Chapter 11

I awoke from a hard sleep when I heard someone pull the curtain back beside the hospital bed. I’d spent the night curled up in the chair next to the gigantic hospital bed and my body felt cramped, but I ignored the soreness of my body as I looked towards the person now peering at me. I’d spent most of the night worrying, pacing, praying, hoping for a miracle.

And this morning I’d gotten exactly the miracle I hoped for as I rubbed my eyes and saw him sitting up in bed.

“Hi, Dad. How are you feeling?”

“Felt better yesterday. I barely slept. You were snoring so loud I thought about having the nurses remove you.”

“I guess that means you’re feeling better.”

“I would if I could get this dang curtain down. Makes me feel dead having this curtain around me.”

“Wow, Dad. You just had a stroke, leave the curtain alone.”

“A stroke? I feel fine.”

“You might feel fine but the doctors want you to take it easy.”

“They’re trying to kill me.”

“I’m pretty sure they’re not.”

“You’re too trusting.”

“You’re too ornery.”

“I hate doctors.”

“Mom’s a doctor.”

“She’s the exception to the rule. Where is she by the way?”

I didn’t answer. I stood up and wrapped my arms around him. He sat stiffly before finally hugging me back.

I felt tears falling down my face and plopping on the top of his bald shiny head. “Are you crying or did the ceiling just spring a leak?”

“Both,” I teased. Reluctantly, I let him go.

“Stop the crying,” he said, looking around for a handkerchief. He always kept a handkerchief in his pocket. That was a difficult feat when wearing a hospital gown. I grossed him out by using the sleeve of my shirt.

“I’m going to pretend that I didn’t see that,” he said, lying back down.

“But seriously, how are you feeling?”

“Just tired. Did they say when I can leave?”

“A few days, I think. They want to run some more tests.”

“That’s because I have insurance. The good kind. If I didn’t they would have just made sure I was alive and sent me on my way.”

Dad was such a cynic.

“I need to get home to Sadie, but I’ll be back. Mom should be on her way.”

“Who’s watching Sadie?” he asked, trying to sit up again.

I stopped him. “Relax, Dad. Kenny’s here.”

He smiled. “Kenny? He’s going to have her sashaying up and down the hallway like she’s a runway model. And then who will I have around to play checkers with? He’s going to turn her into a diva.”

“I promise Kenny won’t do any permanent damage,” I teased.

“He’d better not. That Kenny,” Dad said, chuckling.

“Get some rest. I’ll see you soon.”

He grunted and then soon enough he was snoring. I stood staring down at him and slowly took his hand in mine. I squeezed it and he surprised me by squeezing back.

“Love you, Daddy,” I said, kissing his forehead before making my way out.

I almost ran into my mom who looked frazzled.

“Hi, honey. How’s he looking?”

“About the same.”

“Ok. Thanks for staying with him. I had a long night. Full moon and all that.” My mom swore that the full moon brought out all the weirdos and as an emergency room physician, she’d seen her share of weird things.

“You know I don’t mind staying longer.”

“No,” she said giving me a light push towards the elevator. “Go home to your daughter. I’ll stay with your father.”

I knew there was no point in arguing with her. When her mind was made up, there was no point in trying to change it.

I got on the elevator and sighed as I pushed the down button. I was so tired. As soon as I had gotten off the elevator at Griffin’s place, I’d called my mom back, feeling frantic.

She’d told me with tears in her voice that she’d found Dad unconscious and was waiting for the attending physician to give her an update. I hadn’t hesitated. I’d gone directly from Griffin’s house to the airport and called Kenny on the way.

He dropped whatever he was doing and had joined me as we waited for the flight back to Georgia. We’d held hands like scared little kids as we waited for our flight. We barely spoke, both deep in thought, and worried about my dad. We were a close-knit family. Worrying about each other is what we did best.

When we had landed, we’d stopped at my mom’s house to relieve the sitter. Kenny had volunteered to stay with a sleeping Sadie until I came back.

Mom couldn’t find anyone to cover for her at work so she’d been stuck working while Dad was in the hospital. Luckily, it was the same hospital she worked for.

And now I was on my way back to Mom’s house to get Sadie and relieve Kenny.

