by Syndi Powell
Suzy wilted with relief into a chair. “Good. I can’t deal with any more loss.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Presley put down the kitten and turned her attention to Suzy. Probed her with the same intensity she usually reserved for her animal patients. “We haven’t hung out lately. Or talked much.”
“Well, you know my work schedule. Midnight shifts don’t help a social life.” Suzy gave a forced chuckle. “I’m fine. Tired, maybe. They had me working six days last week.” Her friend seemed to accept her words. At least for now. Suzy leaned in closer to Presley. “But I did meet a guy.”
Presley clapped her hands and perched on the edge of her desk. “When? How? Details, details.”
“Actually he showed up at my front door.” Suzy let that sink in then laughed at Presley’s expression. “He’s some kind of code enforcement inspector who knew Mama. Told her she had to clean up the backyard.”
“I can figure out how well that went over.”
Suzy rolled her eyes. “No kidding. He’s given me two weeks to clean it up. Or else.”
“Or else what?”
Suzy shrugged. “They charge me to get someone else to clean it up, I guess.” She thought about the mess. “It might be easier if they did. It’s not like they’d take the house from me. Right?” She wished she sounded more confident.
“You can’t afford that, Suze. Besides, I can help you.” Her friend crossed her legs at her ankles. For a moment, Suzy envied her long legs since she’d been born with short ones. Pres leaned back on her desk. “Anytime. Just ask.”
“But your job here...”
Presley laughed and shook her head. “Despite what Thoramae says, I do take time off from here occasionally.” She bit her lip and watched Suzy. “I notice you talked about what he did. But not what he looks like. That good, huh?”
Suzy fanned herself. “Hotter than hot. In an uptight, strait-laced kind of way.” She thought back to Mr. Stone. “He kind of reminds me of that guy who plays James Bond now.”
Presley smiled wider. “Yummy.”
“No kidding.” Suzy stood and hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. She glanced at the clock behind Presley’s desk and sighed. “I’ve got to get going, but...” She glanced at the kittens one more time. “You’ll keep me updated?”
“Absolutely.” Presley hugged her again. “And I mean it. I’ll help you. You don’t have to do this on your own, Suze.”
“I know.” That’s what she said, but she didn’t quite believe it.
CHAPTER THREE
THIS WAS THE longest two hours in history. Had to be. Maybe time had stopped. Will glanced at his watch then held it up to his ear. Nope. Watch still ticked. Hands still moved. Seconds. Minutes. Hours.
He slammed the magazine he’d been reading onto the plastic chair next to him and stretched. Moments later, he walked to the wall of windows that overlooked the parking lot and put his palm against the cool glass. He watched as a woman hurried into the hospital. Did she have a loved one here fighting for their life too? Maybe her daughter had had a baby. Or a friend needed a ride home from work.
He shook his head, scattering the thoughts like wind blowing dried leaves. If he didn’t get out of here soon, he’d be writing poetry about hospital visiting hours or penning that mystery novel he’d always dreamed of. He turned from the window and found that Tori had nodded off, her head back, mouth open. He took his cell phone from his pocket and snapped a quick picture. She’d kill him if he posted it on Facebook, but it might be fun.
Tori stirred, then squeezed her eyes shut before opening them and finding him watching her. She rubbed her face. “Did I miss the surgeon?”
He shook his head. “How late did you tell Teresa you’d be? It’s close to seven already.”
“It’s okay. She said she’d feed the hooligans dinner.” She took out her cell phone and started texting. “But I’ll let them know I’m still here.”
“I can’t believe you got them cell phones. They’re only fourteen.” He took the seat next to her.
Tori finished typing and frowned at him. “Fourteen and involved in so many activities that I feel more like a chauffeur than a mom some days. They need to be able to get a hold of me at all times.”
“We didn’t have phones when we were their age.”
“Well, Dad wasn’t exactly generous, was he? No, he lived by rules of shoulds and should nots.” Tori stopped texting. “Don’t get me wrong. I loved him, but I don’t think he had any clue about how kids should be raised.”
“He was a Marine captain. He had to know how to lead his men into battle not raise kids.” Will couldn’t let it go. “So are you overcompensating for Dad’s strictness or Shawn’s absence?”
Tori’s head snapped up, her eyes blazing. She’d be breathing fire if she could. “Don’t tell me how to bring up my sons because that’s an argument you won’t win. You’re as clueless as Dad was.”
He bit back his retort mostly because she was right. He didn’t have the first clue about raising kids. He marveled at how well Tori was doing on her own.
They sat in silence for a while. Then Will reached over and grabbed his sister’s hand. “You’re a good mom.”
Tori squeezed his hand. “Thanks.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Maybe I do indulge them more than I would if Shawn was still around, but they’re missing out on so much.”
“Shawn’s the one missing out.” He kissed the top of her head.
She sighed then got to her feet. “I’m going to get some coffee or something. You want anything?”
“Coffee sounds perfect.” He picked up the magazine he’d discarded. “Think I’ll take this quiz and see what kind of girlfriend I am.”
Tori rolled her eyes, but laughed. He watched her leave then started flipping pages. Where was that quiz?
