When she got back to the restaurant, she hurried to the kitchen. Adi was nowhere to be seen.
“What’s got you all messed up?” Bertie asked
“Adi. We had a fight. I think I really upset her.”
“Aw, don’t you fret over that one. She runs hot and cold. You just got a taste of hot. She’ll cool down and come on back. She’s probably running the coulee. Just sit here a bit and settle yourself. I’ll get you a Coke.”
Bertie handed her an icy cold bottle of Dr Pepper. The cool plastic felt good. She held it against her cheek and let herself calm down. Adi would be okay. They would work through this. Bertie would help. She opened the bottle and took a long swallow.
“What did y’all fight about?”
“Her past. I was stupid and pushed her.”
“What’d you mean you pushed her?”
“I wouldn’t promise not to write about her past, but that was stupid, because I’ve already decided I wouldn’t. It was just my defensive reaction to being told not to. Now she’s gone. I didn’t mean it, Bertie. I’d never hurt her.”
“I believe you. But you sure have stuck your hand in a hornet’s nest. She don’t hold that part of herself back because it’s all sunshine. No, she has some serious trouble she’s lived through. You have to let her do the telling. Make sure when she comes back that you’re clear about what you will and won’t write about. And make sure you know what, and why, you’re doing it yourself, girl. Get that right in your head before you talk to her again.”
“I will. You’re right, Bertie. She’ll be back. Would you mind telling her I came back here to apologize?”
“Why don’t you just wait here and tell her yourself?”
“I think she’s probably going to want more time before she sees me again. I’ll be at the hotel. If she wants to talk, she has my number.”
“Well, all right then.”
Griffith walked out to her car. She still felt hollow inside. That would be with her until Adi filled it again. She would go back and soak in a hot tub and watch a movie. Tomorrow she would go to Morgan City. She had a job to do, and Adi had asked for her help. Okay, maybe she shouldn’t have pushed, and maybe Adi was right to be afraid. But Griff had never let fear run her life, and she wasn’t about to start now. If she was going to help Adi, and keep her career on the right path, she had to do it her way and hope Adi would understand. Back on track.
*
Adi ran. She ran until the sound of her own breathing and the beating of her heart drowned out the fear chasing her. She moved into the groove she hit when her running was optimal. There, nothing outside could touch her. Nothing mattered but the beat of her heart and the sound of her shoes on the trail. She ran with the skill of one who knew her surroundings, adjusting easily to the ruts and bumps in her path.
She stayed in her safe zone as long as the wind was with her, never wondering how far she’d gone, just letting her body tell her when to stop. She listened when her legs said enough and slowed. Jogging, she thought about the fight. Griffith was telling her about something that was very painful and took a long time to heal. The fact she’d been checking up on Adi was born of that stuff. Stuff from her past. Guess we’ve all got skeletons with baggage.
She wanted to trust Griffith. She was her best chance to finally be free of J.B., and Adi cared about her. She believed Griffith cared about her too. But her past didn’t have anything to do with her cooking or the Boiling Pot. Just like her being a lesbian had nothing to do with cooking or the Pot. Griffith had been surprised when Adi asked her if she was going to put that in her story. If the truth about her and her past with J.B. turned out to be something Griffith couldn’t help her with, she’d have to figure out something else. She owed Griffith the truth, had planned to lay it all out for her on Monday. Why couldn’t she just wait until then? Why’d she have to go poking around now? Did that mean she couldn’t trust her, or that Adi needed to understand why Griff couldn’t just accept things? I need to ask her. She wanted to be free, but she needed to trust Griffith to do the right thing, and not put them in danger. Maybe, if she understood that it had nothing to do with the Pot, things would be okay. She tried to understand the credibility thing Griff had talked about, but she just couldn’t see how her messed up childhood would matter to some high-flying magazine. It wasn’t like anyone would ever associate the adult Addison with the child Merley. Especially not folks just wanting to read about food. But then, maybe it was the world Griff lived in, one Adi couldn’t well understand.
