“It’s nothing that won’t go away in about nine months, is it?” His eyes were directly on mine. I nodded; what a dreadful way to find out you’re going to be a father, I thought. Sitting on your bathroom tile next to the toilet with your live in lover, who just vomited all over the place.
“I had a feeling you might be. I didn’t notice you indicating the ‘p’s next to your special days on the calendar last month. We haven’t exactly been careful lately, either.”
“So you knew? And you weren’t freaking out?” I asked as he helped me off the floor and lead me to the couch.
“Of course not. I love you Shelley, you know that.” He sat me on the couch and knelt down in front of me with his arms on either side of my body and his eyes on mine.
“And this is what you want? We never talked about having a baby or marriage; we just bought this place together and left it there.” I was dumbfounded.
“Well, is this what you want?”
I paused to think for a moment. My thoughts went straight to my students. I enjoyed being with them and although I was glad to see my workdays end, part of me always wished I had some little ones to go home to. I swallowed and answered sincerely “Yes.”
“Then this is what I want too.”
Mark had a sheepish look on his face.
“What is it?”
“Well, I was just thinking, God am I glad we’re not sitting on the bathroom floor still.”
“Why?”
He cleared his throat and reached into his pocket.
“Because, Jesus, how inappropriate a time would that have been to give you this.” He said, handing me a small black box.
I looked at the box and then up at him.
“Is this what I think it is?”
“I don’t know. The guy said to choose box number 1, 2 or 3, so I grabbed number one and hoped for the best,” he said with his hands outstretched.
I opened it and gasped. It was the most gorgeous half carat diamond solitaire. Mark took it out of my hand, pulled the ring out of the box and placed it on my left ring finger.
“Not only are you my best friend, my lover, my partner and the woman of my dreams, but can I also ask you to be my wife?”
“God I better or Mabel will burn down our house,” I joked. “She gets wind of this and she’ll start telling the neighbours that the spawn of Satan has been conceived at 13 Beach Rd.”
“Is that a yes?” he laughed.
“Yes,” I said, embracing him.
Chapter 3
“Mrs. Tame? Mrs. Tame!” I heard from a distance.
“Have you got any water I can give her?” The voice sounded closer and more familiar.
“Come on Shelley, honey, it’s me Sarah.” Her hand was patting my hand and stroking my hair. As I opened my eyes I realized I was lying on a floor. For a moment, I had forgotten the nightmare I left before everything went black.
I looked up and saw Sarah’s face staring down at me. Her gaze worried me. Why was she looking at me like that? “Are you okay?” She asked, still stroking my hair.
The door opened and Lily entered, her face I immediately recognized, but the doctor she had in tow I did not. She had a paper cup filled with water in one hand and a stethoscope and blood pressure apparatus in the other. The doctor who accompanied her was very young and short, his hair was shaggy and dishevelled and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in days.
“Now just lie there a moment, we’re just going to check and make sure you are alright before you try to get up, okay?” Lily said.
As she checked my blood pressure, she gave the doctor an approving nod and he began to speak. “Mrs. Tame, I’m Dr. Greenfield. How about we get you sitting up now, huh?”
The three of them hoisted me up onto the nearest couch and Lily offered me the water. He waited until I took a sip before he began to speak again.
“I’ve been working on your husband and I’m afraid it doesn’t look good for him.”
“W..wwhat do you mean? I..is he going to make it?” My chin began to quiver.
“Well..yes, he’s pulled through, but he suffered a major heart attack. He’s going to require extensive open heart surgery and months of post operative care. His blood pressure is dangerously high and his arteries are badly clogged.”
Sarah interjected, “But he’s going to make it.” She asked in somewhat of a casual tone, like she was making sure the size nine shoes were put in the size nine box.
“Well…yes, if he makes it through the next week it looks good for him.” The doctor’s voice was unconvincing to me. It was as though he was unsure the right size shoe was in the box.
“Um, Dr….Greenfield, right?” Sarah began.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Are you a specialist or a cardiologist?”
