Tristan's Destiny, Bonus Book #1.5

by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

  Judy put her foot on the first step. “Nora, do you want me to go inside first?”

  “Um, no, I will.” She heard the alarm in Judy’s voice, hoping to cover the concern in hers. “I…I’ll go around to the front.”

  Judy took hold of her wrist. “Nora. Give me the key, please. Let me do this.” She put Destiny’s hand in Nora’s. “You stay with Des.”

  Destiny stomped. “But I wanna go in, too.”

  Judy replied to Destiny. “You can, but first I’ll go in to let Sandy know we’re here. Okay?”

  Destiny pulled her hand from Nora and clasped her hands behind her back. “I guess, but why did we come to visit—”

  “I’ll be right back.” Judy went around to the front of the house.

  Nora knelt. “It’s all right, Destiny. Grandma can go in first. She’ll open the back door for us. My mom might be taking a nap.” Nora gulped, worry taking over. If Destiny wasn’t here to keep her in control, she would’ve lost it by now. Maybe she went shopping with a friend.

  In a couple minutes Judy opened the back door with the phone in her hand but rushed back into the living room.

  “Judy, what is it?” Nora hurried Destiny up the back steps.

  Once they got inside the kitchen, Judy said to Nora, “I’m speaking with emergency services.”

  “Destiny wait right here at the door. I’ll be right back.” Nora hurried through the house and stopped abruptly when she saw her mom on the sofa. Her hands shot to her face. “Judy?”

  “She’s breathing but having a hard time. EMS will be right here.”

  Nora dropped to her knees at the side of the sofa and took her mom’s limp hand. “Mom, Mom! How long have you been like this?”

  Sandy’s eyelashes fluttered. “I don’t feel well… It’s hard to breathe. So weak.” Sandy’s hand went to her forehead. “I don’t feel well.”

  “Grandma! I’m scared out here alone.”

  Nora peered at Judy. “Bring her in here. I don’t want her to be scared.”

  “Nora. Grandma!”

  “It’s okay if you come in here.” Judy brought her into the living room. “Nora’s mama is sick. We had to call the hospital to come get her.” Judy took Destiny back to the kitchen, pulled a chair out and took a seat at the table, lifting Destiny to her lap. Nora held her mom’s hand. Sirens sounded closer. She rushed to open the front door but went back to kneeling beside the sofa.

  “Mama.” Her skin was hot, pallid, too. Nora gingerly shook her. Sandy’s eyes fluttered and when she opened them, Nora wasn’t sure she even knew what was going on. “It’s Nora. Help is on the way. Judy’s here, too. She called 911.” Hearing the sirens and knowing they were coming here, made her shutter. “It’ll be okay, Mom.”

  Sirens stopped when the rescue truck pulled into the driveway. The EMTs came up the steps. “Come in.” She moved out of the way when the first technician came through the door followed by two more with a gurney. They explained to her that one of the techs was in training and on the run with them today.

  “Thank you for coming. I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She can barely breathe, and is very hot.”

  “Okay, ma’am.” One technician checked the pulse in her neck while another put a stethoscope to her chest. “Is this your mother?”

  “Yeah. I just came to visit. My mother-in-law is in the kitchen with my daughter.” Nora searched the tables. Where are her car keys? One gave her mom oxygen while another tech hooked an EKG up, got the reading, and moved her onto the gurney. “We’re transporting her right away. How long has she been like this?”

  “We spoke on the phone two days ago, but there were two newspapers on the steps when I arrived. That’s not like her. She reads the paper every morning.” The time frame set in to the pit of her stomach like a ball of dread. Nora surveyed the room again, wringing her hands in front of her. “I need to find her car keys.”

  Judy came to the doorway. “Nora, honey, I’ll drive you.”

  “No, Judy.” Nora was beginning to lose herself, thinking of her mother lying there helpless. “I…I need transportation to get home.”

  Judy held her palm up, making eye contact with Nora. “Listen to me, sweetie. Tristan will pick you up.” She peeked into the kitchen and held up her finger to Destiny. “He wouldn’t like you driving when you’re upset like this.”

  “I have to drive.” She picked up her purse. “Judy, please, take Destiny home. I’ll be okay.”

