by Syndi Powell
Mrs. Stone shook her head and pulled the covers tighter around her. “No, I think I’ll wait until tomorrow.”
“You’re hurting my feelings. Don’t think I can handle you?”
“I don’t think I want to fall.”
Suzy gave her a smile that hopefully reassured the other woman. “I won’t let you fall. I’ll be right here the entire time.”
The woman inventoried her from head to toe. “You can’t possibly lift me. You’re tiny.”
“So are you.” Suzy helped Mrs. Stone swing her legs around to the side of the bed then got her to shift forward. She pressed the button on the bed to lower it so that the older woman could put her feet on the ground. “We’ll do a count of three.”
“Make it five. My husband always counted to five.” She adjusted her nightgown over her legs then put her arms around Suzy’s neck. “One. Two.”
“Five.” Suzy brought her up and out of the bed and hung on to the older woman until she could get adjusted to being on her feet again. “How does that feel?”
“It hurts.”
“It will until your body completely heals. And walking will help that process.” Suzy reached around and pulled the walker closer. “I’d like you to meet your new friend. You’ll be spending a lot of time together.”
Mrs. Stone made a disgusted noise. “How did I get this old? What happened?”
“You’re only as old as you feel.”
“Well, I feel a hundred at least. Maybe two.”
Mrs. Stone inhaled a deep breath then took one hand off of Suzy’s shoulder and placed it on the walker. Then she moved her other hand, while Suzy hung on to her until she could take the weight of standing and knew that she wouldn’t fall. “Good. Now try a step.”
“Can I get used to standing for a minute?”
“The longer you wait, the harder it gets.” And didn’t she know that lesson. Suzy stood back and scrutinized her patient. “If you can make it to the door, I’ll tell you what happened with your son.”
Mrs. Stone gave a faint smile. “You know what buttons to push, don’t you?” She pressed the walker forward a few inches then took one step.
“It got you to walk, didn’t it?” Suzy stayed close just in case but watched her slowly walk towards the door.
When they reached it, the older woman sighed. “I know I made it here, but I don’t know how I’m going to make it back.” She glanced at the bed then Suzy. “It looks a million miles away.”
“It’s only three feet.”
With Suzy’s help, Mrs. Stone moved the walker around to face the bed. But before she’d take a step, she looked at her. “I made it to the door, so you have to give me something for my efforts.”
Suzy bit her lip then shrugged. “Your son was at my house last weekend. Helping me clean my yard.”
“And?”
“You’ll get the rest of the story once you walk back to the bed.”
Muttering about hard bargains, Mrs. Stone took her time getting back to the bed. Once there, she shoved the walker away and Suzy helped the older woman get into bed. “There. That wasn’t so hard.”
“Says the younger woman with two good hips.” She adjusted the blankets around her again. “Are you dating my son?”
“Not even close.” Suzy updated her tablet about Mrs. Stone’s progress with the walker. “He’s kicking me out of my home.”
“What? I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” Mrs. Stone thought about it for a moment then gave a short nod. “My son doesn’t do anything without weighing all sides. And driving a woman out of her own home is not something he would do on a whim.”
“Well, he is.”
“He must have a reason.”
“He doesn’t have much use for mercy, does he?” Suzy didn’t wait for a response. “Never mind. He’s your son, so you’ll defend him no matter what I say. But he’s a hard man.”
“Made in his father’s image, dearie.” Mrs. Stone patted the side of her bed, inviting Suzy to take a seat. When she did, the expression older woman became serious. “Will was raised to be tough. To ignore emotion and focus on the facts. My husband made sure that Will would never be vulnerable. Unfortunately, it made him hard too.”
“Seems I was raised to give up the things I wanted in favor of everyone else. Especially my mom.” Suzy glanced out the window to the courtyard. “I loved her. Still do. But when she was depressed, it wasn’t easy.”
“None of us have ideal family lives, Suzy. We might like to pretend otherwise, but it’s simply not the case.” She squeezed her hand. “Will needs someone like you to bring balance to his life. To add the light to the darkness. Joy to the difficult.”
“He doesn’t need me, Mrs. Stone. He’s just doing his job.”
“We’ll see.” The older woman peered into her face. “Do you like my son?”
Suzy slid off the bed then used the controls to raise it to its previous height. “I’ve got some more patients to see. Will you be okay? I’ll peek in on you later but use the call button if you need me before then.”
“What are you going to do about Will?”
“What I have to.” She would do what she had to do to get the house cleaned up. If that meant getting rid of the things that were holding her back, then she would have to do it. She’d lost her mom. She wouldn’t lose her house too.
* * *
WILL LEFT THE office early so that he could meet with his mom’s doctor who’d called both he and Tori for a consultation. The drive to the seniors’ home was becoming way too familiar. It’s like the truck knew how to get there even if his eyes were closed.
He parked in the lot next to his sister’s car. He entered the building and walked down the hall to his mother’s room, found Tori brushing Ma’s hair while they waited for the doctor to arrive. “What do you think he’s going to say?”
