The Haunted Reckoning

by Michelle Dorey

  Home. Yeah. The small town was still home even after being away for almost ten years. She could still see her mother making dinner, listening to Paige tell her about school that day. And then later, the two of them snuggled on the sofa watching TV, eating popcorn.

  Sinking lower still in the seat as she merged onto the highway, a more recent picture of her mother flooded her mind. Mom was obese. It was small wonder that she’d had a stroke. The woman ate too many fatty foods, too many bags of potato chips watching the television alone at night. She’d tried to get her mother into Weight Watchers. She’d even paid for a year’s membership at the health club, but she’d never gone.

  Things would be different after this. She’d visit more often, and make sure her mother lived a healthier lifestyle.

  If this stroke didn’t kill her first.

  Chapter 12

  IT WAS A LITTLE AFTER ELEVEN PM when Paige rushed through the doors of the hospital. The only time she’d ever been in there was when she visited her friend Melanie who’d had her tonsils out. But she could remember the smell—antiseptic mixed with a pine scent from the cleaning solutions. She brushed by the reception where a security guard sat reading something on his cell phone.

  Shit. The cell phone reminded her. She’d have to call Sheila and let her know she’d be away the rest of the week. She hadn’t answered the three calls from her friend while she was driving. Hearing her voice was bound to unleash tears telling Sheila about her mother.

  The waiting room was around the corner just up ahead. Sure enough, Karen was there perched on the edge of a sofa.

  She looked up when the door opened, and Paige walked in. “Oh God, Paige; I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Paige took a seat next to the middle-aged woman and put her hand on her shoulder. “Any word? Do you think they’ll let me see her?”

  Karen shook her head slowly. “Nothing yet. But maybe that’s a good—”

  “Hang on.” Paige stood up and headed for the nurses’ station down the corridor. At the low counter she stopped, and ignoring the fact that the nurse was writing some file notes, she interrupted, “Excuse me, but I’m here about Mrs. Wright? She’s my mother. I’d like to see her.”

  The nurse looked up at her, her face impassive. She turned her head slowly to look at the clock and back to Paige before she shook her head. “It’s eleven o’clock, ma’am. Visiting hours are over. You’ll have to come back—”

  “No! I need to see her now!” Paige caught herself. She was right on the edge of losing it after the day she’d had. She took a deep breath. “Look, she had a stroke, and I’ve just driven three hours to be with her.”

  The nurse’s mouth set in a thin line.

  Before she could say anything else, Paige kept her voice gentle. “Hey...what if it was you standing here asking? What if it were your mom?”

  The nurse sighed as she stood. But a small smile curved her lips now. “Okay.” Her eyes flashed. “But you have to be quiet, understand?”

  Paige held her hands up. “Sure! Sure!”

  “But only for five minutes. You really need to stay quiet though. Other patients are trying to sleep.” With a sideways nod of her head, the nurse then led the way down the hall.

  Paige wasn’t quite ready to let out a sigh of relief. That would depend on the condition she found her mother in.

  It was a large room with four beds. Patients lay sleeping while plastic tubes and wires connected them to monitoring equipment. Her mother was in the first bed to the right. She brushed past the nurse and hurried to her mother’s side, placing her hand gently over her mother’s.

  The tears that she’d fought on the drive there now spilled down her cheeks. Her mother looked helpless and so...old. When did that happen? It had been a couple months since she’d visited with her mother. And now, the poor woman was barely hanging on, not even aware she was there.

  “Mom? I’m here.” Her throat tightened, and she was unable to get words out louder than a whisper. She wanted to tell her mother that she’d be better soon, but how could she say that when the only sign that she was alive was the rise and fall of her chest? And even that was faint, aided by an oxygen tube snaking across her plump cheeks to rest under her nose.

  Her mother’s eyelids fluttered and then creaked open a slit, becoming wider when it registered that Paige was there.

