Chapter Thirty-Seven
Darla
Another agonizingly long day. Stella made it through another surgery and is now resting in her room. I’m so sick of the doctor saying he doesn’t know when she’ll start responding to the treatment. His stock “only time will tell” answer pisses me off. Her leg doesn’t appear as cherry-red today, in my opinion, but I try not to focus on anything except her pretty little face. I’m so proud of how strong her little body has been, but even the strongest have limits to what they can handle. She’s so much like her daddy—so mild-mannered on the outside, but tough as nails on the inside.
I can’t imagine how empty my life would be without my sweet Stella. I feel so empty thinking about the possibility of losing her. She’s my life. I don’t remember even living before she was born. She gave my life purpose.
Theo thumbs through Stella’s chart, taking in every note, every lab, every medication dosage. He scribbles a dose calculation on a napkin to double-check what has been prescribed. “Her urine creatinine is a little elevated today.”
The nurse practitioner should be used to his micromanagement of her care by now, but I would be ready to smack him if I were the nurse on duty.
She focuses on the lab results. “I’ll make sure the doctor knows. It’s such a slight change, he probably won’t think it’s significant.”
“It’s significant to me,” Theo says. “In addition to her bacterial infection, she has a family history of type one diabetes, so I would appreciate it if you would pass this… insignificant finding on to the doctor.”
She clears her throat. “I’ll let him know.”
“Thank you,” I say, trying to intervene before Theo bites her head off again.
Theo hands her the chart back and acts as though I’m not even in the room. The bell chimes over the intercom, signaling visitation time is over.
I give my unconscious Stella one last kiss. “Sleep well, baby girl. I’ll be back later.”
Theo kisses her cheek and follows me out the door and down the hallway toward the waiting room. Six more hours of “wait and see.” Theo passes all the sofas and continues down the hallway toward the hospital exit. We can’t keep doing this. It has to end now.
“Theo, wait up.”
He stops but doesn’t turn to face me. He stares at the ceiling tiles as if they will give him the patience to deal with me.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Not now. Yes, I’ve checked my sugar, and no, I haven’t had anything to eat, so please leave me alone.” He storms away.
“Theo, go home,” I call after him.
That shocks him out of his funk. He changes direction so fast, I almost run into him. Pain, sadness, and fatigue are spread all over his face, making him seem ten years older. He watches several staff members pass before he says anything.
“Why? Don’t like sharing her?”
Ouch. I’m trying to do the right thing now. I stand in front of him so I don’t have to yell at the top of my lungs. Although, that might make me feel better.
“It’s obvious you begrudge being here, so leave. I’m tired of tiptoeing around you. I’ve said I’m sorry until I’m blue in the face. I’m done. Start acting like an adult.”
He stuffs his hands into his jeans pockets and bites his quivering lip.
“Go home, get some sleep, and for God’s sake, eat something. You’re Mr. Asshole when you haven’t eaten.”
He sneers at me. “At least I have an excuse.” He walks backward. “I’m outta here. You happy?” He begins to leave but not before he gives me one more stare down. He shakes his head and continues his exit. If he takes my bitchy advice, he might come back rested and with a brain full of glucose. I know I should take my own advice, but it doesn’t work that way for moms.
His image grows smaller with every footstep. I know I should run after him, tell him I’m sorry and that I didn’t mean to be so cruel. My damn feet must be stuck in the tile floor, because I can’t even move out of the way for the staff members entering and exiting the building.
Darla, you sealed your fate and possibly Stella’s too.
Right when I get situated again in the waiting room, Theo’s sisters and brother enter. Jennifer scans the area and puts her hands on her hips. Tommy shrugs. The youngest, Heather, sees me. She breaks from the Edwards pack, comes to my couch, and sits beside me.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk.”
If I didn’t know better, I would think I was shaking a twenty-year-old Stella’s hand. She has the same messy blond hair, the same green eyes, and the same cute dimple when she tries not to grin.
“You’re staring at me.”
I blink. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…”
“I know. My niece looks exactly like me. I’ve been told that about a thousand times in the last few weeks.” She giggles. “I can’t get over the fact that I have a niece.”
“I’m so sorry how this all came down.”
She waves off my comment. “Don’t worry about it. I was beginning to think my brother never made mistakes.” She sucks in a breath. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
I nudge her with my shoulder. “It’s fine.”
“What I mean is that Theo follows the rules, even with games.”
She makes me chuckle. “I don’t know about that.”
Heather laughs, and that familiar dimple pops out. “At least he followed his heart one time.”
I swallow, and my eyes fill with tears. “You’re a good person.”
She squeezes my hand. “So is he.”
Jennifer and Tommy join us. Now, it’s one big Edwards reunion, but it reminds me of lyrics from a Sesame Street song: “One of these things is not like the others.”
Jennifer sits on the other side of me. “Where is he?”
I groan. “I sort of lost my temper and made him leave until he got something to eat and changed his attitude.”
Tommy perches on the edge of the sofa, forcing Heather to scooch closer to me. Thank goodness she’s tiny, or all of us would never fit on this couch.
“’Bout damn time.” Tommy clears his throat. “I know you said you didn’t want us to get involved, but your way isn’t working very well. Would you mind if we tried the Edwards approach?”
My pent-up emotions get the best of me. Tears pour out of my eyes, and I sob into my hands. “Please, do whatever you can. I can’t take this rift between us anymore.”
Tommy snaps his fingers. “I guess it’s settled. Sis and Sis, let’s go. We have an intervention to conduct.”