Ma looked up with a wide grin. “That I’m going home. Has to be, right?”
Will knew that his mom could barely make it down the hall using a walker. They wouldn’t be releasing her already, would they? “Ma, you can’t go home yet. How would you get around the house?”
“Suzy seems to think I’m doing great.” She watched him as she said the nurse’s name, and he wanted to escape under such scrutiny. “Didn’t she tell you herself?”
“Nurse Bylin doesn’t discuss your care with me much.”
“What does she talk about with you?”
Tori’s head popped up and she gave a short laugh. “I think he likes her, Ma. Look at his eyes. They’re all gooey.”
“My eyes are fine.” He frowned at them. “What are you two doing?”
His mom smiled. “Trying to match you up with the nurse. Is it working?”
“Thank you for your concern, but things between Suzy and I are...strained.” He stared at them both as they shared smiles and knowing looks. Well, what they thought were knowing looks but they didn’t know anything. They didn’t know that he was going to have to force Suzy from her place. That he would be responsible for her being homeless.
That he longed to scoop her up in his arms and protect her from the harsh realities of her situation. That he wanted to save her. Be her superhero.
“The two of you can stop that right now.” He pointed at his mother and then his sister. “I’m not getting involved with Suzy.”
“Oh, not at all.” Tori bit back a grin. “Just the mention of her name makes you get all flustered, but there’s nothing going on.”
“Right.” He was grateful that the doctor had appeared. “Thank God you’re here. Are you sending my mom home?”
The doctor removed his glasses and sucked on the end. “Not yet. I’m concerned that your mother isn’t more mobile by now. She’s been up and walking for a few days and should be able to make it farther than she has.
”
He whipped off the covers and started to feel along Eva’s hips and thighs. His mom tried not to cry out, but bit her lip. “I’d like to order some tests. See what we’re up against.”
Tori grimaced. “More tests? Does that mean you’re expecting bad news?”
The doctor replaced the sheet over his mother’s legs. “It means I want to know what we’re dealing with. Your mother should be further along in her recovery, but something is keeping her back.” He glanced at Eva. “Are you doing the most you can to get out of this bed?”
“Maybe.”
The doctor eyed her as Will glanced at his sister. What was going on? She shrugged back at him and concentrated on the doctor. “Ma, are you following the doctor’s orders?”
“Of course, I am. What else do I have to do in this place?” She turned on Will. “You’ve left me here to rot, so I do what I have to do in order to get out of here. I want to go home.” She turned to the doctor. “Tell me what I have to do to get out of here.”
For the next twenty minutes, the doctor laid out what he wanted her to do. To get out of bed and walk more. To eat the meals he prescribed to build her strength. To get enough rest. But it also meant pushing herself more. Listening to her physical therapist rather than fighting against her. And above all, to find the strength to fight. “You do that, and I’ll sign you out to go home in two weeks.”
Ma looked worriedly at each of her children. “I’ll try.”
Will scrutinized his mother. She always did more than just try. There had to be something else going on. Some fear maybe? He put his hand on her shoulder, as if he could give her his strength to fight this.
They thanked the doctor, and he left them alone. Tori glanced at her watch and grabbed her purse. “I’ve got to run and get the boys.” She kissed her mother on the cheek then reached up on tiptoe for Will. “Lovey.”
Then she was gone.
Will pulled up the chair next to his mother’s bedside. “What’s going on, Ma?”
She picked at the sheet. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t trust the doctor. Fine, I get that. You want to protect Tori. Okay.” He leaned forward. “What didn’t you say earlier?”
Eva sighed and closed her eyes. “You’re so much like your father. Couldn’t keep anything from him either.” She opened her eyes and gazed into his. “It hurts to walk, and it’s not the trying to heal kind of ache. It’s all the way to the middle of my bone kind of ache like I was feeling before I fell.”
“They fixed your hip but not the cancer, Ma. We haven’t even started to deal with that.” Will reached out and took her small bony hand in his. “Is that what’s scaring you?”
“I almost wish it was my heart, and I’d die quickly. Instead I have to linger.”
“Not just linger, but recover. I mean, isn’t that your goal? To beat this?”
“Oh sure, sure.” She waved him off, but then paused. “But what if I can’t?”
He didn’t want to think of that. Couldn’t think of her dying. “You have children and grandchildren who need you.”
“No one needs me. You’ve all got your own lives.” She gave him a weak smile. “So tell me about you and the nurse.”
“Why? So you can feel needed?” He shook his head. He’d do anything for his mom, but even he couldn’t lie to her to make her feel better. “I told you. There’s nothing to tell. She hates me.”
“I wouldn’t say that exactly.”
He glanced at her. She’d said that as if she knew more than what she was letting on. Could Suzy have confided in his mother? In a way, it was nice to know she felt comfortable with his mom to do that. On the other hand, it might be perceived as manipulation. Get to his mom first so that she could persuade him to take it easy on Suzy.
Nah. Didn’t sound like his favorite nurse.
He had to say something. “I might have to take her home away from her.”
“So don’t.”
