A Family Under the Stars

by Christy Jeffries

  “Would you prefer the girls not see him until we’re sure that he’s stable?” Vic asked Charlotte. “We can bring them to the hospital once we know more.”

  Alex thought that with the way she’d abruptly walked away from him last night, she wouldn’t want her children to ever see any of them again. His eyes widened when she said, “I think that would be for the best.”

  He told himself that she was probably just saying as much to be polite. She’d most likely find an excuse to exit stage right the first chance she got. As they packed up their supplies, Alex didn’t allow himself to think about his grandfather or Charlotte or anything that would cause his heart to shrink or his stomach to roil in turmoil. They shoved tents inside sleeping bag duffels and threw fishing tackle in with the wet clothes. He could sort everything out later...after the doctors assured him that Com would be all right.

  The whole process, including the ride back to the ranger station where they’d left their cars, took less than an hour, but it felt like an eternity. He should have been surprised to see Kylie waiting there for them, but Alex was operating in a trance-like state by this point and wouldn’t have been surprised to see half the town there.

  “Matt Cooper heard about Commodore from dispatch and then called me,” Kylie explained. “I’ll take the girls and this stuff home. Charlotte, why don’t you drive Vic and Alex to the hospital?”

  Although Vic was always cool and calm under pressure, this morning his dad was a bit too calm, as though he was acting on autopilot, as well. It was why Alex had made Charlotte and her daughters ride in the ATV with him.

  But with each passing minute, Alex had retreated a little more into the numbness, trying not to worry about his grandfather’s health. At this point, it was probably safer for everyone that he not drive an actual car on a real highway with other motorists. But there was no way Charlotte, with her dislike of hospitals—and now him—would want to take them.

  “It’s fine,” he told Charlotte. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

  He held his breath, a small part of him hoping she would leave once and for all right now. The other ninety-nine percent of him desperately prayed that she would come.

  “Let’s go,” she said, grabbing the keys to the silver Jeep. The knot in Alex’s throat dissolved and relief flooded into his lungs. She spoke to her daughters briefly, and Alex heard Kylie promising to bring the girls as soon as they made get-well cards and Commodore’s doctors said it was okay to visit. There might’ve even been some bribing involving frozen waffles, but anxiety was pulsing behind his ears.

  Alex immediately got in the backseat and tried not to stare at Charlotte’s profile as she drove. He forced his ears to listen as Vic called the hospital to see if Com had arrived and to try to get an update, but Alex’s eyes kept straying toward Charlotte. When they arrived at Shadowview forty-five minutes later, his father still didn’t have any more answers and Alex’s nerves were even more numb. Charlotte, who had seemed like the most level-headed one of all of them up until this point, suddenly looked pale and hung back behind Vic as they approached the reception desk inside the emergency room.

  An older man with a shiny bald head, a faded tattoo of an anchor on his forearm and wearing a volunteer’s smock searched his computer before saying, “It’s showing me that Cuthbert Russell has been taken to the Coronary Care Unit.”

  Charlotte leaned toward Alex and whispered out the side of her mouth. “Cuthbert? No wonder he goes by Commodore.”

  Her reaction to hearing the odd name struck Alex as funny, and though he knew the timing was completely inappropriate, he snickered. Charlotte’s lips began twitching and all the built-up feelings of the past two weeks flooded Alex’s emotional dam and he completely lost it.

  “You two knock it off,” Vic said, trying to sound stern, and that’s when Charlotte dissolved into a fit of giggles. It was like laughing during a church service, where the more he tried to stop, the harder he laughed. His body shook and tears filled his eyes and Alex couldn’t stop the tide.

  “I’ll be damned,” the volunteer’s deep voice announced, and Alex braced himself for a severe chastisement. But the bald man came around the desk and shook Charlotte’s hand instead. “You’re Charlotte Folsom! From Fine Tastes magazine and those online videos.”