* * *
SUZY PULLED INTO the parking lot of the nursing home and finished singing with an edgy rock song before grabbing her work bag and heading inside. Still humming, she opened the door for a couple leaving. As she passed the front desk, her shift supervisor Rita glanced from Suzy to the clock on the wall. Five minutes early. Whew.
Suzy walked to the employee lounge and put her work bag in the locker. The frozen dinner and bottle of water she’d dug out first, she put in the staff fridge. She’d chosen her flashiest scrubs for today: bright purple top with neon yellow bottoms and yellow crocs. The seniors seemed to like the bright colors. Those who could still see anyway.
She checked the schedule posted on the bulletin board and flexed her shoulders. She enjoyed the seven at night to seven in the morning shift. More patients, less families. Too much family only reminded her of what she didn’t have.
She bumped the door with her hip and entered the hallway, slinging her stethoscope around her shoulders. She checked in at the west nurse’s station where she found Carly signing off on her tablet. “How’s it been today?”
Carly shrugged. “Fine. A bit too quiet, so you might find yourself with some night crawlers later.”
Suzy nodded. It seemed that her seniors loved to save their drama for her shift. “They do keep life interesting.” She turned on her tablet and brought up the charts. “Any new residents?”
“Not today. But you might want to keep an eye on Mrs. Henderson in sixteen.” Carly leaned in closer. “Her daughter was here this afternoon. The doctors aren’t optimistic about the new treatment, and she’s taken it pretty hard.”
Mrs. Henderson had once been crowned Miss Pickle at the Pickle Festival back in the 1920s. Or so she said. She also claimed that she’d been screen tested for the role of Scarlett O’Hara but lost out at the last minute to Vivien Leigh. With an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Suzy was never sure which stories were true and which ones weren’t, but they were all entertaining. “I’ll be sure to m
ake her my first stop. Thanks, Carly.”
The other nurse patted Suzy on the shoulder before leaving the station. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
Suzy read over the notes from the day then checked the monitors. Dinner had already been served, and televisions in the rooms as well as in the community room blared with strains of the music from “Jeopardy”. It was also Tuesday and that meant Yatzhee night in the dining room. She’d better make her rounds then check back to make sure no fights had broken out. Those seniors were serious about their games.
Mrs. Henderson’s room was first. She poked her head in and found the older woman sitting in a chair looking out her window at the garden. Leaves swirled as the wind blew and more fell onto the lawn. Suzy sighed. “Pretty time of year, isn’t it? I love it when the leaves shed their green summer wardrobe and put on their reds and golds and oranges.”
Mrs. Henderson didn’t say anything. Suzy went farther into the room and went to stand next to her chair. Suzy put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t you wish you could paint this scene?”
“Did I ever tell you about the time Vivien Leigh stole my part in a movie?” The older woman looked up at Suzy, but her eyes didn’t focus.
Suzy crouched next to the chair. “No, I don’t think you did. Why don’t you tell me?”
* * *
BY THE TIME Dr. Westphal entered the waiting room, Will’s stomach threatened to eat itself if he didn’t find something else first. But thoughts of food fled when their name was called.
Tori and Will followed the doctor into a private room off the hallway. A surgeon in clean scrubs joined them. “The surgery was more complicated than expected. Although your mother is in recovery now.”
Will nodded. “The fracture?”
“It’s been repaired. But the cancer appears more advanced than we first thought.”
Tori grabbed his hand. “What does that mean? She’s going to die?”
The doctor looked at them both over her eyeglasses. “It means things get complicated. The fracture needs to heal before Dr. Lewis can discuss treatment options, but it also means your mother needs to stay in long term care to prevent any more bones from breaking.”
Long term care. That meant money, and lots of it. Will’s mind started calculating his mom’s insurance coverage, amount of savings, and saw a lot of dollars flying out of both. “So a nursing home.”
“Lake Mildred’s is not only close, but one of the best.” She handed him a few pamphlets, the one advertising their hometown’s option on top. “I’d recommend that you check it out sooner rather than later. We need to have a plan in place before she’s released from here.”
Tori covered her face. He put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to...What? Convince her things weren’t bad? Because it sounded like they were moving from bad to worse. Still he gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. “Are we talking days? A week?”
“Like I said, the sooner, the better.” She opened the door. “Would you like to see your mother?”
He nodded and helped his sister to her feet. In the recovery room, he stood at the bedside of his mom who seemed to still be sleeping. Tori stood on the other side of the bed, holding their mom’s hand. Will looked across at his sister. “What are we going to do, Tori?”
She looked up at him, the surprise written on her face. “I thought you would know.”
“I don’t have a clue.” He shook his head and closed his eyes. He’d been a teen when his father died. His only involvement had been visiting the hospital with his sisters, hoping and praying that he would get better. His mom had made the decisions. Had faced the tough choices. Now she needed him to do the same for her.
And he didn’t know what to do.
He opened his eyes and saw Tori staring at him. “Are you okay, Will?”
No. Not at all.
But he nodded, knowing that’s what she needed. “We’ll figure things out.”
