Risk of Falling

“Any sign of the mother?”

Suzy shook her head and petted the two kittens who had fallen asleep after eating their fill. “Orphans. Just like me.”

Funny how that word still hurt after six months. She kept the smile on her face. As if her best friend could see her through the phone. “I can bring them in before I go to work tonight.”

“Yeah, okay.” The line stayed silent. “Suze, are you all right?”

How many times had she been asked that question since her mom died? She gave the standard answer. Better that than admit she missed Mama so much it ached. “Perfect. Wait till you see these cuties.” She smiled brighter. “They’re going to break your heart.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Once the last kitten had eaten and fallen asleep, Suzy took her shower then got ready for work. She had an hour or so before she needed to be at the nursing home, so she could stay at the animal rescue and help out with the animals. She knew Presley was swamped with strays, which meant less time to walk them and care for them. Suzy could volunteer to do that for her friend.

She nodded. That’s what she’d do. And she’d deal with the backyard tomorrow.

* * *

SEVEN HOURS. WILL paced the waiting room of the hospital. They’d been there over seven hours with no word. No diagnosis. No solution.

Tori sat on a plastic chair, her head bent over a romance novel, but he could see that she’d been on the same page for the last thirty minutes. She was just as worried as he was.

“Where’s the doctor? It shouldn’t be taking this long.” He stood in front of Tori and crossed his arms over his chest. Waiting for her to look at him.

Instead, she kept her eyes on the page. “Stop watching the clock and pacing, Will. It’ll go faster.” She looked up and patted the empty chair beside hers. “Now sit. Read a magazine. Or go get us some snacks. We haven’t had lunch, and I’m starving.”

He shook his head. “If I’m not here when the doctor comes in....”

“Then I’ll talk to him. Not the end of the world.” She put her bookmark in the book and laid it beside her. “Or how about I’ll go get us some food. I need something.” She stood and grabbed her purse from the floor. “Snickers bar? Mountain Dew? Doritos?”

“Fine. Whatever”

He took out his wallet and handed her a twenty which she waved away. “I’ve got this. And I’ll call my neighbor Teresa and ask if she can pick up the boys from school.” She checked her watch. “Hopefully I’ll catch her before she leaves to get her son Noah.”

She flipped her phone open and dialed as she walked out of the waiting room. Will watched her leave then took a seat in her abandoned chair. He noticed her romance novel and picked it up. Flipped through it. Read a particularly racy scene and raised his eyebrows. What was going on with his sister? First the dyed hair. Now the sexy book? Maybe she was finally over her ex.

About time.

When Tori returned with a bulging plastic bag from the gift shop, he held up the book to her. “You’re reading this?”

She nodded and took the seat next to him, before handing him a wrapped sandwich and pop can. “Teresa recommended it. It’s actually quite good.”

He noted the bookmark was more than halfway through the book. “Obviously.” He unwrapped the sandwich and toasted her with it. “Thanks.”

“Anything for you.” She popped the tab on her drink then took a sip. “Still no word?”

Will swallowed his bite and shook his head. “It’s gotta be soon, right? I mean how long can they make us wait for answers?”

“Teresa said she’d keep the boys at her house as long as I need her to.” She took a deep breath. “She’s been a good friend. Especially since the divorce.”

Will put one arm around her. “The hits keep coming, huh?”

She swiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “You don’t know how hard it is being a single mom. There’s no one around to give me a hand. To answer the nonstop questions. Or deal with the increasing emotions. To tell them no. And then there’s the hormones.” She shuddered as if a cold finger had run up her spine.

He bumped her shoulder. “Whenever you need me, just call.”

“I know. But I’ve got to do this on my own. I can’t depend on you all the time.” She straightened in her seat. “Stones know how to get the job done.”

She unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. He did the same, and they sat in silence for a while. The only sound other families chatting while they waited for news and a talk show on the television in the corner.

After eating their late lunch, Will gathered the trash and threw it out in the receptacle. Tori returned to her book, so he checked his email on his phone and waited for word on his mom.

A doctor in blue-green scrubs entered the room. “Stone family?”

About time. Will and Tori stood and held hands as the doctor approached. “Why don’t we step into the privacy room?”

Uh oh. That couldn’t be good.