  “It’s okay, Mom. Don’t try to speak. I’m here now.” She smiled seeing her mother’s lips part and the slight nod of her head. Her gaze dropped, and she squeezed her mother’s hand slightly to reassure her. The fact that she’d recognized Paige was a good sign, right? Maybe the damage wasn’t that bad?

  At the touch on her arm, Paige looked over at the nurse. The nurse’s lips were tight before she whispered, “She needs to rest now.”

  After one long last look at her mother, Paige stepped away from the bed following the other woman from the room. The nurse turned when they were in the hallway. “You can come back tomorrow at ten to see her again.”

  But Paige had other plans. “I’m staying in the waiting room tonight. I want to know that she’s okay. She will be, right?”

  Glancing over her shoulder and back to Paige the nurse took a deep breath. “She didn’t have a massive stroke, but”—she fluttered her hands up— “it was a stroke.”

  Paige’s heart sank. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean it’s serious.” Seeing the look on Paige’s face, she reached out and held her forearm. “It could have been worse, but it’s still serious, okay?” She paused for a second. “What’s your name?”

  “Paige.” She tilted her head. “Just tell me. I can handle bad news.”

  “Okay. Look, your mother is receiving tissue plasminogen. That’s good meds working to dissolve clots and improve blood flow to the part of her brain that was affected.”

  The shock must have shown on Paige’s face because the nurse added. “We’ll have a better idea tomorrow.” She tilted her head. “You’re planning on staying here all night?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay. I’ll see about getting you a blanket.” With that, the nurse left her. Paige looked at the room where her mother was hooked up to tubes and gadgets. She said a silent prayer as she waited for the nurse to return. “Please, God, let her be okay.”

  She took the white cotton blanket from the nurse and then returned to the waiting room where Karen still sat. She took a seat next to the middle-aged woman once more. “They think it might have been a blood clot that did this.”

  “Your mother’s a fighter, Paige.” Karen squeezed Paige’s hand, staring deeply into Paige’s eyes. “It will be okay.”

  Paige nodded absently. What the hell else could the woman say? She didn’t know that things would work out. None of them did. “I’ll stay here tonight, Karen. You’ve done enough. Go home and get some sleep. I’ll call you if anything changes.”

  Karen sighed and then looked down at her lap for a moment. “Okay. But I can be back here in twenty minutes if you need me. I’ll come again in the morning.” She stood up and slipped the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Try to get some sleep, Paige. This has been rough for you as well.”

  “Yeah.” She looked down. Karen didn’t know the half of it.

  Karen touched her shoulder. “Your mother said she was going to call you before bed tonight, but…” Her eyes glistened, and she waved at their surroundings.

  Paige nodded silently as Karen pecked her on the cheek. She watched as the woman turned to leave. She seemed to have aged ten years. The strain showed in her slow steps across the room. Karen was also Paige’s godmother. She’d spent a lot of time in Karen’s house as a child.

  Paige spread the blanket over her shoulders and tucked her feet up on the sofa. If her mother survived this she’d make up for all the times she had been too busy to visit. Please, God, let that happen. She settled in for a long night.

  Chapter 13

  WHEN HER CELL PHONE BUZZED Paige’s eyes popped open. She sat up
. When she saw the name on the phone, her eyes shut for a moment. Of course, it was Sheila. Damn it. She’d forgot to return Sheila’s calls.

  “Sheila? I’m sorry I didn’t call you last night.”

  “Paige. Are you all right? I was so worried.”

  “Yes...but my mom. Oh my God, Sheila. She had a stroke. I’m at the hospital now, and I spent the night.” She flipped the blanket off her shoulders and sat forward.

  “What? Is she okay?” Sheila’s words came out in a rush.

  “I don’t know. The doctors said they will have a better idea of the damage today. I won’t be at work tomorrow. Actually, I’m not sure if I’ll even be in next week. I’ve got vacation time that—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Paige. You’ve got to see to your mother first. Bradley will understand, and if he doesn’t… Well, I’m also a partner there, so I’ve got some say in that.”

