Death on Tap

by Ellie Alexander

  “Having our morning coffee.” Hans sounded irritated.

  “Where are Mama and Papa?” Mac asked, pulling out a chair and sitting on the opposite side of the table from Hans and me.

  “I was going to ask you that,” Hans replied, glancing at the digital watch on his wrist. “I thought they were right behind me.”

  Mac cut himself a giant hunk of the coffee cake. When he caught me staring at him, he shot me a dazzling smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll share, baby.”

  I rolled my eyes and scooted my chair closer to Hans.

  Hans said something under his breath that I couldn’t quite make out but knew was a jab at his brother. We drank more coffee, and I picked at my remaining slice of cake in silence.

  Twenty or thirty minutes later, Hans pushed back his chair, walked over, and peered out the windows. “This isn’t like them.” He turned to Mac. “Do you have your phone? I left mine at the workshop.”

  Mac whipped out his cell. “Always.”

  “Give them a call,” Hans said. He looked worried. Hans never looked worried. I could feel my pulse start to pound in my fingertips.

  Mac shrugged and dialed his parents. While he was waiting for them to pick up, he said, “You know what the odds are of them actually answering?”

  It was a running joke amongst us. Otto and Ursula had finally caved in to relentless pressure and purchased a shared cell phone. Thanks to Alex, they’d quickly learned the new technology and had even started texting. Every time I got a beer emoji from Ursula and Otto, I would break out in a grin.

  “Papa?” Mac’s voice matched Hans’s look of concern. “Papa, slow down. I can’t hear you.”

  I clutched my fork so tightly that it left an imprint in my skin. Hans moved away from the window and stood behind Mac.

  “What?” Mac shot a look at me and then shook his head when I started to ask what was wrong. “Okay, wait there. We’re on our way.”

  He clicked off the phone. His tone was serious. “Mama fell.”

  “Is she okay? What happened?” I dropped the fork.

  “I don’t know. I could barely hear him over the siren.”

  Siren.

  Hans must have read my mind. “Siren?”

  “Papa called for an ambulance. They’re transporting her to the hospital.”

  “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.” Hans was already halfway to the door. Mac and I raced after him. Please, let Ursula be okay, I prayed silently as I ran to the car.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  THE TIRES SQUEALED AS MAC took every turn at three times the posted speed. When we’d been together, one of our recurring fights was about how fast he drove. Today, I found myself grateful for his adrenaline-junkie tendencies. We couldn’t get to the hospital fast enough.

  Everything happened in a blur. Mac dropped Hans and me off at the entrance to the emergency room and sped off to find a parking space. We found Otto right away. He was sitting in a chair near the nurses’ station with his head between his hands.

  “Dad, what happened?” Hans knelt next to him.

  Otto looked up at us with wet eyes. Tear streaks stained the sides of his cheeks. “She fell.”

  “I heard that much.” Hans met my eyes and nodded to the empty chair next to his father.

  I took the cue and sat next to Otto, placing my hand on his knee.

  Otto gave me a pained smile and then let out a long sigh. “I should have helped her down ze steps, but she would not hear of it.”

  “So she fell on the steps?” Hans tried to pry more details from his father, while not overwhelming him.

  “Ja. She missed da last step and took a nasty fall.” He shuddered.

  I squeezed his knee tighter.

  “And you called the ambulance?” Hans asked. “Did she hit her head?”

  “No.” Otto rubbed his temples. “I don’t think so. She fell on her side. They think that she shattered her hip.”

  I put my other hand to my heart. That was terrible news. Fracturing a hip at her age would not only be painful, but I had a feeling it would be a long recovery.

  “Where is she now?” Hans asked. I was so impressed with his calm composure.

  “They are taking her in for X-rays. If it is broken, they will do surgery.”

  “Now?”

  “That’s what they said in the ambulance.”

  I knew without having to look up that Mac had arrived. One of the nurses nudged her friend and pointed to the door. Then she gave Mac a half wave and flirty smile. Classic. Only my husband would find a way to flirt in the midst of an emergency.