“Well, no, I’m the head on call emergency doctor here tonight,” he said, slightly blushing.
“Okay, can we talk to a specialist or a cardiologist please?” Sarah’s voice puffed a little in frustration.
“I’m afraid there is no cardiologist available tonight….um, but there will be one available in the morning. Shall I arrange for you to speak with him?” He asked as though he would have never thought of it unless Sarah brought it up.
Sarah glared at him. “Um, yes!”
“Definitely,” he said as he rose and quickly left the room.
“Man, I was about to check his breath for alcohol,” Sarah commented.
Lily disregarded the comment even though her face turned pink and said, “I’ll arrange for you to speak to the head cardiologist the moment he’s available.”
“Thank you, you’ve been most helpful.” Sarah nodded.
I looked at Lily as my tears began once again and I asked the inevitable question, “Can I see him?”
“Give me a few minutes to check where he is, okay?”
As Lily left, I heard Sarah’s phone chime. She opened her purse, retrieved it and said “Shit, it’s Jessica. I asked her to text me her new dorm number so I could reach her.” My mouth opened and Sarah’s hand signalled me to stop. “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her anything.”
“So, who do I tell first?”
“Let’s wait and see how he’s doing first. Hopefully somebody knows more than doctor dimwit so we can actually have an answer for your kids when they ask.”
Lily entered the room again.
“Okay, he’s still in the emergency room, but he’s being admitted to the cardiac wing shortly. You can see him when he’s situated in the room, okay? It will only be another twenty minutes or so.”
“Wait, the cardiac wing? Shouldn’t he be in the I.C.U.?” Sarah asked.
“Well, we don’t have the room there for him and they have all the necessary equipment and staff in the cardiac wing anyhow.” Lily angled her hand across her mouth like she was about to tell us a big secret. She lowered her voice to a whisper and said “It’s much nicer in the cardiac wing, and to be honest, well, just wait and see what the cardiologist says tomorrow, okay?”
Sarah and I glanced at each other with the same confused look on our face.
“Is it just me or is this hospital fucked up?” Sarah said, laughing.
“I have to call my mother,” I said.
“Why?”
“Because she has lots of money and time on her hands. She’ll find Mark the best damn doctor and hospital there is,” I said, half crying as I dialled her number.
…
Even though my mother was, well, eccentric, she was tough as nails. I knew there wasn’t anything I could tell her that she couldn’t handle. When my father told her he had an affair, she simply said, “Okay, well that’s that then. Pack your bags and be on your way by morning, okay?” That was her response after twenty years of marriage. No tears, no yelling, just an order to get out. There were many instances like that that I can remember where my mom never let anything get her down. She was always either happy or indifferent. If I had bad news for her, she always had an action plan
to fix it straight away. I knew this time would be no exception.
She answered on the third ring. “Hi mom, it’s Shelley.”
“Hello dear, how was your day?” She asked, I could hear her relaxation CD playing in the background, signalling it was almost time for her last meditation of the day.
“Um, well I have some bad news. Mark had a heart attack tonight. I’m at the hospital right now. Sarah’s with me and I haven’t called the kids yet.” I figured I might as well dump it all at once. That was how mother dealt with things.
“Oh my, I’m sorry to hear that dear.” There was a pause. “Do you need anything? Do you need me to go get the kids or come to you?”
“No thanks, Sarah and I are handling things here at the hospital. One thing I could use some help on is finding a good cardiologist. The one here isn’t available until the morning and from the looks of the doctor on call here their roster of physicians is somewhat lacking.” Speaking to my mom relaxed me slightly. The balanced tone in her voice was always reassuring and comforting.
“Sure, I can call Grace. She might be able to help.” Grace was a friend of the family and was transferred ten years ago to nurse at one of the largest hospitals in Chicago. Her husband Bill was on the board of directors for that hospital. They met online and decided she would move in with him.
“That would be wonderful mom, thanks.”
