One of Heather’s dropped chop sticks hit the side of the plate, rolled off the table, and fell to the floor as she shot from her chair. “Are you coming with me?”
“I’d only slow you down. Don’t forget to take your phone, a charging cord, and your purse.”
She spoke over her shoulder. “I’ll text you when I know something.”
In less than three minutes, she’d changed, collected everything she needed for a long night, and was backing out of her garage. Familiar landmarks on northbound I-45 came and went in a blur as she pressed her luck with the speed limit. It seemed like half an eternity passed before she wheeled into a parking space outside the hospital’s emergency room. It wasn’t until she jogged past Jack’s Camaro that she recognized his car.
Doors slid open with a swishing sound as she entered a room with lights that seemed too bright. Jack’s face was etched with worry lines. He hugged her with an intensity she’d never felt from him.
Heather had enough breath to whisper, “How is she?”
He kept hugging. “All they’ll tell me is she’s awake and answering questions.”
Their hands found each other’s as they took a half-step back.
“That sounds positive.” Heather made a point of putting a reassuring tone to her words.
Jack’s chin quivered, so she led him to a pair of chairs away from other people waiting. He took a deep breath and let it ease out. “I can’t remember Mom ever being sick enough to go to the hospital.” He looked around the room. “Nothing has changed since they brought Dad here.”
Heather massaged the back of his hand with her thumb.
He looked into her eyes with renewed worry. “Dad went from a treatment room in this ER to the funeral home. I never got to tell him what I should have.”
She needed to get his mind back on a positive track before it ended up in a ditch of despair. Turning in her seat, she faced him. “You listen to me, Jack Blackstock. Tonight is different from that night five years ago. Your mother is not your father, and you don’t know yet what’s going on with her or how serious it is.”
His chin rested on his chest.
Heather kept talking. “I’m here for you.”
Jack lifted his head and stared into her eyes. “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
She twisted back to where she could see the room’s occupants. They looked to be a sample from a pollster with every size, color, age, and socio-economic group represented. The thought occurred to Heather that illness and accidents don’t discriminate.
She glanced at Jack and realized he’d fixed his gaze on the door leading to the ER. “Hey, handsome. I’m over here.”
Jack turned and offered the first smile of the night. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Wait until you hear what Steve came up with tonight.”
“Tell me.”
She snuggled next to him. “He thinks it would be a good idea if I bought a catamaran and you and I sailed it to Belize.”
Jack’s cheeks lifted as he smiled. “That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard.”
Heather launched into the full account of the evening’s conversation with Steve. She left nothing out, including his phone conversation with Kate. The better part of an hour passed before Jack looked at the door leading to the treatment rooms.
By that time, he’d regained his emotional balance enough to say, “Leave it to Steve to come up with a plan for you that includes work and pleasure.”
“Did you eat supper?”
“Yeah. What about you?”
“One bite of a California roll. Steve probably put the rest of my order in the fridge.”
“Or gave it to Max.”
“He’d better not.” She patted Jack on the hand. “I need a snack and coffee. What about you?”
“Only coffee. There’s no telling how many tests they’ll run or how long we’ll be here.”
“I brought my phone charger if you need it.”
Jack pulled out his phone. “I’m down to twenty percent, and I need to update some people.”
Heather handed him the cord before she went in search of the cafeteria. She returned twenty minutes later with two cups of black coffee in environmentally friendly paper containers.
“You weren’t gone long. Did you find something to eat?”
Heather handed him one cup. “A yogurt parfait and an energy bar. The serving line closed at seven. Any word on your mom?”
“A nurse came out and said she’s doing fine and isn’t having any more pain. They’re running tests on her but won’t know what’s wrong until they get the results.”
“That sounds positive.”
Jack crossed his fingers and held up his hands. “Now we wait and hope a string of ambulances doesn’t arrive. So far, it doesn’t seem like a busy night.”
An hour later, Heather rested her head on Jack’s chest. “You got your wish about no ambulances, but you forgot to mention walk-in patients.” She looked around the crowded waiting area.
Jack’s chest expanded and then contracted as he spoke. “This may take all night. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? I’ll text you when I hear something.”
“I have a better idea.” She leaned away from him. “Consider what you’d do if our roles were reversed.”
“I guess that means you’re staying.”
“Save my seat. I need to stretch my legs and get some fresh air.”
Jack rose with her. “I’ll tell the woman doing admissions we’ll be outside.”
A swarm of bugs congregated under the bright lights of the entrance, so Jack suggested they move away from the building. They stopped one row deep into the parked cars and faced the emergency room door, just in case. Once there, they both stretched, yawned, and groaned. Jack gave voice to the thought going through Heather’s mind. “When did I get so old that sitting in a chair for a few hours makes my bones ache?”
“I need to get back to the gym and find a better yoga class,” said Heather.
Jack chuckled. “Did I tell you I tried yoga on the cruise ship?”
“You? Yoga? I hope there’s a photo to prove your claim, counselor.”
“Two of us took the class. Chris told us he and Melody used to take classes together. He still takes the time every morning to do thirty minutes in the living room. Anyway, one thing led to another and the next thing you know, I’m on a thin mat in the ship’s exercise room with an instructor in her twenties, limber as a gummy worm. My buddy and I laughed until we cried trying to get into and hold those positions.”
“Chris didn’t join you?”
Jack shook his head. “He didn’t want to spend the extra money.”
Heather swatted away a June bug that landed on her shoulder. “You never went into detail about that cruise. I guess you four lived it up.”
