Doc was waiting for Billie in her room at the end of her PT. Billie could tell by the expression on his face that something was wrong. Her feeling of dread increased as Doc motioned for Laura to leave her in the wheelchair. Laura did as she was asked and slipped out of the room.
Billie scanned the room. “Where’s Cat? What happened?”
Doc placed his hand on her shoulder. “First, calm down. She’s fine. She passed out in her presurgery briefing this morning.”
“She passed out? Where is she? I’ve got to see her.”
“You’re not going anywhere until you calm down,” Doc said. “I’ll take you to her, but you’ll do her no good if you’re in a snit yourself.”
Billie took a deep breath. “Yes, of course, I’m sorry. Please take me to her.”
“All right.” Doc pushed her toward the elevator.
Moments later, Billie and Doc were at Cat’s bedside. Cat was sleeping, and an IV was inserted into her left arm.
Intense anxiety filled Billie’s chest. “Why did she pass out?”
“She passed out because she’s a stubborn little shit. She hasn’t been taking care of herself. She hasn’t been eating or sleeping very well.”
“Damn you, Cat,” Billie said, almost under her breath. “I told you. Why do you have to be so damned stubborn all the time?” Billie looked at Doc. “How long will she be confined to bed?”
“A day or two… if she takes care of herself.”
“Can you move her to my room?”
Doc nodded. “It can be arranged.”
Lunch was waiting for Billie when she and Doc arrived back at her room, but she had very little appetite. Doc helped her into the chair by the window and wheeled the table in front of her. She pushed it away.
Doc pushed it back. “Eat. I don’t need to be worrying about both of you.”
That made sense. Billie did as she was told and ate about half of her meal before Cat’s bed was wheeled into her room. Cat was still asleep. Doc hung around to see her settled in her new room. Before he left, he helped Billie back into the wheelchair and moved her to Cat’s bedside.
Billie lifted Cat’s hand and held it in her own. She studied Cat’s face carefully as she slept. Without warning, a searing pain streaked through her head, forcing her to close her eyes. When she opened them, she was still in the hospital, but in another room, and at another time.
She sat on the edge of the bed and took Cat’s hand in hers. “Cat, it took almost losing you to give me the courage to say this… I love you. I think I have since you walked into my class that day. I didn’t realize how much until this happened.”
Billie closed her eyes against the pain. When she reopened them, she was back in her room, watching Cat sleep. Was that a memory? She stared at Cat for long moments until Laura came to claim her for her afternoon PT.
“You’re early,” Billie said.
“Yeah, a little.” Laura stood beside Cat’s bed. “Is she okay?”
“Doc said she’ll be all right. She just needs food and rest.”
Laura pulled a chair next to Billie and sat down. “This is all pretty confusing, isn’t it?” she asked.
Billie nodded without moving her gaze from Cat’s face.
“I wish I could tell you it will all work out in the end, but I can’t. So much of this depends on how much you’ll remember and what you choose to do with what you have now. But what I can say is this… Cat loves you very much. She’s in this bed right now because she’s put you above all else, even her own health. Don’t give up on that—not yet. Okay?”
“I’ll try.”
As with the morning PT, Billie started out with a walk through the parallel bars, which she accomplished with little difficulty. Once again, the walker was waiting for her at the end of the bars. She grasped the walker and righted herself into a standing position, struggling hard to remain balanced. Laura was a constant presence standing behind her, her light touch on the belt giving Billie the added confidence to push herself a little further.
“Okay,” Joseph said, “lift the walker, move it forward, and place it down again. Be sure to maintain your balance while you lift it.”
Billie lifted the walker and teetered side to side before thrusting it forward and lowering it back to the floor.
“Good. Now take a step with each foot.”
An echo came from deep within her mind: Come on, Billie, just like on the parallel bars. You can do it. Do it for Cat. With determined steps, she moved forward, first with one foot, and then with the other.
“Again,” Joseph said.
Billie repeated the sequence until she crossed the room.
Joseph stood in front of her, his hands covering hers on the walker while Laura fetched the wheelchair. He held her gaze the whole time. Before he released her hands, he said, “Good job. I knew you weren’t a quitter.” He walked away, and Laura helped her into her chair and wheeled her back to her room.
Billie kept her gaze directed at Cat during the entire post-therapy massage.
“She’s going to be fine.” Laura rubbed the soreness out of Billie’s muscles.
“I know. It’s just… I can’t help but feel this is my fault.”
“It was her own decision to neglect her health, not yours.”
“But she did it for me.”
“Yes, she did, but she’s a big girl, and from what I’ve seen, a stubborn one at that. She’s a doctor. She knows the consequences of not eating and sleeping well. Sometimes common sense flies out the window where matters of the heart are concerned.” Laura completed her rubdown and helped Billie change into a clean gown for bed.
“Laura, before you leave, I’d like you to help me over to her bed.”
“For the night?”
“Yes.”