They followed her into the room. Tori sat on the bench while he remained standing. He could take whatever news it was. He could be strong. For his mom. For Tori.

For himself.

“I’m Dr. Westphal, and I’ve been supervising your mom’s care since they brought her in.” She consulted her tablet. “She arrived in the emergency room exhibiting pain and a possible bone fracture.”

Will frowned. “She broke something? It’s not her heart? I mean, we assumed...”

Dr. Westphal looked up at him. “The more persistent problem right now is her fractured hip. We need to get her into surgery.”

“You bet. I’ll sign whatever form you need me to.”

“Mrs. Stone has already given her consent and will go into surgery to repair the fracture shortly after you see her.” Dr. Westphal sighed. “But the problem is after surgery.” She looked up from the tablet at first Will, then Tori. “She’ll be in the hospital for a few days but then will need long term care. Physical therapy. Possibly a hip replacement. And when she’s stronger, chemotherapy.”

Will lost the strength of his legs and sat next to Tori. No. Not this.”Cancer then.”

“We’re still running tests, but it appears the cancer is attacking her bones. Making them brittle and fragile.” Dr. Westphal took a seat in front of them. “A simple fall should not break bones, even in a woman your mother’s age.”

Tori started to cry softly beside him. He held her hand and squeezed. Their mom had cancer.

He closed his eyes to keep the panic from invading his mind. When he opened them, he gave a short nod. “How bad is it? I mean, how long...”

The doctor shrugged. “We won’t know any answers until more tests can be run. Let’s focus on repairing the hip first.”

Will nodded again. “We can see her?”

The doctor stood. “I’ll take you to her.”

As they followed the doctor down the white, sterile hallway, Will turned to Tori. “No tears in front of mom. She needs our strength right now.”

Tori nodded and wiped her face. “I know the drill.”

Dr. Westphal led them through a maze of hospital beds and curtained off areas. Eventually she pushed a curtain aside to reveal his mom hooked up to monitors and an IV. She looked tiny in the huge bed. Fragile. Lost. She opened her eyes and gave them a smile. “My babies.”

The doctor left them, pulling the curtain closed behind her. Will moved to his mom’s side and took her hand. His emotions were pressing on him, but he’d deal with them later. “Are you in any pain?”

Eva shook her head and pointed to the IV. “They’re giving me the good stuff.” She pointed to the end of her bed. “Let’s talk.”

“They need to take you to surgery.”

“They will.” She pointed at the bed again. “I want to spend time with you before they take me away. Now sit.”

Tori took a seat on one side of her. Afraid to jostle his mom and cause pain, Will stood beside her and held her hand. Besides, he could control himself standing. Be a good soldier like his dad and the Marines had trained him. He tensed his muscles, ready for whatever followed.

His mom’s expression softened. “The doctor told you, didn’t she? She asked if she could, and I said yes, but I’d hoped—”

“We’ll fight this, Mom. I’ll get the best doctors. Specialists.” Emotion threatened to close his throat, and he swallowed it right away. “Stones don’t go down without a fight.”

His mom nodded. “Or they die trying.”

Tori started crying, holding their mom’s hand to her cheek. Will kept swallowing, unable to say anything. Unable to offer anything. Finally, his mom gave a soft smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Will cleared his throat. “It’s okay, Mom.”

A nurse pulled the curtain open. “They’re ready for you, Mrs. Stone.” She turned to Will. “I can escort you to the surgical waiting room.”

Tori leaned over and kissed her mom on the cheek. “Lovey.”

“Lovey.”

Will kissed his mom and rested his forehead on hers. “Lovey.”

“Lovey.” She patted his cheek. “Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”

Fine. Right.

A team of nurses surrounded his mom’s hospital bed then wheeled her away. The first nurse led them to a different waiting room than before, but it looked much the same. “Surgery should be about two hours. Dr. Westphal will keep you updated.”

Will sighed as he took a seat near the window. Tori fished in her purse for her cell phone. “I’ll just call Teresa and tell her I’ll be late.”

She stepped away, leaving Will with his thoughts.

His mom had cancer. Life wasn’t ever going to be the same after today. No matter what they needed to do to fight this, they’d do it. If she needed chemo, bone marrow transplant, whatever, she would get it. She had to get better because their family didn’t work without her in it. She was their center.