  “Thanks, Sheila. I’ll call you later after I’ve talked to the doctors. They’ve got her on blood thinners and oxygen, so they might have helped overnight.” Paige prayed that her mother would be awake and that the damage would be minimal.

  “Okay, then. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  “Thanks. I will. I’ll call you later.” Paige clicked the phone off and rose to her feet. There had to be a coffee shop or vending machine around somewhere. It was only a little before eight. Too soon to go in to see her mother.

  A couple of nurses in colorful uniforms opened the door and were heading across the room about to enter the unit where her mother lay. It looked like a shift change. Much as she wanted a coffee, she decided to stay put in the hopes that the nurse who’d been there last night would come out.

  She didn’t have that long to wait before the nurse from the night before appeared, pushing a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear as she entered the waiting room. Paige jerked to her feet, “Excuse me. My mother, Cheryl Wright—how is she?”

  The nurse paused. “She had a good night. Her blood pressure is lower now, which is a good thing. The neurologist will be in this afternoon to examine her.” The nurse’s eyes were red-rimmed from her twelve-hour shift but even so, there was kindness in her expression. “I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you for now.”

  Paige let out a long sigh of relief, only then aware that she’d been holding her breath. “Thanks.” As the nurse was about to leave, she quickly asked, “Is there somewhere I can get a coffee?”

  “Yes. If you go to the lower level there’s a cafeteria where you can get coffee and something to eat.”

  ***

  It was quarter to ten when Karen showed up at the hospital again. She hurried across the waiting room carrying takeout coffee and a small paper sack. “Any news? How is she?”

  Paige took the coffee and smiled up at her. “The nurse from last night said she’s doing better. At least her blood pressure is down.”

  Karen looked up at the ceiling. “Thank God.” She settled in next to Paige and opened the sack of pastries. “Here. These are from O’Brien’s. Remember how good their cranberry biscuits are? Have one.”

  Paige took the still warm pastry from the bag and bit into it. She’d finish this and then it would be time to get in to see her mother. “She smiled and nodded her head, silently thanking Karen for this kindness. “Delicious.”

  Karen popped the top from her coffee and took a sip. “I let the store know about Cheryl. Jenny was pretty upset to hear about it. She asked if there was anything she could do and to let her know when she could come in to see your mom.”

  “That’s nice of her.” Paige could picture Jenny and the small grocery store. Her mother had worked there for as long as Paige could remember. Jenny was more like a friend than a boss to her mother.

  The door to the waiting room opened, and a doctor in his mid-thirties stepped through. “Miss Wright?” His gaze fell on Paige’s face, and he stepped over, extending his hand.

  She rose and shook his hand. “Yes. I’m Paige Wright. My mother—”

  “She’s doing fine. Actually, she’s awake. The nurse on duty told me that you’d spent the night, so I thought you’d be anxious to see her. I’m Dr. Morris.” He smiled and then pushed the bridge of his eyeglasses higher on his face.

  “Did she say anything? Oh God, I was so worried.” She fell into step beside him, but before she went through the door, she turned to Karen. “I’ll be right back. I’ll let you know how she’s doing.”

  The doctor looked over at her and his smile fell. “Your mother...she tried to talk. That’s a good sign. At least her face muscles are working. Based on the tests we completed when she arrived, it was a blood clot affecting blood supply to the Broca area. The neurologist will speak to you about that later once he examines her. But for now, your mother probably will have trouble speaking.”

  Paige’s heart stopped. “She can’t talk?”

  “No, but it’s not that bad. She’ll just be having a hard time finding the right words. She’ll”—he made grasping gestures in the air—”she’ll have trouble with processing her thoughts to spoken words. Her ability to speak is fine, it’s the underpinning wiring that’s off.”

  “Is that permanent?”

