by Amy DeMeritt
I kiss her one more time, and after I grab our purses from under the counter, I rush out the door with the paramedics and Naomi.
When we’re on our way to the hospital, I try to call Henry, but he doesn’t answer so I send him a text. I also send our boss a text to let her know what’s going on and that I had to close up. She responds immediately that she’ll get in there and call in replacements and asks me to stay with Naomi.
Naomi hasn’t passed out again, but she doesn’t look good. While we make our way to the hospital, the paramedics take her blood pressure and make notes. They ask a bunch of questions about how she’s been feeling, what her symptoms have been, when they started, and what her diet has been like the past couple days. I can only answer the questions about today, but answering their questions helps my panic to calm down some. Naomi tries to answer their questions as well, but she doesn’t really have the energy to speak loud enough so she gives up.
When we get to the hospital, a nurse gives me a clipboard to start filling out paperwork and asks for insurance. I try to explain I need to stay with Naomi, but she tells me I’m not allowed unless I’m immediate family, a spouse, or a power of attorney. Just as I’m about to argue, I feel a hand on my forearm. I look over and Naomi lifts the air mask off her face so she can speak.
“I’ll be ok, sweetie. Please keep trying to reach Henry.” I bend down and hug her and she gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Ok, I will. I love you, Naomi.”
She smiles and replaces the air mask on her mouth. She squeezes my hand and then a couple men come and start wheeling her away. I almost break down completely as I watch her being pushed through a couple double doors and she disappears from sight.
I sit down with the clipboard and start trying to fill out the paperwork as best as possible. It feels so intrusive going in her purse to get her insurance and driver’s license. Just as I’m finishing the first page, with only a few missing pieces of information that I don’t know, Bailey finally arrives and sits down next to me.
When I see her, I break down crying. She wraps her arms around me and holds me close. She whispers, “Babe, she’s going to be ok. A lot of women have episodes like this during their pregnancy. She’s probably having blood pressure problems or maybe anemia.”
I pull back and wipe my eyes. “Are you sure you can be here? I mean, you can miss work today?” She smiles in a reassuring way and places her hand on my leg. “Yes, I’m sure. What can I do?” I hand her my phone. “Can you try calling and texting Henry again? I need to finish filling out this paperwork.” She nods her head and takes the phone.
It takes about another ten minutes to finish filling out all of the paperwork and we still haven’t been able to reach Henry. I don’t have his office number and Naomi’s cell phone is password protected so I can’t check her contacts for it.
I bring the paperwork up to the check-in counter and ask if they have any update on Naomi, but of course since I didn’t meet any of the three required relationship types that would have allowed me to stay by her side, they won’t give me any information. All they will tell me is that she is stable.
Just as I turn to take my seat next to Bailey, Henry comes rushing through the automatic doors into the emergency room waiting room. He spots me and rushes over, looking frantic.
“What happened? Where is she? Is she ok?”
“I don’t know anything except that she is stable. She fainted for a couple minutes, but I caught her so she didn’t hit anything.”
“Ok, thank you for staying. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
He rushes towards the counter without waiting for a response. I take my seat next to Bailey and she reaches over and takes my hand.
“Is that Henry?” I nod my head. “He has a very ‘Clark Kent’ look about him, just not as buff.” I smile and nod my head. “He’s sweet like that too. He’s a good man.”
The nurse Henry is talking to starts to walk out from behind the counter. He motions to her to hold on and turns to look for me. Bailey and I stand up and he quickly walks over loosening his tie and looking very stressed.
“She is going to take me back to be with Naomi. Her blood pressure and oxygen levels are too low so they’re working on getting those up. They’re also doing bloodwork. I’ll text you when I know more. You can leave if you need to and I’ll let you know when she’s allowed visitors.” I shake my head. “I’m staying. Let me know if either of you need anything.” He nods his head and starts to walk away.
We sit back down and I take a deep breath and let it all out. I lean my head back and close my eyes for a moment before sitting up and looking at Bailey.
“Piper, is there anything you need? Anything that I can get for you? Maybe some water or coffee?”
“Water I guess. I think caffeine would be a bad idea right now. My heart is already racing.” She stands up and releases my hand. “Ok, I’ll find a vending machine and be right back.”
Several minutes later, I’m sitting with my elbows on my knees with my shoulders slumped forward and I’m looking at the floor. I feel a hand run through my hair and look up. Bailey’s standing in front of me with a loving smile on her face. She hands me a bottle of water and sits down next to me.
“Bailey, thank you for being here with me. Was your work mad you called out?” She takes my hand and kisses my cheek. “No, they weren’t upset. And what kind of girlfriend would I be if I left you right now? We’re long hauling this, remember?”
Despite my nerves and worry, my face spreads into a happy smile. Bailey smiles and gently rubs my cheek with her thumb for a moment.
“I love your smile.”
My smile remains firmly affixed to my face and I lean my head to rest of her shoulder. Bailey switches her hand holding mine in her lap so she can wrap an arm around me. My smile widens. I feel so safe with Bailey.
I quietly whisper, “This is nice,” and I feel Bailey kiss the top of my head and squeeze me closer.
