Second Opinion
Page 20
“Maybe we don’t want to.”
“Of course we do.”
Gina stared resolutely at the sidewalk in front of her. “I’m fine now.”
“This fear you’re talking about…any idea at all what it is or where the voices came from? Who they belonged to?”
Gina didn’t respond. She seemed so closed in on herself, obviously battling something she didn’t want to share.
“Gina?”
“Talking will just make it worse.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I’m not sure I even can bring myself to talk about it.”
“It?” So there was something to talk about. Maybe they were getting somewhere after all. “You need to try.” Lauren tugged on Gina’s arm but Gina pulled away.
They walked about half a block in silence.
“If I tell you something will you promise not to say anything to anyone?” Gina asked at least.
“Don’t put me on the spot. Your safety comes first.”
Gina touched Lauren’s arm. “Please just listen. I’ve been doing a lot of research since I first started having these spells.”
“Since you first started? When was that?”
Gina looked away. “They’ve been worse since I moved here in February. I felt periods of confusion before but I never lost time and I never left my kids alone at home. The fear wasn’t…so bad before.”
“So you’re saying the problem’s escalating?” That was not a comforting thought. “You should tell Dr. Sheldon about this as soon as possible.”
“The stress of moving has obviously aggravated a problem I already had.” Gina slowed her steps and her gaze darted up and down the street. “I’ve been researching fugue states,” she said quietly. “That could be what’s happening to me. Please, please don’t tell anyone this or it could cause me to lose Levi and Cody.”
“What would make you think fugue state?” Lauren asked.
Again, that darting gaze around them, behind them. “I haven’t told this to anybody.” She swallowed and searched Lauren’s face.
“It’s okay, Gina. You’re not going to shock me.”
“I had an aunt who was hospitalized with a mental disorder in Oregon.” The words came in a rush as if she’d suppressed them for a long time.
“What was the disorder?”
“Please promise you won’t tell anyone.”
“But why? If there truly is a mental disorder then we can find it and treat for it.”
“There’s more to it.”
“Hey! There you are!” They looked up to find Archer running toward them across the corner of a yard to their left. He crossed the street while Lauren’s nerves screamed with sudden frustration. Five minutes ago she’d been praying for him to join them. Now she wished she’d had just a few more moments alone with Gina. She could feel Gina closing in on herself as Archer drew near, cell phone to his ear to tell the other searchers that Gina was safe.
Who knew when she would open up again?
Chapter 20
Grant completed a disappointingly unremarkable neurological exam on Gina Drake. He put down the chart and hesitated, hating to dash her hopes. “Any other time I’d be happy to say you’re fine, Gina.”
She closed her eyes as tears slipped from them. Lauren put an arm around her. The social worker, Rose Pascal, sighed and shook her head, leaning into herself at the far corner of the exam room.
Rose was a pretty woman in her forties with the sad gaze of someone who spent too many hours worrying about other people. She had short gray-blond hair that she constantly fingered away from her eyes in a subconscious gesture of excess nervous tension. At this moment her hair was tufted, her face pale. If only Gina could see Rose’s obvious concern as she stood quietly waiting.
The physician on duty had been more than willing to allow Grant to treat this patient. Emma, the RN on duty, had drawn blood and taken vitals, and Gina was on a cardiac monitor. Nothing seemed irregular.
Grant stepped back from the bed, tugging at the sleeves of his borrowed lab coat, which stretched too tightly across his shoulders. “We can only wait and hope something else turns up on the blood tests.”
Gina brushed the tears away and looked up at him from the exam bed. “You’ve ordered another psychological exam?”
“You have an appointment for Monday morning in Springfield.”
Rose stepped to the bed and laid a hand on Gina’s arm. “You’ll need someone to drive you.”
Gina tensed. “I’ll drive myself.”
“If you’d only let us help you.”
Gina gave Rose a look so filled with suspicion that Rose retreated to her corner.
When Gina turned to Lauren, her expression was that of a frightened child. “What am I going to do?”
“We’ve talked about this, remember?” Lauren’s voice was brisk and filled with confidence, nothing less than Grant would have expected. “You’re here and you’re safe. That’s what counts for now. Maybe the tests will show something and Dr. Sheldon will be able to figure this whole thing out.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Gina rose up on her elbows. “What then? I feel like the vultures are waiting to pounce.” She jerked her head toward Rose. “Tell her what Natalie said last week. It took me an hour to calm Levi down after he heard her talking about foster care.”
Rose frowned. “What? In front of the children?”
“Natalie and Gina were discussing child care options in case Gina became incapable of caring for Levi and Cody,” Lauren said. “Levi overheard her mention foster care and it frightened him.”
The news obviously surprised Rose. She shook her head and groaned softly. “Of course it would, but Gina, did she actually threaten to take your children from you?”
“No, but what she said frightened my son. Ever since that wraparound meeting I’ve felt as if there’s a shadow looming over everything I do. The minute I make a move out of line, my kids are going to be snatched away from me.” Her bitterness held a familiar edge. Lauren had heard it several times in the past three weeks.
