The Cornelius Saga Boxed Set

by Tanya R. Taylor

  “Doctor Barns!” Maggie exclaimed a few minutes later. The old man was nearly out of breath when he arrived. The distance between the parking lot and the entrance to the Emergency Room was not an easy walk for a man his age.

  He sat down next to her. “I got here as fast as I could. Did you hear anything?”

  Maggie filled him in on what Gloria had relayed to her.

  “Goodness gracious!” Barns wiped the pebbles of sweat from his forehead. “I surely hope she’ll be all right. Let me go and see who I can talk to, to get some updated information.” He got up and headed over to the Nurses’ Station, then Maggie watched as a doctor who seemed to recognize him went over and they started speaking. She suddenly thought of something and slid her mobile phone out of her purse.

  “Maggie!” She heard a familiar voice moments later.

  It was Sara Cullen dashing in, along with little Rosie.

  Maggie stood up. “Mrs. Cullen, I was just about to call you. I wasn’t sure you heard...”

  “Is she all right?” Sara asked; her stomach twisted in knots.

  “She’s definitely alive,” Maggie said. And Sara breathed a huge sigh of relief. “She’s been wheeled into surgery. We’d know more in a while.” She turned to Rosie and gave her a hug. “Don’t you worry now, li’l princess. Your mom’s gonna be just fine.”

  “How badly has she been hurt? Do you know?” Sara asked.

  Maggie hesitated for a moment, as she dreaded having to convey what Gloria had shared.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know,” she replied. “But I’m sure she’ll be all right, Mrs. Cullen.”

  Sara looked lost. “I’m gonna go and see what I can find out.”

  “Mrs. Cullen, I’ve just done that and believe me, they don’t have any information pertaining to Mira’s condition at this point. We just have to wait ‘til she’s out of surgery.”

  Doctor Barns was heading back over and immediately, upon arriving, he reached for Sara’s hand. Without uttering a word, Rosie quietly walked off toward the southern side of the E.R. to follow a woman, dressed in white with jet-black hair, who looked a lot like her mother. While speaking with Doctor Barns, Sara hadn’t noticed that Rosie had wandered off.

  “Mom!” Rosie called softly behind the woman after she had gotten well across the room.

  The woman kept moving casually ahead. The way she walked even convinced Rosie that it must be her mother.

  “Mom!” she cried again, this time a bit louder. It seemed as if they were the only two people in the massive space.

  The woman walked beyond the main area through a doorway farther down on the right. As Rosie approached, she realized the mysterious lady had walked straight through the steel door. The corridor was eerily quiet as few people walked past – at least if there was more activity around them, Rosie hadn’t noticed. At the door, she hesitated before gripping the cold, steel knob and twisting it slowly.

  “Mom!” she called, yet again, as she entered the room which widened into another main area of the hospital. The space, although large, was fairly empty and a white cloud-like film appeared to be seeping through the air-condition vents situated in the ceiling. Rosie spotted the tail of her gown as the woman escaped into another room three doors down, again on the right. This time, she walked faster to catch up with her.

  “Honey...”

  Rosie heard her mom’s distinct voice just a few feet away from the door.

  Excited, she couldn’t get to the room fast enough. “Mom, are you...” she started as she made the turn, then abruptly stopped as she came upon a small, empty room with nothing more than a twin-size bed in the middle of it. Rosie detected an unfamiliar buzz which seemed to fill the space.

  “Where are you, Mom?” she asked, worriedly. She was sure she saw her enter the room, and as concrete walls surrounded the bed, she was also certain there was no way she could have left unnoticed. Then she remembered she had seen her walk straight through the main door which led to that side of the building. Her heart was now racing and a queasy sensation crept its way into her stomach.

  “Come here, honey.” Mira instantaneously appeared, stretched out in the bed in front of her. She was covered by a plain, white sheet all the way up to her neck. Her face looked the same as Rosie had seen it earlier at the house.

  “Don’t be afraid, honey. It’s okay. Come to me.” Mira held out her hand and Rosie went to her. She grasped the child’s fingers. This time, Rosie could feel her touch.

  “I want you to be strong.”

  Rosie started to cry. “What happened to you, Mom?”

  “It was just an accident, honey. Nothing was intentional. I just wanted to tell you that I love you and I need you to be strong.”

  “Are you leaving us?” Rosie probed, as her chest heaved rapidly.

  Mira smiled. “I could never leave you, Rosie.” There were a few moments of silence as Rosie considered what those words might mean. “Tell Mom I love her too, okay?”

  Rosie nodded.

  Mira kissed her daughter’s hand. “Now, go back and join the others. They’re starting to get worried.”

  But before having a chance to walk away, something swept Rosie up from her feet with such incredible force that she thought she would be flung through the doorway. Temporarily blinded by multi-colored lights as she traveled backwards through the air, it seemed like a mere second before she was back in the waiting area of the Emergency Room.

