Adam met us first, then brought us into the living room. “I’m so glad you’re here. Things are getting a little out of hand.”
Joe sat at the kitchen table, flanked by the two local cops. His hands were cuffed in front of him.
“What the hell is going on here?” I said.
“Step back, sir,” the tall, gangly cop said, pushing against my chest. He swelled with importance. “This is a police matter.”
“This man is the police. He risked his life to save my daughter, for God’s sake.” I said. “Take those cuffs off him.”
The chunky redhead looked at his partner as if seeking direction.
Shelby looked horrified. “What are you doing?” she screamed. “Joe saved me from drowning. Greg Robinson tried to pull me down under the ice.” Her voice cracked, but her eyes blazed. “You let him go, right now.”
I loved how powerful she sounded. It made me proud.
The tall one faltered under her glare. “Uh, are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure, you moron,” Shelby said evenly. “Take those cuffs off Joe. He’s a hero, not a felon.”
The ferocity in her eyes reminded me of Camille.
“You heard her. Let him go,” Camille echoed. Pride flashed across her face as she put one hand on Shelby’s shoulder.
The red-head mumbled and unlocked the cuffs. “Sorry. Our mistake.”
Joe finally spoke, rubbing his wrists. “Thanks, Shelby. I’ve gotta say, I’ve been locking handcuffs on wrists for years. It felt pretty weird to be snapped into them.”
The tall cop finally spoke. “Officer Russell, sorry for the misunderstanding. Just tryin’ to do our job.”
I grimaced and leaned down to speak to Joe, but pulled back when I noticed his usually ruddy face turn pale. Sweat popped on his forehead.
“Buddy? Are you okay? You look a little—”
His eyes defocused and he reached for his heart. “My chest hurts like hell, Gus.” He clutched at his chest and fell forward.
Adam had been ushering the other cops out of the cottage with little ceremony, and stood watching them go by the door.
“Adam!” I shouted. “Grab the girls and get in the car. We’ve gotta get Joe to the ER. I think he’s having a heart attack.”
Chapter 72
Adam ran to get the Jeep from the college lot and returned in five minutes. We carefully maneuvered Joe into the back seat and peeled out in the direction of Penn Yan. Shelby sat in the front with Adam, her eyes wide with fear. Camille and I flanked Joe in the back seat. He stared ahead with unfocused eyes, hand to his heart. Perspiration drenched his collar.
I held his arm and prayed we’d get there in time. There was no way we could have snagged an ambulance in the aftermath of the storm. The 911 lines had been jammed all morning, according to the two cops who’d just left us, still apologizing as they backed out of the door.
“It’ll be okay, Joe. Just hang in there,” Camille whispered. She patted his shoulder, but looked nervously at me.
I wished I’d learned CPR. All those years of hearing about local classes being given, when I had my own baby daughter, to the current day with my three grandkids, and I’d never taken a class.
Joe’s face drained to white. He swallowed frequently and his breath seemed labored.
“Adam. I saw a hospital on Route 14A on the way down here.” We stopped at the light in the center of town. “Just north of the village.”
Adam glanced in the rear view mirror. “Right. I saw it, too. I think if I take a left here, it’ll be only a minute or two up the road.”
My wife’s complexion didn’t look much healthier than Joe’s. She seemed to be in pain, and the possibility of infection on her leg worried me.
I smiled at her with reassurance I didn’t feel, and stared out the muddy windows, looking for the hospital. “There it is!”
Adam pulled in near the ER entrance. I jumped out and ran inside to get help.
A security guard paced back and forth at the door, then suddenly grabbed my arm when I tried to push past him. “Whoa, there. Can’t you read?”
I stopped and stared at him, pulling away. “What? My friend is sick,” I said.
He pointed to an oversized red bulletin taped to the glass doors. “Code Red. No admissions.”
I twisted out of his grip and pushed through the doors anyway. The room was packed with accident and disaster victims. Harried nurses and doctors bustled around the front room. I couldn’t imagine what was taking place beyond the double doors. Patients lay on gurneys in the aisle and some on the floor with pillows and blankets. Most looked horribly bloody.
