Changing Woman

by Thurlo, David

  Payestewa spoke slowly. “What we need is a motive for all these low-budget, harassing petty crimes. This is too organized to be as random as it appears at first glance.”

  Big Ed and Ella exchanged a quick look, but neither said anything, wanting to protect their only source—Coyote.

  The Hopi agent continued. “What bothers me is that no one’s claiming responsibility. Usually a variety of groups are eager to take the credit, especially when local youth gangs are involved. If nothing else, we should have heard some gossip, and that’s the really weird thing about this. Until now, I never believed it was possible to keep secrets on the Rez.”

  “People are distracted these days,” Big Ed said, leaning back in his chair. “They’re fighting for survival.”

  Big Ed’s secretary came in holding a police report and handed it silently to her boss.

  The chief studied it, then expelled his breath through clenched teeth. “Joe Wallace’s outhouse was blown up. He’s mad as hell and wants officers out there right now.” He glanced at Ella. “I want you to handle this personally, Shorty, and see if you can unruffle his feathers. I shouldn’t have to remind you that his brother is one of the new members of the Tribal Council.”

  When the meeting ended, Ella walked to her office with Justine alongside her.

  “I appreciate you asking for extra vests,” Justine said. “My family worries about me on the job more than ever now.”

  “I don’t like the idea of getting special treatment,” Ella answered.

  “If there’s only one vest, then it’s right you should get it. The sniper is gunning for you. Besides, you have a young daughter to worry about.” Justine paused, then added, “Not that you’re getting any extra sympathy from me on that count. I think you’re lucky to have a little girl like Dawn.”

  Ella looked at her in surprise. “Since when are you into kids? And, just so you know, there are days when I’d cheerfully give her away to the first person who comes to the door.”

  Justine smiled. “Yeah, yeah. You’re tough, Ella. And, to answer your question, I’ve always liked kids, though I doubt I’ll ever have any. Time’s passing, and all that.”

  Before Ella could reply, she heard the phone in her office ringing. Jogging ahead, she grabbed it after the third ring.

  “Investigator Clah,” Ella snapped as she reached for the phone, but whoever it was had already hung up.

  Ella muttered a curse. “I hate it when that happens.” Suddenly her cell phone began to ring. A sick feeling spread over her. Whoever it was sure was trying hard to track her down.

  She flipped the unit open with one hand. “Ella Clah,” she answered.

  “Ella, it’s me, Kevin. I’ve got some bad news. Your mom is in the emergency room at the hospital.”

  FIVE

  Ella felt her stomach plummet. For a moment she couldn’t breathe, or speak.

  “Ella, did you hear what I said?”

  Through sheer force of will she managed to answer. “What happened? Where’s Dawn?” Ella asked all in the same breath.

  “Dawn is safe. She’s with me,” Kevin answered.

  Knowing that her daughter was safe and her mother in a place where she was getting help gave Ella time to gather her wits. “What happened?”

  “I’d just turned down the gravel road leading home when I spotted Rose driving in my direction, toward the highway. She was all over the road, but she pulled over when I honked the horn and she saw me trying to get her attention. It turns out she’d cut her hand and was trying to drive herself to the hospital. There was blood everywhere, but you would have been proud of Dawn. She handled it really well. She kept telling Rose ’That’s okay, that’s okay.’ “

  Ella smiled, a touch of pride weaving through her. “Dawn’s not an ordinary kid, you know.” Even as she said it, she knew that all moms felt the same about their kids. But Dawn was special. “How’s my mother doing now?”

  “She’s getting stitched up and should be fine. But listen, Ella, although I was happy to give your mom a ride here, I have a problem. I can’t stay at the hospital any longer with Dawn and I can’t take her to work with me either. I have an important meeting in less than an hour.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes or so.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  After quickly explaining the problem to Justine, who agreed to handle the Joe Wallace incident and inform Big Ed, Ella ran out the side door of the station and hopped into her unit.

