by S. L. Baum
“Well, I’ve been coughing some, and I’m tired. I’m just so tired all the time. I don’t even drive anymore because it takes too much energy. I hardly ever leave the house.”
Krista released the pressure from the cuff and removed it from Marlene’s arm. She moved the stethoscope to the woman’s chest, to listen to her heart and then her lungs. The evaluation wasn’t exactly part of her routine; it was something that the doctor would do again as soon as he arrived. Krista only did it to keep herself at Marlene’s side – so she could feel it, hear it, smell it. Krista concentrated on the feeling that began to spread throughout her body and the smells that invaded her senses. The invader that had taken root inside Marlene Richardson was saying hello.
“Have you been eating normally?”
“Not really. Nothing sounds good, and after a few bites I just feel nauseous. Oh geez, you don’t think it’s an ectopic pregnancy or something? That would be just awful. I had a ruptured appendix as a child, and the doctors told my parents that I’d never be able to have a child. The yucky stuff was in there too long and ruined my fallopian tubes. What if a fertilized egg got stuck in one of my mangled tubes? Maybe that’s where my nausea is coming from.”
“I’m not sure if your symptoms point to ectopic pregnancy, but I will note it down so Doc can check it out. Any abdominal pain?
Marlene frowned. “Not pain, but definitely discomfort.”
“Let’s let Doc Baker take a look and a listen. I’m sure he’ll have some answers for you.” Krista took a deep breath through her nose, closed her eyes, and concentrated.
A strained circulatory system.
“Do you think the holistic doctor was a mistake?” Marlene asked.
Heart failure.
“That’s not for me to say. In some cases they are very helpful.”
Death.
“But not in mine.” Marlene mouthed the words.
The door to the examining room opened and Doctor Baker appeared with Ben right behind him. “How are we doing, Marlene?”
Marlene shrugged, and a guilty look crossed her face. “Not too good, Doc.”
“I wrote her vitals down here,” Krista told the doctor, pointing to a sheet of paper on the counter. “I’m going to go start an actual chart for her.”
“Thank you, Miss Vita.” Doctor Baker set his hat on the counter. “Can I borrow your stethoscope? I didn’t have time to grab mine before Ben herded me in here.”
Krista lifted the instrument from where it hung across the back of her neck. “Of course, and I’ll grab yours.” She forced herself to smile before she left the room and closed the door behind her.
“Maybe a good cardiologist can reverse the damage that has already occurred, if she gets the proper care.” Krista sat at the front desk whispering to herself as she started a chart for Marlene Richardson.
“Who are you talking to?”
Krista looked up to find Pete standing beside her. “Nobody. Myself. Are you done with the Wilkinsons?”
“What damage needs reversing?” he asked.
“I need to get in some good cardio, to reverse the damage that came from eating Opal’s pies every single day since I got here.” Krista told him.
“I can’t decide which of them is my favorite… either Caramel Apple or Perfect Pecan. Go to the track at the high school and run laps. That’s what I do.” Pete stared over her shoulder to read the name from the chart she was preparing. “Marlene Richardson, huh? Wonder what brought her in here? I heard she’s been suffering from fibromyalgia. Thought she was seeing someone in Greenville, though.”
“Her husband just brought her in. The doc’s with her now. Are you finished with the Wilkinsons?” Krista repeated her question, trying to keep her voice light.
“Just getting a sample pack of albuterol and a nebulizer for them to take home. Their little guy did great with the breathing treatment. I hope we have some of the fish masks left. He’s only three… little ones always like the fish so much more than the plain masks.”
Krista picked up the chart, and grabbed Doc’s stethoscope. “There are two fish masks right behind the boxes of albuterol. Doc made me look over the entire storeroom yesterday. He said I need to know where everything is kept.”
“Do you know everything yet?” Pete asked with a wink.
Krista walked backward toward the exam rooms. “Absolutely. I came into this world knowing everything!” Krista answered with a laugh. “Didn’t you?”