He stood and resumed his pacing. How was he supposed to move on from this? Would they survive? He glanced at his phone. He should call Joanie and Carol. They had a right to know even if they didn’t choose to be involved. He started to dial the first number.

* * *

SUZY PARKED HER bright yellow VW bug in front of the animal rescue shelter. She must have been a good girl that day to get such a prime parking spot. Despite her intention to arrive early, she would only have enough time to drop off the kittens and then hurry to work before she was late. Again.

She hooked her arm through the Easter basket and carried it with her to the front door. The receptionist Thoramae spotted her and rushed to open the door for her. “Hey, Suzy. More critters for us?” The older woman with tight permed curls peeked into the basket and smiled. “Aren’t they the cutest fur balls?”

“They just need some TLC.” Suzy squeezed past Thoramae. “Is Presley in her office?”

“You bet. Can’t get her to leave.” Thoramae returned to her spot behind the reception desk. “She’s been asking for you.”

“Thanks.” Suzy looked down into her basket. Two of the kittens slept while the third licked its paw. “You’re gonna love Pres. She’ll help you get big and strong.”

Presley sat at her desk and looked up when Suzy walked in. “I’d ask if you always talk to yourself, but I know the answer to that one.” She came around the desk and gave Suzy a hug. “How are you doing today?”

“Fine.” Suzy avoided her friend’s eyes and placed the basket on Presley’s desk. “Tell me you can help these guys.” Presley picked one of the kittens and held him up. “He’s awfully scrawny. Good thing you found them when you did. Temperatures are supposed to fall over the weekend. They could have frozen out there.” She held the kitten close to her chest and stroked his head. “With a little time and a lot of food, they should be fine.”

Suzy wilted with relief into a chair. “Good. I can’t deal with any more loss.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Presley put down the kitten and turned her attention to Suzy. Probed her with the same intensity she usually reserved for her animal patients. “We haven’t hung out lately. Or talked much.”

“Well, you know my work schedule. Midnight shifts don’t help a social life.” Suzy gave a forced chuckle. “I’m fine. Tired, maybe. They had me working six days last week.” Her friend seemed to accept her words. At least for now. Suzy leaned in closer to Presley. “But I did meet a guy.”

Presley clapped her hands and perched on the edge of her desk. “When? How? Details, details.”

“Actually he showed up at my front door.” Suzy let that sink in then laughed at Presley’s expression. “He’s some kind of code enforcement inspector who knew Mama. Told her she had to clean up the backyard.”

“I can figure out how well that went over.”

Suzy rolled her eyes. “No kidding. He’s given me two weeks to clean it up. Or else.”

“Or else what?”

Suzy shrugged. “They charge me to get someone else to clean it up, I guess.” She thought about the mess. “It might be easier if they did. It’s not like they’d take the house from me. Right?” She wished she sounded more confident.

“You can’t afford that, Suze. Besides, I can help you.” Her friend crossed her legs at her ankles. For a moment, Suzy envied her long legs since she’d been born with short ones. Pres leaned back on her desk. “Anytime. Just ask.”

“But your job here...”

Presley laughed and shook her head. “Despite what Thoramae says, I do take time off from here occasionally.” She bit her lip and watched Suzy. “I notice you talked about what he did. But not what he looks like. That good, huh?”

Suzy fanned herself. “Hotter than hot. In an uptight, strait-laced kind of way.” She thought back to Mr. Stone. “He kind of reminds me of that guy who plays James Bond now.”

Presley smiled wider. “Yummy.”

“No kidding.” Suzy stood and hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. She glanced at the clock behind Presley’s desk and sighed. “I’ve got to get going, but...” She glanced at the kittens one more time. “You’ll keep me updated?”

“Absolutely.” Presley hugged her again. “And I mean it. I’ll help you. You don’t have to do this on your own, Suze.”

“I know.” That’s what she said, but she didn’t quite believe it.

CHAPTER THREE

THIS WAS THE longest two hours in history. Had to be. Maybe time had stopped. Will glanced at his watch then held it up to his ear. Nope. Watch still ticked. Hands still moved. Seconds. Minutes. Hours.