Resolved to try to get Griffith to understand her situation and what was at stake, Adi felt her whole being lighten. Her jog became even more effortless as the tension fell away. She rounded a corner and headed back down the trail toward the Pot. She hoped Griffith was still there. She needed to fix this, so they could move forward, but Griffith had to want it fixed, and she needed to meet Adi somewhere in the middle.
When she reached the back of the restaurant, she paced to cool down. Bertie had hung her customary damp towel outside the door so Adi could wipe down. She had often told T’Claude she was going to put in an outdoor shower. This would’ve been a great day to have it.
After cooling down and wiping off, Adi went into the kitchen and down the short hall to the office and the shower there. She had an extra uniform in the closet for days like this. She washed quickly and dressed.
When she walked back into the kitchen, Bertie was standing at the range with her hands on her hips.
“Hey, Bertie. Thanks for the towel.”
“Umm-hmm.”
“You mad at me?”
“What I got to be mad at you for? You want to be a fool, go on ahead and be one.”
“What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? I mean asking Griffith for help but having a fight with her instead and making a right mess of things. How’re you supposed to get her to help you when you go getting all mad and up in her face? You got more sense than that. I know you’re scared, and rightly so, but this ain’t the way to go about it, Dink. I know she’s been looking around for clues to your past. That’s why you got to step up and let her know what she will find. You got to be the one tells her, hear? She needs to know where that fear comes from. And since she’s sniffing around, better sooner than later.”
“You’re right, Bertie. I was a fool. I’m sorry.”
“You bet I’m right. I know I’m right. You don’t need to be telling me I’m right. Look here. You better get on out of here and go find that girl. You need to make peace with her. She’s the best chance you’ve got.”
“I can’t leave now, you know that. It’s almost dinner time. I’ll go as soon as the rush ends.”
“That ain’t going to work. You can’t leave that mess festering. You got to deal with it now. The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to get. That Griffith McNaulty is just about the nicest woman I ever met, and for some durn fool reason, she happens to like you. You got to hold on to that. You hear me?”
“I hear you. And I know you are right. I’ll deal with it, Bertie. I promise. Before I lay my head down to sleep tonight, I’ll call her or go over there and clear this up. I promise. Just let’s get through the rush. We’ve been closed two days, and figuring how busy we were at lunch, we’re going to be slammed tonight.”
“Well, I don’t like it, but I guess I’ll have to accept it. I got the pork roasting. You better start prepping the fish. You making Oysters Ernie?”
“Yeah. And Snapper Pontchartrain. I know, get busy.” Adi turned to her prep counter. Bertie hadn’t spoken so strongly to her since she was a teenager. She would call Griffith and set things right as soon as things slowed down.
She loved the fevered pace of the kitchen when things really started rocking. That was when Adi knew who she was. The plate was her canvas, and she filled it with the bounty of her heart and her kitchen. This was her element. Bertie was getting over being mad too. Adi could tell. She had kicked the music on and was swaying as she prepped sa
lads for the next order.
Life was back to normal. Everything would work out just the way it was meant. She would apologize to Griffith. She just had to get through tonight’s dinner service, and that was going well.
They plated seventy-seven dinners in an hour and a half before things began to slow. Adi pulled off her toque and grabbed a water bottle as she stepped onto the back porch. She slid her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Griffith’s number.
The phone rang and rang without answer. She had hoped to talk to Griffith, but it seemed that wasn’t going to happen tonight. The phone went to voice mail, and for a minute, Adi considered hanging up. Be a grownup.
“Hi, Griffith. It’s Adi. I’m just calling to apologize for reacting the way I did. I know it wasn’t easy for you to share that story about Tabitha. But this isn’t the same thing. I want to trust you. I need you to understand the danger of my situation before you dig anymore. This is life or death. Please wait until you know who and what you’re dealing with. Call me back as soon as you get this.” She hung up, then and took a long pull on her water bottle. What if Griffith didn’t call back?
