The band had started a new set, and Gina asked Valerie if she wanted to dance. Val nodded with just a hint of hesitation and the two went out to the dance floor. This number was a slow one and Gina took the lead, circling Valerie’s waist with one hand and holding her other hand out for Val to take.
As they moved around the floor, Valerie quickly admitted that Gina was a good dancer. “Doreen always led, so I am accustomed to that but, Gina, since you are younger and more slight of build I didn’t automatically expect you to lead. But here you are, leading away.” Val blushed slightly.
“I’m glad you came,” Gina said, covering Val’s obvious discomfort. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
“I almost chickened out,” Val admitted. “Then I thought about having to face you tomorrow morning and I decided I’d better make a go of it.”
“Well, you’re here, and you’re a good dancer. I think it’s harder to follow than to lead, and I’m happy you do it so well,” Gina said.
“Where did you learn to lead?” Valerie asked.
“Farm girl, remember. We had to do just about everything.”
Their bodies were beginning to mesh with each other and Gina pulled Valerie closer. As she did so, she felt the quickening heartbeat, the warmth and tingle of excitement between her legs that she had come to recognize when she was with a woman. Being with men had never done that for her, and feelings like this on the dance floor were part of what had convinced her she was a lesbian. Now she had to accept, as her heart skipped a beat, that despite the difference in their ages Valerie was a turn-on for her as well.
Chapter Seven
“Val, this is Lanie.” Her voice over the phone sounded tense. “Josie’s in the hospital. She fell and mangled her leg. I’m here at St. Joseph in the ER waiting room.”
“I’ll be right there.” Valerie dumped the phone in the cradle. She had been working in the studio, but now she tore off her painter’s smock, grabbed her purse, scribbled a note for Gina and left it on the hall table, patted Sam, and quickly left the house. “You wanted drama in your life,” she mumbled to herself as she ran to the Volvo wagon.
Fifteen minutes later, Val met a strained-looking Lanie in the hospital waiting room. “What’s happening? What do you know?” she asked breathlessly.
“As best as I can understand, Josie was on a ladder trimming a tree,” Lanie told her. “The ladder buckled beneath her. She fell at an odd angle, twisting her left leg. It’s not good. It’s a complicated break and will undoubtedly require surgery.”
“How did you find out?” Valerie asked.
“I guess she was out cold for a few moments,” Lanie explained, “but when she came to she was able to reach her cell in her shirt pocket and dial 911. Then she hit a speed dial number and got me. I was here at the hospital just as the ambulance pulled up.”
Still shaken from Lanie’s call, Valerie held onto her best friend’s arm. “I’m so glad she had the presence of mind to call one of us. But how terrible for Josie,” she said. “I wonder if she has any insurance.”
Lanie shrugged. “Student policy, I suspect. It will cover some of this but not enough, I’m sure.”
“What about her family?”
Lanie shook her head. “No support there. Josie is pretty much on her own.”
Valerie stood silently for a moment, thinking and worrying about Josie. That poor girl. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be totally alone without family in a time of trial. Her own parents had always been there for her as long as they were living. Val knew instantly that there must be something she and her friends could do to help.
Moments later Judee rushed into the waiting area. She was breathing heavily from running and had her two boys in tow. Both Mark and Steven were slender in build and had dark hair and brown eyes like their mother. She ordered them to sit quietly and read. They did as they were told, sprawling in two chairs, their long legs stretched out before them. The boys opened their books but continued to look around the room, obviously fascinated by the ongoing action.
As soon as she could turn her attention from her sons to the situation at hand, Judee was brought up to speed on Josie’s accident. Then the three women huddled as they waited for information, sipping Coke from a nearby vending machine and worrying in unison.
Within half an hour Gina arrived, clad in her Ritchie’s uniform. “I let Sam out for you,” she told Valerie and then quickly added to everyone, “I can stay until 4:30 but then I have leave for work.”
Coming out of her own concerned reverie, Val looked at Gina with appreciation. “Oh, thanks, Gina.” She suddenly realized that she had just given Sam a pat and run out the door. “I didn’t even think about letting her out.”
By the time the four had shared all the known details about Josie’s accident, a young male doctor, tall, slender and blonde, strolled down the main hallway toward the waiting area. “Lanie Olson?” he asked, glancing around.
Lanie quickly stood up and approached him.
“I’m Dr. Arnold, taking care of Josie Turner.” The physician was businesslike but warm. “Are you family?” he asked Lanie.
She nodded in the direction of her friends, whose eyes were all focused on her and the physician. “Her birth family won’t be involved in this. We’re close friends and as much of a family as Josie has,” she said.
Dr. Arnold studied her briefly and then gave an understanding nod. “Well, we’ll have forms for Miss Turner to fill out that will allow you visitation even though you are not formally family members,” he said. “Essentially, so you have some idea what is going on here, Miss Turner’s left leg has sustained severe trauma. While the femur in her upper leg has only a hairline fracture, the tibia in her lower leg has two distinct breaks. The downside is that it will require surgery and the use of pins to stabilize the bone. The good side is that the fractures are near the center of the tibia rather than near the knee or the ankle. This will make bracing the leg, therapy, and the recovery much easier, although Miss Turner can expect weeks of real pain followed by months of discomfort and limitation before she is totally healed.