Home was only ten minutes from the hospital and when I pulled up, I saw Kenny chasing behind Sadie. They were jumping over my dad’s pond full of his precious koi, chasing each other with water guns.

“Mom!” Sadie yelled when she saw me. She dropped the gun and ran full speed into me, knocking the wind out of me in the process.

“Wow! I guess you missed me!”

“I missed you so, so, so, so, so much,” she said, hugging me tightly.

“I missed you so, so, so, so, so much, too,” Kenny said, smiling brightly as he blasted me with a spray of cold water.

“Kenny!”

“Ha! Just like old times!” he yelled, blasting me again.

“Watch this, Sadie,” I said, bending down to retrieve her weapon as I mercilessly let Kenny have it. He hit the ground and tried to crawl away.

I stood over him and soaked him with the remaining water in the gun.

“I give up! I give up!” he yowled, and Sadie watched it all while laughing deep belly laughs.

“Mom, you’re silly.”

“She’s the worst!” Kenny yelled from his position on the ground.

“Hey, you want more?”

“Didn’t I tell you?” Kenny said raising himself up on his elbows, addressing Sadie.

“Tell her what?” I said, looking at him suspiciously.

“Your mom loves to beat me up.”

“Oh my gosh, we beat each other up. Don’t listen to him, Sadie.”

I helped Kenny up even though I wanted to push him back down, and together the three of us covered in dirt and water made our way inside Mom’s house.

“God, this place brings back so many memories. Remember how short we were and when we wanted to drink water from the faucet we had to put our feet on the vanity and lean over?”

I nodded. “We weren’t that much older than Sadie is now.”

“Those were the best of times.”

We placed Sadie in front of the television and made our way to the kitchen to talk.

“So, how is he?” Kenny asked, putting his hands in his pockets and looking at me anxiously.

“Stable... he’s stable. They want to run some tests, but the worst is over.”

“Do they know how it happened?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, no one really talked to me.” I felt helpless and useless. I felt like a little girl, even though I was raising one of my own.

Kenny held out his arms and I stepped into them. He hugged me tight and rested his chin on top of my head.

“We’ll get through this together. He’ll be fine. You’ll see. He has all of us. He’ll be fine.”

I squeezed my eyes closed, hoping to God that Kenny was right.

And then I felt arms circling my waist and realized that Sadie had joined us in a group hug. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You feel left out?”

She shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

I picked her up and hugged her tight. “You can head to the H-O-S-P-I-T-A-L. We’ll be ok,” I said to Kenny looking over my shoulder at him.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

He ruffed up my hair and then Sadie’s and left.

“So... what should we do now?” I said to Sadie, so happy to be home even though the situation was less than ideal.

“Make brownies?”

“Yum yum, brownies. Sounds like a plan.”

I placed her down and thought again how wonderful it was to be home.

Four hours later, Sadie was taking a nap next to me on the couch. I was reading a book, or at least trying to. My focus was off and I found myself staring at the wall, worrying about Dad. I texted Kenny, but he hadn’t gotten back to me yet. I didn’t want to call Mom because I was sure she was busy with Dad.

I laid Sadie down on the couch and started cleaning. I needed to keep busy or else I would go insane. I heard a car pull up in my driveway and looked out the window, expecting to see Kenny, but it was Mom’s car.

She climbed out slowly, looking tired. I opened the door and waited on the porch for her. She climbed the steps looking weary and beat down.

She didn’t notice me standing there with the door open until she was almost on top of me. “Oh, wow... I didn’t even see you standing there.”

“You’re tired,” I said, stepping out of the way as she entered the house.

She collapsed on a chair in the sitting room and sighed. “Nina,” she said tiredly, “don’t get married. I swear your dad made me sprout seven new gray hairs today. And all on my chin. Don’t tell anyone that. My hairy secret goes to the grave, got it?”

“Got it,” I said with a small smile, happy that she could still joke at a time like this.

“How are you doing, Mom? How are you holding up?” I sat down in the little antique chair across from her.

“I’m doing ok. Your dad is driving me crazy. He’s the worst patient.”

“Yeah, I can imagine that. You know how cranky he gets when he’s sick.”

“Oh yeah, he hates being fawned over as he calls it. He slaps at the nurses’ hands, tells off the doctors. He’s just a handful.”