“Adi, there’s a fool out there wants to send back your boudin. He says it has too much rice in it,” Bertie said from the doorway.
“No way. Take it in the back, reheat it, and send it back out. Bet he says it’s fine now.”
“Right on. Did you call that girl?”
“I tried, but only got her voice mail.”
“Did you leave a message?”
“I did. Come on, let’s finish this night.”
They worked until closing time with not much of a letup. People had missed the Pot the last two days. It felt good to be appreciated, but better to be closing. Jose was busy at the pot sink and Adi was wiping down the prep surfaces. Bertie was putting things into the cooler for the next day’s service. The weekend help, Ellen, was closing out the register. Another successful night.
There was a loud crash from the cooler.
“Bertie? You drop something?” Her question was met with silence. Adi rushed to check on her, worry quickly welling inside her.
Bertie was on the floor, bleeding from a small gash in her head, and she didn’t seem to be conscious. “Bertie?” Adi felt for a pulse, trying to ignore her own as it raced with panic, and finally, she felt the small pulsing under her finger. Bertie’s breathing was labored, though. “Jose! Call 911. Bertie needs an ambulance.”
Adi knew the best thing was not to move her. She didn’t know what Bertie had hit, or how hard. She stripped off her coat and laid it on top of her. Keep her warm. Monitor her breathing. Stop the bleeding. The mantra from her first aid class kicked in hard. She pulled a clean cloth from the hanger and pressed it against the gash to stem the flow of blood.
“You’re going to be fine, Bertie. Help is on the way. Just hang in there. You’re going to kill me when you realize we called an ambulance. Don’t worry. All the customers are gone. Just hang in there.”
Adi’s heart was beating so hard it felt like it would come right out of her chest. She has to be okay. Bertie is all I have. She kept talking to stay calm. She started telling her about watching Griffith crawfish. How cute she looked in those hip waders. She kept talking until the paramedics arrived. They ushered her out of the cooler so they could have enough room to work. They went straight to it, putting on a pulse oximeter and starting an IV line.
While those two worked on Bertie, another two paramedics entered with a transport gurney. One of them threw questions out to the room in general.
“What alerted you to something happening?”
“She fell. I heard her fall.”
“Was she conscious when you got to her?”
“No.”
“Has she regained consciousness at all?”
“No.”
“Any medications she takes that you know of?”
“She takes Lisinopril for blood pressure.”
“No heart medications? Is she diabetic?”
“No and no.”
“Okay. Good. We’re going to load her up and take her to Iberia Medical Center. Can you contact next of kin?”
“I’m her next of kin.”
The man stopped and looked at her. “You’re her next of kin?”
“Yes. She’s my mamma. You have a problem with that?”
“No, not at all. You can ride with her in the bus. We’re going to need you to fill out paperwork when we get there.”
“Jose, call T’Claude and get him to meet us down at the hospital. He has all the information on Bertie’s insurance, and I need to be with her.”
Fear flooded her now that she didn’t have to be the one in control. Her whole body began shaking. Her knees were like Jell-O, and she felt like she was about to fall. The paramedic grabbed her arm.
“Are you okay, ma’am?”
“I’m okay. Just shaky.”
“Well, sit down here. Once we have your mom on the truck, I’ll come and get you.”
Adi slid down the outside wall of the cooler, far enough out of the way not to impede the paramedics. She was cold and sweaty at the same time, plus it felt like she was going to lose her lunch.
“Here, Adi. Drink this. You’ll feel better. It’s just the shock.”
Jose pressed a can of juice into her hand and wrapped his own coat around her shoulders. She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
“She’s going to be okay. She’s too tough to go out like that. Don’t you worry. Everything is going to be okay. Mr. T’Claude is on his way to the hospital now. I’ll lock up here and find you down there.”
Adi nodded and watched as the team of responders wheeled Bertie carefully out of the kitchen area and to the parking lot. Soon she felt an arm grip her above the elbow.