I grabbed the nearest nurse and shouted, “My friend’s having a heart attack. Can you please help him?”
She looked up from the man who lay bleeding beside her. “Didn’t you see the sign? No more admissions. I’m sorry. You’ll have to try Rochester.”
She returned to the man on the gurney and pressed against the wound to stem the flow of blood.
“But he’ll die. Rochester’s over an hour away.”
Her voice was cut with steel. “Sir, if you don’t leave, I’ll call the guard. Look around you. All of these patients are in critical need. Is your friend more valuable than they are?”
I swung my gaze frantically around the room, hoping to see a doctor or nurse who’d help. No one was free. Panicking, I ran back out to the Jeep.
Joe leaned against the fender, where Adam and Camille propped him up.
“Can you get a wheelchair, Gus?” Adam asked.
“No. Put him back inside and step on it. We’ve gotta get him to Rochester.”
Shelby froze and grabbed my arm. “But that’s too far. He won’t make it.”
“I know, baby. But the ER is overflowing with dying people. They’re shut down.”
A heavy silence followed. Adam grimaced and carefully helped Joe back into the Jeep. “Come on, everyone. Hurry up. We’ve got no time to lose.”
“I’m okay,” Joe protested weakly. But he didn’t look okay. He looked far from okay.
Adam peeled out of the parking lot and barreled up the hill.
“Do you want to lie down, Joe? You could put your head on Camille’s lap and your feet up on me.”
“No…the pain’s a little better. I’ll just stay put for now.”
His color had actually improved.
“Okay. But let me know if we can do anything more for you, okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
My cell phone rang. I picked it up and stared. Maddy.
“Hi, Maddy.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Er…yeah. We’re fine. We’re actually…”
She interrupted. “I hadn’t heard from you in a while. Is my girl there? Put her on, Gus.”
I gladly passed the phone to Camille. “It’s your mother.”
She winced, took a deep breath, then pressed the phone to her ear. “Yeah, Mom. Uh-huh. I know. I’m sorry. But we’ve got a problem here.”
I heard the screech of Maddy’s voice shouting loud enough for us all to hear.
Camille quietly explained our predicament, then asked Joe, “Can you talk? She wants to… ”
Joe took the phone without ceremony. “Hey, Maddy.” He flinched. “I know. But I’m feeling a little better, honey. If you want, you could meet us up there.” He listened for another minute. “Okay. Now stop worrying. You drive careful, you hear? There are still poles down and trees and… I know. You’re a good driver. You just take your time. I’m not going anywhere yet. I promise.” Finally, Joe snapped the phone shut and handed it to me.
“She’s a little worried,” he said, flopping back against the seat.
Camille and I exchanged knowing glances.
“Just a little?” Camille grimaced, patting Joe’s shoulder. “Adam, pull in there. I want to get some aspirin for Joe. I heard it will minimize the effects of a heart attack if you get take it right away.” The corner gas station was well lit
and several cars were filling up at the pumps.
I thought it was an excellent idea. “Camille? Let me run in. You’re hurt.”
She accepted my offer and Adam turned into the station. I had the door open before he stopped and hit the ground running. Within two minutes, I was back in the Jeep and we roared toward Canandaigua. I handed Joe a bottle of water and Camille opened the aspirin bottle.
“Here you go,” she said. “Take two. Or maybe you should take three?”
“Hold on. Let me call the hospital and ask.” I didn’t want to overdose the poor guy before he reached the ER.
After several tries, I finally got through to them, only to discover they’d had a Code Red condition themselves until just a few hours ago.
“They’re accepting patients,” I said with relief. “And they’re expecting us. There will be a cardiologist on the floor when we get there. And they said one aspirin is enough for now.”
Camille nodded and I shook out a tablet for Joe. “Here you go. Can you swallow it?”