“That’s Daddy for you.”

She smiled. “He’s going to be fine. It’s my reputation at the hospital that I’ll have to worry about. They might all hate me just by association.”

“Guilty by association.”

“Yeah, your dad is getting quite the reputation and dragging me down with him,” she laughed.

“So, he’s going to be alright?”

“Yep. He might need a few physical therapy sessions, but otherwise he’ll be fine. I’ll have to change his diet.”

“Oh nooo!”

“That’s what he said. No more steaks and potatoes. Veggies and fish from now on.”

“He’s going to have to cancel all his outdoor parties.”

My dad planned outdoor parties every summer and invited nearly everyone in the neighborhood and everyone who visited the neighborhood. One year the postman had shown up, the FedEx driver and the man who maintained some of the local yards.

“I’m glad he’s going to be alright. I’m also glad I’m home.”

“Speaking of which, I’m sorry, I just panicked. I should have waited to call you. I’m a doctor yet I panicked!” she said with disbelief in her voice.

“Well, for the first time it was you who was the family of the patient. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Did you lose your job because of me?”

I shook my head. “We were done filming.” She paused and I could easily guess what was coming next. “So did you talk to him?”

I didn’t play coy. I knew who she was talking about.

“Yep.”

“And?”

“It didn’t go well. His mother showed up and pretty much made sure that he thought the worst of me... not to mention his sister had a daughter and never told the father. And he, of course, resents his sister for that.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah, so he’s not too thrilled about me now.”

Mom sighed. “So, what happens now?”

“I put all this behind me and try to be the best mom I can be despite the circumstances.”

She nodded, her eyes showing me without words how proud of me she was. “You’re resilient, Nina, whether you give yourself credit or not. When the going gets tough, you don’t just buckle under pressure. Sadie’s lucky that you’re her mom.”

I teared up a little and swiped at my eyes. “You’re going to make me cry!”

She waved her hands in the air and said, “Sorry... this family has done enough crying these past few days. Come on, let’s go make some brownies.”

“You sound like your granddaughter.”

“Well, that little girl has a good head on her shoulders, courtesy of her grandma.”

We laughed and headed into the kitchen, grateful beyond words that Dad would be fine.

* * *

The next day I woke up in my own bed and stretched. It wasn’t a king size bed like Griffin’s, but it was cheap and comfortable. At the time when I bought it, those had been my only requirements.

I rolled over and found Sadie right next to me. She was wide awake playing with her wooden alphabets. She was lining them up in order and practicing the sounds that each letter made. In between each sound, she sang a little song.

She was just as smart as she was adorable. I sat up and pointed to one of the letters, letting out a big yawn.

“What letter is that?” I said after I was done yawning.

“B!” she said excitedly.

“And what sound does it make?”

“Buh—buh-buh,” she said.

“Good job, and what words start with B?”

She stared at the letter and then said, “Bus... baby… balloon.”

I held my hand out. “High-five! Good job!”

She gave me a high-five and continued organizing her letters.

I heard a noise from elsewhere in the house and then I instantly relaxed. I had forgotten for a moment that Kenny was still staying with us.

“Let’s go get breakfast.”

“I ate eggs. And toast. Already,” she said not looking up.

Of course, Kenny had cooked. He just loved making me look bad, I thought sourly.

It was then that I could smell hints of spices coming from the kitchen. I left Sadie playing and ventured to the kitchen.

Bacon. Eggs. Pork chops smothered in gravy. Grits and biscuits. There were even sausages.

“Kenny, what’s up with this feast?”

“Happiness,” came a voice from behind me and I let out a surprised shriek. I turned around and saw a familiar face. I hugged him instantly.

“Cyril! It’s so good to see you! What are you doing here?”

“When Kenny didn’t answer his phone I knew something must be wrong. You know how he’s always attached to it. Anyway, so when I finally reached him I knew he couldn’t handle this alone, so I flew in.”

“That’s so sweet,” I said.

“I know. I’m a sweet guy,” Cyril said, and I couldn’t suppress my smile.

“Where’s Kenny now?”

“He said he had to go to town for something. He’ll be back.”

I was helping myself to a second helping of eggs and Sadie was chowing down on a muffin when Kenny’s car pulled up.