  She asked the EMT where they were taking her. When he responded that they’d be taking her to the local hospital, Nora took a deep breath and tried to focus. Where does she keep the damn keys now? I need the keys.

  “We have to go, ma’am.” They pulled the gurney up, ready to roll it out the door.

  Nora ran to the kitchen. “Judy, please lock up, I have to go.” She knelt in front of Destiny. “I’m sorry, but I have to go to the hospital with my mom. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Uh huh.” She wrapped her arms around Nora and squeezed her tight.

  “Sweetie, I’ll see you later.” Nora spotted the keys hanging on a rack by the door, same as always. “I love you, Destiny. Judy, you, too.” She gave Judy a quick hug and grabbed the keys before hurrying out the door. By time she got the car from the garage, she caught up with the rescue truck before they hit the 60. Now the tears fell. She tried brushing them away, yet they wouldn’t stop. So much that her vision was blurred. It was all she could do to focus, but she kept her sights on the flashing lights in front of her.

  Her phone rang. She fumbled to see who it was but dropped her phone. She’d check when she got inside. “I have to call Brody.” Memories of every sort rushed through her brain like her life flashed in front of her eyes. Seems new emotions came out when she feared for her mother’s life.

  Of all times, her stomach churned. This was the last place she wanted to be sick. Maybe she should’ve let Judy drive. No, I’ll be okay. Breathe through it. She took in big breaths and blew each out slowly, slowing the car to follow the ambulance into the parking lot all the way up to the emergency doors.

  Nora pulled into the closest parking spot, put the car into park, and searched for her phone. Rushing inside, they stopped her at the desk.

  “Ma’am?”

  She stopped at the double doors. “Yes? They transported my mother. I need to go to her.” Come on, lady, let me go find her.

  “Name please?”

  “Sandy Wallace.” Nora sighed. She removed medical cards from her mom’s wallet and handed them over. She pointed through the back. “They just brought her in.” It already seemed like an eternity had passed since she left her mother’s house.

  “Your name?”

  “Nora Carlson.” Come on, come on…

  “Nora, someone will come get you when you can go back. It shouldn’t be long. Please have a seat. Wait, Carlson. From the Double Dutch Carlson’s?”

  “Yes, I’m married to Tristan.” Argh! Nora left the desk in a huff. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk right now. Spotting the restroom, she headed toward it. Once inside, she leaned against the wall a moment to catch her breath. She needed to call her brother. Tristan, too. She removed the phone from her pocket to see who had called earlier.

  Dialing voicemail she listened to Tristan’s message. “Oh, damn.” Court was over, yet, they wouldn’t be home for hours. He gave no details. She used the bathroom, washed her hands, and patted her face with cool water. After drying her face she went back to the desk. “I was in the bathroom, and didn’t hear if my name was called.”

  The lady behind the counter perused her paperwork before peeking up at Nora. “I’m sorry, not yet. We’ll let you know.” She pointed to the left. “There’s a coffee machine, or soda and snacks right over there.”

  “Thank you.” Nora bought a bottle of water from the soda machine before taking a seat. She dialed Brody’s house. By now, Judy had probably called Tristan to fill him in. Her sister-in-law answered. “Leann, Mom is at the Medic
al Center in town. I don’t know what happened. She’s very sick, and was having a hard time breathing when I arrived. Maybe it’s pneumonia again. Where’s Brody?”

  “Oh, he’s on the job. Somewhere out on the border. I’ll send a text, but he can’t always check it right away. I’ll be there as soon as I get someone to watch the kids.”

  She checked the time for the third time. Nora’s voice quavered as she said, “Let me know if you get a hold of Brody.”

  “Hang tight. I’ll be there in a couple hours.”

  Nora called Judy after hanging up. Gazing downward, her hair fell over her face, hiding any emotion that might show in her eyes. She was ready with Judy’s first question. “No, I don’t know anything yet. My sister-in-law is coming. Brody’s out on the border somewhere, but I know he’ll be here when he can.” She paused for a breath. “Is Destiny okay?”

  “She’s fine. No need to worry about her. She’s feeding her teddy bear banana-nut bread and milk.”

  “All right. I had a message from Tristan with no details. Did you hear from him?” Nora glanced around the waiting room. She never liked hospital waiting rooms. They were bleak. Depressing. Only a few people waited.

