by S. E. Akers
“Go clean up,” Jack Patterson instructed. “I’ll call for a nurse to give you an update. The bathroom is right over there.”
I followed his orders and when finished, I emerged from the bathroom clean-faced and smelling like a citrus orchard. I spotted Jack Patterson talking to a tiny woman sitting behind a glass cubicle off to the side.
“Here she is,” Jack Patterson said as I approached. “Ethel, this is Shiloh Wallace. She’s a family friend of Samuel’s. You can tell her anything she wants to know.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Patterson. I appreciate that.”
Jack Patterson patted my back. “You’re welcome. I’ve gotta go make my rounds, but I’ll come back to check on you a little later. Don’t worry. They’ll take real good care of him back there,” he assured with a stout nod and then headed off down the hall.
Ethel, the tiny woman sitting behind the glass, asked, “Do you know who Mr. Clark’s next of kin is?”
The way she phrased the question alarmed me.
“No,” I snapped. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Calm down. I need it for my paperwork. I can get most of his information from the mine, but I do need to know if Mr. Clark has a DNR.”
“A what?” I asked.
“A DNR…A ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ directive. Does he have one?” she asked casually.
Stunned by yet another question I didn’t want to hear, I scoffed, “I don’t know?!? But PLEASE…let’s make sure y’all DO ATTEMPT to resuscitate Mr. Clark!”
By the look on Ethel’s face, I’d obviously ticked her off, but I couldn’t have cared less.
“Please, just find out what’s going on, and how he’s doing…PLEASE?” I pleaded.
The tiny brunette glared at me as she stood up slowly and then headed off through the double doors that led into the emergency room. I paced around the front waiting room nervously, never stopping for a second. Twenty minutes had passed and I was about to climb the freaking walls. It was taking FOREVER for her to return!
Another five minutes later, Ethel slowly sauntered back to her desk. I raced over to the cubicle. She slid open a portion of the glass window.
“The doctor will be out here momentarily to discuss Mr. Clark’s condition with you.” Then she proceeded to slide the glass shut, without warning.
“That’s IT?” I appealed through the glass. Ethel didn’t even look up. She just kept her head down and dove right into some paperwork lying on her desk. I spun around angrily and thought, What an insensitive little witch!
I stormed off and grabbed a seat near the television in the waiting room. I shifted around in a light-blue vinyl chair, trying to find a comfortable position (there wasn’t one). I flipped through several out-dated magazines to kill some time, but I was finished with all them in four minutes flat.
A doctor entered the waiting room. “I’m looking for the young lady who came in with Mr. Clark?” he asked.
Instantly, I sprang to my feet. “That’s me!”
“Please, follow me,” the tall Indian doctor requested.
I’d noticed his name on the white lab coat he was wearing, but I didn’t have a clue how to pronounce it. Nervously, I followed the doctor through the massive double doors that led into the ER. We weaved through a maze of stretchers, machines, and desks scattered all throughout the cramped space. Several nurses and technicians were running in and out of a section of the room that had been sealed off with a beige curtain hanging from a track in the ceiling. It was the only area that seemed to be getting a lot of attention. I could only assume Samuel was behind “Curtain Number One”. The doctor motioned me into a rear office.
“Ms. Wallace, I’m Dr. Kupasami. I’ll be performing Mr. Clark’s surgery.”
I figured Samuel would be going under the knife, what with all the blood I’d witnessed.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked nervously.
“The ultrasound revealed that Mr. Clark has a lacerated spleen. Most likely, it will have to be removed during surgery, but he can still live a long life without it. The nurses are going to take him across the hall to do a few more CAT scans, just to reconfirm the diagnosis and to make sure there are no other internal injuries. Once we get the results, we’ll address any other concerns and prep him for surgery. The x-rays revealed that Mr. Clark has several cracked ribs on his right side. We will tend to those once he’s out of the operating room. In addition, both of his tibias are broken, as well as his right radius. Luckily, the fractures are closed, so we can reset them while he’s here recuperating. Aside from that, Mr. Clark has a few second-degree burns and several minor cuts. The spleen is the worst of his injuries, but I’m confident from what we’ve seen so far that the surgery will go smoothly. Do you have any questions?”