It’s a couple hours before we hear anything, but we’re finally allowed back to see Naomi. I’m practically running through the halls with Bailey’s hand in mine. When we reach the elevators, I’m anxiously pressing the “up” button over and over again, illogically thinking it will help the doors open faster. Bailey soothingly rubs my back and I stop pounding my finger into the glowing arrow.
When we reach her room, Naomi is sitting up in bed smiling and looking healthy again. She smiles wider when she sees me. “Hey sweetie.” I stand next to her bed with my bottom lip pinched between my teeth and trembling, trying not to break down in tears again. “Oh, Pipe’s, come here.” I practically leap on her as I wrap my arms around her and she quickly wraps hers around me and firmly holds me close to her.
After a minute or so, she runs her fingers through my short locks and pulls my face up to look at her. She smiles in a loving way and brushes the tears off my cheeks with her thumbs. Naomi gently kisses my lips and then pulls back.
Naomi has never kissed my lips before, but she has done it twice today. She has kissed my cheek or forehead on countless occasions, but never the lips. That motherly instinct must already be kicking in, even though she doesn’t feel good. My own mother only ever kisses me on the lips when I’m upset or if I got hurt.
“Are you going to be ok?” I laugh and shake my head as I fully stand up. “Naomi, you’re the one laying in the hospital and you ask if I’m going to be ok?”
“I’m going to be fine, sweetie. I just have anemia from the pregnancy, which caused my blood pressure to drop too much. I just need to start eating more iron rich foods, drink more water, and take more breaks.” She looks passed me and smiles. “Hey, Bailey. You keeping our girl here from falling apart?” I look at Bailey and she smiles warmly and nods her head. “I’m trying. How are you feeling? You look a lot better.”
“I am. Thank you for helping out and being here for Piper. She tends to think the worst in these situations.” Naomi looks at me in an affectionate way and grabs my hand. “I’ll ha
ve to miss a few days of work. Doctor’s orders. I need to try and get my levels up and then I can come back to work. I guess I’m going to have to take you up on that offer for more breaks.” I nod my head. “Every hour you are sitting down and having some water. If you need them more frequently, you just let me know.” She starts to object to every hour, but I cut her off. “No, every hour, Naomi. I can’t handle seeing you go down like that again.” She smiles and nods her head. “Ok. Thanks for catching me, by the way. Did you get hurt?”
I shrug my shoulders and shake my head. The truth is, my knees are killing me and I would really like to ice them and take some ibuprofen, but I’m not telling her that. I went down hard on my knees and it sent a painful shockwave up both of my legs. I’m pretty sure they’re going to be completely black with horrible bruises when I get home later.
“You know you’ve never been a very good liar. What did you hurt?”
“I’m fine, Naomi. Is there anything I can get you? How about a nice steak since you need the iron?”
“Changing the subject – you must be hurt.” She looks at Bailey and says, “I think she is saving her booboos for you to kiss better later.”
I laugh and turn to look at Bailey. She is smiling in a happy affectionate way. I take her hand and take a step back to stand next to her. When I look back to Naomi, she is smiling in a very approving way. Then she looks to Henry on the other side of her bed and takes his hand.
“Baby, when I am all better, can we have these two superwomen over for dinner?” He smiles and kisses her forehead. “Of course.” He looks over at us with an appreciative smile on his face. “Thank you both for taking care of my girl and my baby. I really cannot thank you enough for being there and taking action so quickly.”
We stay and talk to them both for a couple more hours and then the nurses are shooing us out so that Naomi can get some rest. As we walk out to the parking lot, Bailey asks, “Would you like me to take you home or would you like to come back to my place with me?”
“You don’t need to get back to work?” She shakes her head. “No, Piper. I will be with you for as long as you need me to be today. If you want to be alone that’s fine, but if you want company, then I am yours all day.”
“Ok, thanks. Can we go back to my place? I want to sit in front of my waterfall.” She smiles and squeezes my hand. “Ok. Are you hungry? Do you want to pick up some lunch on the way back?”
We stop for sandwiches on the way back to my place and as soon as we get in the door, I head for the medicine cabinet. My knees are killing me. When I come back out to the kitchen, Bailey has all the food pulled out, and is filling a couple glasses with water. I pick up my glass and pop three ibuprofen in my mouth.
“What did you hurt, Piper?” After I swallow the pills and set my glass down, I open my freezer and pull out too soft form ice packs. “My knees.”
“Let me see them.” She steps close to me and starts unbuttoning my pants. She pushes my pants down and kneels down in front of me. “Oh, Piper. These look like they hurt.” She gently presses her lips against each knee and then gently runs her fingers over the sides and front of the knees. It slightly hurts, but I think she is trying to tell if I broke anything, so I bear with it. A few moments later, she pulls my pants back up and buttons and zippers them as she gives me a soft kiss on the lips.
“I don’t think you broke your kneecaps, but you should keep an eye on them. If they swell up, you need to go get X-rays.”
We put our sandwiches on plates and head out to my living room. After I get the waterfall turned on, Bailey gets me situated in the corner of the couch with my plate on a pillow on my lap and the ice packs on my knees. I wish I could have her right next to me, but just having her here with me is still a great comfort.