  The situation had unnerved her more than she cared to admit. The thought of her mother injured, and trying to drive herself to the hospital while she had Dawn with her, was disturbing.

  Rose should have called her. She would have gone home double-time or called the EMTs. But Ella knew precisely why her mother hadn’t done that. Being independent was everything to Rose. To admit she needed help went against everything she was. The fact that she’d accepted Kevin’s help was enough to tell Ella how serious the situation had been.

  Ella’s worries continued to grow as she raced to the hospital. Rose was never an easy patient. Feeling her insides tying themselves into knots, Ella forced herself to remain calm. She’d need a cool head to deal with her mother’s situation.

  Ella entered the waiting area of the ER a short time later and found Kevin across the lobby, holding a wriggly Dawn in his arms.

  Seeing Ella, Kevin gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Finally! Dawn’s pretty fussy right now. It must be all the excitement.”

  Ella took Dawn and then set her down on the floor, keeping a tight hold on her hand. “She just hates to be carried most of the time.”

  “It was the only way I could think of to keep her from running up and down the halls.”

  Ella stared at him, wondering why a man who could sway a skeptical jury of twelve adults and cower a hostile witness in zero flat couldn’t deal with a two-year-old. “Where’s my mom?”

  “Through those doors,” he said, gesturing by pursing his lips.

  Ella heard someone come into the lobby behind her. Turning, she recognized Kevin’s young assistant, Jefferson Blueeyes. The slender, well-dressed Navajo had the eyes of a hawk. She’d only met him a few times before, but he was well educated, had almost no accent, and seemed even more ambitious than Kevin, if such a thing were possible.

  Jefferson nodded coldly to Ella, and then to Kevin. “We have to get going. You can’t afford to be late to this meeting,” he said cryptically.

  Kevin checked his watch. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”

  Kevin strode out of the door before she could even say good-bye or thank him. For a moment, Ella remained in the hall wanting to see Rose, but wondering whether she’d be able to take Dawn inside the ER. Then she heard someone call out her name. Ella glanced up and saw Dr. Carolyn Roanhorse-Lavery coming in through the same door Kevin had just passed through. Ella smiled, glad to see her.

  Based on an understanding of the high price tribal beliefs often exacted on those who had to walk the line between traditional and modern cultures, their friendship had stood the test of time. Ella had been as much of an outsider once as Carolyn was, so she understood better than most the hard road Carolyn traveled. As the head pathologist and medical examiner for the tribe, people avoided contact with her as much as possible. No Navajo wanted to be around someone who worked with dead bodies for a living.

  Fortunately, things were a lot easier for Carolyn these days. Now that she was married to an Anglo physician in her own field, Carolyn’s loneliness was no longer as acute. Yet, despite the different roads their personal lives had taken, Ella and Carolyn had remained close.

  “I haven’t been in to see your mom for obvious reasons, ” Carolyn told Ella. “Being around me might have frightened her right now. But I was able to check with the nurse and Dr. Martinez. Rose apparently damaged some tendons and may need surgery later.”

  Carolyn looked down at Dawn. “Hey, short stuff. Want to go with me to look for
some ice cream?”

  “Yes!” Dawn looked up at Ella with a pathetic, pleading expression, a tactic she’d only recently perfected. “Shimá, please?”

  “All right. You can go if you promise to be good.” Ella gave Carolyn a grateful smile.

  “In case you’re wondering why I didn’t offer to help the gentleman,” she said, deliberately avoiding mentioning Kevin so that Dawn wouldn’t catch on, “it was because I figured he needed to play single parent at a time of confusion. It was good for his education.”

  “Tell me the truth. Was she awful to him?” Ella asked, bracing herself.

  “Awful? Nah. Active, yes. But she was just trying to get him off the cell phone so he’d pay more attention to her.”

  “I get the picture. Thanks.” She looked at Dawn and in a stern voice added, “You do whatever Aunt Carolyn tells you to do. Is that clear?” Carolyn was no relation to Ella or Dawn, but her friend had insisted upon the honorary title.

