by J. G. Sumner
“I’m sorry if we’ve been speaking in a way you couldn’t understand. That wasn’t my intention. Sometimes, we get caught up in the medical aspects of things and forget about the people who may be around us not understanding what we’re talking about. It appears to me Laney has developed acute renal failure. As you know, I was concerned this may happen. The medications to prevent it were unsuccessful.”
“If you knew she was going to go into renal failure, why didn’t you do something before today to prevent it? It seems pretty negligent, don’t you think?”
Josh was somewhat perplexed with Eileen’s reaction. He’d just explained Laney’s condition earlier in the day. Now she was acting like this was the first time she’d heard the information. “I did do things to try to prevent this such as keeping her blood pressure up and giving her plenty of intravenous fluids to help flush out her kidneys. We couldn’t give her the other medications before this morning because she wasn’t showing any signs of renal failure. They wouldn’t have done any good.”
“Does that mean she needs dialysis now?” Eileen inquired.
“Not the type of dialysis you’re probably thinking of. The type you’re probably most familiar with is where the tubes go in through the arm to cleanse the blood and remove excess fluid. That’s called hemodialysis. The type of dialysis Laney needs is called CRRT or Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy. With hemodialysis, a significant amount of fluid is taken from the body in a short amount of time—usually over three or four hours. As long as the patient’s vital signs are stable, that type of dialysis can be used. However, when a patient is unstable like Laney, we use the CRRT. It takes off the excess fluids the kidneys are unable to remove at a slower rate so the blood pressure can remain stable.”
“Why is Laney’s blood pressure so low?” inquired Herb.
“I’m not exactly sure. It may just be from the sedation or it may be something else completely. I’m looking into it. It could be the medication I’ve been giving to keep her heart rate down. The side effect of it is it can lower the blood pressure.”
“So what you’re saying is you overdosed her on a medication that made her blood pressure go into the toilet? Again, negligence!” Eileen stood up and pointed her finger at Josh’s chest.
Josh clenched his jaw and squeezed his hands into fists. “She was not overdosed. She hasn’t had enough of the medication for that to happen. Everyone’s body processes medications differently. If it’s, in fact, this one causing her hypotension then it shows me her body processes the drug very well. She just needs to get a smaller dose to achieve the desired effect without causing hypotension.”
Herb took Eileen by the hand. “So, explain to me again the importance of keeping her heart rate down?”
“Keeping her heart rate down will help the graft in her heart maintain its integrity. If that graft doesn’t hold, she could bleed out and ultimately die in a very short period of time.”
“I see. That medication sounds very important. Is there anything else you can give her instead that will keep her heart rate down without lowering her blood pressure?”
“The medication I’m using is the best one for her. I’ll lower the dosage and see if that helps. In the meantime, Peyton is hanging a medication to help keep her blood pressure up. This will also help ensure blood perfusion to her kidneys. When someone’s blood pressure dips as low as hers has and stays there, it can slow the blood flow to the kidneys. I’ve also chosen this medication because it keeps the heart rate low while raising the blood pressure. Not all of them do that.”
“It seems like you are starting her on a lot of medications and procedures. Is this really necessary? Or is there some ulterior motive here?”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Pearson. I’m not sure what you are asking.”
“Is all of this necessary or are you creating problems so we can’t bring our daughter home with us? I now know you’ve got a reason for keeping her here, and it seems pretty selfish to me.”
Josh’s jaw dropped. Never in his life had been accused of such a thing. As the shock wore off, his temper festered. He forced himself to unclench his fists. He had never wanted to hit a woman as much as he did now. “Mr. and Mrs. Pearson, I love your daughter very much. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. If I felt the best thing for her was to move her back to Missouri, I’d be the first one on that bandwagon. I know for a fact she doesn’t want to move back. She’s said so repeatedly to me and to Peyton. In fact, she’s mentioned how she hardly tells you anything that’s going on in her life so you won’t force her to move back. Clearly that’s the case since she didn’t mention the stalker or me to you once. But to answer your question, no, I’m not creating problems for Laney so she can’t move. That’s unethical practice and not how I operate. Laney is very sick. I’m doing everything in my power to make her better. There’s nothing more in this world I want right now than to see her open her beautiful green eyes. I’m determined to make that happen sooner than later.”
Eileen probed further. “How long have you been dating my daughter anyway? Are you using her as a quick lay? I’ve seen what they do on those TV shows. All the doctors sleep around with the nurses and dump them when they find someone prettier. Well, I have news for you, mister. You’ll never find anyone as good as my Laney. If you even think about treating her like that, I will make sure you never practice medicine again!”
This woman is over the top!
“With all due respect, I don’t think I need to answer your questions. However, since you are Laney’s parents, I will give you the courtesy. We’ve been dating for a few weeks. We’ve known and worked together for a couple of years. I can assure you I have the upmost respect for your daughter.”
Aghast, Eileen replied, “You’ve known her for a few weeks and already she is staying at your house? It didn’t take you long to take advantage of my daughter. When this is all over, are you going to kick her to the curb because she’s not perfect anymore? The relationship isn’t as easy now that you’ve found out about her past and had to take care of her in the hospital. She’ll be scarred. I’m sure that’s not what you were looking for when you entered this relationship.”