I stood there silent, trapped in an abyss of conflict. Even though the doctor seemed positive that Samuel would pull through the surgery, I decided to delve into his mind to make sure he wasn’t trying to bullshit me. He wasn’t. The doctor was one-hundred-percent certain that Samuel would be fine, but it was all I could do to restrain myself from running over and ripping back the beige curtain to heal him myself.
But how on earth would he explain getting up and walking out of here a “healed” man? His injuries were much more than a few cracked ribs and a broken nose. Not only would I have to brainwash everyone who had come in contact with Samuel since he was rushed from the mine to the hospital, but most likely, half the town. Surely most everybody knows by now. “The news” had to have already spread through the town like wildfire. I was a Talisman who possessed one of the most powerful stones capable of unimaginable physical and mental healing abilities and yet, I felt completely powerless. I couldn’t risk my secret being exposed. I was riddled with guilt over what I thought was a selfish decision. Sadly, like any other distraught loved one, I felt uncomfortably vulnerable, human, and regrettably “normal”.
“Where can I wait for him?” I asked, broken-hearted.
The soft-spoken doctor smiled. “There’s a waiting room around the corner reserved for family members of our patients in surgery. I’ll have a nurse escort you there. I’ll update you once he’s out of surgery. It’ll be a couple of hours.”
“Thank you, Dr. Kupasami.”
The gentle man nodded and exited the room. I ran to the doorway.
“Please take good care of him,” I called out. The doctor smiled back and then headed down the hall.
A statuesque, bleach-blonde nurse came strolling along a few minutes later. I caught several of the males on staff following the woman with their eyes as she passed them, and she carried herself in a way that let you know she was well aware of the stares she was attracting too. I’ll admit the nurse was quite striking, but she looked strangely familiar. Like a cold hard slap, it finally hit me who she was.
Beverly Rhodes…Charlotte’s (former) best friend, I thought. No wonder I didn’t recognize her at first. I’d seen bed sheets that hadn’t been pulled as tight or tucked as much as what her face had been. And that wasn’t the only thing new. I could see two more “things” blatantly staring me in the face. If her nametag were any higher, I swear she’d poke out her eye!
“Shiloh? Is that YOU?” Beverly asked in a sticky-sweet southern drawl.
Still stunned by her transformation, I smiled and nodded. She leaned in and gave me quick, tight squeeze.
“It’s my first day back to work, and I get to run into you. This is a treat! I took a little time off…to visit some relatives out west for a couple of months,” Beverly clarified.
Relatives — my ass, I giggled to myself. Who’s she kiddin’?
“Shiloh, I haven’t seen you since the party last—”
“Christmas,” I interrupted. “When Mom stormed out? Cursing the ground you walked on?”
“That’s the one,” Beverly laughed and flipped back her hair. “I really need to call her. Is she still upset?”
“Of course, she is. We’re talking about my mother, remember?”<
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I wasn’t quite sure what had started their “little tiff”. Knowing now about Charlotte’s extracurricular endeavors and that Beverly was a divorcée who had been playing the field (entire state) for the past several years, I could only assume it had been over some guy in town they were both carrying on with. Even though they always claimed to be ‘close friends’, they were more like rivals, who kept their enemies close.
Beverly shook her head and sighed. “It’s almost been a whole year. Maybe I should give her a call? You know, be the bigger person.”
“No…You should just drop by and surprise her,” I insisted as I looked at the new & improved, buxom Beverly Rhodes from head to toe. My mouth crept into a sly smile just thinking about the look on Charlotte’s face when she laid eyes on Beverly — a younger-looking and fresh-faced “bigger” person would surely send her through the roof.