As if it were that easy. “It’s not up to me, Ma. There’s rules. Policies. When you don’t follow them, there are consequences.”
She took his hand in hers. “But wouldn’t it be nice to show some mercy instead? She’s a good person and works really hard.”
He wasn’t sure he’d know what to do with mercy if he had the chance. “I do that, and I could lose my job. It’s about results. Not about looking the other way.”
“Then give her a hand.”
“She doesn’t want help. Especially from me.”
“Have you asked her?”
A nurse opened the door, dragging a cart behind her. “Ready for dinner, Mrs. Stone?”
“You bet she is.” He stood and kissed his mom on her cheek. “Lovey. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
* * *
DEATH IN A nursing home was expected, but it still shocked and saddened the patients as well as the staff. Suzy signed the paperwork to release Mrs. Duff’s body to the funeral home then handed the documents to the paramedic. “I was hoping she’d make it.”
“You and me both. But at least she’s at peace now.”
“See you, Suze.” The paramedic motioned to his partner who pushed the gurney with Mrs. Duff’s body to the ambulance at the front entrance.
Suzy called up Mrs. Duff’s medical file and made notes of how they’d try to resuscitate her for fifteen minutes before the doctor on duty had pronounced her dead. At least her daughter had been here for a visit when that happened. Shanna might not see it now, but one day she’d appreciate being able to say goodbye in the moment.
At least Suzy did. She’d been holding Mama’s hand, telling her it was okay to go. That she’d remember her but survive without her. And she’d watched her mother take that final breath.
Loud voices from the community room startled Suzy from her reverie. She saved her notes then left the tablet on the desk to go referee. Tonight was euchre night which tended to spark more fights than usual. She found Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Stone glaring at each other across the card table. “You’re cheating.” Mrs. Stone tried to stand but her hip must still be bothering her since she sat down quickly.
Mrs. Henderson shook her head. “I am not. I simply asked about Myra’s ring.”
“You were talking about diamonds. Letting your partner know what you had in your hand.” Mrs. Stone slapped her cards on the table, and they slid off and on to the floor.
“Well now you’ve ruined the game.” Mrs. Henderson stood as Suzy approached the table. “I don’t want to play anymore.”
“Ladies, is there something I can help with?”
“You can tell her not to cheat.” Mrs. Stone scowled at the other woman. “Or maybe that’s why Vivien got the role and not you.”
Mrs. Henderson’s mouth gaped open as Suzy put her hand on Mrs. Stone’s shoulder. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding.”
The games at the other tables quieted as the residents turned to see what was going on. Suzy was growing impatient. She didn’t need this. Not right now while she was trying to deal with Mrs. Duff and everything else that followed a death. “Listen, everyone, I have some news. About Louise.”
The residents focused on her. Mrs. Henderson nodded. “We already know. Thomas came down to tell us.”
“She was one of your friends here, right?”
Mrs. Henderson shrugged. “We shared a table in the dining room. On the days she could make it there anyway.”
“Well, if you or anyone else needs to talk, I’m available.” She glanced around the room. “One of us leaving is always hard.”
“She didn’t leave to go home. She died.” Mrs. Stone dragged her walker over and struggled to get herself situated before standing. “Let’s not sugarcoat it.”
Suzy watched her fight with the walker. “Want me to he
lp you to your room?”
Mrs. Stone shook her head. “If I can’t walk to my room on my own then maybe I need to leave like Louise did.”
She slowly shuffled out of the room, and Suzy turned to the other residents. “Death isn’t something that we like to talk about, but talking can help.”
Mrs. Henderson nodded again but didn’t say anything. Everyone else stayed in their seats and eventually returned to their card games. Suzy waited. If they’d been told of Mrs. Duff, she was surprised that there hadn’t been more than one fight over cards. She’d keep an ear out because there would likely be more. Easier to fight over games than talk about the real issue. The grief. The fear.
She left the community room and headed for the nurses’ station. She noticed that Mrs. Stone still ambled down the hallway. Something about her made Suzy follow her into her room. “Would you like some help getting back into bed?”
“No.”
Suzy stayed and monitored the older woman as she carefully turned a circle so that she was able to back up onto the bed. She pushed the walker out of the way then swiveled to get under the covers. She turned to Suzy and scowled. “I told you I was fine.”
“Just making sure.”
“You don’t need to hover.”
“Didn’t think that’s what I was doing. Since this is my job.” Suzy stayed where she was, just in case. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” Mrs. Stone pulled the covers higher to her chin and settled back into the pillow. She closed her eyes. “I can’t believe Louise is gone.”
Suzy took two steps inside the room. “You knew her?”
“We were in the garden club together. You should have seen her hydrangeas.” Mrs. Stone shook her head. “No one could get them to grow like she could. Large blossoms in deep blues and purples. Beautiful. She knew a secret for growing them, but now it’s probably died along with her.”
Suzy walked to the bed and put her hand on Mrs. Stone’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for your friend.”
“We were hardly friends. More like...” Mrs. Stone bit her lip. “I think you youngsters say frenemy?”