My God, what is wrong with this woman? No wonder Laney has stayed away. She’s horrible. Eileen’s brazenness and her lack of a filter only made Josh want to protect Laney more. Eileen certainly had her own issues to work out where Laney was concerned. Laney shouldn’t have to suffer because of them.
“Eileen, honey, it’s okay. Why don’t we focus on how to get Laney better and then we can worry about their relationship.” Herb patted her arms and rubbed her shoulders. Hopefully, Herb was at least a little more reasonable.
“How long do you expect her to be on this dialysis?” Herb looked at Josh as he continued rubbing Eileen’s shoulders.
“My hope is only a couple of days. It really depends on how she responds to it.”
“When will you start it?”
“Within the next hour or two. I need to contact the nephrologist on call. He’ll assess Laney’s condition and write the dialysis orders. Peyton will get the machine here. In the meantime, the blood pressure medication should take effect very shortly.” Josh motioned to Peyton as she hung the medication and got it started through Laney’s IV. “I love your daughter. I’m going to get her through this.”
“Well, I think loving my daughter is jumping the gun a little bit. You haven’t been dating long enough to establish any kind of substantial relationship let alone love. What do you think about all of this, Peyton? You’ve been rather quiet throughout this discussion. You’re her best friend. You couldn’t possibly approve of their relationship.”
The look of disgust on Peyton’s face was priceless. Josh struggled to hold in a laugh.
“I’ll admit their relationship seems to have moved rather quickly. Josh was there for Laney while this person has been sending her threatening letters. He’s been a perfect gentleman and has been taking very good care of her. Laney is head over
heels in love with him and from what I can see the feeling is mutual.” Peyton winked at Josh.
“I see.” For once, it seemed as though the cat caught Eileen’s tongue.
“I know you have been bombarded with things. Just know that I haven’t seen Laney happier. I think most of her happiness is because of Josh. Don’t think for a moment she wasn’t cautious before proceeding forward with him. Once she began spending time with him, she fell in love.”
Heat flushed Josh’s cheeks. Everything Peyton said was true. It just warmed his heart to hear someone else put it into words. He reflected back to when Laney tried to break-up with him because of the stalker. He was thankful she changed her mind.
“You’re right. This has been so difficult on me. That’s my baby in this bed. To learn all that’s happened and know she wouldn’t tell me. Now, there’s this strange doctor taking care of her proclaiming their undying love for one another. This is all too much to process. I just want my baby to be okay. I just want her to come home so I can take care of her.” Eileen’s sobs roared through the room. Herb continued rubbing her shoulders as he placed his lips on top of her head.
Josh could sympathize with how Eileen felt. He’d seen it all too many times. Parents who came across as overbearing and wanted to be a part of their children’s lives ended up pushing them away instead. The only problem was Eileen’s idea of what a perfect life for Laney should be was very different from Laney’s. He made a mental note to be supportive to his children rather than critical and controlling.
“If you two don’t have any further questions, I’ll call the nephrologist and get the dialysis going. I’ll be back to check on Laney in a couple of hours.”
“That will be fine. Thank you, Doctor.”
“Mr. Pearson, please call me by my first name. If we hadn’t met under these circumstances, you’d know me as Josh.”
“Well, I suppose you’re right. Please, we’re Herb and Eileen.”
Josh’s shoulders shot upright with Herb’s kindness after all of the mean things Eileen had said to him. It was important to forge a bond with these people, and he would accept whatever olive branch was offered. “Thank you. I hope we’ll be able to get to know one another better after all of this is over.”
“We do also.”
Josh shifted his gaze to Eileen. She refused to look at him. Obviously he had some work to do to win her over. Since there was no more hiding their relationship, Josh forced himself past Eileen and over to Laney. He placed his lips against her forehead, allowing them linger. Josh brought his nose to her hair. The flowery smell had been replaced by the hospital smell. He placed his lips to her ear and whispered, “I love you, baby. I’ll get you through this. Don’t you worry.”
Josh took one final look at Laney’s parents, nodded, and left the room.
Chapter 15
Herb
“See, Eileen? I think he really does have our daughter’s best interest at heart.”
“Herb, he’s too close to the situation. If we don’t get someone else to take care of her now, we never will.”
“I don’t know if I agree with you. He seems to be very proactive in her care. He wants Laney to get better as much as we do. You saw the way he doted on her. I think he really does love her.”
“That’s still to be determined. He’s too close, and might miss something important that could be detrimental to her recovery. Worse, he’ll try to stop her transfer.”
Herb put both hands on Eileen’s shoulders, knelt in front of her, and looked her in the eyes. “I don’t think moving her home is the best idea. From the sound of things, she and Josh are very serious. She might get very upset if we move her away from him. She may never forgive us.”
“Nonsense. Don’t be absurd! She has a stalker who’s leaving her letters on her porch, and she’s been shot. We need to get her someplace safe. I can’t think of a better place for her to recover than at home with us.”
“I don’t know. Both Peyton and Josh feel she wouldn’t want to go.”
