"I might ride with one of my housemates. Not sure yet."
"So what you want to do today?" Jake asked.
"Can we just hang out here and watch some movies? I really don't want to do anything today."
"Sure. Sounds good to me."
Heather received a text from Mike while Jake was watching The Avengers movie. He asked her if she was okay. She went to the bathroom so Jake wouldn't see the text.
I'm okay. Sorry about last night.
No worries.
Can I call you tomorrow?
Sure. Can't wait.
Okay Bye.
XOXO Bye
Chapter 18
Heather left Jake's the next morning. As she was walking back to her room, she saw Mike sitting in the park. "Hey. What you doing?"
"Just trying to enjoy the day. So where you headed?" Mike asked.
"I was going to... go get some breakfast, she replied.
"That sounds good; I'll tag along if you don't mind."
"Sure. There is a Waffle House around the corner."
"Great," Mike replied.
After arriving at the Waffle House, Heather ordered some coffee, pancakes, eggs, and grits. Mike ordered Gravy, Biscuits, and orange juice.
"How was everything after you left?" Mike asked.
"Jake was being his jealous, overbearing self."
"He wasn't mean to you was he?" He asked.
"No, everything's good. He told me to quit hanging out with you, but he's not my daddy."
"Yeah, but too bad he's not," he replied.
"Mike, I know you like me, but we can't be anything more than friends. You know that right."
"Yeah. I guess I had hoped that one day we could be more than friends, but I know it will probably never happen."
"I don't want to hurt you," Heather responded.
"I know. I hope we can remain friends. I like having you around. I think of you as a dear friend. I feel like I can talk to you about anything."
"That's sweet. I feel the same way… Look I don't want you to think this is anything more than it is, but... Do you want to ride to the championship game with me?"
"I thought you would never ask. Of course," Mike said with a smirk on his face.
"You know you are going to have to quit doing that," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean. You have a way of flirting without meaning to. At least I hope you aren't flirting on purpose," Heather said.
"I guess it's just my personality. I'll try, though." Mike replied. He knew he had been flirting with Heather. He had hoped that she would change her mind about him. He knew that she cared more than she was saying, but her boyfriend was in the way. As long as Jake was there, she wasn't going to leave him. He had hoped but now knew that it wasn't going to happen, at least not anytime soon.
As Heather started to respond, her cell phone rang. She held her finger up to gesture to Mike to wait a minute.
"Hello."
"Heather, it's Sally. Mick is uh..." Sally couldn't hold back her tears.
"What's wrong with Mick?" Heather asked.
"He's in the hospital. They think he had a stroke."
"What?" Heather couldn't believe her ears. Tears filled her eyes, and she began to sob.
Heather dropped the phone and held her hands over her eyes.
"Heather what's wrong." Mike tried to hug her, but she turned away. He reached down and grabbed her phone. "This is Mike, Heather's friend. Who is this?"
"This is Sally. I'm a friend of hers and her uncle's. Her uncle's sick. I'm sure she will fill you in. Please take care of her. I got to go now." Sally hung up the phone.
"What can I do?" Mike asked.
"Nothing. I want to be left alone," she replied.
Heather ran and got in her car and continued to cry. Mike went outside and stood by the wall, trying to give her a minute to calm down. When he saw her wipe her eyes, he opened the car door. "Heather, let me drive. You are too upset to drive right now."
"I got to go to Huckleburg. I got to go check on my uncle. He's in the hospital."
"Okay, I'll drive you," he replied.
"No. You have classes tomorrow. I got to go now, don't you see."
"I don't care about classes, let me drive you," Mike insisted.
"Do you want to go get some clothes to take with you?"
"Yes, can you take me home so I can get a couple of things. Please hurry," Heather replied.
Heather wanted to call Jake to let him know what was going on but didn't feel like talking at the moment.
"Can you call Jake and tell him what's going on, while I grab my clothes?"
"I'll call him. Don't worry about anything."
As Heather was packing a bag, Mike telephoned Jake.
"Hello," Jake answered.
"Jake, it's Mike. Heather's friend."
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Heather got a call from a lady named Sally. She said that Heather's uncle was in the hospital. Heather wanted me to call you," Mike responded.
"Where is she at now?" Jake asked.
"She is in her room. She is packing some clothes to go see her uncle. I told her that I would drive her."
"Stay there. I'm heading over now." Jake hung up the phone. He was worried about Heather but curious how Mike found out the news. He didn't like the idea he was there with Heather either.
After ten minutes, Mike heard a knock on the door. He opened it and saw Jake standing there.
"How's Heather?" Jake inquired.
"She's in there getting her things together." Mike pointed toward the bathroom.
Jake knocked on the door. "Heather, are you okay?"
"I'll be out in a minute," she responded.
Jake could hear Heather sobbing through the bathroom door. His heart began to melt. He couldn't stand the idea of her crying. He put his hand to the door. "Tell me you're okay sweetheart."
"Please just give me a minute. I'll be right out."
Jake turned to Mike. "So how did you find out what was going on?"