  Dawn nodded somberly.

  Holding Dawn’s hand, Carolyn gave Ella a smile and the two walked off. “Take your time. We’ll be in the cafeteria when you’re ready.”

  Ella went through the ER doors and, after asking the nurse at the desk, proceeded to one of the small curtained partitions that doubled as a room. From what she could tell, most of the other partitions were also currently occupied with patients.

  Ella found her mother a moment later. Rose looked as pale as the white muslin sheets on the hospital bed. Ella swallowed before speaking, determined not to let Rose know how much seeing her like this had affected her. The last time her mother had been in the hospital, she was barely alive after the accident with a drunk driver. Though her mother looked a thousand times better than that now, it still wasn’t any easier seeing the woman who’d raised her looking so vulnerable.

  “Mom, what happened?” Ella asked, fighting to keep her voice steady.

  “Oh, daughter, I’m sorry about this. It was just a stupid, careless accident.”

  “Why didn’t you call me when it happened, or call the paramedics?”

  “I figured it would be faster for me to drive myself to the hospital than wait for help. My hand was really bleeding.”

  “What happened?”

  “I was boning a chicken and listening to the news on the radio when I bumped into the counter and knocked off the butcher knife. I automatically grabbed for it without thinking and I got the blade instead of the handle. I put some herbs on the cut immediately to stop the flow of blood and wrapped my hand in a towel, but it wasn’t enough. I knew I had to come to the hospital, so I got into the pickup with my granddaughter. Long before I reached the highway, I realized I’d made a mistake. I was just too dizzy. About then your child’s father came by and gave me a ride.”

  “Good thing he was there.”

  Rose nodded, but her lips were pursed tightly.

  Ella suppressed a sigh. It was no secret that her mother didn’t like Kevin, but that situation had grown steadily worse in the last few months. Rose simply didn’t approve of the way Kevin’s priorities seldom included spending time with his daughter though that neglect was, traditionally, the custom of Navajo fathers. The fact that Dawn wanted to see him and Kevin seldom visited was enough to irritate Rose.

  “Is he still out there taking care of my granddaughter?”

  “No, he’s gone to a meeting,” she said before thinking, then wished she’d dodged the question.

  ’Then who has my granddaughter?” Rose asked quickly, trying to sit up and look past the curtains surrounding the bed.

  “She’s with my friend,” Ella said, guiding Rose back down onto her pillow.

  Rose nodded slowly. “Bijishii.”

  Ella recognized the name her mother had given Carolyn. It meant the one with a medicine bag. As Carolyn herself had said, it could have been a lot worse, considering her medical specialty.

  “She’s a good woman, Mom.”

  “I know,” Rose said quietly. “She cares for my granddaughter. But I wish . . .”

  “Her profession is her profession,” Ella said firmly. “And what she does is sorely needed, no matter how unpleasant it seems to you.”

  “I’m not against her, daughter. I know life isn’t easy for... that kind of doctor.”

  “No, it’s not. She needs friends, and we need her.”

  Rose sat up, then tried to get off the bed, but wavered badly. Ella forced her to stay where she was. “Mom, what do you think you’re doing? You still have an IV in your arm.”

  “I’ve had enough. It’s time for me to go home. My hand feels better now. I don’t need to see the doctor anymore. I know what I have to do.”

  “You can’t leave now, Mom. That’s not the way it works.” Seeing the spark of defiance in her mother’s eyes, Ella shook her head firmly. “No, Mother. We’re staying until the doctor says you’re ready to leave.”

  “What exactly are we waiting for? The bleeding’s stopped, and now the healing has to begin. It’s time for a hataalii to take over,” Rose insisted.

  Ella knew she’d lose the argument in another minute. She had to do something quickly. “I’ll call my brother for you, then. He’ll be glad to come here.”

  “Well, if you’re sure . . .” Rose lay back down, and Ella made sure the IV wasn’t being crimped.