Naomi was right, I don’t do well when someone I care about has to be taken to the hospital. I’ve had a bad phobia of hospitals ever since my dad died. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, but we were able to see him at the hospital. Well, from the neck up anyway. It wasn’t till I was older that I found out he was already dead when I saw him there. They had told me he was sleeping and I couldn’t touch him because he was hurt really badly. It was the next day that my mom told me he didn’t make it. I was devastated, and ever since, I’ve had a horrible sense of dread when it comes to hospitals.
Bailey suddenly reaches over and takes my still uneaten plate of food and sets it on the coffee table. She pulls me over to lay on her chest and just holds me. I wipe the tears off my cheeks and nuzzle in close to her.
When my mom told me my father passed, I remember her picking me up and holding me close to her chest, rocking me in her rocking chair for hours. I loved my dad. He was a good man and always made me laugh. He had a smile that could light up any room and his laugh was so contagious, you couldn’t help but laugh when he laughed, even when you were mad or upset.
I stand up and walk over to my bookcase. I pick up the wooden frame holding my favorite picture of me with my dad. It was taken just months before he died. He’s holding me on his shoulders and we’re both smiling really big. I sit down next to Bailey and hand her the picture.
“I want to tell you about my dad.”
Chapter Eleven
It has been a very long week at work. Naomi has been out the past three days so I’ve had two younger and fresher baristas helping fill in for her. Needless to say, they are not Naomi. We get along fine, and I’ve worked with them before, but they just can’t keep pace like Naomi and I can. They are much slower and the dynamic is much more disjointed. Naomi and I don’t have to speak to know how to fulfil an order; we just know what the other person is going to do.
Bailey has come in at least once a day each morning or afternoon to try and break up my day and that has helped some, but I really miss Naomi. Bailey and I went to visit her at home the past two nights since Henry had to work late so she didn’t have to be alone. We haven’t been able to have our dinner yet, but visiting with her has helped me to feel less panicked about her condition. Last night she seemed very healthy and back to normal. It was a great relief to see her so strong again.
Just as I stick the key in the door to unlock the shop, I notice someone moving around inside. My heart rate quickens, thinking someone broke in. There are only a few people besides the owners and managers that have keys – Naomi and I being two of those people. I slowly push the door open just a few inches to try and not allow the bell to chime. I peek my head in and smile really big when my eyes lock with hers. I throw the door open and run the short distance to embrace her.
Naomi laughs as I nearly tackle her when I wrap my arms around her. “Hey, Pipe’s. You miss me?” I laugh and kiss her cheek firmly. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me last night that you were coming back in today.” She grins and laughs a little. “What, and miss out on this awesome welcome back reaction you just had? I don’t think so, sweetie.” I laugh and squeeze her tighter a moment before letting her go. “How are you feeling?”
“Great, actually. But don’t worry, I promise I’ll take breaks, even when I don’t feel like I need to.”
“Good.”
We get to work preparing to open in a little more than an hour and I’m almost laughing and bouncing with excitement at how easily we fall back into sync. After we get all the muffins, scones, and other pastries made and out on display, we get all the coffee machines prepped and coffee brewing. We have about ten minutes before opening and we’re all done and ready to open. We lean back against the back counter, fold our arms over our chests, and look at each other with a grin.
“I missed you. Those college kids are ok, but they’re just not you. Opening with them is very stressful and we never completely finished all the prep before we had to open.” She laughs hard. “You say college kids like you are so much older than them. You’re only twenty-six, silly. They are still well within your age bracket.”
“Maybe in age, but in experience I’m like a forty-year-old to their twe
nty.” She smiles and nods her head. “That’s true. You are a bit of a coffee whore with all that experience you have.” I smile really big and laugh. “That’s another reason why I missed you so much. Ready to open?” She smiles and nods her head. “Yeah, go unlock the door for the all the coffee sluts.” I laugh, and for the first time all week at work, my cheeks hurt from the giant smile she has plastered on my face.
When I get back to the counter, Naomi loops her arm in mine and leans her head against my shoulder. “This weekend is going to be kind of hectic so it looks like we’ll have to wait till next week to do dinner. Is that ok?”
“Of course. But hectic does not sound like something you should be doing just yet.” She looks up at me and smiles. “Don’t worry so much, Pipe’s. I’m much better, really. Henry has me eating like a damn caveman – I’m eating so much red meat and greens that I think my baby is going to come out and refuse a bottle and will only be appeased if we give it a steak to suck on.”
Before I can answer, the early morning horde starts to shuffle through the door for their morning caffeine fix. We’re swamped for a few hours, but Naomi never loses pace at all. I can tell she really is feeling like herself and that helps me to relax and I’m able to work without watching her every few seconds to make sure she’s still standing. I hope that the crowds die down some soon though so she can take a break. I don’t want her going too many hours without a break.
Just as I hand one of our morning regulars his cappuccino and bagel, a very pretty woman steps forward with a nervous kind of smile on her face.
“Hi, what can I get for you?”
“Just a plain coffee, but I also have a question for you about hosting a small gathering here.”
