Escaping the Past (Wester Farms) (6 page)

“Looks like they’re ready for us. Let’s go.” The rest of the food was left uneaten as they rose from their seats. Lou dumped the contents of their tray in the trash on the way out the door.

They entered the elevator and Lou looked over
at
Brody
. He wasn’t at all what she’d expected.
“Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For giving some of my mother back to me,” Lou replied quietly.
She hated the quiver in her voice.

But he just heaved a sigh and looked directly into her eyes. His slate grey gaze was slightly disconcerting in its intensity.
“You did the same for me when you called and told me to come home.”

Lou jerked her gaze from his and raised a fingernail to nibble on it. It would be nice to find out the prognosis for Mrs. Wester. The floors dinged by slowly on the display until the doors opened and they stepped out. The doctor was hunched over the nurses’ station with a pen in hand. He looked up and scowled as they approached.

“Your mother, Dr. Wester, is suffering from
congestive heart failure
.” Brody’s indrawn breath and swear were all Lou needed to realize the seriousness of the situation. “I need to ask you some questions.” The ER doc motioned to a chair and indicated they both should sit.

“How long has your mother had a cough?”

Brody looked toward Lou and she replied, “About two months. It has gotten worse in the past week. She coughs more when she is lying down.”

“And her shortness of breath?”

“She has
n’t
t been very active in
the past few
months. She just said she was extra tired.”

“I can see why. Her x-ray showed there is fluid in the lungs and her heart is enlarged.”

“Can I see it?” Brody asked.

“Sure.” The ER doc moved over to the lighted x-ray viewer and switched it on. He hung the x-ray on the viewer and pointed with a pencil to the right side of the heart. “You can see here that blood has engorged the right side of the heart.”

Brody nodded. “You can see the blood backed up in the veins. Dam
n
it.” He swore.

“Your mother’s fingertips and toes were blue when she arrived…”

Brody cut him off mid-sentence. “Indicating a loss of blood flow to the extremities.” Brody sighed again. “What’s your recommendation?”

“I would suggest using a combination of diuretics like Lasix, vasodilators, ACE inhibitors
,
and calcium channel blockers,” the doctor replied.

Brody nodded. His jaw tight enough that it was ticking.

“I know it’s not easy for you, son, being a surgeon and not being able to help someone so close to you.” The ER doc
tor
squeezed
Brody
’s
shoulder gently.

“You have no idea,” Brody responded as he extended a hand to shake.

“Let me know if you need anything. You can go in and see her briefly in the ICU
,
but she needs to rest.”

Brody wiped his hand over his face as though he could wipe away the frown lines that now marred his features as the other doctor walked away. Lou reached out her hand to touch his shoulder.

“What did all that mean?” she asked gently.

“It means my mother is dying,” he breathed in response.

Lou’s hand fell from his shoulder as her world narrowed to black.

****

Lou felt a tickling breath on her cheek as her name was spoken softly.

“Lou…wake up, sleeping beauty.”

Lou
stretched her body only to find she was reclining in Brody’s lap in a chair in the waiting room. One of his arms was behind her back, supporting her and his other hand was holding her wrist, checking her pulse as he counted the seconds.

“What happened?” Lou sat forward in his lap.

“You fainted.” Brody
mouth quirked like he was holding back a grin.

“I do not faint
.” Lou laid a hand on her chest. Of all the ideas!

“Then how else did you get in my lap? You didn’t crawl there, as pleasant as that may sound.”

“Oh, you!” Lou growled as she sat forward and quickly remembered the events that had just transpired. “Your mom…”

“Is waiting to see us, I’m sure. Feel up to it?” he asked gently.
His voice was soft and his gaze wary.

“Absolutely. Can I go, too? Or do you want some time alone with her?” She lifted herself from his lap and stood in front of him. She brushed her hair from her face. His only response was to take her by the hand and go through the double doors leading to the elevator and then the ICU. The nurse pointed to a curtained area and they both poked their heads around the corner.

Brody walked to the right side of the bed while Lou walked to the left. Mrs. Wester was huddled amid the covers, her face
as white as the sheets around her
. Some of the blue tint had receded since the scare in the ambulance
,
so she looked more like herself. She woke briefly when Lou took one hand and Brody took the other. Her eyes opened slowly.

“Hey. My two favorite people,” Mrs. Wester said softly.

“How are you feeling?” Lou asked quietly, still holding her hand.

“With my fingers. How about you?”

Brody chuckled softly. “I see you
’re
feeling better.”

“I’ll be back up and about in no time, I’m sure.” Her determined statement didn
’
t quite reach her eyes. “You two should go home and get some rest.”