“All right. You stay put. I’ll be right back.” Several moments later, Laura reappeared with the walker Billie used in PT. She put it down near Billie’s bed, folded up the wheelchair, and rolled it off to the side. “You won’t need that anymore.” She positioned the walker in front of Billie. “Okay, on your feet.”
Billie grasped the walker, and with Laura holding on to her waist, she rose to her feet.
“Okay, you know the routine.”
“Balance, lift, forward, lower, step, step,” Billie repeated to herself. She made her way over to Cat’s bed while Laura walked very close beside her. Finally, she sat on the edge of Cat’s bed, smiling ear to ear. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Can you handle it from here?”
“Yes. Thanks again.”
“All right. Pleasant dreams. I’ll see you in the morning.” Laura left, pushing the wheelchair before her.
“Goodnight,” Billie said. She lay down next to Cat and pulled the covers over herself.
Chapter 32
Cat awoke the next morning to find herself trapped on the bed. She wore Billie like a body suit. Billie’s legs were entwined around hers like braided rope. Her arm was thrown over Cat’s chest, and her face was nuzzled deep into her neck. She desperately wanted to stay right where she was, except nature was calling.
She moved her head so she was almost face-to-face with Billie and kissed her eyelids until she woke up. She grinned. “Billie, as much as I’m enjoying this closeness, I’ve got to pee.”
Billie took in their current positions. She quickly moved away, giving Cat plenty of room. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. You didn’t hear me complaining, did you? I just need to use the bathroom before I embarrass both of us.”
Cat slid her legs over the side of the bed and was about to rise when a wave of dizziness came over her. “Whoa!” She fell back onto the bed. Suddenly, she noticed the IV in her arm and that there were two beds in Billie’s room. “What’s going on here?”
“You passed out in a meeting yesterday,” Billie said.
“What do you mean, I passed out?”
“You passed out from lack of sleep and food. I told you...”
&nb
sp; “Please don’t say, ‘I told you so.’”
“You scared the shit out of me. I was worried.”
Cat realized how harsh she sounded and felt guilty. “Honey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I know you warned me. I just… hell, I don’t know what. I screwed up. I’m sorry.” Cat tried once more to get out of bed, rising slowly to keep the dizziness at bay. She grabbed the portable IV rack that held the drip bag and walked it into the bathroom in front of her.
While Cat was in the bathroom, Billie pushed herself into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. She grasped the walker that Laura had left close by and very slowly pulled herself to her feet just as Doc came into the room.
“What in blazes are you doing?” He rushed to her side. “And where is Caitlain?”
“She’s in the bathroom, which is where I’m headed. By the time I make it around the bed, she’ll be out.”
Billie saw Doc frown at her attempted humor and steeled herself for a lecture.
“Billie, I’m happy to see you on your feet, but it’s too soon in your therapy to do this without assistance. Do you understand? If you need to go somewhere, call for help first.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“I mean it.”
“All right, all right. I’ll call for help next time, I promise.”
“That’s better,” he said, just as the bathroom door opened and Cat shuffled out.
“I’m next,” Billie said.
“Billie, you’re walking!”
Billie’s face radiated pride as she made her way past Cat and into the bathroom, with Doc at her side. Billie stopped at the door and gave Doc a pointed look.
“I can’t let you go in there alone, Billie.”
“Like hell you can’t,” she replied as she stood her ground.
“Oh, hell. Between you and Cat, I’ve broken so many rules I guess one more won’t matter. Please be careful in there, and call for help if you need it.”
“I promise.” Billie shuffled the rest of the way into the bathroom.
Cat sat on the edge of her bed and watched her father pace.
“Caitlain, I warned you to take better care of yourself.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Damn it, you’re a doctor. I would think you’d know better.”
“You’re right.”
“From now on, you’re going to listen to me and do what you’re told. Understand?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“You need to take this seriously, Caitlain. Your health is nothing to fool with. You have a lot of people depending on you to stay healthy right now. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Cat sighed. “Yes, I understand. I don’t know what to say, except I screwed up. I’m sorry.”
Doc sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “You gave me quite a scare. Please promise me you’ll take better care of yourself.”
“I will. I promise.” Cat rested her head on Doc’s shoulder for long moments. After a time, she lifted her head. “Maybe we should check on Billie.”
Just then, the bathroom door swung open.
Doc was on his feet in an instant and walked beside Billie to the edge of her own bed where she sat and grinned.
“Show off,” Cat said.
Doc lounged in the chair by the window while their breakfast trays were rolled in. “Daddy, you don’t have to hang around to make sure I eat,” Cat said.
“What? Can’t I visit with my daughter and daughter-in-law?”
“Yeah, right,” Cat mumbled as she started eating.
Doc winked at Billie, drawing a grin from her.
After Cat ate most of her meal, Doc rose to his feet and excused himself.
“He’s so transparent,” Cat said.
“He loves you, and he’s worried about you.”
“Well, I’ve certainly given him reason. I’m sorry. I know it was stupid.”
“Just promise me you’ll take better care of yourself from now on.”
“I will,” Cat said as Laura came into the room.
“Ah, my two favorite ladies. Good morning,” she said. “Feeling better today?”
