“Are you sure you still want to do this?” Kelsey asked Riley. They were standing in the kitchen preparing sandwiches for Kelsey’s baby shower that evening. They were expecting eight or nine of Kelsey’s friends and co-workers, and Riley could see how excited Kelsey was about it.
“Of course. It’s your baby shower. I’m not going to let my dad spoil this for you.”
“Riley, he died.”
“I know.”
“What I mean is, I don’t think he tried to ruin it on purpose.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.” Riley put down the cling film she had just used to wrap a tray of mini pizzas. “I guess I’m not handling it too well.” She’d known her father was on borrowed time anyway, but the shock of him dying so soon had thrown her. She thought she would have time to adjust to his passing and hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.
“It’s only been a few days,” Kelsey said as she squeezed Riley’s shoulder. “Give it time. You may have had your differences, but he was still your dad.”
“Thanks, you always know the right thing to say.” She didn’t know where she would be if she hadn’t met Kelsey in their last year of junior school. Her mother had been gone a year at that point and her dad’s drinking had started in earnest. Meeting Kelsey had been the one bright spot in her life and they became fast friends.
“I’m going to run upstairs and get my bloated ass into something more fitting of a party.”
Riley laughed. Although Kelsey was now twenty-eight weeks pregnant, and her bump was showing, she was still slender and beautiful. “You’re not bloated, and this isn’t a party, it’s just a get together. If Jenny thinks we’re having a party she’ll have a fit.”
“Who’ll have a fit?” Jennifer asked as she came into the kitchen.
“No one. See you guys in a minute.”
Kelsey left and Riley couldn’t stop her anxiety rising. She hadn’t seen Jennifer since the hospital, and her embarrassment at crying in her arms still rankled her.
Jennifer leaned a hip against the counter, folding her arms across her chest. Riley could feel her gaze boring into her, but she refused to look at Jennifer. She didn’t want her to see her shame.
“So, how are you doing?” Jennifer asked.
“I’m fine. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get your car sorted, but if you bring it in again, I’ll get it done.”
“There’s nothing to apologise for. And you don’t need to worry about the car. I took it to someone else and they did it for me yesterday.”
Riley whipped her head up to look at her. “You went to someone else?” She didn’t know why that stung so much, but it did.
“Well, to be fair, I didn’t think you’d be back at work so soon.”
“What was I supposed to do? Sit around and wallow? He hasn’t been a dad to me for years, and it was only a matter of time before he died anyway.”
Jennifer’s eyes went wide as she drew in a sharp breath. “How can you be so cold?”
“You know nothing about me.” Riley slammed her hand on the counter. “Don’t presume you have any idea how I’m feeling. He wouldn’t want me wasting my energy mourning him. He’d want me to forget about him as soon as possible and get on with my life.”
Jennifer placed her hand on top of Riley’s tight fist. “I just thought—” A loud bang above them made them look up to the ceiling. “What was that?”
“It sounded like Kelsey fell over or something,” Riley said.
Riley sprinted out of the kitchen toward the stairs, taking them two at a time. She found Kelsey lying on the bathroom floor. She rushed over to her and lifted her head into her lap, then brushed the hair from her face.
“Oh, God. Kelsey!” Jennifer stood at the threshold of the bathroom, hand over her mouth, shaking. Riley looked back to Kelsey just as her blue eyes fluttered open.
“What happened?”
“I think you fainted,” Riley said.
“Guess it’s all the excitement of my party.” She smiled.
Riley looked back at Jennifer. “Grab her keys off the kitchen counter and meet me at the car. We’re going to the hospital.”
Kelsey shook her head. She tried to stand but fell back into Riley’s arms. “No, I don’t want a fuss.”
“You have no say in this. You’re going.” Riley put one arm under her legs and one around her shoulder, then lifted her easily.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m carrying you to the car. I don’t trust you not to run off.”
Kelsey tried to squirm out of her grasp. “Don’t be stupid, I can walk.”
Riley ignored her comment and held on tighter, carrying her out the house.
†
“She’s been in there for over an hour.” Riley was worried, really worried. They were sitting in the waiting room watching various doctors and nurses come and go from Kelsey’s room. This was the second time in a week Riley had been to the hospital and she had no desire to come back here again. Nothing good ever happened in hospitals, and she was sure something was terribly wrong with Kelsey or the baby. She didn’t think she would be able to survive if that were the case.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine. They’re just taking precautions,” Jennifer said.
“What if there is a problem?”
“She’ll be fine.”
“But what if she’s not?”
“Then we will deal with it.”
Jennifer surprised her by taking Riley’s hand and entwining their fingers. Riley took all the strength she could from that small gesture and it helped settle her racing heart. A few minutes later a tall, sandy-haired doctor stood in front of them. His face was hard to read, making Riley’s stomach clench. This was not the face of good news.
“Doctor. How is she?” Jennifer asked, and Riley marveled at how calm she sounded.
“She’s asked me to speak to you both. If you could follow me to a consultation room.”
They did as he asked, and after heading down a nearby corridor, they found themselves sitting in front of a large oak desk, the doctor behind it. Jennifer still hadn’t let go of Riley’s hand, and Riley was pleased that Jennifer probably needed the contact just as much as she herself.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay with the baby?” Jennifer asked.
“For the moment everything is fine with the pregnancy. It’s Kelsey who is not.”
“What do you mean?” Riley asked, her heart pounding.
“She had an appointment with a specialist a couple of weeks ago for some tests, but she never followed through with the results. The doctor tried contacting her; however, she kept evading him.”
Jennifer turned to Riley, scowling. “Did you know about this?”
“Of course not!” If she did she would have done everything in her power to help Kelsey. It hurt that Jennifer might think otherwise.
“We’ve run some tests, EKG, ECG, and blood screening,” the doctor continued. “After speaking with the cardiologist and her GP, it would seem Kelsey is suffering from heart valve failure.”
Riley couldn’t breathe. Her vision dimmed; she felt like she was underwater, her ears straining to hear what the doctor was saying. “What does that mean?” she asked.
“One of the main valves that control the flow of blood is failing. The blood is struggling to pump properly and is what most likely caused her fainting, shortness of breath, and tiredness. Pregnancy is putting extra stress on her heart and causing her symptoms to worsen.”
“So how do we fix this?” Jennifer asked.
“We have some options, one of which is a temporary fix called balloon valvuloplasty. We basically thread a balloon up through the artery in her groin and into the damaged valve. We then inflate it, which will help keep the blood flow stable. After she gives birth she can then have the valve replaced. It’s a simple procedure and it will help while she carries to full term.”
“Okay. When can you do this?”
“It isn’t that simple. She also has pre-eclampsia. This could have made her heart disease worsen over time. We need to get her stable and figure out the best treatment plan for mother and baby. She only has a couple of months to go until she’s full term, and hopefully we will be able to control this.”
“I can’t deal with this.” Riley shook her head, trying to clear the words she’d heard from her mind. This couldn’t be true. Kelsey was the fittest person she knew. Surely she would have known if she had heart failure? Riley stood, letting go of Jennifer’s hand. “I’ve just lost my dad to a fucking heart attack. I can’t sit here and talk about Kelsey like this. I can’t.” She headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Jennifer asked. “She needs you.”
“No, she needs you. You’re her sister. I’ll just get in the way. I’ve got to go.” She yanked the door open and fled down the corridor, determined to escape.