  “I planned on calling him as soon as Destiny finished. I’ll put a movie on for her while I fix dinner.”

  “Thank you. Tell him I’m okay, just waiting.”

  “Are you okay, Nora?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll let you know when I have news.” Nora hung up and paced. Two days ago when they talked, her mom sounded tired, but she didn’t mention feeling this bad. Mom hasn’t really come back from being sick the last time. She peered at her phone again, noticing a missed call from Tristan. Dialing his number, he answered after two rings.

  “Hi, sweetheart, are you all right? How come you didn’t—”

  “Tristan, my mom’s in the hospital again. Your mom was with me, thank God, to call rescue.”

  “Babe, I’m sorry to hear that. What’s wrong?” He told Jase Sandy was in the hospital.

  “No news, yet.” She waited. “Tristan?” No bars on her phone. She couldn’t go outside because she wanted to be here when they called for her. Then it rang again.

  “The call dropped either on my end or yours. So, you haven’t heard anything yet?”

  “I’m still waiting.” Nora paced to the desk again, venturing toward the vending machines. She eyed the candy bars a minute but trudged to the window, watching the goings-on outside.

  Tristan continued. “Nora, I’ll be there when we get back in town.”

  “Is Jase okay?” She blinked to keep her eyes dry, for thinking of how bad her mom looked made her sad. Remorseful in a way.

  “We’ll talk about that later.” Tristan rolled the window down, creating a loud blast of air. “Traffic’s building up now, so I gotta pay attention here.”

  “You’re driving?”

  “Yep, I’ll see ya soon. Call if you need to.”

  An hour later an attendant finally called her name. Nora followed her back. She crossed the room to her mom’s bed and picked up her hand. Oxygen eased her mom’s breathing. “Mom?”

  Sandy opened her eyes and spoke lethargically. “Thank you for helping me, Nora.”

  “Of course.” Nora scooted a straight-backed chair up to the bed and perused the monitors. Her temperature was high. So was her blood pressure. “Did the doctor say anything?”

  “I feel a little better. My chest hurts.” Sandy turned away when she coughed. “I guess I have pneumonia again. This was my fear when I couldn’t breathe. I almost called, but I knew you were coming to visit.”

  Nora sighed. “Don’t wait if this happens again.”

  The doctor came in and took a seat on a small stool, introducing himself as Dr. Thomas. Nora introduced herself to him.

  “She has pneumonia again?” Nora asked.

  “Yes, she does, a bad case of it in both lungs. We’re admitting her and keeping her on a strong dose of antibiotics.” Dr. Thomas tapped his pen against the chart. “Mrs. Wallace, you’ll have to give up smoking or this is going to keep happening. Each time will be worse than the last. You have COPD. Smoking is suicide if you want me to be point blank.”

  “I know, Doctor, I’ve tried.”

  “Mom, you’ll need to try harder now. Please,” Nora said.

  Sandy nodded in agreement.

  Dr. Thomas stood. “We’ll check her lungs periodically as we continue through the evening—not to mention her temperature. We need that temperature to go down.”

  “Yes, of course.” Nora stood beside the doctor. “How long before she’ll be in a room?”

  “Not much longer. Someone will arrive shortly to take her there. By the way…” He stood closer to Sandy’s bed. “Your doctor has ordered tests, Mrs. Wallace. It seems you didn’t get them after you were discharged from the hospital the last time, or any other time he had scheduled them.”

  No wonder her mother felt so rotten all the time. She should’ve gotten the tests. “How come you didn’t get the tests done when requested?” She folded her arms across her chest. “Mom?”

  “Well, I started feeling better.” Sandy observed the doctor as he wrote in his chart. She raised her bed a bit, and sipped a little water, then lowered it again.

  Dr. Thomas said, “We’ll make sure you get them now.” He reached for Nora’s hand, then nodded and said farewell to Sandy.

  “Thank you, Dr. Thomas,” Nora said before he left the room.

  “You’ll be more comfortable in a room. I’ll call Leann back to let her know.” Nora turned toward the door. “I’ll return. Try to get some rest.” She entered one of the sitting rooms on the same floor, stood at the window watching as daylight faded, and she dialed Leann. Her sister-in-law hadn’t left home yet. Nora suggested she didn’t try to come tonight since her mom would be admitted. Nora explained about the pneumonia and the upcoming tests.