“Yes, thank you,” Cat said.
She looked at Billie sitting on her own bed and put her hands on her hips. “Okay, missy, how did you get from there,” she said, pointing to Cat’s bed, “to there?” She pointed to Billie’s bed. “You better not have done it by yourself.”
“Nope, Doc helped me.”
“Good. Okay, are you ready to go for a walk?”
“To the PT room?”
“No, we’re all finished in there for a little while. How about a stroll up and down the hall?”
“Don’t you mean a shuffle up and down the hall?” Billie joked.
“Walk, shuffle—same church, different pew.”
“Can I come along?” Cat asked.
“Sure. The more the merrier. We need to wait for Joseph. He should be here soon.” She placed Billie’s walker in front of her. “Okay, on your feet.”
Laura fastened the belt around Billie’s waist while she balanced on the walker. Cat grabbed Seth’s baseball cap and slipped in on Billie’s head just as Joseph entered the room.
Joseph stood there, arms crossed in front of him. “Well, now we’ll see what you’re really made of, Billie,” he said. “Are you up for a challenge?”
“I can take anything you dish out,” she shot back at him. Cat could see the twinkle in Billie’s eyes.
He approached her and circled her walker. “Nice hat.”
“Get on with it, Ivan,” Billie said.
“Okay. Let’s see if you can make it to the end of the hall. I’ll walk with you on one side, and Laura will be on the other.” Joseph looked at Cat. “You can make yourself useful by pushing the wheelchair, Red. She gets a ride back.”
If it weren’t that she was helping Billie, Cat would have told him where he could stick the wheelchair. Instead, she swallowed her pride, tucked her IV pole between the handles of the wheelchair, and pushed them both behind the slowly moving entourage.
Cat could tell Billie was tired when they finished their walk. It had taken almost a half hour to make it to the end of the hall. A grateful sigh escaped Billie’s lips as Laura lowered her into the chair for the ride back to her room.
“You did good,” Laura said. “Time to go home.”
Laura helped her into a chair in her room. “I’ll be back this afternoon for round two. Catch you later.” Laura wheeled the chair out of the room in front of her.
“What time is the occupational therapist coming, Cat?”
“Julie’s not coming today, remember? She cut your sessions down to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, because you made so much progress over the past week.”
Billie’s brows knit together, and she nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I forgot.”
Cat sat on the arm of the chair. She wrapped her arm around Billie’s shoulder and kissed her on the head. She felt the heat radiating from Billie’s skin. “Are you okay? You’re a little hot.”
“Just tired,” Billie said as she rubbed her forehead.
Cat noticed the gesture. “Billie, the headaches are back, aren’t they? That would explain why you’ve forgotten random bits of information over the past few days.”
“A little one. Not too bad.”
Cat kissed Billie’s head again, stood up, and took hold of her IV pole. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to find you a couple of pain relievers.”
When Cat returned minutes later, Billie was half-asleep in the chair. She nudged Billie awake and handed the meds and water to her.
“Thanks,” Billie said. “When’s the OT coming?”
Cat frowned. “Honey, I just reminded you that you didn’t have a session today. Are you all right?”
“I’m… tired. Help me to bed?”
“Let me call Laura, okay? We shouldn’t be doing this without help.”
“It’s okay. Please, help me to bed.” Billie
grabbed her walker and tried to pull herself up with it.
Cat steadied the walker as Billie struggled to stand. She wrapped her arm around Billie’s waist and helped her move the four feet necessary to make it to the side of her bed. Billie dropped down on the edge and let herself fall back while Cat lifted her feet up and swung them onto the bed. Cat pulled the blanket up to Billie’s neck and lifted the bed rails into position before leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.
Billie captured Cat’s hand as she attempted to right herself after the kiss. “Join me? Please?”
Cat moved around to the other side of the bed. Making sure not to tangle her IV, she climbed into bed with Billie and snuggled into her shoulder. Billie wrapped her arm around Cat and lowered her cheek to the top of Cat’s head. Soon, they were both sleeping, their hearts beating in sync.
“Caitlain, wake up.”
Cat rolled over and saw Doc standing beside the bed. “Daddy? Is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine, kitten. I stopped in to let you know your session with Dr. Connor is being rescheduled to this evening. It’s nearly time for Billie’s afternoon PT. I thought you’d like a chance to eat before then.”
Cat saw their lunch trays on the table. “Yeah, you’re right. Billie should eat. She needs her strength.” Cat rolled back over to shake Billie awake. “Billie, honey, come on, wake up. Time for lunch.”
Billie batted her hand away. “No.”
“Come on, love. You’ve got to eat before Laura gets here.”
Billie groaned when Cat mentioned Laura’s name. “I don’t want to walk anymore today.”
Cat shook her again. “Billie, come on. Please?”
Billie rolled onto her back. “All right, I’m up.” She grinned at Cat and pulled her down onto her shoulder. “Strike that—I changed my mind.” She curled up again with Cat in her arms.
Unchained Memories Page 21