Romancing Melody

by Carrie Daws

  Melody nodded.

  “Am I remembering correctly that your husband is on active duty?”

  “Yes.” Melody barely squeaked out the word.

  “Is he home?”

  “No, sir. He just left a little over a month ago.”

  Dr. Braddock nodded. “Afghanistan?”

  Melody nodded.

  “How long will he be gone?”

  “About four months.”

  “Well. I’m sure all this will be well behind you by the time he gets home.” He turned back to the computer. “I’m putting in a prescription for amoxicillin. I want you to start Cole on it as soon as you possibly can and give him a dose every six hours. I know you’re not going to want to wake him if he’s sleeping, but it’s really important that he gets this as close to that six-hour schedule as possible.”

  “Okay.” Melody swallowed. Amoxicillin. I can handle that.

  “Any questions for me?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “All right then. Before you leave, I’m going to send the nurse back in. We’ll have you out of here in just a few minutes.”

  Melody nodded. As the doctor walked out, she held Cole closer. He seemed to sleep better sitting up with her. “Maybe we should try sleeping in the recliner tonight, sweet boy,” she whispered above his head.

  A moment later, the nurse whisked back into the room with a small tray. “Well, he seems to be sleeping all right for now. You know, with that ear infection, he’ll probably be more comfortable propped up than lying on his back.”

  “Okay. We’ll try that.”

  “I just need to get a nasal sample, and you’ll be good to go.” She held up a culture swab. “If you’ll just hold him still, I’ll get a little bit from what’s runnin’, and he won’t notice a thing.”

  The nurse took her sample and handed Melody a tissue to wipe the rest from Cole’s upper lip. “Your prescription has already been called in, so you can stop on your way home. This will head to the lab tonight, and Dr. Braddock will call you tomorrow if there’s anything to be concerned about.”

  “He’s sleeping right now, Mom. I stuffed a couple of pillows and a thick blanket under one end of his mattress so it’s at more of an angle for him.”

  “The doctor just thinks it’s an ear infection?”

  “Yeah, and probably a cold. The nurse said he’d call if the tests turned up anything.”

  “Well, good. Are you going to tell David about it?”

  “I’ll probably just tell him about the ear infection. I don’t want him to worry.”

  “What if the tests come back with something?”

  “I’ll deal with that then. It’s not like he can call regularly. He’s not at any of the bases.”

  “I thought he was in Mazari Sharif?”

  “No, Mom. He just flew into there. I can’t really talk about it on the phone. Remember OpSec.”

  “That’s the security stuff, right?”

  “Yes. Operational security. I can’t discuss where he’s gone, what he’s doing, or when he’ll be home over any telephone line, including the Internet.” Not that I really know that much anyway, Melody thought. David’s job as weapons sergeant with the 3rd Special Forces Group brought with it quite a bit of secrecy. And not being raised around a military base, Melody was still trying to figure out the basics, like if a brigade was bigger than a battalion or vice versa.

  Melody heard her mom sigh. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand all those acronyms.”

  “Me either, Mom.”

  Chapter 4

  COLE, YOU HAVE TO EAT, baby.” Melody tried to hold back the frustration as tears lined her lower eyelids. The little sleep he’d gotten over night had been fitful, and his eating had continued to decrease. He struggled to sit up, so she lowered her shirt and held him close. He nestled against her shoulder.

  “I know you don’t feel good, sweetheart.” She rubbed his head gently, rocking in the glider in Cole’s room. Her phone vibrating against the changing table interrupted the peaceful moment.

  “Hello?” She sandwiched the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could securely hold Cole.

  “Mrs. Podell? This is Dr. Braddock.”

  Melody’s heartbeat seemed to speed up as a lump formed in her throat.

  “I have the test results back from Cole’s culture, and I have some concerns. How quickly can you get him to the hospital?”

  Melody’s mind raced. Hospital? “Uh, we could leave in just a few minutes.”

  “Great. Will you be going to Womack?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “I’m going to call in some orders to Pediatrics, so when you get there, don’t bother checking into the ER. Just go straight to the third floor. Got it?”

  “Okay.” Melody hung up the phone and hugged Cole tightly. Third floor. She walked to the diaper bag and quickly examined its contents, adding a few diapers. I wonder how long we’ll be. Is Cole being admitted? Sigh. I should have asked that. He said get there quickly. She laid Cole down in his crib and grabbed two more diapers and a pair of jammies to stuff in the diaper bag before rushing to get her shoes.

  Sara exited the elevator and walked down the hall toward the front entrance of the hospital. Her afternoon on the town with her husband had been interrupted by a call from the NICU to come in to sign a form on a child she’d worked with two nights before. They needed it done before she’d be back on shift in three days. She smiled as she thought about her spouse patiently waiting in the truck out front to start their afternoon with lunch at their favorite restaurant.

  As she rounded the corner, she looked up to see a very disheveled Melody come rushing through the front door. “Melody!”

  She watched her jump slightly and then come rushing over. “Sara! Thank God, you’re here.”

  “What’s going on, honey?”