  The man’s words were like a frigid rogue wave capsizing Alex’s boat and he sobered up immediately. He saw the second Charlotte put the polite beauty-pageant smile into place before saying, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “I’ve read all your articles and follow your blog. I even saw that special you did on the Food Channel last year. My missus heard you were up near Sugar Falls doing a camping story. Wait ’til I tell her I got to meet you in person. She’ll be so excited! Would you mind giving me an autograph?” The man reached below the desk and pulled out a faded ball cap embroidered with the words Navy Vet No Regret.

  “Actually, sir,” Charlotte lowered her voice. “We’re in quite a hurry to see Mr. Russell, but perhaps I could sign something for you before I leave?”

  “Oh, of course.” Thankfully, the volunteer didn’t point out that they hadn’t been in all that much of a hurry when they’d been giggling like schoolgirls about the name Cuthbert. “That’d be great. In fact, I’ll walk you to the Coronary Care Unit myself.”

  His father shot them all a look as though to say, Can we get moving, here? And since that came from the normally laid-back Vic Russell, Alex knew everyone’s stress level was on high alert.

  “You don’t have to do that.” Charlotte must have sensed Vic’s impatience, as well.

  “It’s no problem,” the volunteer gushed, before snapping at a young orderly walking by. “Trang, cover the desk for me.”

  As he and his father followed Charlotte and her number one fan, Alex tried to put up a wall of indifference, as if being with a recognizable celebrity was something he dealt with on a daily basis. But the foundation under his wall was like the soft mud on the riverbank. It was just a matter of time before the whole thing washed away and left him raw and exposed to the elements.

  At least the sound of Commodore’s protesting voice as they approached the partitioned room gave Alex a bit of hope and restored that feeling of normalcy.

  “I ain’t staying the damn night in this place,” Commodore shouted loud enough for the patients in the respiratory recovery unit two wings away to hear. Alex and Vic both picked up their pace.

  Charlotte was quick enough to dodge the X-ray image flying out of the room, but the starstruck volunteer wasn’t so lucky.

  “Cease fire, Com,” Alex warned before entering the battle zone, doubtful the retractable curtain would protect him in the event his ornery grandfather decided to launch another projectile in anger.

  “Took you guys long enough to show up.” Commodore looked at Vic, but Alex’s dad was busy apologizing to the volunteer, who was now sporting a red mark on his smooth, shiny head. “Alex, tell them I’m fine and that you’re taking me home.”

  “How are you doing, Commodore?” Charlotte was the only one brave enough to venture close to the side of the hospital bed. Even the doctor, who looked like he played linebacker for a professional football team when he wasn’t wearing his white lab coat stenciled with the name Dr. Robinson, seemed hesitant to get too close to the patient.

  Seeing Charlotte must’ve soothed the beast somewhat, though, because Com didn’t yell when he responded. “They’re trying to make me pay for a bunch of fancy tests I don’t need. Probably gonna stick me with that helicopter bill, too. But there ain’t a dang thing wrong with me.”

  “Listen, Mr. Russell.” Dr. Robinson glanced down at his file, then back up. “May I call you Cuthbert?”

  Charlotte’s hand flew to her mouth and Alex had to gulp several times to keep the laughter from starting again. But the little machine monitoring C
om’s pulse beeped out a warning and his grandfather shouted, “The only thing you can call me is a stinkin’ taxi.”

  Vic held up his hands. “Dad, stop it before they have to sedate you.” Dr. Robinson looked hopeful at that idea.

  “Why don’t I stay here with Commodore—” Charlotte nodded toward the nurse’s station, which was surrounded by a full audience “—while you two go and talk to the doctor outside?”

  Alex could have kissed her at that moment, but Dr. Robinson was quick to usher him out. What would they have done without Charlotte there to help calm the situation down? Well, sedation, obviously, Alex thought as he looked at the unconscious patient in the room next to Com’s.

