by Beth Burnett
“Well, there aren’t any procedures going on, are there?” I’m not moving from this room.
The nurse purses her lips, looking enough like Davey that I almost laugh. “The rest of you are going to have to leave.” She glares at Steve and Erik, who stand up.
Erik bends down to kiss Leah. “We’ll call later to see how you’re doing.”
“Thanks for everything, boys,” Leah says, batting her eyelashes.
Steve kisses the top of her head and touches her face. “Just be good and do what the doctors tell you to do.”
“I can’t believe you would even find it necessary to say that!”
Steve chuckles and the guys leave. Danny and Davey and I are left in the room. Danny crosses his arms and leans back against the wall. My arms are already crossed. Davey gestures at me. “We are her daughters and that is her son. None of us is leaving.”
The nurse turns and stalks out of the room. Leah beams. “She probably couldn’t believe that you were my kids because I look so young.”
“I’m sure that’s it,” I say wryly.
My phone has been going off randomly the whole time I’ve been here, so I excuse myself to the hallway to check it out. Maggie sent several texts, so I send her a quick one back to let her know what happened. Heather had texted as well, so I respond to her. “Lakewood Hospital with Leah. She had chest pains. Will call later.” I send a similar text to Renee. She texts back almost immediately asking if she should come up, but I reply that I don’t think it’s necessary.
Going back into the room, I relay the positive thoughts from Renee. “She said she will pray for you.”
“That’s sweet. I’m hungry. Do you think they’re going to serve dinner in this place?”
“I don’t think you usually get meals in the emergency room,” Danny replies. “Do you think I should go down to the cafeteria and get something?”
“No, I don’t.” Davey is firm. “We don’t know what she is allowed to eat yet.”
“Davey, sweetie. I am not allowing any doctors to dictate what I eat. I have an incredibly healthy diet.”
“Except for your addiction to chocolate chip cookies and homemade bread.”
“Which, I might remind you, are full of natural and healthy ingredients!”
“Leah!” Laughing, I hold up my hands again. “Davey. Come on. Let’s just settle down and wait to see what the doctor says. If he’s a quack, we’ll readdress the issue.”
“She isn’t a quack,” a woman says, entering the room.
This can only be the doctor. We all stare at her in awe. She’s taller than me, firmly muscled, with dark skin, long dreadlocks, and a gorgeous smile. She looks like an Amazon. I’m half in love with her already. She pushes me out of the way and pulls one of the plastic chairs to Leah’s bedside. She looks at the group of us and asks Leah if she wants to discuss the results of the testing in private. Leah waves her hand dismissively.
“No, let’s just get this over with.”
Glancing down at the chart in her hands, she looks at Leah and smiles. “Well, the good news is that you have not had a heart attack.”
A collective sigh springs from the room. I walk to Davey’s side of the bed and take her hand. Danny moves close to her on the other side. We all look at the doctor expectantly.
“And the bad news?” Leah suddenly looks a little nervous. “Am I pregnant?”
Everyone laughs, including the gorgeous doctor.
“Well, we didn’t test you for that,” she answers. “Should we?”
“Not unless there’s a star in Bethlehem,” I answer dryly.
“So what’s the bad news?” Davey is not in the mood for joking.
“There is no bad news. We did a chest x-ray, arterial gas, EKG, and an echocardiogram. Leah doesn’t have a thing wrong with her heart or her lungs.”
Sensing a pause, I say, “But...”
“But based on some of the information I collected from Leah, I am diagnosing a panic attack.”
“A panic attack?” Leah is affronted. “I’m the calmest person I know.”
“Anxiety can take many forms. Panic attacks can happen to anyone. It doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.”
Leah starts struggling to sit up. The doctor gently touches her shoulder. “Leah, we can talk about this further, but based on all of your symptoms, it seems pretty clear that you had a panic attack.”
Leah purses her lips. “I don’t feel stressed.”
“You don’t necessarily have to feel stressed for a panic attack to be triggered. I’m leaving you some information about panic attacks and anxiety. There are a lot of things you can do to reduce the chance of an occurrence without resorting to medicine.”
Leah nods. “Fine. I may need to get a second opinion.”
The hot doctor smiles. “I hope you do. Please see your M.D when you get a chance.”
She pats Leah on the shoulder and walks out.
“It’s the pot,” Davey says firmly. “Pot can cause panic attacks.”
“Pot is calming,” Leah says, petulantly.
“Well, in my college days, I know that I had some pretty anxious moments when smoking pot.” I lean back in my chair, crossing my legs.
Danny nods. “So, Leah needs to quit smoking pot. Anything else?”
“Wait a minute here!” Leah looks furious. “We don’t even know for sure that I had a panic attack!”
Davey touches her mother’s shoulder. “You heard the doctor. We’ll look at all of the information when we get home and decide how to progress from there.”
Danny stands up. “I’ll go see if I can find out when they’re going to release you.”
He walks out. Leah still looks upset.
“Leah.” I lean over and kiss her on the forehead. “Don’t look so upset. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out, and we’ll all get through it together.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and glares at me. “Well, whatever it is, I’m not quitting pot. It’s the only reason I’m still considered the sane one in this family.”