"Heather saw me in the park this morning, and she stopped to say hello when her phone rang. I just happened to be there."
"So what makes you think you can take her to Huckleburg?" Jake inquired.
"I didn't want her driving there alone. She was pretty upset," Mike replied.
"Okay I get why you would say you would go with her, but I can take her. Thanks for your help."
"I already told her I would drive her. I'm not going to break my word," Mike replied.
"I'm driving her so you can go back to what you were doing. I'll get her to call you once we are there."
Mike hated to leave Heather but knew he didn't want to start a fight with Jake. So he went to the bathroom door. "Heather, I'm leaving now. Jake said he was driving you. Call me when you find out about your uncle."
Heather opened the door. "Thanks, Mike." She gave him a hug and then wiped her face. Tears had been streaming down her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.
After Mike left, Jake helped Heather get her belongings, and they headed downstairs. He didn't have time to grab any clothes, but he didn't care. He wanted to find out about Mick too. He certainly wasn't going to allow Mike drive Heather all the way back to Huckleburg alone. He didn't trust him.
Chapter 19
Heather and Jake arrived at the hospital by 1:20. They stopped at the visitor's desk to find out what room Mick was in. The volunteer told them he was in ICU bed 7. She instructed them to the waiting room. Visitors were only allowed to visit between the hours of 8 to 10, 2 to 4, and 7 to 9. As they approached the waiting room, they could see Sally sitting close to the exit.
"Sally, how is uncle Mick. What happened?" Heather asked.
"He had a stroke. He is stable now. We can see him at 2 o'clock."
"What happened to him? Were you with him?" Heather inquired.
"He was at the diner for breakfast this morning. I had already taken his order and
was on my way to deliver his food when I noticed he was just sitting there, staring. I tried to get him to respond to me, but he couldn't. So I knew something was up. That's when I called the ambulance."
"So they know for sure it was a stroke?" Heather asked.
"Yes, they did a Cat Scan."
"Is he going to be alright?" Heather cried.
"The doctors are taking good care of him. He'll be okay," Jake replied.
"Yes, he'll be okay. Mick is strong. He'll pull out of this I'm sure."
"I hope so. I can't lose him too." Heather remembered her mom and dad's passing.
"Let's just keep praying for him. God will take care of him," Sally replied.
Jake couldn't help remember what Heather had told him a few weeks ago. He knew she had been struggling with stress lately. He remembers how upset she was when he was injured. Things she had told him, such as having nightmares. He worried that this was too much for her to handle. He wanted to take away her pain, but all he could do was stand there and hold her. He kissed her on the forehead as she lowered her head to the ground.
"I'm here for you, Babe. Do you need anything?" He asked.
"No. I just want my uncle to be okay. What time is it?"
"It's almost time for visitation," Sally replied.
"I'm so glad you were here, Sally. I can't even imagine what would have happened to my uncle if you haven't been there."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that? I was there, and he is getting the help he needs right now."
Soon it was time for visitors to be allowed in the ICU. Sally told Heather and Jake they could see him first. She knew how upset Heather was and that Jake would be more of a comfort to her at this time.
Heather couldn't believe her eyes when she walked into his room. He had lines and tubes running every way. He looked so fragile and pale.
"Uncle Mick, it's Heather," she called out to him.
He didn't respond at first, but after she rubbed his head with her hand, his eyes opened. He wasn't able to talk to her, but he looked at her. Jake motioned for the nurse to come check on him.
"He's not going to be able to talk to you right now," the nurse said.
"What is the doctor saying? When will he be able to talk to me?" Heather inquired.
"Only time will tell. He is looking much better than he did when he arrived. He is responded well to treatment, so it is a very good sign."
"Thanks for caring for him," Heather replied.
After kissing her uncle on the cheek and telling him that she would visit him again soon, Jake and Heather went outside to allow Sally to see him also.
"It's so hard seeing him like this. I don't know what to do for him."
"Heather all you can do for him is be here for him. I don't know how much time that will be, but he needs you," Jake replied.
"What am I going to do about school. Finals are in two weeks. I can't just skip them."
"Let me call the school and talk with the president. I'll see what your options are. They might allow an extension.”
“What about you? You need to go back. You are going to miss classes tomorrow,” Heather replied.
“Heather I’m sure missing one day isn’t going to hurt me. Let’s see how he is tomorrow and then I’ll decide when I’m going back.”
“Okay. I know that I want to stay a while. To make sure he is doing okay. He’ll probably need a lot of support when he gets out of the hospital too.”
“Yes. It’s best you stay with him. School is almost over for the semester. You have plenty of time to decide. I’ll call the school tomorrow for you.”
“When are you going back?” Heather questioned. She knew he had to go back to school but was afraid of being alone. Of course, she wasn’t going to tell him that. She hated the thought of him leaving her, but there wasn’t another option.
“I’ll go back when I know you are okay. Let’s just get through the night, and we can make better decisions tomorrow,” Jake replied.
“You’re probably right. I’m really glad you are here,” she replied.