  “Not usually. In most cases fluency in language returns.” He paused at the door to her mother’s room and gestured for her to enter.

  Paige gaped at him for a few moments before entering the room. Trouble speaking? How would her mother manage? She stepped inside and rushed to the bedside. Her color seemed better with a faint hint of pink in her cheeks, while her blue eyes crinkled seeing her daughter. “Mom! How are you doing?” Remembering what the doctor had said about her mother’s ability to talk, she quickly added, “They say you had a good night. That your blood pressure is better.”

  The doctor took a spot on the other side of the bed. “Mrs. Wright, I’m Dr. Morris. You experienced a cerebrovascular accident, or as is commonly referred to as a stroke, yesterday afternoon. You were lucky that your neighbor found you and called for help so quickly. Time is really critical with incidents like this.”

  Her mother’s mouth opened and closed a few times before the doctor placed his hand on her shoulder. “The left side of the brain experienced loss of blood flow, so your speech may be difficult right now. The neurologist, Dr. Bennet will be in later today. In the meantime, we’ll run more tests and see how things are looking after your night on blood thinner.”

  Paige could see the panic settle in her mother’s eyes. She leaned in closer and spoke softly, “Remember those medical shows you like so much? How you’re always amazed at what modern medicine can do? You’ll be fine, Mom, and I’m not leaving your side until you are.”

  Paige looked over at the doctor hoping he’d chime in, reassuring her mother and herself that what she’d said was true. But his expression was unreadable.

  She turned back to her mother, anxious to calm her fears. “Karen’s outside. She called Jenny. Boy oh boy, the things you’ll do to get a few days off, Mom.” Paige grinned to let her know she was teasing. “Seriously, she said not to worry about work, but to just get better.”

  The doctor cleared his throat. “I’ll check in later to see how you’re doing.” He stepped back and then reached to tug the curtain from where it bunched at the wall, giving them privacy from the other patients.

  Paige sat with her mother. It was only when Cheryl’s eyes grew heavy and closed that she got up to stretch her legs. Even if her mother couldn’t speak, it was good to see her awake and that she was being cared for.

  Paige left the room and went out to the waiting area where Karen was perched, her fingers quickly working the knitting needles while a red square of some project rested on her lap. She looked up when Paige walked over. “How is she?”

  Paige sighed. “She just fell asleep.”

  Karen slid the knitting project into a tapestry bag and stood up. “Why don’t you go home. I mean to Cheryl’s place, not Albany. Have a shower and change your clothes. It’ll ma
ke you feel better, and by the time you return here, she might be awake again. It’ll only take you an hour. The neurologist won’t be in until the afternoon.”

  Paige nodded. “I think I will.” She looked at Karen. “Call me if they come out with any news though. I’ll be as quick as I can. Do you want me to pick up some lunch for you?”

  Karen patted her oversized bag. “I brought sandwiches for both of us. But if you’d rather have something—”

  “No. That sounds great. I’ll take you up on that when I get back.” She turned and called over her shoulder, “See you soon.”

  ***

  Paige drove to her mother’s home and parked the car in the short driveway. She sat quietly for a few moments looking at the home she’d grown up in as if seeing it for the first time. When had the paint grown so shabby, flaking off near the windows at the front of the house? And the house was so tiny. The walkway leading up to the front step was narrow, the low shrubs bordering it in need of a good pruning.

  She pulled her keys from the ignition and thumbed through until she came to the worn silver key to the front door. She grabbed her overnight bag from the back seat and then walked up the cracked cement sidewalk. When she opened the door the familiar fragrance of pumpkin spice welcomed her. At this time of year, her mother always filled the house with candles scented with the smell of autumn.

  After slipping her sneakers off, she stepped into the short hallway separating the kitchen from the living room. The place was the same except that the clutter had grown even more. A stack of magazines and newspapers threatened to slip from the small table in the hallway while the coatrack above was layered with coats and scarves each clinging precariously to the set of brass coat hooks.