Rose sighed and spread her hands in front of her. “Oh Gina, no. I never meant that as a threat. I was simply voicing one of my own fears. Every day I do everything in my power to help keep families together—it’s one of the main reasons I do this job.”
Silence stole into the room as Gina stared at the bed railing.
“I’ll do all I can to help you, Gina,” Rose said softly.
Gina shifted on the bed and reached irritably for one of the monitor lines, as if the silence and the subject matter made her uncomfortable. “Dr. Sheldon, my readings are normal, right?”
“That’s right,” Grant said. “Everything appears good so far.” Which wasn’t really good. There was nothing to fix.
“Then can we take this thing off?”
“Let’s wait a few more minutes before Lauren removes the electrodes. I don’t want to give up too soon. We’re still waiting on test results.”
Gina slumped back down onto the mattress and looked at Rose again. Her gaze slid away. “Natalie didn’t really threaten me,” she said with apparent reluctance. “I’m not…I don’t want to get her in trouble or anything. I just want some peace and quiet at home. I wish Archer hadn’t called the whole city over a silly little phone call, because now she’ll be all over me again.”
“It wasn’t a silly little phone call,” Grant said. “I needed to be here as soon as possible to test you. I might have caught something if I’d been able to get to you in time.”
Rose raked her fingers through her hair. “Gina, I’ll talk to Natalie. She’s a young counselor—she’s only been at the job for a year—and she’s trying to do everything by the book. But she really wants to help. She’s come to me about your case several times.”
“I’ll just bet she has,” Gina grumbled. “She’s come to me a few times, too.”
“She’s frustrated because the two of you can’t seem to communicate.”
“
She doesn’t realize how dangerous a little knowledge can be.”
“What knowledge, Gina?” There was a thread of exasperation in Rose’s voice. She turned and paced across the small exam room. “Is something else going on here? Is that why you won’t cooperate?”
“I’m protecting my family.”
“Natalie’s on her way here now,” Rose said. “Will you at least talk to her? Please?”
“I always talk to her.”
Lines of frustration deepened around Rose’s eyes. She took a step toward the bed, hesitant. “Gina,” she said softly, “I know it’s hard to trust strangers, especially when your children are involved, but the only reason I continue with this job is because I have a passion for seeing families kept together, especially a loving one like yours.”
Something in Gina’s face softened. She did not smile, and she did not relent, but the hard set of her jaw wasn’t quite as defined as it had been a few moments ago. She nodded and closed her eyes.
Rose shook her head, shrugged at Grant and Lauren, and left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Gina’s eyes opened. “Dr. Sheldon, do you mind if I talk to Lauren alone for a few minutes?”
“Of course not. I’ll be in my office.”
***
Archer found Evan Webster in the emergency waiting room. The fifteen-year-old sat in a deserted corner scribbling furiously in a notebook. He looked up when Archer sat down next to him but the expression on his face was one of intense concentration, as if he was still focused on his flow of ideas. A small red and purple bruise smudged his left eye.
“Did you take a tumble?” Archer indicated the bruise.
Evan’s eyes darkened before he ducked his head and flushed. “I fell against my friend’s clenched fist.”
“A friend did that?”
Evan looked down at his notebook. “He’s the one who gave me the pills. He got mad because I told the police about him. When his parents found out they freaked. He’s being shipped off to spend the summer with his uncle, who’s a retired marine. Kent wanted me to have something to remember him by.”
Good, the kid would be gone until school started. “I’m proud of you, Evan. You took a courageous stand and I know that couldn’t have been easy. Sometimes friends are hard to find.”
“Yeah.” Evan slumped back in his chair.
“Hey, I’m sorry I kept you waiting for so long this afternoon.”
Evan perked up. “That’s okay. Unfortunately, I know how time flies when you’re in the middle of an emergency.”
Archer placed his hand on Evan’s shoulder. “That’s true. But I still wish I’d called you right away.”
“Forget about it. I knew it had to be something important. I don’t think you’re the kind of guy who makes promises he doesn’t keep.”
Archer gestured to the notebook with a page full of scribbles. “Your father told me you’re a fledgling reporter for the school paper.”
“Not just the school paper.” Evan straightened. “The editor at The Dogwood promised to read an article about my experience the night I came here with the overdose.”
“Is he thinking about publishing it?”
“If it’s good enough. I’m going to make sure it is.”
“And you don’t mind the fact that many people might read the story and judge you unkindly?”
Evan shook his head. “Writing is what I do. Most people know about what happened, anyway. Word gets around. Besides, it shouldn’t have happened at all and maybe my article will keep somebody else from swallowing pills just because some so-called friend tells him to.”
“How do your parents feel about it?”
“Dad thinks I should do it.” Evan shrugged. “I didn’t ask Mom. She’s planning a wedding and she’s not going to be around much longer.”
“She isn’t? Are you moving?”
“She’s moving.”
“But you aren’t?”
Evan shook his head. “She’s getting married in a month and they’ll live in Springfield. I told her I wasn’t living up there and she said okay.” He placed his pen in the center of the notebook on his lap and leaned back. “Just like that.”
