“Sam, that stack of mail is really piling up, and it doesn’t look like you’ve opened any of it. No reply from the state-funded health care department yet?” Her hopeful expression quickly disappeared when she saw him shake his head.
He punched the straw through the tiny foil circle on the juice box and handed it to her. “I checked for that letter first, and like every other day, no response.” He knew what the rest of it was without opening it, and there wasn’t much he could do. The bank had been threatening foreclosure for six months, and warning letters came in the mail constantly. Sooner or later, Sam and his mother would be kicked out onto the street. The electric company had turned off the power three times before Thanksgiving, spoiling everything in the refrigerator. At least they weren’t allowed to do that anymore in the dead of winter. The thought of it all made Sam even more anxious. “Look, Mom, I’m trying to take care of you and go to work. I’ve missed a lot of days because you’re getting sicker.”
Adeline buried her face in her hands. “Why don’t you let me die? It would make your life a lot easier.”
Sam took a seat on the couch and carefully embraced her. She was thin and frail. Her bones poked him when he held her close. “Don’t talk that way. Let me check your veins, Mom.”
She held out her arms. Bruises covered both of them between her elbows and the back of her hands.
“You need to drink more water so your veins don’t collapse. I’m going to leave the IV ports in from now on.” When the clock chimed on the half hour, he checked the time. “It’s almost time for your transfusion. I’ll grab you a snack before we get started.” Sam pushed off the couch and walked into the kitchen. He took a package of almonds out of the cupboard and two individually wrapped cheese sticks from the refrigerator.
“Will you set the bag of blood on the counter as long as you’re in there? I don’t like the way it feels when it’s too cold.”
“Sure, Mom.” He did as asked then returned to the couch and handed her the snacks. “Here you go—plenty of protein.”
“I watched the news today, Sam. They found that Heather girl way too soon. Isn’t she the one that came over Friday night?”
He waved away her comment. “You don’t need to worry about that. The only connection I have with her is that she works at the same hospital as me. They employ over seven hundred people. The others were random girls, no connection at all. I’ll be more careful from now on, I promise.”
Adeline patted Sam’s knee. “You take real good care of me, honey. What would I do without you?”
“Don’t know, but we’ll get through it together. I promised you that years ago and don’t intend to fail you now. I did my research before we started this process. I know whole blood isn’t the best thing for you, but look on the bright side. Your blood type is compatible with everybody’s blood. I’m going to start giving you two smaller transfusions a week. It might be easier on your body. I know we can turn this around.”
Sam mentally calculated how much blood he needed. At the halfway point of blood loss, his victims usually died. When their hearts stopped pumping, they were useless. No more blood flowed out, and the blood that remained clotted. He was determined to keep his mother alive.
“Anyway”—he turned to his left and smiled—“stop frowning. It wrinkles your fragile skin. Eat your snacks, then we’ll get started.”
After that light lunch, Sam helped his mother into the wheelchair and back to her bedroom. He lifted her to the bed, raised the back slightly, and arranged the pillows as she liked them. With several taps against her skin, he checked to see which veins popped up. “How about the back of your wrist? The port won’t be in the way, and I’ll tape it down really good. That’s where I’ll leave it.”
“Yeah, go ahead.” Adeline braced for the poke with the needle. Sam had become proficient at finding a viable vein on the first try.
“There we go.” He placed the IV bag of blood on the hook. “I’m going to change it to a half a pint, twice a week, so you won’t have to be hooked up for so long. How about a TV show?” He reached for the remote and handed it to her. “I think your favorite soap is about to start. Need anything?”
“I’ll take water and a straw.”
“Sure thing.” Sam checked the IV bag and left the room. He returned with a tall insulated cup with a straw poking out of the lid. “Here you go. I’m going out for a bit.”
Adeline gave him a look of concern and swiped her bangs out of her face. “Be careful, honey.”
He placed her cell phone within reach. “You know I will.” Sam closed her bedroom door at his back. He changed into warm, winter jogging pants. As much as he hated the cold, he knew where diehard females ran along the public paths, often with their dogs. He had become acquainted with a few ladies who frequented the trails and knew at some point they’d come in handy. Plus, there weren’t any cameras nearby. Sam pulled two bottles of water out of the refrigerator. One had a nearly invisible needle hole poked through the label and into the bottle, and the other hadn’t been tampered with. He placed a black dot on the label of the bottle that wasn’t laced with GHB and headed out.