“Now,” he added, “the reality of her situation is that she’s going to be in a long cast and will have limited movement for several weeks. From what she’s been able to tell me about her insurance coverage and her concerns as a student, she wants us to treat her as quickly as possible and send her home.”
He paused for a moment to let the information sink in. “It’s obviously rather early to be talking about this and normally I wouldn’t, but since she’s so concerned about the cost I will give you an outline of what is likely to happen. Even if we assume that there are no complications from the surgery or post-op care here in the hospital, she is going to have to have someone available to assist her 24 hours a day for an indefinite period of time. She will also need to be driven to physical therapy when she is ready for that. She will need a caregiver plan, before we can even consider releasing her,” he said.
Lanie looked at her friends and they nodded, as if reading her mind. “We’ll put a team together, and we’ll do it around the clock for as long as it takes,” she assured him.
“Okay, that’s good to know,” the doctor said, giving them all a warm smile. “Now, for the immediate situation, she is sedated but awake. She will go into surgery tomorrow morning. I can’t let all of you go in, but you,” he nodded to Lanie, “as I recall you came in with her and helped with the registration. I’ll take you back with me as a family representative, and I’ll get the forms signed by tomorrow that will allow all of you to visit her.
“She’ll probably go to sleep soon from the pain medication and the sedatives, so you all should go home and get some rest. And work on coming up with your best plan for her post-hospital care. If all goes well, she’ll be in recovery tomorrow afternoon and able to have visitors either tomorrow evening or the next day. If you each give me your name, I’ll list you for Miss Turner’s signature so we can get you in to see her then.”
Valerie shrugged. “Could be. Gay friendly, anyway. I think he got the picture quite well.”
Dr. Arnold returned and addressed Lanie. “Now if you’ll follow me,” he said and led her down the hall.
Lanie returned to the waiting room shortly and shared with the others what she had seen. She had been very shocked by the severity of Josie’s fall, even beyond the mangled leg. Josie had deep scratches on both arms, her face was bruised and swollen, and she had stitches above her left eye. That was going to be very black by the next day. Despite her obvious pain and grogginess, Josie seemed very relieved to see Lanie and to know the others were there as well.
After Lanie finished her report, they quietly discussed their schedules—when each could visit and when each could help out after Josie was released. There never seemed to be any question whether they would all pitch in.
They split soon afterward—Gina to work, Judee to take her sons home to feed them dinner, Lanie for a real estate appointment, and Valerie home to take care of Sam.
Val lay awake, tossing and turning late into the night. Her mind kept going over the events of the day, recalling how everything started off positively and suddenly changed into a crisis. Josie’s fall, hospitalization, confinement, and then subsequent recovery would test to the max the depth of the group’s friendship.
It was easy to be friends during the good times: poker nights, movies, dinners out. Those were fun and brought them all together to enjoy each other. But Josie’s injury would mean pain, fear, and frustration for her and a lot of sacrifice on the part of everyone else. The women would discover new things about each other and they would learn just how willing they were to give up important events—and time they really needed for themselves—in order to care for Josie. And it would be several weeks, if not months, before all of their lives returned to some semblance of normal. Val had had her own experiences with Doreen, as well as friends in San Francisco who had died of AIDS. She knew how draining a situation like this was on everyone. At least, in this case, there should eventually be full recovery. Josie was young, strong, and pretty determined. She’d be scared, but she would do whatever it took to get over this fall.
Valerie also thought about Josie’s little apartment and her roommate, Sarah, who hadn’t yet been considered at all. Had she even been notified? Val or someone in the group should call and talk with her. Valerie thought that the two shared the apartment mostly out of convenience. She didn’t believe there was any romantic attachment between them. At least Josie had never suggested any intimacy with Sarah. If having all these people in and out of that tiny apartment would be uncomfortable for that girl, then it might cause some friction. And maybe, Val considered, that little place, really barely more than a studio, wasn’t the best spot for Josie to go when she was released from the hospital.
Almost inevitably, Val’s mind shifted to the empty bedroom in her own house. It was on the second floor, but there was a full bath across the hall so the location could work adequately while Josie was confined. When she began to move around, they might have to set up a bed in the living room for her to lessen the number of trips up and down the stairs. And there was a partial bath on the ground floor.
But in this scenario there was also Gina to consider. She had so little time to herself now, with those three jobs, that helping care for Josie would be an added burden—although one that, at least for now, Gina seemed quite willing to undertake. If they brought Josie into this house, it would be a further invasion of Gina’s limited privacy. While it was Valerie’s final decision to make an offer to care for Josie, she would at least talk to Gina first and give her a chance to express any concerns she might have. Lanie and Judee would probably welcome this offer because they were so accustomed to hanging out at Val’s house anyway. And if Josie had to be anywhere but in her own bed, she would probably be happiest at Valerie’s.