Archer grimaced. That had to hurt, even if the boy didn’t want to live with his mother anymore. “You’re moving in with your father?”
“Yep. She told Dad it’s just for the summer but Dad thinks we can convince her to let me stay with him for good if we don’t make waves about it for a while, especially since her fiancé probably isn’t too crazy about me right now.”
“Your father must be happy that you’re staying with him.”
A slow grin spread across Evan’s face. “Yeah, he is. He says we’ll start attending your church on Sundays and I can take those drug awareness classes you lead on Tuesdays.”
Archer grinned. “Things are looking up.”
“If you’ll let me take notes for my article in class.”
“Absolutely. We’re going to have a special guest teacher next Tuesday. Do you remember reading about Sergeant Tony Dalton in The Dogwood?”
“The police guy who got blinded by that booby trap?” Evan looked impressed.
“That’s the one. He’s teaching the class.”
“Yes!” Evan raised a hand of victory in the air and the excitement transformed his face.
Archer grinned. Some of his prayers for this boy were being answered. “We might still be able to go fishing for a couple of hours this afternoon. Are you interested?”
“Okay, that sounds like—” Evan’s attention suddenly shifted and Archer heard approaching voices.
The teenager swallowed. His eyes widened. Archer turned and saw Grant’s twins strolling side by side into the waiting room from the central hallway. Brooke and Beau. There had been no time for introductions earlier but Archer had noticed them in Lauren’s truck when she pulled up in the parking lot.
“I don’t care where they put me as long as I get a paycheck,” the girl chattered confidently to her brother. “If I can jam raw liver onto a fishhook, I can empty a bedpan. Maybe they’ll let you work in the kitchen.”
“Maybe they’ll let me do data entry. I can—” Beau looked up and caught sight of Archer and Evan. He fell silent and seemed to close within himself.
Brooke saw Archer and stepped forward with a sudden smile. She was a beautiful girl, obviously without an ounce of shyness. She held her hand out to Archer as he stood up. “Hi. You’re Archer Pierce, the pastor of Lauren’s church.”
“And you’re Brooke, Grant’s daughter.” Archer caught the smell as he released her hand. The scent of Limburger cheese and apparently raw liver wafted through the air. “Catch any fish?”
“I caught a snake.” She rolled her eyes and shuddered dramatically. She had expressive, constantly moving features and eyes that, like her father’s, didn’t seem to miss details. She glanced at Evan and held her hand toward him. “Hi, I’m Brooke Sheldon. Are you the guy who got stood up this afternoon?”
Evan’s ink pen fell to the floor as he took her hand. He didn’t seem to notice. “Yes, um, I am. But Archer says we might be able to go back out.”
Brooke’s smile most likely dazzled the recipient of her favor into forgetting the unfortunate fragrance accosting him. Her charm reflected her father’s easy grace. Her brother, on the other hand, continued to hover a few feet away, hands in his pockets, eyes downcast.
Archer completed the introductions. It looked as if the kids would have some time to get acquainted while they waited on tests for Gina.
***
After Grant left the exam room, Gina looked up at Lauren. “Will you take care of my kids if something happens to me?”
The impact of the question alarmed her. She and Gina both knew that despite Rose’s assurances, if Gina became incapable of caring for her children, foster care might be a necessity.
“Please? In case something does happen, you’re the only person I know I can trust.”
The sounds and smells of
the busy ER faded into the background as Lauren pulled a chair close to Gina’s bed. She didn’t sit down immediately. This was serious. “In the first place, Natalie and Rose and a lot of other people are doing all they can to make sure your children don’t have to leave you.”
“They’d place my babies with strangers. Please don’t let that happen.” Gina touched Lauren’s shoulder. “I need to know they’ll be safe. I need to know they’ll be with you. I won’t go back.”
“Go back to where? Oregon?”
A chasm of fear and frustration filled Gina’s eyes. The full lines of her face grew taut. “My children already adore you.”
“But all your safety nets are in place and everything worked today. You called Archer and he took action. It was what we hoped for.”
“I’m talking long term. We don’t know what I’m going to do next. I can’t take any chances with my children and their future.”
Lauren reached for Gina’s hand. “Remember I told you that you’re not alone. I’ll be here for you.” She waited until Gina’s grip relaxed a little. “What did you leave behind in Oregon? What are you so afraid of?”
Gina pressed her lips together and looked away.
“It’s okay if you can’t talk about it yet.”
“M-my mother,” she whispered.
“What about your mother?”
“She hates me. She’s a wicked jealous shrew. If she knew about all this and had a chance she’d try to get the kids from me. Not because she wants them but because it would hurt me. And then she would hurt them.”
Lauren swallowed, stunned. “And she’s in Oregon.”
Gina nodded. “Please don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t. I just have trouble understanding how a mother could hate her own daughter.”
“I never understood it either and I’ve always been afraid I’d turn out just like her.”
“You shouldn’t worry. It’s obvious to everyone around you how much you love your children. You said your father died when you were ten.”
“That’s when I lost my only friend in the house. My mother said he played favorites between me and my sister.”
“You have a sister? But you said you didn’t have any family.”