“Give me a half hour or so and ring me back, okay? I was going to call tomorrow but I can see if she’s home tonight. If not, I have Bill’s work number.”
…
Lily’s head popped into the room. “He’s settled in the room but you can only visit for a minute. He’s heavily sedated and needs his rest. Follow me.” She opened the door fully as Sarah and I rose, gathering our purses. Sarah grabbed my arm and steadied me. We walked to the elevator arm in arm. I drew in a deep breath as we entered the elevator and Lily pushed the button for the cardiac floor.
“So he’s heavily sedated and there are some tubes around him. He’s also on a ventilator, so his breathing will be laboured but don’t panic. You’re going to hear lots of beeps and small alarms. But it’s all normal. You can only stay a minute, please understand.” Sarah and I nodded as the elevator dinged and the door opened.
Lily led us through a hallway similar to the one on the main floor. My hands once again searched for the familiar texture in the wallpaper. “Are you okay?” Sarah asked with a puzzled look on her face. “I don’t know,” I answered in a whisper. “I will stay with you as long as you want, you know that, right?” Sarah asked. I nodded.
Lily stopped in front of the door Mark’s room. For a moment I felt weak again, like I was going to faint. I closed my eyes tightly and recited a silent prayer to God. I could feel Sarah’s hand steady me. Lily grabbed the chair under the window and placed it behind me. I pushed the chair closer to Mark and leaned over so I could look at his eyes. I reached up and stroked the side of his face softly. The only words I could find were, “I love you.” and I kissed him tenderly.
…
Later that day, Mark underwent a procedure to unclog his arteries. While he was recovering, we waited patiently. It was me, Sarah and Richard, Mark’s former partner from the station. Suddenly I heard a broken up snore come from behind me. I let go of Mark’s hand and looked back at Richard, where I suspected the sound came from. Richard had a deep grin on his face and his finger pointed devilishly at Sarah. She sat in the chair, slumped over and her head rested on her arm, which was outstretched. Her mouth was wide open and a bit of spittle had escaped and was gently trailing down her forearm. He took a tray, covered it with cold water and dipped her hand in it. We waited. Richard’s face was that of a little boy’s; like he had just booby trapped his big brother’s room and was hiding in the closet, waiting for the bucket of oatmeal to pour down on his head.
Suddenly Sarah’s head popped up and a bridge of spit formed in the sunshine that peeked through the window.
“What the fuck are you doing?” she said in her sleepy voice. Then she tried to lift her outstretched arm unsuccessfully. It had fallen asleep. The image of her lifting her arm from the elbow using her opposing arm made me almost fall off the chair in laughter. She looked like she was going to bat. Richard had to put the tray down as he began to laugh so hard he nearly dropped it.
“You’re a fucking loser!” she said, smacking Richard with her good arm.
We were all laughing hysterically when we heard Mark clear his throat and say “That’s no language for a lady.”
I turned around first and knocked the vomit tray over, spilling water all over Sarah. Richard began to laugh again when Mark commented “There…..that oughta clean you up a bit.” I looked at him and he winked.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Fine from what I can tell.” Sarah commented snidely.
Richard, still laughing, walked towards the bathroom to get a towel and Mark added “All that water make you have to pee my boy?”
Mark nodded in mock disbelief “I can’t get any sleep with all these children around.” I looked at him and smiled. His blue eyes seemed deeper as he looked at me. His face almost seemed to return to normal as he awakened fully.
As Richard bent down to soak up the water with the towel, Sarah took the first opportunity to kick him in the ass. She did it gently, not enough to hurt and he commented, “Well, I guess I earned that, didn’t I?”
“Glad to see my misfortune hasn’t affected your sense of humour,” Mark joked.
“Not at all buddy, how you doin’?” Richard rose and shook Mark’s hand.
Mark must have taken Richard’s question as rhetorical because all he did was shrug his shoulders in response and frown a bit, as if to say “Whatever.”
“Well you definitely look better.” I commented.