At the moment, Val felt she was reluctantly bowing to something unavoidable. After going through home nursing care for months with Doreen she really didn’t want to do it again, but at least Josie’s prognosis was a lot better than Doreen’s fatal bout with cancer. Valerie quickly tried to refocus her thoughts on the present. It did her no good to dwell on the past. And at any rate, these ideas would all have to be considered over the next few days as they watched Josie’s progress after surgery.
Since she couldn’t resolve any of this now, Val tried to let it go. She rearranged her pillows, pulled the covers up tightly around herself, and attempted to get some sleep.
Early the next evening they all—except Gina, who was working her shift at Ritchie’s Grill—gathered back in the waiting room at St. Joseph Hospital. Lanie had arrived first and had managed to get an update on Josie’s condition, thanks to the intervention of Dr. Arnold. He had obtained the necessary signatures from Josie and had left specific instructions at the nurses’ station regarding the “cousins.”
Lanie passed the information on to the others as they waited for a nurse to tell them that they could briefly visit Josie.
“She’s out of recovery and has been sleeping,” Lanie explained to Valerie and Judee. “They woke her at dinner time to see if she was able to eat anything, and she had a little bit of liquid. She’s pretty groggy and will be back to sleep shortly, but they promised we could at least say hi and let her know we are here.”
Shortly a tall, athletic-looking nurse with close-cropped auburn hair and rimless glasses came briskly down the hallway, pointed to Lanie, and motioned her to follow. Lanie jumped up from her chair to obey.
“That nurse is MOT, I think,” whispered Judee to Val, who just smiled and nodded. Always looking for a lesbian in the woodpile, she thought to herself.
Trying to make themselves comfortable, Valerie and Judee sat and waited, leafing through magazines and observing people come and go.
Soon Lanie returned to the waiting area, and Judee was escorted down the hall.
“How is she?” Valerie asked.
“Pretty good, all things considered. She’s groggy as all get out, but she still hasn’t lost her sense of humor. Her leg is all splinted up and suspended from some contraption. I don’t know how she’ll sleep like that, but I guess the drugs will knock her out.”
In a couple of minutes Judee was back, and Valerie followed the nurse down the hall.
“Your friend is lucky,” the nurse commented to Val, “to have such a large extended family.”
Valerie looked at her askance, wondering how sarcastic she was being. “Yes, it’s lucky we all have each other,” she said, pointedly. “Some people have no one.”
Without further comment, the nurse ushered her into Josie’s room and said, “I’ll be out here at the nurse’s station if you need me. No more than three or four minutes, at the most.”
Val nodded.
Josie looked pale and her eyelids drooped. One eye was puffy and blackened. She was clearly ready to drop back into sleep but she managed a vague smile for Valerie, who put a hand on Josie’s arm and said quietly, “How are you doin’, trooper?”
“I’m okay,” Josie assured her, her speech slightly slurred. “They got me so doped, I can hardly stay awake. Do I sound drunk?”
“Well considering what you’ve been through, you sound pretty good to me. I just want you to know that we’re all here for you and not to worry. Gina’s working right now but she’ll visit when she can.”
Josie offered a slight nod. “I don’t know how to thank you. I don’t know how you guys managed to get in here. I was so scared about everything, but Judee says she can help me with school—as soon as they let up on these meds.” Josie struggled to get the words out.
“Don’t worry, kiddo,” Val assured her. “We’ll figure out how to solve all the problems as soon as you’re ready to tackle th
em. Everything is kosher for us to be visiting you. Dr. Arnold got you to sign some forms—you were probably so sedated you don’t remember—that name us as members of your family, cousins I think, so we’re in for the duration.”
“That’s good,” Josie murmured, her eyelids closing as she began to drift off.
Valerie gave her another gentle pat on the arm and left the room.
That evening Val remained downstairs in the living room, reading a paperback while she waited for Gina to get home from work. She knew Gina would have questions about Josie, and she wanted to be there to answer them. If they talked it out, they both would probably sleep better.
Just before 10 p.m., after she had let Sam out for the last time and just before she had reached the climax of her murder mystery, Val heard the engine whine of Gina’s Beetle as it came up the street. A few moments later the front door opened.
Gina looked exhausted and, obviously thinking she would be alone, started to strip off her uniform shirt as soon as she closed the door and headed for the staircase. Then she saw the light in the living room and, flushing with embarrassment, pulled her top back in place. “Hi,” she called to Valerie. At the same time she reached down to pet Sam, who had gone to the front hallway to greet her.
“Come in here for a moment,” Val called out. When Gina appeared, Valerie pointed to a leather chair next to her recliner. “Have a seat. I bet you are really beat.”
Gina nodded and plopped into the chair. “How is Josie?” she asked.
“Doing pretty well, I think. Thanks to Dr. Arnold and a with-it nurse, we all got in to see her for a few minutes this evening. She was pretty dopey, but I think she’ll remember tomorrow that we were there and she’ll feel our support.”
Gina smiled. “That’s good. I’m glad. Hopefully I can see her tomorrow. Do you know yet how long she’ll be in the hospital?”
North Coast: A Contemporary Love Story Page 12