“Okay, time to go. Let’s take care of you too. Sam is going to be in the back with you and your mom. I’ll be driving. We’re doing everything possible for your mom. Come on. Time to go.”
He gently tugged, and Adi stood and walked out to the waiting ambulance. An EMS truck was pulling out as she climbed into the back of the ambulance.
“Thank you for getting here so quick. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. It’s what we do.” He closed the doors and soon they were on the way to the hospital.
Adi struggled to come to grips with what was happening to Bertie. She looked so small and frail strapped to the gurney.
“Is she going to be okay?” Adi said.
“She’s a little shocky right now, but we’re getting her stabilized. She’ll be evaluated as soon as we get to the ER. Listen, Adi, is it?”
“Yes.”
“Adi, your mom has probably had a major event. When we get to the hospital, things are going to happen really fast, okay?”
Adi nodded. A major event? What’s that mean? She couldn’t get the words out.
“Good. We’re focused on your mom. You’ll be able to follow us into the emergency doors, but the hospital staff will keep you from following us any further. Don’t freak out. That’s so the patient can remain our priority. They’ll take you to a seating area to wait for news from the medical staff. Try to stay calm and let everyone do their job. That’s the best thing you can do if you want the best for your mom.”
“Okay.”
“Good. We’re pulling in now. If I see you on my way out, I’ll give you any update I have.”
“Okay.”
The doors flew open, and in seconds, Bertie was whisked into the emergency bay. Adi hurried to follow and wasn’t surprised when she was stopped by the staff. She watched the doors swing closed behind Bertie. Her nausea was receding, but the shaky feeling was still there.
“Ma’am, let’s get you settled in the waiting area.” The nurse had kind eyes, and Adi followed without resistance. She sat in the hard plastic chair as directed. There was a large clock on the wall opposite her, and she noted the time. Eleven fifty. She wondered how long it would be before they could tell her what wa
s wrong with Bertie.
“Adi?” T’Claude entered from a different door. He was holding a folder. “How’re you doing?”
“Oh, T. She didn’t wake up. She didn’t even seem to hear me.”
“I’m sorry, kid. She’s in a good place, though. They’ll fix her up.” He wrapped a burly arm around Adi. She leaned into him, grateful for his comfort.
“We have to call Jacques and tell him about Bertie. He’s her brother; he should know.”
“I’m her kin.”
“Well, sure, Adi. I meant besides you. He lives in Tupelo, right?”
“That’s right. I have his number in my phone. Shouldn’t we wait until we can tell him what’s wrong? He’s an old man, T. We can’t just give him a shock without information.”
“They might need to talk to him, you know, so they can do what they need to do.”
“Listen. I am Bertie’s next of kin. I have her medical power of attorney. We did that for each other long ago. She can make decisions for me; I can make decisions for her. We made sure of it.”
“Oh, good. That’s a relief. I was worried. How about a Coke? Something to keep us awake until we hear what’s up.”
“Okay.”
He got each of them a Coke from the vending machine and they sat quietly, waiting to hear something. For a moment, Adi considered calling Griff. But this was family business, and although she wanted to get closer to her, this wasn’t where she belonged. Even if Adi really wanted to be in her arms. She leaned against T and waited.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Griffith stood in the Boiling Pot parking lot wondering where everyone was. She had decided to come here first, before heading to Morgan City. Adi’s voice mail from the night before made this stop her priority.
She wanted to clear things up with her, make sure Adi knew her intentions, and get as much information as possible before making contact with J.B. Nerbass. She’d left her hotel determined to get Adi to understand why she had to do this and to acknowledge Adi’s request about not doing anything before they talked again. Now she was here, and the place was deserted. By this time on most mornings, there would be a steady stream of breakfast diners. Other people came and went, seemingly as puzzled as Griffith. But the restaurant remained locked. None of the staff vehicles were in the parking lot.
Bitter Root Page 15