Their mom stirred, opened her eyes, but then faded into unconsciousness again. “She’s not going to want to go to a nursing home. And with my job and yours, plus the kids...”
“We do have two more sisters.”
He wanted to laugh. They’d be no help, but he’d give them a chance to step up. To see if they wanted to be involved or, as he suspected, would leave things up to him and Tori. “They still haven’t returned my first two calls, but we’ll see.”
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about the seniors’ home in Lake Mildred.” Tori stroked their mom’s arm, but her eyes stayed on him. “It would be close to both of us so we could visit often.”
He nodded. It would be the easy choice, but was it the right one? He’d always been good at fixing things. But to make decisions for his mom? What if he made the wrong one? In the Marines, he’d learned how to succeed, how to repair a situation. But he felt out of depth here for the first time. He needed to do some recon, he realized, to make the informed choice. “If I can set up a visit tomorrow, would you be able to go?”
She looked down at their mom. Reached out to move a curl that had fallen on her face. “I’ll make sure I can.”
At least he wouldn’t be alone. At least he had Tori.
* * *
IN THEORY, SUZY finished her shift at seven a.m.
By nine-thirty that morning, she admitted things weren’t going according to plan. She still had paperwork to complete after the ambulance left with her patient who had been complaining of chest pains. Mr. Wyckoff loved to complain, but those kinds of complaints weren’t meant to be played around with.
She yawned and stretched before continuing her report on Mr. Wyckoff, noting his earlier symptoms. Rita passed by the desk with a man and woman, probably showing the facility to potential clients. She stopped the tour at the nurses’ station. “And this is one of our favorite nurses, Suzy Bylin.”
She stood and held out a hand to the woman first. “Checking us out for your parent?” She turned to face the man and paused. “Mr. Stone.”
He looked tired compared to yesterday. Worry had etched lines next to his ice blue eyes and left bags below them. He frowned at her. “I didn’t realize you worked here, Ms. Bylin.”
“I didn’t know you kept tabs on me.” She flipped over her tablet to keep the details of her report confidential. She didn’t need this; didn’t need to see the man who could make her life miserable at home and now here at work. “But I think you’ll find that we take good care of our patients. We provide not only nursing care, but activities designed to keep up their spirits while they rehabilitate.”
“You sound like the brochure.”
Mr. Stone’s frown deepened, and she felt her smile widen. He wasn’t going to bring her down. Nope, he wouldn’t ruin her day. “I only speak the truth.”
The woman next to him nudged him in the side. “I apologize for Will. He’s not usually this grumpy, but we’re worried about our mom. She fell and fractured her hip, so now we need somewhere for her to recover.”
She was his sister then. Why that thought made her feel better, Suzy didn’t want to explore. So she focused on their visit, and reached out and touched her hand. “I’m so sorry. But I can promise that your mom will get the best care here. I’ll see to it personally.”
The sister smiled and covered Suzy’s hand with her own. “That means a lot. Thank you.” Again, she nudged her brother. “Right, Will?”
He looked at his sister then at Suzy. Blinked several times. In those ice blue eyes, she could see he was out of his depth. That what was happening was not easy for him. And that made him approachable. Relatable. Her heart softened to him. Finally he gave a curt nod. “Yes.”
Suzy continued to look at him. Wanting to soothe the wrinkles in his forehead. Remove the fear and doubt shining out of his eyes. “If there are any questions you have or anything you need...”
An alarm went off, and Suzy focused on the monitors. Room thirteen, Mr. Taber. She left them and ran down the hall. Mr. Taber was lying on his bed, eyes closed. She leaned over him to check his vitals. Still breathing. Good. She noticed that his heartbeat was weak and irregular, the numbers said forty beats per minute. Without a thought, she began hands-on CPR. Rita joined her in the room and glanced at the monitors. “I paged the doctor.”
“Good. I think it’s a drug interaction. We just switched his meds last night.” She continued her compressions. She looked up from her task and saw Will watching them. “Mr. Stone, we’ll have to finish the tour later. You need to go back to the nurses’ station.”
He nodded and walked away. After a minute or so, the doctor on call arrived and took over the situation. With the group’s effort, they were able to resuscitate Mr. Taber and stabilize his condition. Suzy went back to the nurses’ station to make notes on Mr. Taber’s condition and found Will and his sister still standing there. She pasted a smile on her face again. “Sorry about your tour getting cut short.”
“Does that happen a lot?” he asked.
“Define a lot.” She shrugged. “It happens enough. But I can guarantee we will do our best to care for your mom and her needs.”
He gave a short nod, and his sister offered to shake hands again, and they did. “Nice to meet you, Miss Bylin.”
“Likewise.” And she meant it. She could sense a kindred spirit with this woman. Something about how she smiled or her concern for her mom made something inside Suzy warm towards the woman.
Mr. Stone shook her hand also but didn’t say a word before they moved down the hall with Rita, continuing their tour.
Suzy watched them leave and then got out her tablet. She needed to finish her report and go home to sleep before she did something crazy like hug Mr. Stone just because he didn’t know how to take care of his mom.