“We will. We just wanted to say goodnight, Mom.”

“Goodnight,
s
on.
‘
Night, Lou,” she muttered, her eyes closing as she spoke.

Brody released her hand and checked the IV bag that was pumping into his mother’s frail arm. “What’s that?”

Lou asked.

“This one is a Lasix drip to help with fluid buildup and allow the heart to pump more normally. The other one is dextrose, saline
,
and potassium. The Lasix depletes potassium in the body so you have to add it back in.” Lou looked at him with
what must have been
a blank look on her face. He groaned and said, “So, this one is sugar, water, and something like bananas. Make sense?”

“Clear as mud, Doc,” she mumbled. “Will she improve with this?”

“She’ll improve for a while.”
His voice was soft as he
bent over the bed and brushed the hair from his mother’s forehead and
then
kissed her gently. “But not forever.”

Lou raised Mrs. Wester’s hand to her lips and kissed it, then placed the hand back on the covers.

“Ready to go home?” Brody asked.

“Whenever you are,” Lou replied.

Lou and Brody walked through the sliding doors and toward the parking lot. The pavement was blackened and damp with rain. Lou’s shoes made slapping sounds as she walked toward the car.

“Mary? Mary Smith? Is that you, child?”
S
someone call
ed
from across the parking lot and
Lou
heard quick footfalls approaching. A hand with skinny fingers clutched her arm. Lou turned and looked into a face that had been roughened by the hands of time. Her heartbeat quickened.

“I’m sorry. Do I know you?”
Lou’s tongue nearly refused to work.

“Mary Lou, it’s me, Mrs. Downy. I lived next door to your family when you lived on Broad Street. That must have been about eight years ago.”

Lou
raised her nose
a few inches and she assumed a rigid pose. “I’m sorry but you must be thinking of someone else.” She removed the older woman’s hand from her arm and turned to walk away.

Mrs. Downy said softly, “I’m sorry. I had you mistaken for someone I used to know.”
She said something more, but Lou didn’t hear the words,
because she was already in the Jeep with the door closed, sweat beading her forehead.

Brody walked over to the driver’s side door and motioned for Lou to move over. She hesitated briefly and then slid across to the passenger’s seat.

Brody slid into the driver’s seat and held out his hand for the keys. “Are you ok
ay
? You’re not going to faint on me again, are you?” he asked, backing out of the parking space.

“No! Of course not. Once in a lifetime is plenty.”
She’d never live it down if she did it more than once.

Brody raised a hand in mock surrender. “Hey, I’ll take any excuse I can get to have a woman sprawled across my lap.” His attempt at levity eased some of the tension that hung in the air
like a wet blanket.

Lou bit back a grin.
“You probably have women sprawled across your lap all the time
.
”
Why did she say that?

He grinned at her. “Actually, my lap is usually too busy to have anyone sprawled across it.” His eyes cut in her direction as they narrowed. “I stay pretty busy at the hospital.”

“When do you have to go back home to go to work? Soon?” she asked, realizing it would be better to change the subject.

“I’m going to take a short leave of absence. I have a month of vacation time to burn and I am not leaving until something happens with my mother. You do know it’s just a matter of time, right?” He put on his best doctor’s face despite the fear that
must be
gnaw
ing
at his gut.

“I understand.” Tears filled her eyes, yet refused to spill. “Is there any chance she can come home?”

“Maybe. It’s something we have to discuss with the doctors. We have to let her come out of the ICU before they
’
ll even consider it.”

“I can help take care of her when she does come home. We all will.” Her innocent comment had him raising his eyebrows.

Brody’s eyes met Lou’s. “That’s what you do, isn’t it? You take care of people?” His voice softened. “Does anyone ever take care of you, Lou?”

“I don’t nee
d-
”

Brody cut her off. “We all need to be taken care of, Lou… Even you.” He reached across the seat and took her hand gently in his. Her next comment was as lost as the breeze coming through the open window. His strong hand enveloped hers and held it gently between them on the console
.
“Thanks for sitting with me today, Lou. You made the hours seem bearable.”

“You’re welcome. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.” The sentiment was cut short as her stomach betrayed her again with a loud growl. She removed her hand from his and pressed it to her belly. “Good grief,” she mumbled.

He chuckled lightly. “Feel like some ice cream?” he asked as they passed the Dairy Barn.

“I always feel like ice cream,” she responded, a grin stealing across her
lips
. “Sarah convinces Sadie and Jeb to hook up the hay wagon all the time
,
and we all pile in the back and come here for ice cream. She would be jealous if she knew where we are.”