“Yes! Except why my girlfriend broke up with me and moved to Los Angeles. Lame ass Hollywood dreams.”
“Chin up, Pete. There are other fish in the sea.”
“All I know is there’s a fish in the storeroom that I need to get for the Wilkinsons,” he stated as he turned toward the storeroom. “And, I don’t need them in the sea, Krista. I need them in the creek.”
“I’ll keep my eye out for you,” Krista said with a smile.
“You do that.”
Doctor Baker had Ben and Marlene back in their vehicle within the hour, right after he called his cardiologist friend at Greenville General Hospital. On the doc’s recommendation, the hospital was prepared to admit Marlene that evening and run her through numerous tests the following day. “Your ticker just isn’t ticking the way it should be,” Doc told Marlene as he walked her and Ben out to their car.
Krista helped Marlene settle into her seat.
“We appreciate the phone call to the hospital. I feel better already. She’ll be getting some real care,” Ben told Doctor Baker as he shook his hand.
“A correct diagnosis is what’s most important right now,” Doc told them before they drove away.
When they got back inside the medical center, Doc stopped in front of Krista with a solemn look on his face. “You could tell, from that few minutes you spent with her. You scribbled cardiologist on that paper in the exam room. You knew.”
Krista sighed. “Yes. She doesn’t look good.”
“That, she does not.” Doc frowned. “You’re good. I’ve been watching you. You know your stuff.”
“I guess I’ve just paid attention to the doctors and nurses I’ve worked with.”
“It’s more than that. You have a knack for this. Why NA? Why not RN or MD?”
“I don’t know. No reason, I guess. Just don’t see myself staying in one place long enough to complete that kind of education. I like to move around.”
“You need some roots,” Doctor Baker told her and gave her a squeeze on the shoulder.
“Why do people keep telling me that?” Krista asked with exasperation.
“Because it’s true.” A small chuckle came from Doc. “I’ll be in my office.”
“I’ll be right here.”
Chapter Four
Opal stood behind the counter at the diner, refilling all the squeezy ketchup bottles after having just finished the mustard ones. The jingling bells at the door caused her head to snap up and the person entering the Downtown Diner brought a smile to her face. “So, you’re back.”
“Just got in. I thought he’d be here.”
“They must be running behind, today. I’m sure he’ll be here soon. Or you could just go down to the store,” Opal suggested.
“I’d rather surprise him here. Plus, I wanted to check in with you and Jim, to thank you guys for the offer.”
“Aww, sweetie, you don’t have to thank us. You just need to get to work so I can put my feet up some. Actually, I won’t even get to do that. I’ll just be in the back, working on the mini-pies for the grocery. Here, come to think of it, you should take over refilling all these bottles, so I can get to it right now.”
“You want me to jump behind the counter today? I haven’t even unpacked yet.”
“Not really.” Opal broke out with a giggle. “But he’d get a kick out of seeing you behind the counter in an apron when he wasn’t expecting it. That’d surely throw him off.”
“Please say you have some that are not bubblegum pink!”
“
But, Sam, you’d rock a pink apron.”
Jim came through the swinging door that connected the dining room to the kitchen. “If you want the boy to wear an apron you’ll give him one of mine!” Jim scowled at his daughter, and then reached out to grasp Sam’s shoulder. “It’s nice to have you back in town. We’re real sorry about the circumstances and we want you to know that Opal and I are here for you.”
Sam gave Jim a weak smile. “Thank you, Jim. I’ve always loved my summers in Cedar Creek. Just never thought it’d become my home base.”
“Daddy and I are lucky to have you with us, no matter how short or how long you plan to stay.” Opal came around the counter and hugged the young man. “I still think you should wear a pink apron when you start working here next week.”
“I’ll stick with the other ones, if it’s all the same.”
Abe Webber stood outside the Downtown Diner and stared through the glass windows. He flung the door open and hurried inside as fast as his knees would allow. “Samuel George Webber! I thought you said tomorrow.”
