Chapter Six
Austin
I wasn’t lying in bed thinking about what could’ve been with Alma. I wasn’t. I was just awake processing the events of the last few days.
And thinking about Alma.
She felt so good in my arms. We always went together like we were made for each other. Our town wasn’t ready for her in that dress. Hell, I wasn’t ready for Alma in that dress.
She wasn’t that sixteen year old beauty anymore.
She was all woman now.
“Austin!” I heard my name being yelled after a loud thump from downstairs. I’d taken my parents’ old room after Dad had his stroke so he wouldn’t have to worry about going up the stairs and I wouldn’t have to worry about him falling down the stairs either.
“Dad, I’m coming.”
I jumped up and almost killed myself getting out of the room to rush downstairs. He kept yelling my name. He must’ve not heard me answer.
“I’m here, Dad.”
It took what seemed like half an hour to get to the room.
“Dad!” One look in the room and my heart plummeted to my stomach in fear. He was face down on the floor in his pajamas. His walker was across the room.
There was blood coming from under his head.
I rushed to my knees and grunted as I turned him over. He was dead weight even though he was moving his arms, it wasn’t helping.
Looking at his face, I inspected every inch until I found his mouth and nose were bleeding but I couldn’t tell if the blood on his nose was from his mouth or the other way around. His eyes were glassy, and he was clearly out of it because he continued to call my name.
I needed help.
I pulled the house phone from its resting place near his bed and called her. I didn’t want to, but at this point, I only trusted one person in the world with my dad’s health.
She answered with a groggy voice, and I pursed my lips before speaking.
“Alma, Dad fell. I’m not sure what happened. But there’s blood and bruising. He’s out of it.”
She told me to give her ten minutes.
I heard the concern in her voice and knew she would be on time for him.
“Come on, Dad.” I cursed under my breath, thinking maybe his blood sugar was low again. It would explain the glassy eyes.
I scrambled across the room, grabbing the glucometer. A few seconds and beeps later, I was giving him a shot of insulin in his stomach.
“Hey, what happened?”
She was cool and calm as ever. Always had been.
“I don’t know. I woke up to him calling for me and found him face down. His blood sugar was forty-two, so I gave him some insulin. He was bleeding too. I think he hit his mouth on the floor when he fell.”
“Okay. Let me assess him on the floor and then we can get him on the bed.”
She went to work while I gave her some space to move around. Mumbling a few things to herself, she wrote on her hand with a pen, probably needing to take real records later.
“His blood pressure is a little low, but that could be from the low blood sugar. His glucose seems to be okay now, thanks to you. The bleeding is coming from his lip. He probably busted it on the floor when he fell. He needs to be cleaned up.”
I moved to start cleaning up his lip. Alma stopped me with her hand on my wrist.
“Austin, he needs more than his lip cleaned. Let me do my job, okay? Just help me get him on the bed.”
Looking down, I noticed my poor father must have urinated on himself after the fall since his bed was still dry.
I was a horrible son.
“I’m sorry. Yeah, let’s get him on the bed.”
It took a lot of wrangling, but Alma knew just how to balance his weight against her smaller frame. And the woman was ten times stronger than she looked.
There’s no way I could’ve done it without her.
“Why don’t you clean yourself up, and I’ll take care of this.” I hesitated. He was my father and no matter what it was hard to watch someone else take better care of him than I could.
“Hey, I’ve got this. He’s important to me too. I’ll be finished before he even comes to. I promise.” She held out her pinky and smiled at me. It was a gesture that used to mean everything to me.
Her pinky swears were for life.
Most of the time.
I walked out without returning the swear but knew that it meant business.
Dragging myself up to my room, I changed into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, embarrassed that I’d been in my boxers in front of Alma the whole time. Hopefully, she’d been too busy with Dad to notice.
I waited outside the room, listening to the sounds of her taking care of him. She cooed at him, calming him and gently singing about how he was going to be okay.
It wasn’t even ten minutes later when she opened the door.
“Hey, he’s awake now. He wants to talk to you.”
She stepped out and got so close to me that her chest pressed against my side as she rose up on her tiptoes. I could smell her shampoo, and it made my stomach warm and my heart pound uncontrollably.
“He doesn’t know anything about the mess and we are going to leave it that way. Our secret, okay?”
Her whisper burned in my ear and caused a vibration of shivers to ripple through my body.
I nodded, completely unable to form words.
She nodded and gathered the pile of laundry in the hallway.
“I can get that,” I said, finally finding my voice.
“Nope. You go talk to him.” She winked at me.
She could bring down an entire army with that wink.
I went into the room and Dad was looking out the window into the night.
“Hey, Dad. Next time you want a pizza, just ask.”
He chuckled a little, his belly jumping with the motion. “Just wanted to try to go to the bathroom by myself.”
“Little by little, Dad. Isn’t that what you always told me.”
He grunted. “I get aggravated.”
“I can’t imagine how aggravated you get. I’m sorry for that. But let’s try to be patient. Breaking your face open won’t make you walk any faster.”
He reached up with two fingers and touched his bottom lip then sucked in a hiss through his teeth. “Hurts.”
“Maybe Alma can give you something for it.”
“Already on it.” She came in just in time with a needle in her hand and a small computer. “I’ve entered all my notes. Say what you want to now ‘cause this morphine is gonna knock you naked, Mr. Chambers.”
He smiled up at her, that smile reserved only for her. “You promise?”
“Such a flirt! Oh goodness, I always knew Austin got it from you. Shame on you. Anything you need before I give you this?”
In addition to Dad’s busted lip, he was bruised all over. His arms had some new bandages on them and his lip was double the regular size. There was even a cut near his ear.
“I love you, Dad. See you in the morning.” I spoke before he did, needing to get the sentiment out.
“Love you, Austin, and you too, Alma. Both of you.”
Alma leaned down and kissed his forehead before sticking the needle in his arm. He smiled at me once before his eyelids drooped and he grew still.
“Thanks, Alma. I… I don’t know how I would’ve…”
“I know.” She scooted closer and leaned against my side. This time, I offered her my pinky finger.
It was a whole hell of a lot more than a finger I was offering her.
It was a truce.
It was my heart.
It was my gratitude.
She linked her finger through mine and swung it a little.
“I’m gonna sleep on the couch, just in case he needs me again.”
I chuckled, not being able to help myself. “Last time you spent the night it didn’t end so well. You sure about that?”
She closed her eyes. Maybe trying to remember. Maybe trying to forget.
“I’m a big girl now. Dad knows I have to spend the night sometimes. I’m not that sixteen year old girl wrapped in your arms in the barn, Austin.”
“No, I can see that. Why don’t you take my bed.”
“No, I want to be down here in case he calls me.”
I put my index finger to my mouth. “If I recall correctly you sleep like the dead. Are you sure you’re gonna hear him?”
She laughed and blushed at the same time. “Now I wake up at the sound of a mouse farting. Not even kidding. Nurse life.”
“Okay. Have it your way. Let me get you some blankets and pillows. Hold tight.”
I left the room but on my way out, I swore I heard her say, “I will this time.”