  “Dad, what’s going on?” Mac’s approach was the opposite of Hans’s. He paced in front of us and spoke loud enough for the entire waiting room to hear.

  Hans got up from his knees and put his arm around Mac’s shoulders. “They think that Mama broke her hip. She’s having X-rays done right now.”

  Mac either wasn’t satisfied with Hans’s answer or he couldn’t handle that his brother knew more about what was going on than him. He sidled up to the nurses’ desk as if it were a bar and rested one arm on the counter. The nurses smiled up at him, completely taken in by his suave moves. I wanted to throw up. I was sick with worry over Ursula and disgusted by Mac’s overt behavior.

  He returned with the same information that Hans had told him, but proceeded to repeat everything he’d learned from the nurses anyway. It wasn’t much longer until a surgeon wearing mint green scrubs and a face mask came to speak to us. He explained that Ursula had indeed broken her hip. They would have to do surgery to repair it.

  Ursula was strong, but any surgery came with risk. The surgeon wasn’t sure how long it would take. He estimated two to three hours, but warned us that it could be longer. All we could do was wait. Mac paced the perimeter of the waiting room, Hans went to find coffee for Otto, and I sat next to Otto, holding his hand.

  “She’s going to be fine,” I assured Otto. “She’s strong.”

  “Ja, Sloan, thank you. I know.” He didn’t sound convinced but put on a brave face.

  In the frenzy of the morning, I’d forgotten about Alex. When Hans returned with a Styrofoam cup of hospital cafeteria coffee, I walked outside to call Alex. He picked up on the first ring.

  “Mom, you’re not supposed to call me at school.”

  “Honey, I know, but there’s been an accident.”

  “What?” His voice got higher.

  “It’s Oma. She fell this morning and is in the hospital. They’re doing surgery now.”

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “She broke her hip. She’s going to be okay, but I wanted you to know. Do you want me to come get you?”

  “Yeah. Of course I want you to come get me.”

  “Okay. Hang tight. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

  I hung up and asked Mac for his car keys. “I’m going to go get Alex.”

  Mac reached for my hand. “I’ll drive.”

  I didn’t protest. This was no time to fight. Mac’s palm was sweaty as we walked hand in hand to the parking lot. “She’s going to be okay,” I said, not only for his sake but for my own. “She’s one tough cookie.”

  He squeezed my hand. “She’s a fighter. You know when I was a kid, I was never afraid of Papa, but Mama, man, she would give me the look, and I would cower in the corner. That’s all she had to do—give me one look.”

  I chuckled.

  “She’s been giving me the look a lot lately.” His voice was thick with regret and emotion. “I’ve let her down. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “She loves you, Mac. You’ll make it up to her.”

  We made it to the car. He dropped my hand and unlocked the passenger door for me.

  He started the engine and navigated past a group of nurses out for a midmorning walk. “I’ve screwed up with you, Sloan. Big time. And I’m going to find a way to make it right.”

  “Mac, I can’t do this now.”

  He started to
say something, but stopped himself and focused on the road.

  We made it to the school, where Alex was waiting near the front. He hopped into the backseat and asked for an update on his grandmother. I let Mac explain what had happened. Alex seemed to take it in stride. He massaged my shoulder from the backseat. “She’ll be okay, Mom. She’s got German steel running through her blood—right, Dad?”

  Mac agreed. “Strongest woman on the planet. There’s no doubt about that.”

  I knew they were right, but was worried about Ursula. Regardless of what the future held for me and Mac, I couldn’t fathom the idea of anything happening to her.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-NINE

  IT FELT LIKE HOURS UNTIL we finally received word from the surgeon that Ursula’s surgery had been a success. They had repaired the fractures, and she had come out of it with flying colors. She was in the recovery room, so it would still be a while before we could see her, but the news that the surgery was over lightened the mood.

