intrusions

"How about we change position a bit to minimize the soreness?" I asked of my brother.

"How about you leave me alone?" was the response.

Can't say I blame him.  He constantly has people asking him about his pain, if he's hungry, if he's thirsty, if he needs blah, blah, blah.  Granted, it's done out of love but do any of you really want your little brother asking about your bowels?  It's hard enough to have the various health care workers prodding and examining you.  It's quite another to have your close loved ones doing it.  There's not really much to be done about it either.  It's a give and take relationship that is constantly being renegotiated, often unexplicitly, but a necessary one nonetheless.