  “Dr. Braddock called.” The tears started running down her cheeks. “He said he had some concerns and needed to run more tests. He told me to report to the Children’s Place.”

  Sara suppressed a smile at Melody’s mistake. “Do you know where you are going?”

  “No!” The word came out more of a sob than anything. “Third floor is all he said.”

  “Come on. I’ll walk you up to the children’s ward.” Sara put her arm around Melody and turned her in the right direction. “What tests has he already run?”

  “Yesterday he listened to Cole’s lungs and had the nurse get some of his snot on one of those big Q-tips.”

  “Did he tell you what that found?”

  “No. He just said to get here quickly.”

  Sara hit the elevator button and then texted her husband that Melody was at the hospital with Cole. As the doors opened, her nurse mind began to analyze the little bit she was able to glean, and a frightful thought came to her mind: RSV.

  Respiratory syncytial virus was common among children, but most breezed through it without their parents knowing anything was seriously wrong. However, if there are complicating factors—

  Sara stopped herself, remembering her devotions that morning.

  I will take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Even the medical ones. But, dear God, what are you doing with this precious child?

  Melody looked at her baby, trying to control the tears and understand what the doctor was telling her. RSV. Isolation. IV fluids. Antibiotics. The words ran together and circled in her brain. Not Cole. They’re wrong.

  She felt Sara beside her, heard her asking questions. Cole cried out as the nurse stuck a needle into him. She longed to hold him, comfort him. It’s okay, baby, she thought. We’ll be home soon. This won’t be like last time. We won’t be here for long.

  “Thank you, doctor,” said Sara. “Melody?”

  Melody ripped her gaze from her child and looked at Sara. Tears streaked her face. She raised a shaking hand to push a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t understand. He was doing good. The doctor said he was fine. I thought we were past a
ll this.”

  Sara grabbed her hand and led her to a chair, sitting beside her. “Melody, you didn’t do anything wrong. The doctor didn’t do anything wrong. Lots of kids get RSV. It’s very common, and these doctors and nurses deal with it a lot.”

  Melody looked at her child, still whimpering as the nurses worked on him. “Did they have to put the IV in?”

  “He’s dehydrated and needs the fluids. Plus, the antibiotics they’ll be able to give him through the IV will absorb better into his system than anything oral. It will help him feel better faster.”

  Melody nodded her head. How am I going to explain all this to David? He doesn’t even know Cole is sick yet. Will I even be able to talk to him?

  “What can I do?” said Sara. “Do you want some lunch?”

  “No.” The thought of food made her queasy.

  “Can I call anyone? Do you want anyone at church to know?”

  Melody’s mind flooded with emotion. Mom needs to know, but I should call her. What about David?

  “How long do you think Cole will be here, Sara?” Maybe if it’s just a day or two, David won’t need to know until it’s over.

  “The fluids should work pretty quick, so it’s really a matter of how fast he responds to the medicine. I would say at least a couple of days, but they’ll know more tomorrow.”

  A couple of days. Will David try to call? Who else might he try if he can’t reach me? Melody’s mind sorted through different faces at church, but the truth was they hadn’t connected with anyone. They showed up on Sunday morning just before service started and left right after. She wasn’t even sure how to call the church.

  “I can add Cole to the prayer list.” Sara looked at her expectantly.

  “Yes, please.” It certainly can’t hurt.

  Melody woke during the night as the nurse came in to check Cole’s vitals. She sat up and watched the short woman work, her head barely visible above the top of the bars on Cole’s crib. She looked at the monitors and made a few notations before pulling out a notepad. Then she grabbed her stethoscope and gently placed it on his chest. Melody watched her expression change.

  “Is everything okay? Is he doing better?”

  The nurse looked at her. “Did the doctor do any x-rays?”

  “I don’t think so. We came straight up here, and Cole hasn’t left this room since.”

  “I’m going to talk to the doctor. I think we need to get a look at what’s going on in these lungs of his.”

  Melody’s throat restricted. She balled her fists around the thin hospital blanket provided to her. “Is he worse?”

  “Nothing we weren’t expecting, Mrs. Podell. Pneumonia is a natural progression for RSV. I’m sure it’s nothing to be overly concerned about.”

  Natural progression? Not be overly concerned? Melody tried to breathe deeply. These nurses saw this all the time. Every day kids got sick, and every day kids got better. Cole just needs a little more time for the medicine to work. That’s all. Just a little more time.

  Chapter 5

  MRS. PODELL?” MELODY TURNED IN her chair where she kept watch over Cole. “Yes?”

  “I’m a doctor with the Pediatric ICU.” He adjusted the wire-rimmed glasses on his long nose. “We’re going to be taking over your baby’s care.”

  Melody stood and grabbed onto the edge of the crib, instantly afraid of what this meant. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “His x-rays show that he does have pneumonia. His temperature went up overnight, and his breathing became more shallow. Even with the antibiotics in his system, he has continued to get sicker. The x-rays also showed his heart is enlarged . . .”

  The doctor continued talking, but Melody’s mind froze on the three phrases she understood. ICU. Getting sicker. Heart is enlarged. She looked at her precious baby. David! I don’t know what to do. Tears filled her eyes, and she felt her legs getting weak.