“Mark Twain once said, ‘Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.’ You can say the same thing about what we did on the cruise. To begin with, the four of us bunked two to a room. Inside cabins, the cheapest on the ship. Two twin beds, and a tiny bathroom. Even after trimming the cost of the cruise down to the bone, we had to cut a deal with Chris on the price so he could afford to go.”
“What kind of deal?”
“Three of us split the cost of the two cabins. Chris promised to pay us back.”
Heather shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like something four successful men would do.”
Jack shrugged. “We wanted him to come. The three of us went cheap and Chris was the miser.”
“No drink package? How did Chris get the courage to talk to women?”
“Chris doesn’t drink alcohol.”
“No excursions or specialty dining?”
“He stayed on the ship and only ate in the main dining room, the buffet, and the other restaurants with complimentary food. We all decided before we left that we’d try to outdo each other by not spending on things that weren’t included. It was a game.” Jack issued an elfish grin. “I couldn’t resist the yoga class after my buddy said I was afraid to try.”
Jack stifled a yawn. “As a payback for us covering Chris’s share of the cabin, he made trips to the buffet and brought us breakfast in bed every morning.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t have a room of his own so he could sow some more wild oats.”
“Chris isn’t as bad as you think he is.”
“What about that fling he admitted to with Sandi Fields?”
Jack shook his head. “That was a one-and-done. You saw the way he got rid of her today.”
“If Chris is such a saint, why did he divorce?”
Jack looked up at the stars and an almost full moon. “I never said he was a saint, and he never told me the unabridged story of the divorce. I’m pretty sure it had to do with money and the stress associated with trying to grow their business too fast. He and Melody weren’t on the same page with their business plan and it cost them a good marriage.”
A woman in scrubs appeared at the door and motioned for them to return. They took off at a trot.
“No need to rush,” said the nurse as they approached. “Your mother is doing fine. In fact, she’s been asleep for the past hour. Dr. Rosenberg ordered her discharge.”
The nurse walked at a good clip, waved her badge in front of a card reader, and the wide door leading to the treatment rooms swung open. Heather expected to see people scurrying about like ants on a disturbed mound. Instead, the halls appeared empty, with only the sound of the occasional mechanical device breaking the quiet. The nurse pushed open a door and gestured for them to enter a room. Cora Blackstock lay in a bed with her head elevated. The top of a standard blue hospital gown peeked out from under a white sheet and blanket.
At the sight of the couple, she held out a hand for Heather to take. “Please tell me you haven’t been waiting all this time.”
Jack answered for her. “I tried to get her to go home, but she’s as stubborn as you are.”
Heather ignored him. “The nurse said you’re being released. That’s wonderful.”
Cora winked. “That’s what they do with people who aren’t sick.”
A voice came from over Heather’s shoulder. “I told her she wasn’t sick enough to stay here, but that doesn’t mean she can leave and get a double cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake.”
The woman wearing the white lab coat turned her attention to Heather. “You must be Jack’s wife. I’m Dr. Rosenberg.”
Jack broke in before Heather could correct the doctor’s mistake of her marital status. “This is Heather.”
The omission of her last name made her breath catch. Did Jack do that on purpose? If so, they’d have to have a repeat of their talk about taking things slow.
Jack’s next sentence ran into the last without him taking a breath. “What’s the diagnosis?”
“Angina pectoris. Also known as stable angina, which in plain language is pain localized to the heart. There are at least fifteen potential causes for the sudden onset of chest pain. Some are as simple as exercising too strenuously or lifting too much. Others can be life threatening. Fortunately, we ruled out a heart attack, and X-rays show clear lungs and no enlarged heart. The electrocardiogram was within normal limits.”
“See,” said Cora. “I told you there’s nothing wrong with me. Just a spell that came and went.”
The doctor’s collar-length raven hair moved side to side. “It’s common for women in their sixties to minimize angina.” The doctor turned and addressed Jack. “Based on the results of blood tests, there are some things that concern me, especially the cholesterol levels. I’m referring her to a cardiologist who will order other tests and get to the bottom of these sudden attacks of chest pain.”
Heather spoke up. “Did you say attacks, as in plural?”
Jack fixed a narrow gaze on his mother. “Mom, how long has this been going on?”
The doctor held up a hand. “Save that question for later. Right now, I have other patients waiting and your mother doesn’t need her attorney son cross-examining her.”
Heather asked a one-word question. “Prognosis?”
The doctor smiled. “I like the way you ask questions. There’s no immediate risk that I can see, but that doesn’t mean she’s in the clear. I’m recommending a modified diet, only light exercise, and a couple of prescriptions. She’s leaving tonight with a small bottle of nitroglycerin tablets. If there’s a recurrence of severe chest pain, place one tablet under the tongue and call EMS. Nitroglycerin will cause her blood pressure to drop almost immediately, which, by the way, is elevated. Make sure she carries the bottle with her at all times. I’m also prescribing a drug to help lower her bad cholesterol. The cardiologist may want to put her on a blood thinner, but I’ll leave that decision to them. Expect a stress test along with another echo-cardiogram.” She took a breath. “Questions? No? All right, then. She can get dressed.”
The nurse opened the door for the doctor, closed it halfway again and turned back to them. “Don’t get in a rush. Discharging takes twice as long as admitting. I’ll come get you as soon as I can.”
Heather looked at Jack. “Wait outside the door. I’ll help her get dressed.”
“You needn’t do that. I feel fine now.”
“No arguments. Jack would sue me for all I’m worth if I allowed you to fall in the treatment room of a hospital.”
Cora giggled like a schoolgirl. “He just might.”
On the way home from the hospital, Heather wondered how long it would be before she received a phone call summoning her to come to a hospital in Boston to attend to one of her parents. Days? Months? Years? She’d better call… just to check in.