  The doctor led them to an empty alcove near the nurse’s station. “The EKG results showed Mr. Russell definitely suffered a heart attack. He’s stable now, but we’re not sure for how long. We’ve done a chest X-ray, which shows some damage, but I’d like to do an angiogram right away to check for blockage.”

  “Does he need surgery?” Alex asked.

  “Possibly, but we won’t know for sure until we get all the tests done. We’d like to start him on some beta blockers and ACE inhibitors as a precaution, however, he has refused medication and threatened to pull out his IV.”

  “He doesn’t like hospitals,” Vic offered. “Or doctors.”

  “Or anybody, really.” Alex tried to soften the insult. “Do you have any suggestions on how to talk to combative, cantankerous old men?”

  “I was going to ask you the same question,” Dr. Robinson responded.

  “We’ll see what we can do,” Vic said, looking no more confident than Alex felt.

  * * *

  Getting the older man to calm down had apparently fallen squarely on Charlotte’s shoulders.

  “Com, the girls are terribly worried about you and I can’t bring them here to visit until after you get the tests done.” Guilt rained down upon her as she said the words, but Charlotte had tried every reason she could think of and was now bringing out the big guns. The old man’s affection for her daughters. It was wrong on so many levels, namely because, deep down, she knew she was fostering a relationship that she could never maintain. Not if she wanted to avoid seeing Alex again.

  The girls would miss the Russell men, probably more than they missed their own father, since Mitchell hadn’t been very involved in their care and they’d been so young when he’d gone to prison. But children were resilient and would get over it soon enough.

  Oh, God. She sucked in her cheeks before readjusting her headband. Her mother had said the same thing about her when the school nurse had called to find out when her parents would be arriving for Charlotte’s emergency appendectomy surgery. Instead of rushing to her side, her father had faxed a release to the ER doctors allowing them to treat his nine-year-old child, and her mother’s assistant sent a bouquet of ugly mums with a typed card that said, Get Well, Carmichael and Lila Folsom. She’d hated hospitals ever since.

  “How long are these tests supposed to take?” Com asked, and she sensed the older man was caving.

  “Let me find out.” Charlotte stepped into the hall and froze at the bustling activity around her. She didn’t blame Commodore a bit for wanting to get out of this place. It was damn scary. The machines were intimidating, the scent of industrial disinfectant and bodily fluids was nauseating and the fear of being left alone to die of some mystery illness was paralyzing. But she wasn’t nine anymore, she told her quivering stomach. And she wasn’t alone in this huge hospital.

  Or was she? Her breath came quicker as she looked around for Alex and Vic, her knees becoming wobbly when she couldn’t immediately find them.

  “Charlotte?” Alex stepped out of a space adjacent to the nurse’s station and she all but collapsed into him. “Is he okay?”

  She wiped the dampness from her brow, allowing her eyes to focus on him. “I think so. He wants to know how long the tests will take.”

  “My dad is going over that with the doctor now. Are you okay?”

  It took several attempts to push her trembling lips into a smile, but she was finally able to paste one on. “Of course,” she said, more as an observation to herself. “I should probably check in and let the girls know what’s going on. I had to promise your grandfather that I’d let them come visit once he did the testing.”

  “It’s like negotiating with a terrorist,” Alex said. “I don’t know why he’s being so stubborn.”

  “Some people don’t like hospitals,” she said, ignoring the way he tilted his head at her. The question in his eyes. “It’s actually a rather common fear.”

  “Commodore Russell isn’t afraid of anything. At least, according to him.”

  “I think he’d feel better if you or your dad stayed here with him. I know I wouldn’t want to be all alone...” Her voice trailed off. It wasn’t important what she would want. This wasn’t her medical crisis. It wasn’t her family. “I’m going to head down to the lobby and call Kylie.”

  “Wait. Will you stay for a few more minutes while the doctor talks us through everything? I have a feeling Com will be less likely to raise his voice if you’re in the room.”