“Trust me, I know what’s best for my daughter. We’re doing the right thing. By the way, did you ever get hold of that police officer?”
“Yes. I talked to him right before Josh came to the room. He said he’d be here in about an hour.” Herb gazed down at his watch. “Any time now.”
“You’ve got the letter, right?”
“Yes, Eileen. You saw me grab it when we went back to Laney’s to pick up your things.”
“I’m just making sure. Sometimes you’re forgetful.”
Herb pulled the letter from his pocket and waved it in the air. “Nope. You can take a look at it again if you would like.”
“No, thank you. The thought of that letter and what it represents repulses me.” Eileen scrunched her face and turned her head in the opposite direction.
“Well, my dear, if you’d like, I could talk to the detective alone while you go and do something else.”
“I don’t think so. I want to hear what he has to say for himself. I want to know how long exactly this has been going on and what he’s doing about it.”
Someone knocked on Laney’s door. Eileen and Herb turned toward the sound. A man in his late forties, with slightly balding brown hair, and a brown mustache was standing in the doorway. He was wearing brown pants and a green-and-brown plaid short-sleeved button up shirt with a nametag located on the front left pocket.
“Good afternoon, I’m Detective Neal. You are Mr. and Mrs. Pearson, I presume?”
“Yes, sir. My name is Herb. I’m the one you spoke with earlier.” Herb extended his hand to the detective.
“Pleased to meet you, sir.” Detective Neal repeated the gesture to Eileen who returned with a firm handshake.
“Mrs. Pearson?” Detective Neal asked.
“Please, call me Eileen.”
“Now that we have all of the formalities out of the way, where would you like to discuss Laney’s case?”
“Perhaps we can find a quiet room. I don’t want to have this conversation here,” Herb suggested.
“Sure, I asked the nurses if there was a conference room available. If you’ll follow me, I can lead you that way.”
Detective Neal headed out of Laney’s room followed by Eileen and Herb. The jaunt to the conference area wasn’t far. In fact, it was by the entrance of the ICU. The room was lit in fluorescent lighting with stark white walls. The largest wall had a dry erase board and an x-ray reader. The far wall had a projector with a screen. In the middle was a large oval table with multiple chairs and a phone in the middle. Detective Neal gestured for the Pearson’s to have a seat and proceeded to join them. “I understand you found another letter on Laney’s doorstep.”
“Yes, we did,” Herb was quick to reply. He pulled the letter from his pocket and presented it to the detective who studied it.
“This is very similar to the others she’s received.”
“Excuse me, Detective. How many has she received?” Eileen inquired.
“I believe this is the fifth.”
“I’m sorry. Did you say this is the fifth letter and you haven’t caught the person yet?”
“Well, ma’am. The investigation was put on hold when we thought the suspect was in custody.”
“Meanwhile, there’s still some crazy person on the loose trying to scare my daughter and possibly hurt her.”
“Yes, ma’am. That would appear to be the case. However, we’re doing everything in our power to ensure the safety of Miss Pearson.”
“I see. And the protection you mentioned, did it include making sure she wasn’t shot and lying in a hospital bed?” Eileen stood up from her chair and began pacing the room.
“Mrs. Pearson, with all due respect, there was no reason to believe she was in danger at work. From what I understand, an officer was standing next to her when she was shot. The situation was unpreventable.”
“I see. Do you have any leads?”
“Not at this time. Which brings me to my next question—ar
e you sure the letter wasn’t there last night?”
“Of course! Who could miss something like that?” Eileen snipped.
“I see. Then it’s fair to say the man who shot her was either working with someone who is still leaving notes or there is an entirely different person out there who is interested in scaring Miss Pearson.”
“What exactly have you been doing to capture this person?”
“Mrs. Pearson, up until the time your daughter was shot, we had twenty-four-hour surveillance at her apartment. She had stayed a couple of nights with Dr. Stone. Unfortunately, his house and his work apartment are out of our jurisdiction, and we didn’t have time to get a partnering department to conduct surveillance with the North County Police Department.”
“Why would they stay at his work apartment?”
“From my understanding, they felt it was unlikely the person would know about the apartment.”
“What was the content of the other letters?”
“The subjects were all similar in nature. Basically, the person writing them didn’t want Miss Pearson to date Dr. Stone and instead wanted her for himself.”
Eileen turned and faced Herb. “I told you her relationship with that doctor was no good. If it weren’t for him, this wouldn’t be happening right now.” She trained her attention back to Officer Neal. “Are we sure the doctor isn’t the one responsible for this? It seems very suspicious he’s always with her when she gets the letters and yet you haven’t been able to identify any suspects.”
“Eileen, I don’t think that’s fair.”
Officer Neal chimed in. “I think it’s unlikely it was Dr. Stone. He’s been very cooperative and working hard to keep Miss Pearson safe. In my honest opinion, if it weren’t Dr. Stone, it would be the next guy she went out with.”
“See! Another reason she should come home. If she were in Missouri with us, there would be no crazy people trying to shoot her or send her threatening letters.” Eileen was completely worked up again, waving her arms like a wild banshee.