He slammed the magazine he’d been reading onto the plastic chair next to him and stretched. Moments later, he walked to the wall of windows that overlooked the parking lot and put his palm against the cool glass. He watched as a woman hurried into the hospital. Did she have a loved one here fighting for their life too? Maybe her daughter had had a baby. Or a friend needed a ride home from work.

He shook his head, scattering the thoughts like wind blowing dried leaves. If he didn’t get out of here soon, he’d be writing poetry about hospital visiting hours or penning that mystery novel he’d always dreamed of. He turned from the window and found that Tori had nodded off, her head back, mouth open. He took his cell phone from his pocket and snapped a quick picture. She’d kill him if he posted it on Facebook, but it might be fun.

Tori stirred, then squeezed her eyes shut before opening them and finding him watching her. She rubbed her face. “Did I miss the surgeon?”

He shook his head. “How late did you tell Teresa you’d be? It’s close to seven already.”

“It’s okay. She said she’d feed the hooligans dinner.” She took out her cell phone and started texting. “But I’ll let them know I’m still here.”

“I can’t believe you got them cell phones. They’re only fourteen.” He took the seat next to her.

Tori finished typing and frowned at him. “Fourteen and involved in so many activities that I feel more like a chauffeur than a mom some days. They need to be able to get a hold of me at all times.”

“We didn’t have phones when we were their age.”

“Well, Dad wasn’t exactly generous, was he? No, he lived by rules of shoulds and should nots.” Tori stopped texting. “Don’t get me wrong. I loved him, but I don’t think he had any clue about how kids should be raised.”

“He was a Marine captain. He had to know how to lead his men into battle not raise kids.” Will couldn’t let it go. “So are you overcompensating for Dad’s strictness or Shawn’s absence?”

Tori’s head snapped up, her eyes blazing. She’d be breathing fire if she could. “Don’t tell me how to bring up my sons because that’s an argument you won’t win. You’re as clueless as Dad was.”

He bit back his retort mostly because she was right. He didn’t have the first clue about raising kids. He marveled at how well Tori was doing on her own.

They sat in silence for a while. Then Will reached over and grabbed his sister’s hand. “You’re a good mom.”

Tori squeezed his hand. “Thanks.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Maybe I do indulge them more than I would if Shawn was still around, but they’re missing out on so much.”

“Shawn’s the one missing out.” He kissed the top of her head.

She sighed then got to her feet. “I’m going to get some coffee or something. You want anything?”

“Coffee sounds perfect.” He picked up the magazine he’d discarded. “Think I’ll take this quiz and see what kind of girlfriend I am.”

Tori rolled her eyes, but laughed. He watched her leave then started flipping pages. Where was that quiz?

* * *

SUZY PULLED INTO the parking lot of the nursing home and finished singing with an edgy rock song before grabbing her work bag and heading inside. Still humming, she opened the door for a couple leaving. As she passed the front desk, her shift supervisor Rita glanced from Suzy to the clock on the wall. Five minutes early. Whew.

Suzy walked to the employee lounge and put her work bag in the locker. The frozen dinner and bottle of water she’d dug out first, she put in the staff fridge. She’d chosen her flashiest scrubs for today: bright purple top with neon yellow bottoms and yellow crocs. The seniors seemed to like the bright colors. Those who could still see anyway.

She checked the schedule posted on the bulletin board and flexed her shoulders. She enjoyed the seven at night to seven in the morning shift. More patients, less families. Too much family only reminded her of what she didn’t have.

She bumped the door with her hip and entered the hallway, slinging her stethoscope around her shoulders. She checked in at the west nurse’s station where she found Carly signing off on her tablet. “How’s it been today?”

Carly shrugged. “Fine. A bit too quiet, so you might find yourself with some night crawlers later.”

Suzy nodded. It seemed that her seniors loved to save their drama for her shift. “They do keep life interesting.” She turned on her tablet and brought up the charts. “Any new residents?”

“Not today. But you might want to keep an eye on Mrs. Henderson in sixteen.” Carly leaned in closer. “Her daughter was here this afternoon. The doctors aren’t optimistic about the new treatment, and she’s taken it pretty hard.”

Mrs. Henderson had once been crowned Miss Pickle at the Pickle Festival back in the 1920s. Or so she said. She also claimed that she’d been screen tested for the role of Scarlett O’Hara but lost out at the last minute to Vivien Leigh. With an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Suzy was never sure which stories were true and which ones weren’t, but they were all entertaining. “I’ll be sure to make her my first stop. Thanks, Carly.”