Sarah interjected, “Yeah, that sex change was really effective.”
Mark retorted “Sex change? No wonder my junk is killing me…I thought I’d been castrated.” He said, lifting up the sheets and taking a look, mischievously smiling.
I gently nudged his arm. “That’s just because they took the catheter out. Do you want me to call the nurse?”
He looked around, noticing he was still hooked up to a few machines. “Yeah, I need to pee badly and I don’t think I can get up on account of all this spaghetti stuck to me.”
“I’ll be right back.” I said, walking towards the door.
Mark called “Shelley, honey, that’s what they have this here magic button for?” He was holding up the small grey contraption that was attached to the fitted sheet on the bed with a safety pin. I rolled my eyes and walked back in the room.
“You know, baby, we oughta think of getting one of these….that way I can call you when I want you.” He winked.
Richard sighed. “Okay, too much information….although, that button would have gotten you out of this mess to begin with, had you already had one at home, you know…”.
Mark’s head cocked to one side “True.”
Nurse Nancy entered with Mark’s chart. She was a woman of colour in her mid forties if I was to guess. Her hair was kept natural but tied back in a tight bun and she wore light blue scrubs and not a stitch of makeup. As she opened his chart I noticed the flaming red nail polish adorning her extremely long nails. Mark’s eyes widened as he stared at them. “No wonder my junk hurts,” he commented. “You didn’t come to stick another catheter in me with those claws, did you?”
Nancy looked at Mark and shook her head while tapping her index finger nail on the clip board. “Now listen here Mr. Tame, I already went against doctors orders and let you call your wife, so no lip outta you or I’ll give you a barium enema.” Then she winked and walked closer to him. Richard giggled and I heard Sarah smack him.
“How are you feeling now?” Her expression was serious.
“Good, but my bladder feels like it’s gonna explode and my parts don’t feel too eager on being used if you get my drift.”
“It’ll only hurt for a second…..you’ve heard that a few times before, right?” She said, winking.
Mark’s face went blank.
“Don’t worry. You can pee in a bottle. I have to take a sample anyhow.” She turned to the rest of us and said, “Okay, now unless you all want a show here, when I come back you’ll need to leave for a few minutes, okay?”
Mark looked worried. He was still staring at her nails. “Can my wife stay?” He asked, terrified.
She bent down closer to his face and said “Aw, yes, she can stay if she wants. But I promise I’ll be real gentle. In fact, you can do it yourself if you like.” She patted him on the arm and left the room.
Richard’s eyes followed Nancy out of the room. As soon as the door closed shut, he said, “Freddy Kruger has shorter nails than she does.” Not helping,” Mark said.
I interjected, “Okay, why don’t you guys go and get us a snack or something while she does her thing?”
Sarah and Richard both rose reluctantly. Richard added, “But I want to watch him squirm.” Sarah smacked him playfully on the back and pushed him toward the door.
“What would you like?’ she asked me.
“Anything edible….a bagel with butter if they’ve got anything that looks fresh. Oh, and some water please.” I nodded. She nodded back.
When the door closed, I immediately put my arms around Mark’s head. He kissed the side of my face and said, “I love you so much.” I kissed him in return and said, “God, I love you, too. I was never so scared baby. You have no idea.” Mark’s hand was around my neck and he hung on for a few moments. Our faces gently pressed against each other.
“Do the girls know?” he asked.
“Yeah, I told them this morning. They wanted to come home but I talked them out of it. Sarah helped with Jess.”
Mark nodded, “They’ll be home in a few weeks for Thanksgiving anyhow….and your birthday. That was what I would have done, rather than interrupt everything. I’ll be home in a few days from what the doctor said right before I went under.”
I nodded. Mark’s face looked into mine and he reached out to touch my cheek. “Life sure is about to change”. His face looked solemn; his eyes looked glossy and kept moving from side to side, following my eyes.
The Wife of a Lesser Man (LA Cops Series Book 1) Page 2