Chapter 20
After some days, the doctor told Heather that Mick had improved a great deal and would probably go home in a few days, so Jake returned to school. Heather didn't want Jake to leave but knew that it was necessary. It wasn't long before Mick was able to leave the hospital. He wasn’t able to walk and wasn’t able to talk too much. He could answer her with short answers. Yes or No.
The hospital case worker set up a home health nurse to come by once a week for a visit, and a physical therapist to come by three times a week. They had tried to convince him to go to rehab, but Heather knew that he wouldn't want to go. She was his only family and had to make most of the healthcare decisions, at least for now. Sally agreed with Heather. They knew that Mick would hold it against them for making him go, so Heather decided on staying there with Mick to help him at home. She decided it was more important than returning to school.
Jake had called the President of the school and explained what had happened to Mick when he returned to school. The President instructed her professors to allow her to take her finals online because of her family situation. Jake called Heather and let her know the good news. He felt guilty, leaving her there but knew he would fail all his classes if he didn’t go back.
Heather told Jake to go ahead and play in the SEC Title game. She didn’t want him to resent her later if he didn’t get to play. It seemed too important not to play. She told him that she would be watching the game from there.
Heather had texted Mike to thank him for his support and that she would be staying in Huckleburg until her uncle’s health was better. She didn't think she had the strength to talk to him face to face. To her surprise, he texted her back with well wishes.
It was quite an adjustment for Heather being back in Huckleburg. Most of the time, she stayed at the house with Mick. Sally would swing by the house when she was able to. This gave Heather time to go to town to buy groceries or visit some of her friends.
As Heather approached Piggly Wiggly, she saw Shawn across the street. He smiled and walked toward her. “Hey, Heather.”
“Hello. It’s been a while,” she replied as she gave him a hug.
“I know. I’m sorry. I heard about your uncle. I meant to come by and check on him, but school has been crazy.”
“That’s right. You are in college, too,” she replied.
“Yeah, I'm taking a few classes at LSU. Anyway, how’s your uncle?”
“Oh, he is improving. A therapist has been working with him on his speech and helping him walk some.”
“So are you out of school now?” He inquired.
“I was able to take my finals online. Jake got it arranged for me. They were willing to work with me since I was already passing the classes and because of what happened to Mick. What about you? Are classes over at LSU?”
“I exempted my finals. Our classes are officially over this week anyway. ...So where is Jake?” Shawn asked.
“He is still in Tuscaloosa. He plays Monday night in the game.”
“Oh, that’s right. They are headed to Atlanta for the championship game. Congratulations!”
“Thanks. So how have you been? I heard you broke up with Stephanie.”
“Yes. It’s a long story. Do you want to go somewhere and talk?” He asked.
“I can’t stay gone long. Sally is with Mick right now, but I have to get back. Can we do it at another time? Or maybe you can come by sometime, and we can talk.”
“That sounds good. I’ll try to stop by soon,” Shawn replied.
“Okay. I’ll see you then,” she replied.
Heather was surprised to see Shawn. It had been a while since she saw him, but it brought her some joy. She needed to see a familiar face. A friend. She wished she had more time to talk to him, but knew she needed to get back to Mick. She was eager to see him again. She thought that if he didn’t come by soon, she would have to call him and invite him over. Jake still ha
d a little over a week of classes to go, before he could come home, and she needed someone to talk to. She didn’t feel comfortable talking to Sally about things. She didn’t feel that bond with her, perhaps because she was much older than her. Shawn had been a good friend, and she still felt a close bond with him.
Every day Mick improved. His speech therapist was working with him to be able to form simple sentences now. He was working with his Physical Therapist to walk and move his right side. The right side of his body had been affected because of a hemorrhage to his left side of his brain. It had been caused by a leaky vessel.
“Uncle Mick, are you hungry?” Heather asked as she prepared some soup.
“No, not really,” he replied.
“Well, you need to eat something. I’ll make you a bowl of my potato soup.”
Heather had learned how to prepare some easy meals after watching Sally. Sally was a great teacher. She was an excellent cook, but a poor housekeeper. She would leave dirty dishes in the sink and on the counter for Heather to wash. Heather felt a little overwhelmed, but glad that she could be there for her uncle. She hated that she had to leave school before the semester was over, but was determined to help her uncle get better.
Mick would take a long nap each day. He still got tired easily, but his nurse said that was to be expected, at least for a while. After Mick ate his soup, Heather helped him get into his bed for a nap.
After she sat down in the living room to watch some television, she heard a knock at the door. She opened the door and saw Shawn standing here.
“I hope you don’t mind me stopping by. I wanted to come check on Mick.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. I told you to come by anytime,” Heather replied.
“So, how is he?” He asked.
“He is good right now. He is taking a nap. Come on in.”
After they sat on the couch, Shawn said, “Heather I don’t mean to sound rude, but you look tired. Are you getting any sleep?”
“A little. It’s hard to sleep. When I do go to sleep, I have nightmares.”
“What are you having nightmares about?” He asked.
Southern Attraction: The College Years Page 7