  Sara ran over to her and gripped her by the shoulders. “Where have you been? I was just about to ask the security to help us find you!”

  “I just walked over there...” Rosie pointed.

  “She’s back now, so that’s all that matters,” Barns interjected.

  Maggie had Rosie sit next to her. “Let’s not wander off anymore, okay, Princess?” She spoke softly. “You don’t want to worry your grandma, especially at a time like this.”

  “Okay.” Rosie nodded. Her eyes were filled with tears as her mother’s last words had never stopped ringing in her ears.

  “Aww, honey.” Maggie hugged her. “Everything’s gonna work out just fine. Your mom’s gonna be all right, ya hear?”

  Rosie looked at her, sadly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

  Sara and Dr. Barns looked on.

  “She’s going to die!” Rosie announced loudly.

  “No, she’s not!” Sara exclaimed. “Your mom’s a strong lady and no matter what, she’ll pull through. You’ve got to believe that.”

  “You’re wrong, Nana. Mom’s left us.”

  Those words cut Sara like a knife and now tears were streaming down her cheeks. What troubled her was knowing her grand-daughter wouldn’t say anything so devastating unless there was something that had convinced her. She led Rosie away and they went into one of the restrooms. Sara bent down and peeped under the row of cubicles to see if they had company, and she spotted a pair of feet in black high heel shoes all the way to the end. Kneeling down in front of Rosie, she quietly asked, “Why are you saying these things, Pumpkin?”

  Lips trembling, Rosie replied: “I saw Mom – first at home before we left and then here, a little while ago! She’s hurt really bad, Nana!”

  “You saw her? You mean, as they wheeled her by?”

  Rosie shook her head.

  “You mean… like how you see… the others?” Sara’s eyes widened.

  The child nodded slowly.

  Dread filled Sara’s veins.

  “She said she loves us, Nana, and we must be strong.”

  Sara quickly embraced the child tightly, not wanting to let go. If Rosie was anywhere near correct, it meant both of their worlds would change forever, and Rosie would have to grow up without her loving mother. Sara recalled in that moment the countless stories she’d heard from her own mother and aunts as a young woman about “soul travel” and how it often happens right before a person who’s deathly ill, passes away. Was this what Rosie had experienced? Her mother’s soul traveling to say her final
goodbyes? Is that why Mira told her they must be strong because she knew what her fate was and how it was sure to cripple them both? But how could something so awful possibly be? Will God really snatch another loved one away from them so soon? Many disconcerting questions with no right answers raced through Sara’s mind.

  She finally released her hold as they heard the toilet flush, and Sara wiped the tears from Rosie’s little face and then her own. “No matter what, Pumpkin, we’ll be okay. As soon as we’re able to see your mom, we’re gonna hold her hand and we’ll let her know how much we love her too.” She gently lifted Rosie’s chin. “That’s what we’ll do, okay?”

  “Okay.” Rosie barely whispered.

  Sara tried to compose herself before they left the restroom and returned to the waiting area.

  Hours soon passed and Dr. Barns and Maggie refused to leave the hospital without a firm update on Mira’s condition. They sat with Sara and Rosie and tried to re-assure them that Mira will be all right.

  “Gotta use the restroom,” Sara said. “You need to come, Pumpkin?”

  Rosie was gazing out of the little casement window near her chair. “No,” she dryly replied.

  Sara got up and disappeared around the bend, and upon returning minutes later, she saw Dr. Barns speaking with another man. From the long, white coat he wore, she could tell he, too, was a doctor.

  “Oh, Sara! This is the lead surgeon, Doctor Lee.” Barns said to her as she quickly approached.

  Dr. Lee was a middle-aged doctor from Hong Kong, but he considered himself “Chinese-American”.

  “How is my daughter?” Sara asked, anxiously.

  Barns stepped aside and allowed them to speak.

  “Mrs. Cullen, I’m sorry to report that your daughter is in critical condition. There’s some swelling in her brain and damage to the cerebral cortex after a fairly large piece of glass from the windshield caught her in the forehead. We did what we could to reduce the swelling. She also sustained fractures to her rib cage and sternum, and some damage to her legs – the left one, in particular. We thought she might lose it, but thankfully that was not the case.” The look in Sara’s eyes pleaded for good news. Dr. Lee sighed. “I must be honest with you. When Mira came in, she was unconscious and as of now, there’s been no change.”

  “You mean… there’s a possibility that she might be comatose?” Sara asked.

  “It’s still early, but from the tests we ran, there is very little brain activity, Mrs. Cullen. We’ll have to monitor her closely.”

  “I see.”

  “In my opinion, it’s a miracle your daughter is still alive, considering the extent of the injuries she sustained.”

  “Thank you, doctor.”

  Barns returned to Sara’s side.

  “When can I see her?” Sara asked Dr. Lee.

  “She’s in Recovery now. We’ve placed her in one of the rooms. I can let you peep in for a quick minute, but we really cannot allow visitors at this time. Her condition is too delicate.”