“You’re right. I’ll stop by. I need to…” Beverly stopped and jerked me into heartfelt embrace. “Pass along my condolences,” she sniveled.
Beverly continued to express her sympathy as she swayed me back and forth, locked in her arms. I found myself helpless and uncomfortably pressed up against “the twins”. When she finally did release me, I was astonished to find a slightly red, though dry-eyed, expressionless Beverly Rhodes standing before me. I could sense she was genuinely saddened by Daddy’s passing, but bless her Botox injected, paralyzed little heart. She couldn’t have shown it on her face if her life depended on it.
“Beverly, are you the nurse who’s supposed to take me to the waiting room?”
With her face still as blank as a whiteboard, Beverly replied, “Yes. Come on and I’ll show you where it is. I’m so sorry to hear about Samuel, Shiloh. But he’s in very good hands. Dr. Kupasami is one of the best surgeons around. He’ll be fine.”
Beverly led me to the surgical waiting room and insisted she would keep me updated. I curled up in one of the beige leather chairs and prepared myself for a long, grueling wait. Waiting here is going to be worse than down in that cave…
After an hour had passed, Beverly stopped by to drag me off to the cafeteria for a bite to eat, her treat. I reluctantly accepted her offer. I wasn’t the least bit hungry, but I knew my body needed something. She stayed and chatted while I ate. Even though her outsides had changed, her insides were still the same — just as bubbly, sweet, and kind-hearted as ever. Beverly was probably the only friend of Charlotte’s that I liked, and she was always friendly towards me — which reinforced my longtime claim that they were as different as night and day.
Beverly informed me that Samuel was still in surgery, but it was going well. They did have to remove his spleen. She said he was lucky that none of his other organs were punctured. Beverly assured me that he would be in the hospital for several weeks recuperating, what with his surgery and all of his broken bones. Before long, she gave me a hug and promised she would be back around to check on me again a little later.
I wandered back to the waiting room, mentally noting that I’d managed to kill off another forty-five minutes. Dr. Kupasami came strolling in through the double doors roughly a minute later. He told me that the surgery went extremely well, and Samuel was in the recovery room. I was beyond relieved. Without thinking, I lunged at the doctor, locking him in an embarrassing, hysterical hug while I thanked him repeatedly. The somewhat timid man was very gracious and humored my dramatic display with a few pats on my back.
I continued to wait there for another hour. Since Samuel was out-of-the-woods, my thoughts returned to the unnerving reality that a duo of supernatural-stalkers were out there somewhere, still on the hunt for me. There was no way around the predicament I was in. I would be leaving Welch — for good. I couldn’t understand why Tanner didn’t just come out with it and say so. He’s been brutally honest about everything else this past week…Why stop now?
There was still a very mysterious, secretive side to Tanner Grey and what he chose to reveal about the nature of Talismans. He didn’t seem to believe the old adage, “knowledge is power”, that was for sure. He tended to have a “less is best” perspective. So far, I hadn’t heard from him telepathically. I could only assume he thought I was still down in the cave waiting for him. I looked over at the clock on the wall. Almost 11:00 AM. I still had plenty of time to get back there. He’ll be none the wiser. After all, I couldn’t leave until Samuel woke up. I wasn’t about to run off for what could possibly be “forever” without telling him good-bye.
Tanner will just have to get over it…
Beverly Rhodes came bouncing in to get me a little past noon. She ushered me up to the third floor, where Samuel had been taken to a private room in the ICU wing of the hospital. When we arrived to room 321, Samuel appeared to be resting comfortably with the sounds of beeping monitors and the subtle whistling of oxygen lulling him as he slept. I had to admit he looked a heck of a lot better than when I’d found him lying amongst the coal rubble and covered in blood. Beverly informed me that he was still somewhat groggy from the anesthesia and the pain medication he’d been given, but he should be wide-awake in a little while. She also let me know that the orthopedic physician would be in tomorrow morning to set his legs and arm, but in the meantime, they would make sure he wasn’t in any pain.