Sam turned toward the door. “Uncle Abe!” He rushed to his uncle and wrapped his arms around him.
“It’s good to have you back home, son.”
Eli leaned against a table. He huffed from the sudden burst of expelled energy, after he rushed in behind his friend. “What? No hello for your Uncle Eli?”
“You ain’t the boy’s uncle.” Abe put on a playful scowled.
“Might as well be. I watched him grow up, same as you.”
Sam pulled the other man into a quick embrace. “Hello, Uncle Eli.”
Eli patted Sam’s back. “Your mom would be right proud.”
Abe pulled his grandnephew back to him and hugged the young man again. “I know you miss her, son. Sweetest little girl I ever knew, kindest young woman there ever was, and best darn momma any boy could have asked for. She was taken from us too soon. But you know, you will always have a place to call home.”
Sam’s eyes watered over and tears spilled down his face. “I miss her something awful, Uncle Abe.”
“I know, boy. I miss her somethin’ awful, too. Never had my own kids, so she was a daughter to me. You know that. Family is family, and you are mine. We’ve got each other.”
It had only been six months since Abe had lost his only niece, Sarah – Sam’s mother. Sam had been in his last semester of college, just a few classes away from a degree in Business Finance, when his world fell apart. He’d never known his father, and his grandparents had passed away just after his tenth birthday. The only family Sam had left was his Uncle Abe, the man that Sarah had lovingly brought her only son to visit every single summer after the loss of her parents.
With a funeral to arrange, accounts to settle, and an apartment to eventually pack up and vacate, finishing his degree had been put aside. It was through grief and emptiness that he’d forced himself to complete three courses over the summer. When Sam discovered that his last two classes, which were minor requirements he’d put off early on, could be finished online, he called his uncle with an idea.
Abe had been more than receptive when Samuel suggested a return to Cedar Creek while he completed his degree. Although the boy admitted he had no idea what would come next for him – where to work, where to live, what to do – it was time to try to move forward. It was time for Sam to continue on with his life. Abe clung to the hope that coming to Cedar Creek would be a healing experience for both him and the boy, a way for them to come to terms with Sarah’s death.
“Sure wish you could have been here for the library’s grand re-opening,” Eli gruffed, bringing Sam back from where his mind had wandered. “They put a sign up on the building with our names.”
“I wish I could have been, but I had to finish up some things at school,” Sam explained.
“I told him that already.” Abe shook his head. “Darn fool never listens to me,” he added under his breath.
Eli frowned. “I listen. Still wish the boy could have attended.”
Abe waved off his friend and then turned his attention to the grumble in his stomach. “Opal, could you get us three slices of cherry pie, à la mode, and some sweet teas? Please and thank you.”
“Sure thing.” Opal smiled and went back behind the counter.
“And some fries, Jim,” Eli added, after they’d sat at their usual table in the back of the diner
“Waffle, shoestring, or home?” Jim asked.
Eli winked. “Surprise me.”
Abe glanced at the chess set they kept in the corner, but left it untouched. “Did you get everything packed up alright?”
Sam nodded. “There wasn’t much left at the apartment to pack up. I had the bulk of it sent by the shipping company last month.”
“I had the men who delivered it put everything in the extra garage out by the little guesthouse. But, as it so happens, we’ll have to unpack what we can and move the rest to the little storage shed.” Abe told him. “Soon.”
“You buying another old truck to fix up?” Sam asked his uncle. “I’ve always wanted to help you with one of those.”
“Nope. I rented out the guesthouse and promised the garage with it.”
“Now, why’d you go and do that?” Eli leaned back in his chair. “And more importantly, why didn’t I know about it until now?”
“I don’t tell you everything.”
Sam laughed. “I can’t remember a time when you didn’t.”
Abe pulled the tall glass of sweet tea Opal had just placed on the table closer to him and leaned forward to sip from the straw. “Well, it just happened a few hours ago, when Adeline called the shop.”
