Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“It’s all right, Rory,” Mom says. “We all deal in our own way.”
Callie and I sit down with Mom, Jesse, and Maddie.
“Any news?” Callie asks.
“Nothing in a while,” Mom says. “But—” She jerks as a woman in scrubs comes out and heads straight toward us.
I swallow, but it doesn’t dislodge the lump in my throat.
“Mrs. Pike,” the woman says.
“Yes?” Mom doesn’t stand.
But Jesse does. “I’m Jesse Pike, and you are?”
“I’m Dr. Alonso, the resident on your father’s case. The attending cardio thoracic surgeon sent me out with an update. Your father has been moved onto the heart-lung machine now.”
“And what does that mean exactly?” Jesse asks.
“It’s actually called a cardiopulmonary bypass machine,” Dr. Alonso says. “It works to provide blood and oxygen to the body when the heart is stopped for a surgical procedure.”
“In English please,” Jesse says again.
“I’m sorry, let me try to explain better. I know you’re all upset and worried. Your father has significant blockage in his coronary arteries, so the surgeon needs to redirect the blood to the heart—in other words, bypass.”
“We understand,” Callie says.
“In order to do the procedure, the heart has to stop while the surgeon is making those bypasses.”
My mother goes white. “His heart is stopped?”
“Yes, but it’s no cause for concern, ma’am. The heart-lung machine is directing blood and oxygen to his body while his heart is stopped.”
“Oh, God,” Mom says. “I just can’t deal with this.”
“Ma’am, your husband is doing very well.”
“You just said his heart is stopped.”
“Yes, so we can make the repairs. So we can redirect the blood flow.”
I stand then. “Doctor, you’re talking to a scared wife and scared children. Is our father okay?”
“Well, your father is on the operating table, and he’s on the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. But the surgery is going well.”
I sigh. “I understand. That’s all we’re going to get out of you.”
“She can’t say anything else,” Callie says. “No doctor can guarantee a successful outcome. That would be a malpractice nightmare.”
“This is not bad news,” Dr. Alonso says.
I nod. “Thank you, Doctor.” I sit back down.
“I need to get back to the OR. I’ll update you again as soon as I can.” Dr. Alonso leaves.
“She was just a breath of fresh air, wasn’t she?” Jesse says dryly.
“She needs a few lessons in bedside manner,” I agree.
“She’s a resident,” Callie says. “Probably first or second year. She doesn’t know any better.”
“Well, she should,” I say. “Especially when a person’s husband and a person’s father has his chest open on a table.”
“Rory…”
“I mean it, Callie. Maybe you can compartmentalize, but I can’t. I’m worried about this and about so many other things. The least that woman could’ve done is come out here and smile.”
“I agree,” Jesse says. “She was awful.”
“I agree too.” From Maddie. “I don’t want her touching our father.”
“You guys,” Callie says, “she’s probably very qualified. I mean, come on. Do you want the most qualified doctor? Or do you want the doctor who’s the nicest?”
Classic Callie.
“Fine,” Jesse says. “She’d better be damned good.”
I say nothing.
I sit in my chair, watch my sister drink her lukewarm Diet Coke, and try not to let my mind wander.
Which is a surefire recipe for it to do just that.
It wanders first, of course, to my father—who I love, who understands me more than anyone—lying on a table with his chest wide open and his heart stopped.
It wanders to Brock, who I also love, and who’s probably still out in the ER waiting area. Or maybe he and Donny left, or maybe—
My mind wanders then to Pat Lamone, who’s somewhere in this hospital. Brock and Donny are probably investigating, and—
My mind wanders to the trouble they could be getting into. I don’t trust Pat Lamone, and the hospital has security.
Next my mind wanders to everything else going on with my family and with Brock’s family. It’s all too much.
And then it wanders to where I was only hours ago, on the side of the road, sobbing my heart out over a baby that never even existed.
That seems so ridiculous now when my father’s life is at stake.
It was always ridiculous, with everything else that’s going on.
I close my eyes, try to concentrate. My family’s not religious, but I feel like I should be praying or asking the universe to protect my father.
I need him so much. Someone in the room who understands me.
Thank you. Thank you for Brock. Thank you for everything you’ve given me in this life.
But you’ve taken a lot from us too, so please… Please don’t take away my father.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
BROCK
Half an hour elapses.
I quickly text Rory to see how her dad is doing. She texts back that he’s on the heart-lung machine, and the doctor says everything is going well.
Good.
Another half hour elapses. I text Rory again. No additional news.
She doesn’t ask where I am, and I don’t tell her. She needs to concentrate on her father right now.