A few high rises peeked out above the mangroves, palm trees, and other assorted plant life. However, the area was unspoiled by docks or engine powered watercraft. They spotted a couple people in kayaks and on paddleboards. Other than that, the few people in this part of the lagoon got there through wading or swimming.

"Man this is like a labyrinth," Morgan remarked as they waded deeper into the pocket of the lagoon.

"Perhaps a little," Dana conceded, "but it's not too difficult to find our way out. Plus we have a couple hours before the tide starts rolling back in."

The three of them continued wading until they reached a mangrove nook with a few feet of shoreline. Dana stopped to take some photos at the nook's entrance before wandering to the sand. Quinn and Morgan followed, shuffling along to prevent cutting their feet on any stray oyster shell fragments obscured from view. Soon they all stood on the little patch of sand. Morgan brushed down the front of his swim trunks in an attempt to shake off some of the excess water.

"Glad you told me to put these on," Morgan said to Dana. "When Quinn said he wanted to go wading, he wasn't kidding."

"At least it wasn't like the trip Dana and I took back in 2022," Quinn remarked. "We couldn't get out here because the water was too high. The water was almost waist deep on Dana not far from the main part of the lagoon, and she had to carry her backpack over her head."

"Yeah, that sucked a bit," Dana added. "It really threw my balance. Say, what time is it?"

Quinn checked his watch. "Almost two thirty."

"Ah, crap. I need to take my Cortef, but I don't want to risk losing a tablet or five in the water. I'm going to head back to the park real quick, but I'll be back. Don't go anywhere!"

Dana hustled back into the water, leaving the guys to hang out in the nook.

"I hope she'll be okay," Morgan muttered. "I know being late in taking her meds can make things go south in a hurry."

"She has about a ten minute window," Quinn said. "I have my phone in case she decides she needs to stay put on the beach even after taking her medication."

"What's it like?"

Quinn cocked his head to the side. "What's what like?"

"Seeing Dana be sick all the time."

"I admit I don't think too much of it. The first couple years were rough, as she didn't really know how to manage it. Then again, she was trying to learn how to manage it when everything seemed to happen to her all at once. It's gotten better since then."

"How did you cope with all the changes? Dana told me that I freaked out more than you did when she was hospitalized in Paris."

"Oh, really. This is news to me."

"Yeah, she mentioned it at the first VidCon in Chicago that she and I attended."

"I think I'll have to ask her about that later."

Morgan toed at the sand. "Getting back to my original question, did you do anything in particular to deal with Dana having to manage this disease?"

"Well, I took a hands on approach. Dana showed me her emergency injection supplies, and we watched videos together. I admit I sometimes am not always super attentive to changes in her demeanor or physical stance, so I asked her to write down some signs that indicate she is not feeling well and may need my help. And if we're separated, she has a phrase she'll text me if she thinks she may need to get medical attention."

"Sounds like you two have done a lot of prep. I've done some of those things but not all."

"There are other things, too," Quinn continued. "It has taken some time for me to slow down my walking if Dana and I are spending a lot of time outside. Even before her diagnosis she would sweat easily and get fatigued more quickly because of it. It put her in a really bad mood when she and I visited St. Simon's Island several years ago."

"Oh, wow."

"It's taken a lot of work on my part to slow down for her. While I know you work out, it seems like this hasn't been as much of a problem for you."

"No," Morgan agreed. "I think it's because she and I both got short changed for leg length and ended up with some excess torso length. So for us walking fast isn't as easy as it is for you."

Quinn chuckled. "Okay, fair point. I can see why sometimes she prefers to go on hikes and what not with you."

"Yeah, I noticed that a bit when we visited Jonathan Dickinson State Park a few days back. That sugar sand is almost worse than snow."

"It's certainly more irritating when it gets in your shoes."

At that, Morgan cringed. "For real!"

"So what prompted you to ask about how I've dealt with Dana having a chronic illness?"

Morgan looked up at Quinn. "Because I want to know what I'm getting into for the long haul. I know we've discussed the three of us getting a place, and I know that suddenly the things she's shown me a few times during two or three week visits are going to be things that I'll be seeing more often. I don't want to go into this completely blind."

"I don't think you are," Quinn assured him. "I think I'll still be shouldering a lot of the primary medical things like emergency contact responsibilities for obvious reasons. However, I might be asking you for rides to the hospital or doctor's offices."

"Does that happen a lot?"

"The doctor's office may happen a few times a year. The hospital maybe once a year. We got lucky last year and didn't have to go at all."

"I bet that was a relief."

Quinn nodded. "It was. I imagine that if we do decide to all move in together that we'll probably have a few conversations about this, although it could get ugly if either of us suggests that Dana retire the flamingo pouch even though sequins are starting to fall off the damn bag."

"Ha! I think I'll have another simp line at the next VidCon before Dana gets a new bag for her emergency injection supplies."

"Do you think Dana will even let you have a simp line?"

"She might, although she might be more in favor of it than I would be if that situation ever came up again."

"Why am I not surprised to hear that?"

"I suspect that we both tend to be somewhat reserved on the getting attention front. If I'm right that you tend to prefer to keep to yourself, then it would actually be reassuring in a way."

"Yeah, Dana remarked that you've brought that up in some video clips. And you're right, while I do like to talk to people and hang out, I'm just as content to hang out alone in the house, well with the cats as well."

"Hehheh. We can hang out inside in separate rooms while Dana smokes homemade tasso on the grill she's been wanting since forever."

"Indeed."

The sounds of sloshing interrupted their conversation. Quinn leaned forward to investigate and found Dana making her way back into the nook. She peered down a bit to keep an eye on the water, but otherwise her gait and posture showed no signs of fatigue or weakness. Even if she did start to feel unwell, this time she had even more support to get her back to safety.



Mangrove Lagoon ▼

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