  “Mrs. Podell?” The doctor was suddenly beside her. “Have a seat. I know this is a lot to absorb. The nurses will get Cole transferred to the PICU, and someone will come walk you through all the procedures, visiting hours and such. Do you have any questions?”

  Questions? Why does everyone keep asking me if I have any questions? I just want to go home. I just want to take my baby home. A sob escaped her as she covered her mouth with her hand. How am I going to tell David?

  Melody walked in her front door later that evening. She dropped her purse and Cole’s diaper bag at the front door and stumbled back to his room. She barely made it to the glider before succumbing to another bout of tears.

  When she was forced out of the PICU at the end of visiting hours, she turned her cell phone on to find she’d missed David’s call. The doctors were busy running tests but weren’t yet sure what was wrong with Cole’s heart. The antibiotics were flooding his system but didn’t seem to be helping the pneumonia.

  She leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes.

  Melody. I am here.

  The voice was so clear that her eyes flew open, and she looked around the room. All the shadows seemed to belong. “Who’s there?”

  The silence overwhelmed her. She flew to the door and turned on the light, spinning to look around the room again. Seeing nothing, she turned and looked down the hall. Listening carefully but hearing nothing, she shook her head. “I’m just tired. That’s all.”

  She took one more look around the room, turned off the light, and walked back to the front door to pick up her cell phone. Desperate to talk to someone, she brought up her contacts.

  The person at the top of her contacts list was Brittany Griffin, the oncology nurse she used to work with at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon. “I haven’t talked to Brittney in over a year.”

  She’d attended Brittney’s wedding shortly before Brittney had transferred from the hospital to the clinic in Crossing, just a short drive from Portland. They’d seen each other a few times after that, including at her own wedding to David. Interesting that Brittany’s husband and David were high school best friends.

  “Brittany used to talk to God a lot. And she’d understand all the medical stuff. Maybe she’d be a good person to talk to.”

  She started to dial but then stopped. What is she going to think about me calling after all these months?

  Call, precious one.

  Melody looked up again. Was she so tired that she was hearing voices? Looking around and seeing no one, she cautiously touched Brittany’s number and let the phone dial.

  Ryan Griffin double-checked all the lights before walking back to the front desk. The clinic in Crossing, Oregon, was ready to lock up as soon as Brittany finished in the bathroom. Again. Morning sickness was not treating her well. In the two and a half years they’d been married, she’d rarely had so much as a cold, so her being sick was a new experience.

  “Are you still praying this eases up before the end of the first trimester?”

  He smiled at his wife, who dutifully held up the wall beside the bathroom door, her dark hair twisted around and held firmly in one hand.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “So this should stop sometime in the next five weeks?”

  His eyes and brain automatically looked over her carefully due to his years as an EMT on an ambulance and his more recent medical training as he worked towards becoming a physician’s assistant. She really looks pitiful. “Assuming God says yes.”

  She rolled her brown eyes. “Ugh. That is not the answer I wanted.”

  He started towards her. “Well, my beauty . . .”

  She suddenly held up her hand to him. “Hold that thought!”

  Ryan sighed as he watched her dart back into the bathroom and slam the door. Hearing her phone, he walked back to the pile waiting near the front door. “Hello, Brittany’s phone.”

  “Umm, hi. Is . . . uh, is Brittany there?”

  He ran a hand through his dark hair. “She can’t come to the phone right now. This is her husband. Can I help you?
”

  “Ryan?”

  “Yeah.” Ryan leaned against the front counter and crossed one foot over the other. “Who’s this?”

  “This is Melody. David’s wife?” Her voice went up in a question as she wondered whether he would remember her.

  “Oh, hey, Mel! How are you? How’s David?”

  Ryan’s tendency to shorten names seemed comforting. It felt familiar, transporting her back to easier days. “David’s out of the country right now. He called a couple days ago, so, umm, I’m sure he’s fine.”

  “That’s good! When do you expect him home?”

  “Not for awhile still.”

  Ryan paused. Her attitude isn’t matching her words, Father. She’s too . . . somber. “So what’s up? Did you just call to catch up?”

  “Uh, yes. Well, no. I . . .” He heard a deep sigh followed by a quiet sniffle.

  Ryan’s mind raced. She said David’s fine but out of country. The baby? “Is Cole okay?”

  Ryan heard quiet sobbing. He turned when Brittany touched his arm. He covered the end of the phone with his hand and quietly said, “It’s Melody. She’s really upset. I think something’s going on with Cole, and David’s gone.”

  Brittany nodded as she took the phone from Ryan. “Hey, Melody. It’s Brittany.”

  “Cole’s sick.” Melody’s voice cracked on her son’s name as she blurted out the reason for her call, and Brittany tensed up.

  “What do you mean, he’s sick?”

  “He’s in the ICU again. They said he’s got RSV and pneumonia.”

  Brittany said a quick prayer for wisdom. “When did he get admitted?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Well, the doctor has probably started him on antibiotics. You’ve got to give them time to work.”

  “They said he’s getting sicker, Brittany. They said something’s wrong with his heart.”