Leah was wheeled out of the hospital in grand style, waving at all of the nurses and other patients. Danny left to go back to his house for a while. Davey and I loaded Leah into my vehicle, and I drove her back to Davey’s apartment. Now, she’s sitting on the couch looking sulky. I’m perched on the arm of Davey’s favorite chair watching the battle between her and Davey.
“We’re not wasting the pot. We’re giving it to poor people in need.” Davey has Leah’s stash all wrapped up in several bags.
“We’re not giving it away to anyone. That’s mine. I bought it. I own it.”
“It’s illegal.” Davey is adamant.
“So is driving like an asshole, but you do that anyway.”
A small snort escapes me but my face is neutral again by the time Davey turns to glare at me.
“Mother.”
“Don’t call me mother. And don’t speak to me in the tone. Eighteen hours of labor and this is the thanks I get?”
“Last time it was twenty-two hours of labor,” I interject.
“I was madder then,” Leah responds.
Davey finally stands up. “This is my final word. You are living in my apartment. While you’re under my roof, you follow my rules. No more pot in this apartment.”
She stalks out with the bag in her hands. Leah looks at me. “Thanks for your help there, buddy.”
“Hey,” I answer, shrugging. “This is between you and your daughter. I didn’t think it was my place to get involved.”
“Do you think I should quit smoking pot?”
“I think at your age you should start looking at the habits in your life that might not be the best for your health.”
She leans back on the couch and sighs. “It’s good for my mental health.”
“So is sex.”
“I need more of that.”
“Yoga.”
“You didn’t do too well with that.”
I refuse t
o dignify that with an answer.
“Maybe I could join your softball team.”
I don’t even blink. “Of course you can.”
She laughs. “Oh, Andy. I’m old and set in my ways. I like to smoke a little. I don’t think that’s so wrong.”
Getting up from my perch, I join her on the couch and put my arms around her. She leans against me and rests her head against my shoulder.
“Leah, it scared the fuck out of me when Davey said you were in the hospital.”
“Andy, don’t tell anyone I said this, but it scared the fuck out of me, too.”
“Let’s work together to make sure it never happens again.”
She sighs and wraps her arms around me.
“All right, kiddo. All right. Let’s give it a try.”
Chapter Twelve
I roll over, look at the clock. Shit. Shit. Shit. I’m late for work. I jump out of bed and throw on some jeans and a t-shirt. Grabbing a power bar and my sneakers, I run out the door and gun the Chevy. I was late yesterday, too. Renee is going to mock me mercilessly. It isn’t like me to sleep so late, but I was on the phone with Heather until three in the morning. She was so calm and sweet when I called her Tuesday night to tell her about Leah and Leah’s chest pain. She offered some great suggestions for preventing the recurrence of another panic attack. I guess she used to have them quite often, but she hasn’t had one in a couple of years. She even offered to meet with Leah. I gave Heather’s number to Leah, and the two of them talked on Wednesday. I guess they are going to lunch today. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Heather and I are just getting to know each other and I’m not sure that I want her getting too involved with my family. Still, it was pretty amazing that we spent several hours on the phone that night. Last night, when I called her to thank her for getting in touch with Leah, we ended up talking on the phone for several hours again.
It’s been nice to talk to her on the phone. Taking sex out of the equation lets me talk to her as a person, not just as a date. I’m starting to really like her. She’s got a stubborn streak that plays itself out in setting goals and accomplishing them. She’s smart. And she’s so funny. She’s had me in tears more than once during our conversations. My ribs actually hurt this morning from laughing so hard. And I’m really not used to spending that much time on the phone with anyone. I’m more of a make-the-plan-and-go person. I don’t know. There was just something relaxing about sitting there with nothing to do but focus on one person. There’s definitely a connection there, even if I’m not yet sure how it’s going to play out.
Renee gives me a look as I run into the bookstore. She’s ringing up a customer at the desk and three more are in line. I jump onto the other register and take the next person in line. A few minutes later all of the customers are gone. There are two old ladies browsing in the self-help section, but Renee tells me that she has already asked them and they don’t need help.
“Renee, I’m sorry.”
She smiles. “It’s fine. Everyone left happy. That’s what matters.”
“Are you ever mad at me?”
“You haven’t given me reason yet.”
Renee schleps several boxes of books to the counter and I start inventorying them. The old ladies seem to be content, pulling books out and showing them to each other. Renee said they’re in the spirituality section of self-help. Why is everyone in the universe into all of this new age stuff all of a sudden? Renee looks pretty today. She’s glowing. I watch her for a few minutes out of the corner of my eye. True, she always looks peaceful and happy. Today, she looks happier than usual. I didn’t think it was possible.
“Renee?”
She stops whistling and glances over at me. I’m pretty sure songbirds would fly around her head chirping happily if we were outside. Raising my eyebrow at her, I make a “come out with it” gesture with my hand. She grins.
“I’m just in a great mood this morning, Andy. I spent several hours on the phone with Maggie last night.”
“Must be going around. I was on the phone with Heather all night.”
“And yet, I managed to make it to work on time.”