He chugged it back and then went silent. Adam continued to weave in and out of the Canandaigua traffic, which was much heavier than our original frantic drive around downed wires, rolling garbage cans, and tree branches. Most of the roads were free of debris now, although we had to avoid several large trees and one stalled car in a deep puddle.
I tried not to think of Joe’s heart. It would be too hard to handle if something happened to him just when he’d begun to recover, and especially just when he’d decided to marry Maddy.
New thoughts nudged my mind. Images of Greg Robinson’s icy face flashed before me. I closed my eyes, but the image grew even more vivid. I opened them again. The scene from the night on the ice replayed over and over again. Greg, pulling Shelby into the lake. Joe, diving in behind them, with his gun in hand. Shelby, dragged onto the ice, sputtering and coughing. Joe, ready to give up and let himself sink into the dark water with Greg.
I found it hard to imagine how he’d seen well enough under the ice in the dark. How had he found Greg, shot him, and pulled Shelby back to the surface? It was a miracle.
I worried anew about his condition when he leaned forward and coughed.
“Joe?” I said.
Camille put her arm around him. “Joe? Are you okay?”
He clutched at his chest. “Oh my God. Here I go again.”
Chapter 73
The drive to Rochester Memorial Hospital was pure torture. Joe kept leaning forward, uttering deep groans. I tried hard to calm him, but he was too immersed in the pain to respond. Although the traffic lightened north of Canandaigua and on the NYS Thruway, we hit traffic again when we took the 490 exit and sped toward the south side of the city where Rochester Memorial sprawled across four city blocks.
The recently redesigned emergency room entrance provided immediate parking for families of ER patients. It was far better than the old system, where you had to drive what seemed like miles to the seven-floor parking garage and then hoof it back through miles of corridors to the ER. Adam dropped us at the door, where two orderlies with a wheelchair met us. Adam parked the Jeep and hurried back to join us in the waiting room.
They whisked Joe inside. He gave me his wallet, including his health care card. I stayed behind to answer the questions and he was quickly moved into the inner sanctum.
By the time I finished with the check in, Maddy arrived. I heard her through the double doors, arguing with the desk nurse. I made my way back out to the waiting room and nearly collided with her.
“Where is he?” she demanded, trying to plow through the doors. “I need to see him.” The woman behind the desk rolled her eyes and let me handle it.
I put my hand out to slow her down. Her eyes brimmed with tears and bright pink flushed her cheeks.
“He’s in with the doctors, Maddy. We can’t just burst in there; they’re examining him.”
She stopped and swayed. Her hand flew to her face. Suddenly, she crumpled and the waterworks began. She fell against me and sobbed. I patted her back, smoothed her hair, and gently led her back to the waiting room.
“Where’s my baby girl? Where’s Camille? And my granddaughter?” she sniffled.
At the sound of her mother’s voice, Camille jumped up from her seat and limped toward her. Shelby emerged from the ladies’ room and trotted into her grandmother’s open arms.
Maddy smacked their cheeks over and over again with loud kisses as her tears began anew. “My girl. My grandbaby.”
It must have been catching, because Camille and Shelby began to weep with her. I backed away and sidled over to Adam, who stood near the magazine rack with a grave expression. He thumbed through a copy of Newsweek without seeing it.
“It’ll be a while. You want some coffee?” I asked.
He smiled. “Sure. But I’ll go. You wait here in case they call you.”
I returned to the women and sat awkwardly beside them.
Camille said, “Gus? I’d like to get Shelby home. She needs rest and some decent food.”
“You’re right.” I watched Shelby, who laid her head on her grandmother’s shoulder and sagged against her. “Do you want me to drive you?”
“No, stay here with Joe. At least until we know what’s going on. Maybe Adam could take us home?”
Adam returned with a tray. He passed a hot chocolate to Shelby and coffee to the rest of us.
“Maybe Adam could what?” he said.
I explained the situation.
“Sure I will. Come on, ladies. Maddy, do you want to go home and wait? I’m sure Gus will call when they find out what’s going on.”