  The waiting room had become like a party. Word of Ursula’s accident had quickly spread around town, and business owners, friends, and neighbors arrived with cookies, sandwiches, flowers, and balloons. Even Garrett showed up. I spotted him hanging near the sliding doors looking uncomfortable.

  I excused myself and walked over to him. “Hey, I guess you heard the news.”

  He gave me a quizzical look. “You called me, remember?”

  “Oh, right.” I’d completely forgotten that I’d left him a message earlier when we were en route to the hospital. “Sorry, it’s been a crazy few hours.”

  “No problem.” Garrett reached for a paper bag at his feet. “I brought this for you. It’s not much, but it was all I could think of in the moment.”

  “Thanks. You didn’t have to bring me anything.”

  “I know.”

  Was it my imagination, or was he blushing? He glanced to the front of the waiting room where Mac, Alex, Hans, and Otto were chatting with friends and munching on snacks. “Listen, I’ve got to get back to the brewery. I just wanted to make sure you were okay and didn’t need anything.”

  “That’s so thoughtful. You didn’t need to come by, but thanks.”

  He pushed the bag at me.

  “I’ll check in later, once we know how Ursula is doing.”

  “You don’t have to come in today.” He started backing out the door. “Be with your family.”

  My family. I picked up the bag and peeked inside. Garrett had filled it with Cool Ranch Doritos. There had to be at least eight bags of chips. I wondered if he’d bought every bag of Cool Ranch Doritos in the supermarket. I couldn’t hide my smile as I walked over to join everyone.

  Otto’s smile was equally wide when the surgeon announced that Ursula was awake and ready for visitors. Everyone in the waiting room let out a cheer. The Krauses were beloved, and the town had come to show their support. I knew that there was going to be a long recovery ahead for Ursula, but if the crowd in the packed waiting room was any indication, she was going to have lots and lots of help.

  When it was my turn to go back, I straightened my shoulders and prepared myself for the worst. She didn’t look as bad as I expected. She didn’t look good either. Her face was ashen, and her normally bright eyes were hazy.

  When she saw it was me, they cleared a bit, but I could tell she was in a daze. The effects of the anesthesia hadn’t worn off completely. “Sloan, my dear, come in. Come sit.”

  I sat next to the bed. Ursula was hooked up to a variety of machines and IVs. I tried to steady my breathing. I didn’t want her to know that I was worried.

  She reached a shaky hand out. I covered her small and bony fingers with mine. “How are you feeling?”

  “I am fine. Nothing to worry about. I needed a new hip anyway. Zis one, it is too old, like me,” she kidded.

  “You gave us a scare.”

  “It is nothing. Do not worry about me. I worry about you, my dear.”

  “That’s ridiculous. You can’t worry about me. You have to take care of yourself right now.”

  “Ja, ja. I will be fine. I will be up and moving in no time, see.”

  “You will follow the doctor’s orders.” I gave her a firm look.

  She laughed. Seeing her smile made me feel better. “I will. I know you will force me to rest.” Then she narrowed her glazed eyes. “Sloan, I do worry about you, you know. You keep things too tight.” She tapped her heart. “In here, you know.”

  I didn’t trust myself to speak. Tears pooled behind my eyes.

  “It is okay for you to let people take care of you.”

  Blinking back tears, I wiped them away with my free hand.

  “It was a hard life for you, I know, but you are a Krause now, and that will never change. No matter what.”

  Her words cut through me. I couldn’t hold back my emotions. Sobs escaped from my lungs as the tears I’d been trying to contain spilled from my eyes.

  She held my hand tighter and let me cry. “Zis is good.”

  When I finally paused to catch my breath, she let go of my hand and pointed to a box of tissues resting on her nightstand. I reached for the tissues and dabbed my eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I just don’t know what I would do without you.”

  She smiled softly. “I feel the same. You are my daughter, Sloan.”

  I gulped and felt my throat start to tighten again. Enough with the tears, I told myself. “Can I get you anything?”

