by Tina Martin
Bryson slowly drove away from the hospital. Everything inside of him was telling him to go back. His only solace was that Kalina wasn’t alone. Her aunt was with her. If something happened, at least she had some support.
* * *
“What happened to her, Edith?” Kalina asked, tears wetting her face again.
“Oh, Kalina,” Edith said, throwing her arms around her niece. “I haven’t been able to talk to the nurse yet. All I know is that she fell somehow. I don’t know if she hit her head or what?”
“When the nurse called me, she said mom was uttering some sounds but they couldn’t make out what she was saying.”
“Sweetie, we’re going to hope for the best right now.”
“Okay,” Kalina said, her hands steadily trembling.
When Edith saw how badly she was shaking, she walked Kalina over to a chair and sat next to her. “Kalina, calm down, sweetie. Please.”
“I am calm.”
“No. You’re shaking.”
“I know. This is a normal reaction right?” She dabbed her eyes. “My mother is dying and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m so tired of living in a constant state of fear. It’s killing me Edith. It’s really killing me.” Kalina leaned against her aunt’s shoulder when she felt Edith’s arm around her.
“I know, Kalina. I know,” Edith said, sniffling. “I try to be strong for you, Kalina, but I know it’s not enough. But we have to rely on each other, sweetie. We’re all we have.”
“I know.”
A nurse stepped into the waiting room and said, “Ms. Edith?”
“Yes,” Edith said, standing up.
Kalina stood up, too.
The nurse continued, “We’ve done a thorough examination on Madeline. She didn’t hit her head, which is very good news. She did, however, fracture her hip, so she’s in surgery as we speak.”
“Surgery?” Kalina said.
“How long will she be in surgery?” Edith inquired when she saw the panic on Kalina’s face.
“Anywhere from two to four hours.”
“Okay,” Edith said.
“And she’s doing well in surgery?” Kalina asked.
“Yes. So far, so good. We’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date and let you know when she’s in recovery.”
“Thank you,” Edith replied.
“You’re certainly welcome.”
Kalina and Edith returned to their seats, both quiet for a moment, soaking in all the nurse had said. Madeline was in surgery. All they could do now was pray she came out of it successfully.
CHAPTER 22
It had been a long, stressful night…
Sunday morning, Kalina sat straight up in the chair, stretching, remembering where she was and what happened last night. Her mother had successfully come out of surgery and, for a brief moment, she and Edith were able to see Madeline as she rested quietly. Peacefully.
Kalina rubbed her eyes. Seemed every muscle in her body ached and, as she tried to stand up, her joints crackled and popped. Sleeping in the chair locked her body up tight. Standing up now, she stretched her arms, watching Edith walk in her direction with two cups of coffee on a carrying tray and two pastries.
“Good morning, sweetie. I figured you’d want coffee this morning.”
“Thanks, Edith.”
“And I got you this cream cheese croissant.”
Kalina took it, sat down again and sipped on the coffee before taking a bite of the pastry. “Did they say how long mom was going to be in here?”
“About a week is what the nurse said.”
“An entire week?”
“Yes, but look at it this way…at least she’ll be getting the care she needs.”
“You’re right.” Kalina folded the plastic wrapper back over the croissant. She’d taken a bite, but didn’t want any more of it. She was too nervous to eat.
The nurse greeted Kalina and Edith, then told them that they could visit with Madeline. They wasted no time going to her room, and when they opened the door, they saw her lying there, sleeping. Still, they sat down and watched her, waiting for her to open her eyes, make some noises – something.
A few knocks had them looking in the direction of the door, watching it open as a woman walked in with a bouquet of flowers. They thanked her after she’d placed the vase on the countertop, then she quickly exited.
“Aw, these are nice,” Kalina said. “I wonder if they’re from the facility.”
Edith stood up, walked over to the counter, removing the small card from it. The note read:
Get well soon. – Bryson
Edith smiled. How thoughtful of him to do such a kind gesture. But then, another thought crossed her mind – how did Bryson know Madeline was in the hospital?
“Who’s it from, Edith?”
“It’s from Bryson. Did you tell him your mom was here?”
“I did. I was with him last night. He’s the one who drove me here.”
“You were with him last night?” Edith inquired.
“Yes. He talked me into having dinner with him. I got the phone call about mom while we were eating and he insisted on bringing me here, even though I wanted to get a taxi.”
“Well that was nice of him,” Edith responded.
Kalina heard her phone vibrating in her purse. She took it out and saw Bryson’s name on the display. “Looks like we talked him up,” she said. She stepped out of the room to take his call.
“Hi, Bryson.”
“Kalina, how’s everything going?”
“It’s going as well as it can be, I guess.”
“How’s your mother?”
Kalina pulled in a breath and said, “She had to have surgery last night. She fractured her hip when she fell. The good thing is, she didn’t hit her head.”
“And how did the surgery go?”
“It went well. She’s resting now. The doctor says she’s going to be here for about a week.”