Eli scrunched up his brow. “Why would Adeline want to rent out your guesthouse?”
“She doesn’t.”
“Abraham Webber, get to it!” Eli shook his head in frustration.
“It’s for the new girl; that Miss Vita. She told Doc earlier today that she’d stay on at the medical center for at least six months. Doc told Adeline, and Adeline called me.”
“Strange that she’d call you, when there are a number of other places that the girl could rent. Didn’t Crawford just fix up one of his empty duplexes?”
“Crawford is a drunk that does the bare minimum to pass inspection, and we all know it. I’ve got the house, Adeline called, it’s a done deal.”
“Pie,” Opal announced as she set down the three plates. “And you’re doing a good thing, Abe. Miss Vita will love staying on your property.”
Sam took a bite of the vanilla ice cream and let it melt in his mouth. “Who is this mysterious Miss Vita?”
“Passer through that decided to stay and work for Doc Baker,” Eli mumbled through a mouthful of cherry pie. “Opal, this just came out of the oven, didn’t it?”
“Sure did.” She flashed a smile at him. “You can always tell.”
“It’s just that much better. Sends it over the top for me.”
Sam looked from his uncle, to Eli, to Opal. “Doesn’t sound normal for Doc Baker to hire a passer through. I know I only spend two months a year here, but Doc’s always been a keep it local kind of guy.”
Abe shrugged. “He needed the help, she was here, it all worked out.”
“New blood in Cedar Creek… that doesn’t happen very often,” Sam noted.
“Eh. We get one or two a year,” Eli quipped before he shoveled another forkful of pie into his mouth.
“I chose shoestring,” Jim announced as he set the fries in the middle of the table.
Eli smiled as he picked up a fry. “I was secretly hoping for shoestring.”
“Pie and fries. Only you.” Abe laughed at his friend.
Eli licked his lips and popped the shoestring potato in his mouth. “Anything and fries.”
Sam closed his eyes and let his body relax; it was the first time in months that he’d actually felt at ease. Abe and Eli were family; Eli wasn’t blood, but that didn’t matter. Cedar Creek was home; the only place he could call home after losing everyth
ing else. Sam needed that feeling of stability, even though there was a part of him that wanted to laugh at the notion. He was a twenty-three year old man, more than capable of making it on his own. Wasn’t he supposed to stand tall, be a man, soldier on, and all that stuff? But he was grateful to be in Cedar Creek and grateful to have people to fall back on.
It had been two days since Krista met Marlene Richardson, two days since she was accosted by the scent of the illness that was growing ever stronger inside the woman, and two days since Krista had decided to remain in Cedar Creek. After being almost immediately accepted by the town’s residents, Krista wanted to stick around to see if she could help Marlene. In the state she was in, the woman had only a few months left in her. There was no guarantee that Krista could make a difference, but she could try.
Krista folded another shirt and placed it in the box with the others, repacking the things she’d unpacked the week prior. Her truck was already loaded with the rest of her boxes and she was still asking herself why she’d decided to stay in such a small town. But it didn’t really matter. Why does anyone choose a place to settle down? A job: check. A place to live: check. Family: that box would have to remain unchecked.
Krista placed the last shirt in the box and closed the lid. She looked around the room one last time, opening and closing every drawer and cabinet, to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind, before carrying the box out to her truck. It was time to finally see her new place of residence.
When she got out to her truck, Krista discovered a sticky note stuck to her windshield, on which Adeline had written detailed directions. The drive wasn’t a long one, and after passing the sign that read Webber Estate, she turned down an extremely long driveway. The word estate had thrown her off when she’d read it in the parking lot of the motel, but as she drove down the gravel path, Abe’s house came into view and it was exactly that… an estate. It’s tall white columns held up two levels of wrap-around porches. The house looked historically old but incredibly well maintained, and elegant in a way that Krista hadn’t seen up close before.