  “Sure,” she said, doubting that Alex was any more clear on her role here than she was. All she knew was that he needed her, or at least, his grandfather did, and that Charlotte couldn’t tell him no. Despite the fact that she would much rather be swirling under the rapids of Sugar River than in this place right now—despite the fact that her legs were frozen in place—Charlotte liked being needed. It meant she wasn’t alone.

  “Come on.” He grabbed her hand and gently nudged her out of the hallway.

  Vic and the cardiologist that had been in Com’s room when they’d first arrived followed her and Alex inside. Commodore’s sagging shoulders squared back up the second his eyes spotted the white lab coat and she immediately went to his side and took his hand in her own.

  As Dr. Robinson explained the procedure for the angiogram, the old man’s gnarled fingers squeezed hers and she found herself squeezing back, trying to reassure him and herself. They couldn’t schedule the test until the following morning and wanted to keep Commodore here under observation. His hand was trembling slightly and Charlotte knew a proud man like him wouldn’t want his only son and grandson to see his fear. When the cardiologist left, she found herself volunteering to stay through the night.

  “No. You gotta go get my honorary great-granddaughters and bring them in for a visit. I don’t want those angels worrying themselves sick about what’s wrong. Vic or Alex can stay with me.”

  Initially, she’d thought the older man had been indulging the girls by allowing them to call him grandpa. But there was no reason for him to keep up the pretense when they weren’t here. Now, Charlotte felt all the more guilty for only thinking of her daughters’ resiliency.

  Would the senior Russell, along with Vic, have just as difficult a time bouncing back when Charlotte and the girls returned to San Francisco? She was kicking herself at thought of causing them unnecessary distress. It was why she and Alex had agreed upon no strings in the first place. This whole one-big-happy-family charade was going too far and now they would all end up getting hurt in the long run.

  Part of her wanted to invent an excuse as to why she couldn’t bring the girls to see him. But Com’s normally robust body looked so fragile in that hospital gown with all those tubes attached to him. Charlotte couldn’t weaken his spirit, either—no matter how nauseous her tummy grew at the thought of setting foot in this sterile, cold environment twice in one day.

  She couldn’t hear Vic’s and Alex’s lowered voices as they stood huddled in the corner, but it was plain to see that some sort of negotiation was furiously underway. Even Audrey and Elsa had enough manners to know not to whisper in front of people like that. She coughed to get their attention. “So which one of yo
u is staying here and who is coming back to Sugar Falls with me?”

  “Dad is staying.” Alex shoved his father forward and Vic shot a look at his son as though he was vowing to get retribution for the deal he’d probably just lost. “I have to unpack all the camping supplies and check in at the store.”

  Some of the tension eased in Charlotte’s shoulders. It was almost noon. If she planned it right, she could have him drop her off at Kylie’s, then bring the girls to the hospital to visit Com before Alex got done with everything and came back. Maybe she could even rent a car and leave straight from the hospital and keep on driving to San Francisco. She’d ask her friend to ship the rest of their stuff home.

  She fished the keys to the Jeep out of her tote bag. “Well then, we better get going if we want to make it back in time for visiting hours.”

  “I’m starved,” Commodore said when she bent to kiss his weathered cheek. “Bring back some of Freckles’ fried chicken with you. Or a double bacon cheeseburger from the café.”

  “No, Dad.” Vic rolled his eyes and reiterated the doctor’s orders for a low-fat, low-sodium diet, while she followed Alex’s cue to leave the room.

  “Then sneak something in,” Com yelled out, making several nurses and a white-haired lady wearing a purple robe and pushing her IV pole swivel their heads toward them. Great. Not only was Charlotte already dreading coming back, but all the staff would be suspiciously eyeballing her as if she were some sort of rule breaker staging a coup. Alex took her hand as they walked down the hall and she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other.

  “Someday,” he said when the elevator doors closed, “you can tell me why being in a hospital terrifies you so badly.”

  Someday. Her trembling belly did a somersault. He said it as if he planned to see her again. And she forced a smile as if she planned to stick around.