  “Well, you shouldn’t hang out there either. Lord knows what you’ll pick up in a hospital.”

  Nora rolled her eyes. Good point! “Too late now, I’m immersed in it.”

  “Hon, I’ll take you up on it tonight. I would’ve had to bring the kids with me anyway. Oh, I have to go, Brody’s checking in again. I love you. Don’t stay there too long now.”

  The call was cut short. Nora took in a long breath, forcing herself to relax and settle down. Back in the hallway, a bed was being pushed down the hall, so she hurried to follow. It was her mom. Nora went along.

  Through the window, she observed twilight setting in. The evening sky glowed in colors blended into caramel, copper, even a touch of crimson. She hadn’t heard from Tristan. He’d have to catch up on chores when he got home, but she was surprised there was no word. While they got her mom settled into her room, she’d give him a call.

  Her mom still looked tired. Nora would stay maybe another half hour. Peeking at her watch, she realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She’d grab food on the way home. Nora let her mom know she’d be right back. In the emergency room, she grabbed a pack of peanut butter crackers, another bottle of water, and dialed.

  She waited, but there was no answer so she left a voice message, then called Judy, learning that Tristan picked up Destiny and she didn’t know where he was. “Well, Judy, I’ll only be here a short time, so he needn’t come.” After the call, she took the elevator upstairs.

  “Are you hungry, Mom? Can I get you a bite to eat?” She held out the crackers. “Want one?”

  “They’re bringing me dinner or a snack of some kind, but thanks for asking.” Sandy turned to her side, situating the oxygen tube in her nose. “Nora, go home. You’ve been here long enough.”

  “How come you didn’t have the tests done after you came home? Brody would’ve taken you, or I would have once you were home.” Nora scooted closer to the bed. “By the way, I called Brody. I told Leann not to travel this far tonight, but she wanted to be here.”

  “That’s fine. I told you why I didn’t have the t
ests.”

  “You might have avoided this relapse or whatever you want to call it.” Nora paused. “I’m not getting on your case about smoking again because you know the consequences, but please, you know what’s best.”

  “Yes, I do. There’s no need to discuss it any further. I like smoking, and if I’m dying, I’ll go happy.”

  Nora clasped her hands in front of her. “You must know how ridiculous that sounds, but it’s your choice. No one can make you quit.” Stubborn is what she wanted to say. So much for not getting on her mom’s case.

  “Now go on, Nora. Take that child inside of your belly and go home.”

  Nora rested her palm against her baby. “This child inside of me is your grandchild. No different than Brody’s kids.”

  “Well then, I want to make sure my grandchild is taken care of.”

  What? A matter of months ago it was slammed into her face about the baby. Not much had been said since then. “I take care of myself and the baby.” Nora stood and pushed the chair back against the wall. Blood coursed through her veins—her pulse raced. “But I am taking off for tonight. I’ll drop your car off at your house tomorrow.”

  “Thank you. Get some rest. Tell your little girl grandma says hi.”

  “Sure.” Nora did her best to hide her shock, yet, she wondered what her reaction would be if Destiny really called her grandma. “My little girl’s name is Destiny.”

  Sandy shifted to her back again and fidgeted with the IV in the back of her hand. “Okay. Let me sleep now. Go home.”

  Sometimes she doesn’t get it! She leaned down to hug her mom. “Night. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Nora stopped at the door, realizing she still had her mom’s purse over her shoulder. “Do you want your purse here? I grabbed it at your house for your medical cards.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” She rolled over without saying anything more, seemingly pleased with doing nothing but peering out the window.

  Nora shook her head. “I love you. Have a peaceful night, Mom.” When Nora walked out of the room, she slowly released a deep breath. She’s not going to quit smoking.

  In her mom’s car, she sat a minute, staring ahead at the hospital, trying to ignore the stale cigarette odors. She’d smell like a smoker by time she got home. This medical center wasn’t huge, but okay just the same. Not where she would have her baby. Her doctor was in Mesa. Hooking her seatbelt, she adjusted it around her hips.