He got out and the expression on his face looked guilty. Confused, I stood up and walked towards the window. And then another car pulled up right behind him. I didn’t recognize it.

“Who’s that?” Cyril asked.

I shrugged. “I’m not expecting any visitors.”

The car stopped right next to Kenny’s and Kenny patiently waited for whoever it was to get out.

My fists balled up and my heart rate picked up when I saw who had dared come to my house.

“Who’s the good looking dude?” Cyril inquired standing next to me peering out the window.

“Griffin...”

“Sadie’s fath—”

I sent him a look, not wanting Sadie to overhear.

“Sadie, why don’t you go play dolls with Cyril? You can show him your doll house.”

“Ok,” she said. “Come on. It’s awesome.”

“I had a doll house when I was your age,” I could hear him say as they disappeared down the hall.

I wiped my face and opened the front door. Kenny looked at me guiltily as I came out onto the porch.

“It’s not my fault,” were the first words out of his mouth.

“I don’t want to hear it. Go inside, Kenny.”

He looked at me and then at Griffin, and then shrugged his shoulders and did as he was told.

“What are you doing here, Griffin?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe.”

“I’m sorry for how I handled things. I messed up. I want to talk.”

“It’s too late for that,” I said, turning around, ready to go back into the house.

It was then that I saw Sadie standing there, staring at us through the window.

He noticed her too and stared, anchored to that spot. I pushed at him. “Get in your car now. Let’s go.”

He finally woke up out of his brief moment of shock and got in the car. I climbed in next to him and said curtly, “Drive.”

“Where?”

“Just drive!” I shouted. I was a ball of nerves and I knew I was being irrational. Griffin didn’t know where to go in town. He wasn’t from here.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said softly.

“She’s the spitting image of my little sister,” he said after a while. “We don’t even have the same father, but she looks just like Nora.”

I didn’t comment. I was too busy texting Kenny to keep an eye on Sadie.

He texted back, “I already have that covered. Good luck!”

I sat back and rested my head against the headrest. And then I abruptly sat up. “What the hell was that all about, Griffin? What the hell were you thinking showing up like that?” I was close to shouting, but managed to keep my voice down. It was a struggle to say the least.

“Yeah, I messed up.”

“How did you know where I was? Or where I lived?”

“That part was easy. Richard gave me your address.”

“Richard is terrible with confidentiality.”

“Yeah, you can’t trust him.”

“No kidding.”

“Anyway, he gave me your address, but I was still having trouble finding you so I stopped in town and ran into Kenny at the grocery store when I stopped to ask for directions.”

“And of course he led you to me.”

“Well, he tried to pretend that he didn’t see me. He hid behind his jacket and tried to sneak out, which made him even more noticeable... so don’t be too mad at him.”

The image he conjured of Kenny sneaking around trying to look inconspicuous would have made me laugh on a normal day. Today wasn’t a normal day.

“I’m going to be honest with you, I’m too emotionally spent to talk to you right now. My dad is in the hospital, my mom needs me. I don’t have the luxury of playing house with you right now.”

He winced. “What happened to your dad?”

“He had a stroke. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Is he okay?”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it.” It came out more forcefully than I’d intended.

“Ok...”

We drove in silence and finally I gave in. “He’s going to be fine. He’ll just need physical therapy and a diet change.”

“Yikes.”

“That’s what I said. The man loves pork chops smothered in gravy.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad he’s going to be alright. I know how much you love him.” He glanced at me and said, “Should I just keep driving in circles?”

“I don’t know.” Suddenly I realized that I honestly didn’t know. I didn’t know what was next for my dad or my mom. I didn’t know what was next for Kenny and Cyril. And I didn’t know what was next for me and Sadie. So maybe I had to deal with the here and now... which meant dealing with Griffin.

“I know that we need to talk.”

“Yeah, we do. Is there any place private we can go?”

I thought about what would be open at this time of morning and would also give us at least a little privacy. “The mall?”

Not the most romantic spot, I thought, and then admonished myself. We didn’t need romantic, we needed practical. The mall would be just fine. I gave him directions all the while wondering just how exactly Griffin’s trip would play out. And I also wondered how many ways his sudden presence here would change not only my life, but Sadie’s as well.