Maddy looked at Camille and Shelby. Indecision rolled over her face. “I don’t know…”
“Mom, we’ll be fine. Joe needs you, and we’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?” Her voice trembled under the strain, but she pulled herself together. “Okay. Thanks.”
I motioned toward the windows. “Honey? Can I speak to you for a minute?”
I held her arm and slowly walked her out of earshot. “I need you to see Doc Mattson when you get back. I’m sure he’d stop by the house if you call him. I’m worried about infection.”
She brushed my concerns away. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been through… ”
I held my ground and interrupted her. “No. You need to be seen. Promise me you’ll call Doc?”
She whistled a sigh and collapsed against me. “Okay. But I just want to shower Shelby with attention, you know…draw her a bath and tuck her in and feed her custard…”
“I know. I feel the same way. I want to take you both home and feed you some stew. A nice beef stew with fresh rolls and…”
“Stop! You’re making me hungry.” She laughed, but her lower lip trembled and I was afraid she’d spill over into tears again.
I tilted her face up to mine. The bruises looked awful, but her brown eyes were lovely. “Are you gonna be okay?” I said.
She smiled crookedly, as if the motion hurt her face. “I will. In time.” Her eyes watered. “Thank you for finding us. I love you so much.” She hiccupped a sob.
“I love you too, honey. And nobody could stop me from finding you. Nobody.” I remembered the ex-con in the cold shower and grimaced. I would have killed him to find my family. I’d been enraged, ready to spill blood.
Camille pulled herself together and stood up straighter. “I know. And before you know it, we’ll be home again, all of us. Call us as soon as you know about Joe, okay?”
I watched Adam hug Maddy and usher Shelby toward the exit. “Of course.” We headed over to the door to join them, and I kissed wife and daughter goodbye. “Talk to you soon.”
When the Jeep’s brake lights disappeared around the corner, I sighed, and returned to the waiting room to find Maddy.
Chapter 74
Maddy and I were drained. We didn’t even try to make small talk. I sat unmoving, watching the people in the room without actually seeing them.
Facing old demons, I reliv
ed Elsbeth’s emergency room visits and shuddered inside. Mood swings brought on by tumors in her temporal lobe had pushed her to suicidal depression. Her method of choice had usually been pills. Whole bottles of pills. I’d nearly lost her several times to her own hand before she was pushed to her death at the top of Letchworth Gorge.
My father had withered away to nothing in his hospital bed not long after that. I’d held his hand and spoken to him as more than father and son. We’d been kindred spirits, friends, talking of old times and unrealized dreams. He’d been peaceful inside, ready to reunite with my mother, who’d passed ten years earlier. My father, my friend, had died from lung cancer in this very hospital.
I sighed and shifted on the uncomfortable seat. The noise of the television droned in the corner, and someone on a game show burst into tears because she didn’t win the challenge. Whatever that meant.
The room was stifling, filled with too much sadness, horror, and panic.
Maddy had her own disturbing memories. Her husband, Stanley, had been a victim of Parkinson’s disease. It was before the newer treatments were available, and he’d suffered badly. Pneumonia had taken him in the end. Although I wasn’t sure in which hospital he’d died, I recognized the pain in her eyes as the memories of loss flitted in the air between us.
Breathe. Just breathe. He’s in good hands. He’ll be fine.
I repeated the words silently, exchanging a weak smile with Maddy. Her face was taut and drawn. The fear of losing the first man she’d fallen for since Stanley seemed too much for her to handle.
I absentmindedly noticed she wasn’t wearing earrings. I’d never seen her without them, and her face was devoid of makeup. She looked her age for the first time in years.
Two long hours later, we were paged to the desk.
“The doctor will see you now,” the lady stated mechanically, avoiding our eyes.
I wondered if it was a bad sign.
Maddy gripped my hand and we were buzzed through the double doors. An intern in green greeted us somberly and walked us toward a small room. Another spasm of fear passed through me. Small rooms were secluded, quiet. No one could hear you scream or cry. I walked behind Maddy in measured steps.
Under the Ice Page 24