Beverly started to head out of the room, but she abruptly stopped in the doorway and spun back around.
“Oh, Shiloh, before I forget…When the nurses come in here, keep your head down and don’t tell them your name. Okay?” Beverly urged.
That’s an odd request, I thought as I pulled one of the chairs closer to Samuel’s bedside. Am I hiding out from the whole freaking town now?
Slightly offended, I inquired, “Um…Why not?”
Beverly’s face began to flinch. “Well,” she hesitated, “most of the employees had already placed bets in the football pool for next week’s game. I heard the pot was a little over five thousand dollars. Only one person chose the other team. With Mike Riverside not playing, a lot of people are…to put it in a nice way…miffed? Are we, um, clear?”
I slumped down in my seat, ashamed my actions had indirectly pissed off more people than I could have ever imagined.
I nodded remorsefully and mumbled, “Crystal.”
Beverly spied the shame written all over my face, which prompted a sympathetic smile.
“Oh now, Shiloh…Don’t feel so bad about it. That’s what cocky little pricks get.” With that said, she gave me a sly wink and closed the door behind her.
As I curled my feet up in the chair, I thought, Add that to my “to-do list”. I know I have to leave town, but I’d hate to be run out of Welch being chased by angry rednecks wavin’ their shotguns.
Within a few minutes, the repetitive rhythm of the machinery had worked their magic on me as well. I dozed off, exhausted from worry, with my head propped uncomfortably on the corner of the low-back chair.
I roused suddenly to a strange “beeping” sound. Startled, my eyes flew open instantly while my brain quickly processed where I was. Samuel’s hospital room. The first thing I spotted was the clock on the wall. What seemed like only a couple seconds later was more like a couple of hours.
I rubbed my eyes and thought, Two-thirty? That CAN’T be right.
I looked over at the hospital bed to find Samuel sitting up, wide-awake and smiling.
“I can ask them to bring in another bed if you want?” he chuckled.
“Samuel…” I jumped up and leaned over to give him a gentle kiss on the cheek. I was dying to hug him, but in light of all his ailments, I felt the peck would have to suffice. “How do you feel?” I asked as I pulled my chair closer to his bed.
“High as a kite, baby girl,” Samuel said cheerfully.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the goofy smile stretched across his stoned face.
Curious about how much he recalled about the accident, I probed, “Do you remember what happened?”
“Not too much. I remember talking to that guy, Ferrol and when I
turned around, there was an explosion. More than one of them, I think.”
Samuel confirmed my suspicions. Yep, definitely sabotage, I thought quietly.
“Did he cause the explosion?” I asked.
Samuel paused to think. “He was with me when it happened, but I’m not sure. I don’t remember much,” he admitted, his voice sounding dry and raspy.
I rubbed his cheek and gave him a consoling smile. I couldn’t help but feel relieved to hear him say that. I knew Ferrol was responsible for the explosions, but I was more concerned about what Samuel remembered about his “rescuer”. That would be a tough one to explain.
I spotted a plastic pitcher and cup lying on a tray bedside his bed. One of the nurses must have brought it in while I was asleep. I grabbed it and quickly poured him a glass of refreshing ice-cold water.
“Here, Samuel,” I said as I plopped in a straw and then held the cup up for him to take a much-needed drink.
“Thank you, Shiloh,” he replied softly.
“Well, I wait on you at the Drive-In. I guess I can do it here, too…especially in your condition. After all, I can’t use the old, ‘what’s wrong with you, is your arm broken’, because…it kind of is,” I joked while I watched him practically inhale his drink in one huge sip. As soon as he had finished, I placed the empty cup back down on the tray and began to pour him another.
“I wasn’t talking about the water,” my surrogate father said gratefully.
Instantly, my stomach flipped. He remembers, I concluded as my eyes stayed focused on the pitcher still hovering over the cup. Slowly, I placed it back down on the tray. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.