  She knew that the speed with which her mother had given in was directly proportional to how ill she really felt. “I’ll be right back.”

  Ella stepped out into the hall and saw a doctor striding toward her. The name tag on his white coat said Dr. Martinez. At a glance, she suspected Dr. Martinez had Navajo blood, but was also partly Hispanic. Right now he seemed in a hurry and was probably overworked, like most of the doctors at the hospital these days. The police department wasn’t the only public service experiencing financial cutbacks.

  “I’m Ella Clah, Rose Destea’s daughter. Were you looking for me?”

  He nodded, but didn’t offer to shake hands. “I wanted to speak to you first, then ask you to convey this information to the rest of her family. Your mother will need to take very special care of her hand. I’ve stitched her up, but I’ll need her back in a week, earlier if she experiences any problems. Most important of all, she’s not to put any stress at all on her hand. She could rip out the stitches and cause even more damage.” He paused, then added, “She’s right-handed, and I understand that she uses a cane.”

  “Yes, from time to time. Her legs were badly injured in an automobile accident a few years ago.”

  “If she normally holds the cane in her right hand, switching to the left may take some practice, or may not be much help at all. But it’s imperative she doesn’t put any pressure on her injured hand until she’s fully recovered.”

  “Will she need surgery?”

  “Tendons on three fingers were badly cut. If I see that her hand isn’t healing well and her dexterity is impaired, surgery might be indicated. But, right now, I just want to give those stitches and her own body a chance.”

  “Understood.” Ella realized that under the circumstances she had only one option. She’d have to find someone to take care of Rose and Dawn during the day. The only problem, of course, was how to tell her mother. Rose would hate even the thought of having anyone looking after her or her granddaughter.

  Dr. Martinez gave her a wry smile. “From what I’ve seen of your mother, I don’t think she’ll appreciate taking a vacation from her normal routine.”

  “That’s an understatement, Doc. I’ll just have to be insistent. How long will it be before you can release her?”

  “A few more hours. I need to see how she reacts to some of the painkillers and antibiotics we’ve given her.”

  “All right. Thank you.” As the doctor moved away, Ella went farther out into the lobby. Cell phones weren’t allowed inside certain areas of the building and the ER was one of them. She’d call Clifford from the lobby.

  As she reached the reception area, Ella pulled out the phone, but before s
he had a chance to dial, she saw Clifford walking into the hospital.

  He hurried over. “I just found out Mom was injured. One of my patients saw your daughter’s father bringing Mom into the emergency room and came to tell me. How is she?”

  “Asking for you,” Ella said and filled him in on the accident.

  Clifford winced the second he learned that Rose would need someone to help at home. “You’re planning to tell her, right?”

  “I was hoping maybe we could both tell her.”

  “She might take the news better from you,” Clifford said a little too quickly.

  “Nice try, brother. But you’re not getting out of this so easily. I need you to back me up.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Clifford said with a sigh. “But it’s going to be almost impossible to talk Mom into this.”

  “We have to remind her that it’s only temporary, and that having extra help will speed up the healing process. We’ll point out that her granddaughter needs her to get well quickly. The way I see it, pitching it that way is our only chance.”

  “And it’s a slim one.” Clifford looked at her hopefully and added, “Are you sure you don’t want to handle this alone—woman to woman?”

  Ella glowered at him. “You’re not chickening out.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  Ella and Clifford went to where Rose was, but the minute they stepped into her small enclosure Rose braced herself for a fight. Maybe it was seeing both of them coming in that tipped her off, but Rose had a set look on her face that meant trouble. Ella explained what the doctor had told her, trying not to be affected by the way her mother was glowering at her.

  “He’s a doctor, but he doesn’t know everything.” Rose stared at Clifford. “You should know that better than anyone. You’re a hataalii!”

  “Mom, we’re only trying to make things a little easier for you,” Clifford said, and looked at Ella in desperation.