Ariana’s wrist ached, as she finally signed the last of the documents the hospital used to cover their asses, as they released her father with a trunkful of meds and scripts. She would have thought they’d be a little less hesitant since he was going home with his daughter, who was a paramedic halfway through med school and a full-time nurse. However, she saw the hesitation on their faces as she entered his room, as they were disconnecting their machines.
“I assume you want the IV taps left in,” Kendra, the forty-something nurse with the pleasant smile that Vince had hired, asked.
“Yes, please. We’ll be changing them every few days, but I want to be able to get him hooked up quickly back at home.” She stopped, her mind reeling that she’d just referred to Vince’s house as home. She supposed, in a way, it was. She’d be spending a hell of a lot more time there, after all.
“That works for me; but, I’d suggest changing them tomorrow morning. Whoever has been in charge of this hasn’t even cleaned them properly in probably a week, much less changed them out.
Bristling, Ariana tried to ignore further evidence of abuse. When this was over, she was filing a lawsuit against this hospital, and when she won that lawsuit, she’d have the money—and the medical license—to come in and revamp this hospital into a place where you could trust people to care for your loved ones in your absence. It would become a place where there was more treatment going on than gossip.
She took her father’s bony fingers in hers and stroked them until he stirred. “Dad? I need you to wake up for just a minute, Dad. Can you hear me?”
He made a small noise and nodded his head almost imperceptibly. She touched his forehead, feeling the fever burning through his body. “Dad, we’re going to move you. You’ll be in the back of an ambulance for about twenty minutes, and you’ll get jostled around a little. You won’t have your pain meds dripping, so it’s going to be uncomfortable for a while. Are you following me?”
He nodded again and coughed. “Where are we going?” he rasped. “Am I dying?”
“Not today, and not for a while if we can help it,” Kendra called out from behind them.
Ariana gave her father a reassuring smile, as he opened his eyes to squint at her. “No, we’re going to take you somewhere so you can be more comfortable and have constant care.” She motioned for Kendra to come over. “This is Kendra. She’s going to be a full-time nurse for you, and I’ll be there a lot, too. When neither of us are there, you’ll have Vince.”
“Where?” he asked again. “Can’t go home.”
He was right, and that pissed Ariana off. However, she pushed it down to deal with at another time. “No, we’re not taking you home. And I don’t have room in my apartment, but Vince was nice enough to fix up a room in his house. There’s all the hospital equipment, and you can even go into the shower in your wheelchair. Kendra, Vince, and I are going to keep you cleaner, healthier, and better medicated.”
She saw a tear form in one of his eyes, and she nearly broke. “Ariana, I don’t have enough money for this.”
“It’s alright, Dad. You aren’t paying a dime.” He started to protest, but she stroked a hand over his cheek to calm and quiet him. “It’s being handled. Remember, someday, I’m going to be a rich and famous doctor, too. Anything I borrow or spend now, I’ll be able to pay back with a single check.”
“And most of it, she’ll never need to pay back, Dr. Powell.” Ariana looked up at Vince, as he stepped into the room, and she stared. She’d become accustomed to the days he was in normal garb, and she still felt a bit shocked every time she saw him in his ratty but fitted jeans, dark t-shirt, Iron Claws jacket, and motorcycle boots. Today, he even had a bandana tied around his head, his hair falling over it in thick locks, and his eyes were dancing. “It’s on me, Doc.”
Ariana’s love poured from her and filled her, as her father reached out weakly for Vince’s hand, bringing his and Ariana’s together in his lap. “Ari, you chose well. I told you to think it over.”
“Great, Dad. It’s a perfect time for ‘I told you so,’” she quipped, sarcastically. “But yes, I chose well, and I’m not going to give up this time.”
Her father turned to Vince. “I want to call you my son.”
Vince put on his most charming smile. “Well, I have to do a little more work here to earn it, but I would be honored if you thought of me that way.” He stared across at Ariana, and her heart melted. She didn’t need her mother or her sister. These two men—and perhaps Sal—were her family, and that was enough for her. There was more love filling this room than had ever existed in that whole museum of a house she’d grown up in.
She backed up, seeing the orderlies coming to wheel her father out. “I’ll meet you by the ambulance, Dad. I’m going to ride with you.” She watched him go, leaning against Vince for support. She couldn’t wrap her mind around how much better her life was with him. Two months ago, she thought she was as happy as could be. Sure, she had issues with a few people spreading rumors, but other than that she’d existed without problems in her solitary world.
But now, she saw how miserable she’d been, and aside from that, she couldn’t have done this for her father without his help. She barely managed her own finances as it was.
“Hey, Ms. Powell, why don’t you ride with Mr. Larson? I’d be more than happy to ride with your father and make sure he’s as comfortable as possible on the way,” Kendra offered.
Ariana started to shake her head, but Vince squeezed her hand. “You should step back. I know you have the experience and credentials to do this, but it’s your father. You should take a step back before your emotions outweigh your reasoning.”
Reluctantly, she agreed and thanked Kendra, as they all headed to the elevator and rode to the ground floor. Vince carried the file folder with all the signed paperwork, and Kendra had a huge packet of instructions and information regarding her father’s conditions, expected treatments, and medication regimen. Ariana’s heart pounded in her chest, and she found herself incredibly anxious, as if she suddenly couldn’t believe this was real. However, the heat rolling off Vince’s hand as he threaded his fingers in hers was not a dream, and she took a deep breath to try to relieve her misgivings.
Once they arrived at Vince’s house, Ariana stood out front, waiting for the ambulance, which was apparently a few minutes behind them. She imagined all manner of things going wrong; but, after it arrived, they had her father stashed in the new bed with the new sheets and hooked up to monitors, machines, and the IV in less than half an hour.
The medics left, and she thanked them, making a mental note to send them some homemade brownies or something. Then, she stood in the doorway to her father’s new room, leaning against the doorframe and watching him as his pain began to ease again and he rested peacefully.