“Okay, um—” He wanted to do something to show his support, but he didn’t want to come across as being intrusive.
“Oh, thanks for the flowers, by the way. They’re beautiful. I’m sure mom will love them.”
“You’re welcome. Hey, can I bring you and Edith some lunch or anything?”
“No. You’ve done enough already, Bryson, and thank you so much for bringing me here last night. I’m sorry about dinner, though.”
“That’s okay, Kalina. Getting you to the hospital was more important. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your mom.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll try to call you again before the day is over.”
“Alright.”
Kalina placed her phone back inside the pocket of the red romper she still had on from last night before returning to her mother’s room. She walked over to the bed and studied her, softly stroking her hair. Madeline was only fifty-seven years old, but she looked much older. Her looks began fading years ago.
“I love you, mom,” Kalina whispered. She remembered when they would take turns brushing each other’s hair, painting their fingernails together and watching movies. Madeline wasn’t only her mother – she was also a friend – someone Kalina could count on. Confide in. If she was having trouble in school, she didn’t hesitate to talk about it with her mother.
Kalina glanced back at Edith and just that quick look jogged another memory – something that was buried deep inside of her mind but was coming to the forefront now. She remembered coming home from school one day – she must’ve been ten years old – and hearing Madeline and Edith arguing about something. They were both yelling, furious and her mother had tears in her eyes. Peeping around the door with her backpack still on her back, she just watched. Edith ended the argument by yelling, “You can have both of them. I don’t care.” After that she left, slamming the door behind her.
Blinking quickly to bring herself back to reality, Kalina stood up from the bed and sat down next to Edith again. “It’s so strange to me that, with all this research and
all this money being thrown at funding the research, no one knows why people get Alzheimer’s disease. Doesn’t that seem odd to you, Edith?”
Edith nodded. “Well, it’s not just Alzheimer’s disease…they still don’t know where cancer comes from or multiple sclerosis…and the list goes on.”
Kalina shook her head. “A lot of people think it’s a conspiracy, you know.”
“How so?”
“Well, if there was a cure for diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer and multiple sclerosis, it would cripple the health care industry. Think about all the money drug companies would lose if there was a cure for most of these diseases and people didn’t have to worry about buying all this outrageously priced medication any longer. Think about how empty hospitals would be…their revenue would decrease dramatically, not to mention the amount of jobs that would be lost.”
“I don’t know, Kalina. I have to think that if there was a cure, it would’ve been announced and given to people.”
Kalina buried her face in her hands. “You’re probably right.” She stood up and said, “I’m going to go for a walk.”
“Okay, sweetie.”
Kalina took the elevator to the ground floor then walked outside, the sun hitting her from all angles. She wondered how it would feel to be normal for a change – to not live in a constant state of panic. Would she ever know that feeling?
CHAPTER 23
Bryson sat at the dinner table at Barringer and Calista’s house again. Even though their relationship seemed strained, Barringer and Calista had somehow managed to make a feast together – smothered pork chops, macaroni and cheese, a Greek salad, corn, biscuits and fried chicken. And everything tasted as good as it smelled.
Bryson glanced around the table. Candice, Calista and June were asking Vivienne if she’d thought of any baby names, especially since she recently found out she was having a boy. She told them that Garrison tossed around the idea of naming his son after him and, so far, she was on board with the idea.
Barringer, Everson and Garrison were discussing something sports related, but Bryson didn’t know what they were talking about, nor was he trying to know. His mind was elsewhere.
He had tried to call Kalina a few times Sunday evening, but didn’t get an answer. He called her again this morning. Still, no answer. Since Monday nights were family dinner night, he’d been here with the family, too worried to eat. How could he eat and be merry when the woman he cared so much about was suffering? He needed to know what was going on and he needed to know now.
“Ain’t that right, Bryce?” Barringer asked, looking at Bryson.
Bryson stared back into the faces of his inquisitive brothers as they waited for him to respond. Only problem was, he didn’t know what to respond to, especially since he hadn’t been paying any attention. Bryson brushed them off, took out is cell phone and decided to send Kalina a text message:
Hey…been trying to reach you. If I don’t hear from you within the next ten minutes, I’m going to come looking for you.
He sighed heavily and took a sip of water as his foot bounced underneath the table.
“Hey, Bryson, are you seriously considering selling your house?” Garrison asked.
“You’re selling your house?” Barringer asked in disbelief, so much so that he asked the question much louder than he’d expected to. Now, everyone at the table were zeroed in on Bryson, waiting for his response.
Bryson could only shake his head. Somehow, his brothers found out everything about him and each other. That came with being a Blackstone and being well-known in the community. “Yes, I’m thinking about selling my house,” Bryson responded. “As a matter of fact, I’ve already been looking at other properties.”
“But why are you selling after you spent so much money upgrading your place?” Barringer asked. “Man, you are not going to find anything better than the house you already have. It’s immaculate.”