The other nurse patted Suzy on the shoulder before leaving the station. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

Suzy read over the notes from the day then checked the monitors. Dinner had already been served, and televisions in the rooms as well as in the community room blared with strains of the music from “Jeopardy”. It was also Tuesday and that meant Yatzhee night in the dining room. She’d better make her rounds then check back to make sure no fights had broken out. Those seniors were serious about their games.

Mrs. Henderson’s room was first. She poked her head in and found the older woman sitting in a chair looking out her window at the garden. Leaves swirled as the wind blew and more fell onto the lawn. Suzy sighed. “Pretty time of year, isn’t it? I love it when the leaves shed their green summer wardrobe and put on their reds and golds and oranges.”

Mrs. Henderson didn’t say anything. Suzy went farther into the room and went to stand next to her chair. Suzy put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t you wish you could paint this scene?”

“Did I ever tell you about the time Vivien Leigh stole my part in a movie?” The older woman looked up at Suzy, but her eyes didn’t focus.

Suzy crouched next to the chair. “No, I don’t think you did. Why don’t you tell me?”

* * *

BY THE TIME Dr. Westphal entered the waiting room, Will’s stomach threatened to eat itself if he didn’t find something else first. But thoughts of food fled when their name was called.

Tori and Will followed the doctor into a private room off the hallway. A surgeon in clean scrubs joined them. “The surgery was more complicated than expected. Although your mother is in recovery now.”

Will nodded. “The fracture?”

“It’s been repaired. But the cancer appears more advanced than we first thought.”

Tori grabbed his hand. “What does that mean? She’s going to die?”

The doctor looked at them both over her eyeglasses. “It means things get complicated. The fracture needs to heal before Dr. Lewis can discuss treatment options, but it also means your mother needs to stay in long term care to prevent any more bones from breaking.”

Long term care. That meant money, and lots of it. Will’s mind started calculating his mom’s insurance coverage, amount of savings, and saw a lot of dollars flying out of both. “So a nursing home.”

“Lake Mildred’s is not only close, but one of the best.” She handed him a few pamphlets, the one advertising their hometown’s option on top. “I’d recommend that you check it out sooner rather than later. We need to have a plan in place before she’s released from here.”

Tori covered her face. He put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to...What? Convince her things weren’t bad? Because it sounded like they were moving from bad to worse. Still he gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. “Are we talking days? A week?”

“Like I said, the sooner, the better.” She opened the door. “Would you like to see your mother?”

He nodded and helped his sister to her feet. In the recovery room, he stood at the bedside of his mom who seemed to still be sleeping. Tori stood on the other side of the bed, holding their mom’s hand. Will looked across at his sister. “What are we going to do, Tori?”

She looked up at him, the surprise written on her face. “I thought you would know.”

“I don’t have a clue.” He shook his head and closed his eyes. He’d been a teen when his father died. His only involvement had been visiting the hospital with his sisters, hoping and praying that he would get better. His mom had made the decisions. Had faced the tough choices. Now she needed him to do the same for her.

And he didn’t know what to do.

He opened his eyes and saw Tori staring at him. “Are you okay, Will?”

No. Not at all.

But he nodded, knowing that’s what she needed. “We’ll figure things out.”

Their mom stirred, opened her eyes, but then faded into unconsciousness again. “She’s not going to want to go to a nursing home. And with my job and yours, plus the kids...”

“We do have two more sisters.”

He wanted to laugh. They’d be no help, but he’d give them a chance to step up. To see if they wanted to be involved or, as he suspected, would leave things up to him and Tori. “They still haven’t returned my first two calls, but we’ll see.”

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about the seniors’ home in Lake Mildred.” Tori stroked their mom’s arm, but her eyes stayed on him. “It would be close to both of us so we could visit often.”

He nodded. It would be the easy choice, but was it the right one? He’d always been good at fixing things. But to make decisions for his mom? What if he made the wrong one? In the Marines, he’d learned how to succeed, how to repair a situation. But he felt out of depth here for the first time. He needed to do some recon, he realized, to make the informed choice. “If I can set up a visit tomorrow, would you be able to go?”