  Dr. Barns nodded in agreement. “You go, Sara. We’ll wait here,” he said.

  “Can my granddaughter come and see her mother?” Sara asked, as Rosie looked on.

  “I...” Lee seemed hesitant, then he had the fleeting thought that this could possibly be the girl’s last chance to see her mother alive. He wished, despite the glaring circumstances, he could feel more optimistic. “Okay.”

  Sara and Rosie followed him to the Recovery Room, which was similar in size to the E.R. Rosie realized Dr. Lee was taking them the exact, same route she had walked earlier, while following her mother. They soon made a right turn into a small room – the same room where her mother had briefly spoken to her and was now lying quietly with her eyes closed. The difference was that there were other people around now – patients, doctors, nurses and orderlies, and seemingly no shortage of medical equipment either.

  Lee waited at the door for just a few moments as Sara and Rosie solemnly entered the room. Sara gasped when she saw Mira attached to the IV. Her head was bandaged from the forehead all the way back, and so was her abdomen. She barely recognized her own daughter.

  There was no holding back the tears as they eased to her bedside. Sara sighed heavily; shaking her head. “I’m so sorry, honey. I’m so sorry this happened to you. I wish it would’ve been me,” she said, softly. Mira’s hand felt slightly cold to the touch and her long, narrow fingers appeared colorless. Rosie stood nearby and gently placed a hand on her mother’s leg. In an instant, she could see her mother sitting in traffic as if she, herself, was seated there in the driver’s seat, when the weight of the machine with its long arm landed on the car. She suddenly felt excruciating pain in her legs, then an unbearably sharp one in her head until the pain was replaced by an inexplicable numbness, and all consciousness was lost.

  Rosie slowly removed her hand and stared at her mother. Sara was pouring out her heart to Mira; telling her that she’s the one that needs to be strong and to not leave them.

  “Ma’am...” A nurse appeared in the doorway. “I have to ask you to…” The forthcoming request was interrupted as Sara abruptly raised her hand.

  “Honey, we have to go now,” she told Mira who had been completely unresponsive the entire time they were there. “But we’ll be right back really soon; just hang in there, okay? You’ve always been one tough cookie, so I know you can pull through. Do it for Rosie; okay, honey?” She had to force herself to release Mira’s hand as the tears continued to flow. Rosie leaned in and kissed her mother’s hand as Sara put an arm around her shoulder. Then they walked out together.

  “Nana, we’re not really going to leave her. Are we?”

  The nurse was touched by Rosie’s sadness. The little girl reminded her of her own granddaughter.

  “Ma’am...” she addressed Sara outside the door. “I’m Cleo Parkins. I’m one of the nurses who will be looking after your daughter. Dr. Lee wanted me to assure you that we will give you a call if there’s any change whatsoever in your daughter’s condition. I know you’ve been here for hours already, but there’s nothing more you can do except go home and get some rest, and leave us to take good care of Mira.”

  “No! I don’t wanna leave Mom all alone!” Rosie cried.

  Sara held her close. “We can’t stay in the hospital, Pumpkin. Besides, your mother’s not alone. I was a nurse too, remember? Other families had to trust me and other hospital personnel to take care of their loved one at the hospital until they got better. Your mother needs to rest. I know she’s in good hands here. We’ll come right back tomorrow, okay?”

  “Don’t worry, little one,” Nurse Parkins chimed in. “Like your grandma said, we’re going to take good care of your mom. You have my word.” She smiled.

  “Thank you, Nurse,” Sara said. “Make sure to call now when there’s any change – no matter how insignificant.”

  “Will do, Ma’am.”

  Sara did her best to relate what she saw to Maggie and Doctor Barns as they left the hospital together.

  “Being in healthcare, we know the possibilities, Sara,” Barns remarked. “I can tell ya I’ve seen my share of modern-day miracles.”

  “I’m sure she’ll pull through just fine,” Maggie said.

  “I really appreciate you both being here for Rosie and me at a time like this. I know you have a clinic to run,” Sara told them after they arrived at her car.

  “We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Barns replied, quite loudly. “Mira’s like family, and family look out for one another and stick together.”

  They all embraced before parting ways.

  4

  _________________

  Returning home felt strange, particularly since they knew Mira would not be coming home that night.

  “Hungry?” Sara asked Rosie after dropping her keys onto the kitchen counter.

  “No, thanks,” Rosie answered. She was halfway down the hallway by then.

  “Pumpkin, you haven’t eaten a bite all day. You have to eat s
omething even if you don’t feel like it. I’ll make something light, okay?”

  Rosie shrugged and continued on. She went into her mother’s room and instantly got a whiff of her favorite perfume – the one Mira had worn that morning before leaving for work. The bed was neatly made and sheer curtains pulled back. Rosie reached for her mother’s blue nightdress on top of the bureau, then she sat at the foot of the bed. Burying her face in the soft fabric, she again thought of what her mother had said to her.