“You’re right…the house is immaculate. It’s my dream home, but it’s also a house that’s full of bad memories, and I don’t wish to wake up to those every day of my life,” Bryson responded.
“Oh,” Barringer said. Now, he knew this move was divorce-related. Felicia-related.
Bryson didn’t talk much about his divorce. He’d told Kalina that Felicia had cheated on him, but he hadn’t spelled it out for his brothers. He assumed there was enough speculation surrounding the divorce. Could they not piece together what happened? Still, inquiring minds wanted to know and since Felicia moved to the west coast, they weren’t going to get any answers from her.
Ignoring the stares of his family, Bryson checked his phone. There was no reply from Kalina, and he was growing anxious and even more worried. And he was experiencing another emotion – irritation. Why did it always feel like the family wanted to drill him at these family dinners?
“Just be careful not to make a hasty decision because of something that happened in the past,” Garrison added. “I mean, I still don’t know what happened between you and Felicia.”
“I’m sure you all know, but that’s neither here nor there,” Bryson said. “I don’t come to these dinners to discuss my private life with you guys.”
Candice rolled her eyes. “Oh, so I suppose you come to hear everybody else discuss their private life while you have nothing to add, as usual.”
“Candice, you really should practice thinking before you speak,” Bryson said evenly.
Candice grinned. “You’re one to talk.”
“Candice, chill,” Everson said. “You don’t have to make trouble every time we get together for dinner.”
“I’m not the troublemaker in this family. Far from it.”
Ignoring them, Bryson checked his phone again. Five minutes had passed and still, he hadn’t heard anything from Kalina.
“Let me get this straight,” Garrison said. “You’re selling your house because it reminds you of Felicia?”
“In some ways, it does remind me of her, but I’m selling the house because I want to start over.”
“Have you seen anything you like yet?” Everson asked.
“Not yet. I looked at three houses last week and this week, I have four lined up so far.”
Everson nodded. “Well, if you need a second opinion on some of them let me know.”
“Thanks, Everson.”
“No problem.”
Bryson stood up. “Sorry to eat and run, but I have somewhere to be.”
“But you didn’t touch anything on your plate,” Calista said. “Can I wrap it up for you?”
“Sure,” Bryson said, even though he really didn’t care one way or the other. He just wanted to get to Kalina.
Calista walked to the kitchen, came back with a sheet of aluminum foil then wrapped up his plate, handing it to him.
“Thanks, Calista.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Alright, bro…later.” Barringer said.
“Later,” Bryson said before quickly exiting.
When he was sure that Bryson was gone, Barringer whispered to Garrison and Everson, “Anybody else notice he’s been acting strange lately?”
CHAPTER 24
Bryson stood at Kalina’s front door, pushing the doorbell. It was a little after eight o’clock and her car was parked in the driveway. That didn’t mean she was home. She could’ve been with Edith, but still, he wanted to find out.
He pushed the doorbell again and waited, releasing a worried sigh while mumbling, “Where are you, Kalina?”
When he heard commotion at the front door, he stood in anticipation, eager to lay eyes on her.
Kalina opened the door and asked, “Bryson, what are you doing here?”
He studied her for a moment, looking her up and down. Her hair was a mess like she’d just gotten out of bed from a hard sleep. She had on a white T-shirt and a pair of gray leggings.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“Yes, you did. What’s going on?”
“Nothing…wanted to come by
to check on you since I haven’t been able to reach you by phone. I’ve been trying to call since Sunday afternoon, and I’ve sent texts—”
“I know. I…I don’t want you to worry about me, Bryson. It’s not your job.”
“Then whose job is it, Kalina?”
“What?”
“I asked you whose job is it?” he said, taking steps forward until he was standing in the foyer. “Who’s going to make sure you’re okay? That you’re not over here crying your pretty eyes out and thinking that everything is hopeless? That nothing matters? That you’ve been dealt a hand full of bad cards and there’s nothing left for you to do but fold? Who’s going to help you when you stop talking about your true feelings to Edith because you don’t want her to worry excessively about you? Who’s going to be there when you finally break down and totally lose it?”
Tears dropped from her eyes. “It can’t be you. You don’t understand, Bryson.”
“But I do understand,” he said, closing the door behind himself. “Kalina, I know what it feels like to lose someone I love and, while I know your mother is still alive, I know she’s not the same person you remember. It must be a pretty messed-up feeling to love someone and that person doesn’t even know you. It must be awful to watch someone you love die little by little over the years.”
More tears fell from Kalina’s eyes.
Bryson inhaled a deep breath when he saw them. Edith was right – Kalina needed help. She needed all the help she could get and that’s what he was willing to give. He walked up to her, standing in the space that should’ve been hers and wrapped his arms around her. Her head laid against his chest as she cried all she wanted to. A person could only hold in pain for so long. Pretty soon, it would manifest itself somehow. For Kalina, that time was now.