  “No.” She kept her head still as she answered. I could tell she was trying to move as little as possible. “I will sleep again soon, I think.”

  “I’ll let you rest,” I said, pushing back the chair.

  She nodded. “Ja. I will see you soon.”

  I wondered if my eyes were red and puffy as I walked down the sterile hallway to the waiting room. I hadn’t expected to have a sobfest; I had wanted to be strong for her. Instead, she’d been strong for me. How had I gotten so lucky to find a mother like her?

  Alex was waiting to see her next. “How is she, Mom?”

  “She is her same feisty self, a little subdued. They have her on some pretty heavy medication. I think she’s getting tired, so it might be a quick visit.”

  “That’s okay. I just want to see her, you know?”

  I kissed the top of his head. “I know.” I wanted to grab him, hold him tight, and never let him go, but instead I watched him walk down the hallway. I didn’t even realize that Mac had come up beside me until I heard him whisper in my ear.

  “We made a cool kid.”

  I looked at him and nodded. “Yes, we did.”

  “She seems good, don’t you think?”

  “She seems great,” I agreed.

  “I guess this is going to change their plan to scale back slowly.” Mac glanced behind us to his dad, who was talking to a nurse.

  I hadn’t even thought of Der Keller and how Ursula’s injury might affect operations. “Have you heard anything about when she’ll get out and what the follow-up is?”

  “Dad’s talking to the nurse about that now. It sounds like she’ll stay in here for at least three or four days. Then she’ll need around-the-clock care once she’s home. She can’t do stairs.”

  The Krauses owned a three-story Victorian, and their bedroom was on the third floor.

  “Hans and I are going to head back to the brewery soon to talk about hiring someone to come in and help with her care. Dad won’t hear of it, but I don’t think he can do it alone.”

  “No, no way. He can’t do it alone. Imagine things like lifting her into the shower—and what about their bedroom?”

  He nodded. “Exactly. Hans and I are going to move their bed down to the den on the main floor.”

  “I’ll help.”

  “You don’t have to, Sloan.” His eyes searched mine. “I know this has to be hard for you … because of me.”

  “Mac, stop. I love your mom. I love your parents. Regardless of how I feel about you right now, I’m goi
ng to do everything I can to help.”

  “If you’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Alex came back from his time with Ursula a few minutes later. We piled into Mac’s truck and headed for Otto and Ursula’s house. While the guys moved heavy furniture from the third floor to the first, I made a pot of chicken noodle soup and a double batch of peanut butter cookies (Otto’s favorite). Mac must have thanked me twenty times for helping. This was what family did for each other. And like it or not, he was my family.

  CHAPTER

  FORTY

  THE GUYS CLEARED OUT THE den and moved Otto and Ursula’s bed and dressers downstairs while I put the finishing touches on dinner. The kitchen smelled of garlic and fresh herbs. I wanted everything to be hot and ready to serve once Otto came home.

  Mac came in as I placed a lid on the soup. He grabbed a bottle of seltzer from the fridge and leaned against the tile countertop. “I really think we need to get them in-home nursing care right away.”

  “It’s probably a good idea.” I turned the heat to low.

  He twisted off the cap to the seltzer. “Want one?”

  I declined.

  “Sloan, like I said earlier, I don’t know what I would do right now without you.” He paused and chugged the water. “I’ve screwed up with everyone, and I know that I don’t deserve your help.”

  “Everyone?”

  His tone had changed. I had a feeling I knew what he meant, but I wanted to hear him say it.

  “Don’t play dumb. I know that you know.”

  “You mean about your investments.”

  He stared at Ursula’s collection of German china for a minute and then met my gaze. “How did you find out?”

  “This is Leavenworth.”

  “Mama heard, too. She wasn’t happy.”

  “What did you invest in?”

  “Hops. It sounded like a sure thing. Van was convincing. He said he already had five years of solid orders for his hybrid hops.” He polished off the seltzer.