I throw a paper clip at her. “Piss off.”
She laughs. “Maggie is brilliant and wise. I really like her.”
“Are you in love with her?”
She glances at me sideways. “Andy, I barely know her.”
“I know. It’s just that she is pretty compelling.”
“She is compelling. But I barely know her. I just know that I enjoy talking to her. We have a lot in common.”
“Is she religious?”
“She doesn’t go to church, but she is a spiritual person.”
I busy myself with inventory for a while. I don’t know how I feel about the possibility of Renee and Maggie getting together. On the one hand, it’s wonderful to see Renee happy. I love her and I want the best for her. On the other hand, Maggie isn’t going to settle down with one person, so more likely than not, she would just end up breaking Renee’s heart. Then again, maybe Renee is just looking for a good friend. I’ve never really talked a lot about what she’s looking for in a relationship. I just know her last relationship ended badly after several years and that she hasn’t been looking lately.
“Andy?” Renee is whispering. I glance up at her and she motions her head toward the two old ladies in the self-help section. They are leaning close, their heads together, looking over a book. One has her arm around the other’s shoulder. While I’m watching them, one leans over and gives the other a quick, but soft kiss on the cheek. I hate to admit it, but I’m moved. Looking back at Renee, I meet her eye and we smile at each other. Maybe there is hope for us after all.
“Well,” I say. “If that isn’t enough to melt that giant block of ice around my shriveled little heart, I don’t know what is.”
At the end of the work day, I said goodbye to Renee and checked my phone for messages. Figuring I would have time for a quick racquetball game after work, I had texted Nate and he met me at the court. We played three hard games and he beat me fairly in two of them. I hate it when Nate wins. It’s not that I’m a sore loser; it’s just that he runs around and gloats like an ass whenever he wins. I grumbled to myself through a hot shower and all the way to the lobby where I found Nate waiting for me. Walking out to the parking lot, he asks me to walk to his car with him. We walk over to his car and he rummages around in the backseat.
“Andy, look. I know I pick on you a lot and I’m always a jokey kind of guy.” He looks dead serious and it’s making me nervous.
“Hey, I’m going to be late for ladies night.”
“This will just take a minute.”
“Nate, I like our friendship the way it is. There’s no need to get all sentimental with me.”
“I’m not getting sentimental. I just got you something to show you how much you mean to me.”
He hands me a beautifully wrapped box. I take it and look at him.
“Nate, this probably isn’t necessary.”
“It is, though. It is. We’ve been friends for a long time, and I just wanted to get you something special.”
Even though I’m feeling uncomfortable, I don’t want Nate to be hurt, so I take the package and look at it. “Well, it’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“Go ahead. Open it.”
Sliding my fingers under the tape, I lift the wrapper and pull out the box. I can’t even begin to imagine what might be in here. Nate is watching me expectantly. I hope this isn’t something cheesy. I can’t begin to understand why he would get me a friendship present. If he’s starting to get sweet on me, I’m going to have to kick him in the nuts. Finally bracing myself for whatever may come, I lift the lid on the box and stare down at the layers on tissue paper in confusion.
“A wooden spoon? I don’t....Oh, Nate. You ass!” I grab the spoon and start beating him with it.
He’s laughing hysterically. “Come on. I knew you needed a new one after your party.”
Divin
g to defend himself from the blow, he slips into his car and slams the door. I wave the spoon at him threateningly.
He blows me a kiss from inside and drives away, still laughing.
My cell phone rings as I get back to the Trailblazer. It’s Maggie.
“Hey.”
“Hey, yourself,” she says. “What are you doing tonight?”
Technically, both Davey and Lynne skipped out on me last ladies night, so I wouldn’t feel that guilt about ditching them. Still, this is a tradition, and I don’t want to be an ass. “Ladies night,” I finally answer. “Long-standing date night with Davey and Lynne.”
“Sounds fun.”
“It’s a carryover from our college days. We meet at the same bar every week. We’re getting a little old for the bar scene, but we haven’t had the heart to change our ways. We’ll probably know that we’ve reached old age when one of us suggests meeting at the coffee shop instead of the bar.”
“Or the shuffleboard court.”
“Ha. That will be the day.”
Pulling into Janie’s parking lot, I see that Davey’s car is already here. I wonder if Lynne rode with her.
Maggie is laughing. “Andy, you have a long way to go before you get your AARP card.”
“Some days, I feel like I’m on top of my game. Other days, I wake up and think old age is right around the corner.”
“Well, Andy, it’s a privilege denied to many. You might as well be grateful for every morning that you wake up.”
I shake my head. “Maggie, what is up with all of the women in my life?”
“In what way?”
“Suddenly it seems I’m surrounded by new age crap.”
She laughs. “Being grateful for what you have in life isn’t crap, Andy. It’s mandatory.”
“I am grateful for what I have.”
“Good.”
“I better go. The ladies might send a search party out for me.”
“Have a good night.”
I send a quick text to Heather letting her know that I will call her when we leave the bar.
Davey and Lynne are sitting in our usual spot. I hop over my chair and throw my legs up onto Davey’s lap. She flags down a server and gets me a beer.