Page 58 of More Than a Hero
"I’m glad, too, Ms. Brown. Come on in."
She stepped inside as he moved aside, closing the door behind her. The apartment was modest but tidy, with a few well-worn armchairs and a recliner arranged in front of a television.
"You have a seat, and I’ll heat some water for tea."
"That sounds mighty fine, Ms. Brown, but I’m not sure what my daughter has."
Angie grinned and reached into her satchel, pulling out two tea bags. "I come prepared!"
He chuckled, shaking his head, but the sadness rolling off him in waves was impossible to miss. She busied herself in the small kitchen, filling the kettle and setting it to boil. In minutes, the tea was steeping, and she even tossed an ice cube into his cup to cool it faster. Carrying both mugs over, she placed one on the coffee table for herself and handed the other to him in his recliner.
"Okay, Mr. Reeves, tell me what’s happening, and let’s figure out how to make this easier for you."
For the next several minutes, she listened as he explained the changes he'd seen in his grandson, then he told her about the phone call he'd received from Robert. Her heart ached for the young man who'd made such a grievous error in judgment, but she was heartened to know that he was not involved in drugs. She even decided to bring the situation up to Pete, but said nothing to Mr. Reeves about that plan.
She didn’t offer false hope and knew they needed to plan for the worst possibility. "I know you'd like your daughterto continue working her regular shifts so her pay isn’t compromised."
He nodded. “She works changing shifts, either seven in the morning to three thirty. Or she works three in the afternoon to eleven thirty at night. Sometimes, if overtime becomes available, she’ll take it for the extra pay. Robert gets the little ones up when she has to leave early in the morning. Our neighbor helps them get on the bus with her kids. When my daughter works afternoons, Robert gets home first and gets the kids off the bus.”
He rubbed his whiskered chin. “Between her, me, and Robert, we managed to get the younger ones up and on or off the bus, whichever is needed. I can do it by myself, but it’s gonna be a lot harder.”
Angie’s mind raced with the possibilities they could work out to assist. “I know you are on Meals on Wheels twice a week. Let’s move that to four days a week during this time. Technically, if someone is coming to assist you, their job is not to babysit children.”
“Oh, I totally understand, Ms Brown. The kids are so good. They come in and have a snack and do their homework or watch TV. I can handle that, but if Robert’s not here to help out with me, it’s not so easy for me to move around easily.”
“I’ll need to have your daughter‘s work schedule, so I’ll know when we might need someone to assist. I can’t promise that we can have somebody here every day, but I’ll try to get someone here to assist in the afternoons or mornings.”
He nodded, his face more wrinkled than she’d ever seen it, and his shoulders slumped as though the world's weight pressed upon him. “I still have hope, Ms Brown. Robert’s a good kid who made a dumb decision. But he wasn’t using any drugs, and he was in the passenger seat. I’m hoping he’ll end up okay and can come home soon, and we won’t even need this help.”
“I hope for the same thing, too, Mr. Reeves.” They finished their tea, and he seemed more relaxed as they chatted. She washed the empty tea cups and left them on the drying rack. Grabbing her purse, she bent to offer him a heartfelt hug. “I can let myself out, but I know you want to lock the door.”
He pushed himself up, gripping his walker. "You’re a real angel, Ms. Brown.”
She opened her mouth to object, but he shook his head. "Nope, it’s true. At least to me.”
Smiling, she stepped outside, hearing the latch click behind her. As she descended the steps, her gaze flickered toward the group of young men still gathered at the far end of the building. A chill ran down her spine, but she kept walking, slipping into her car and pulling away.
She never noticed the dark car with tinted windows parked nearby. Nor the hidden driver watching her. And the slow, knowing smile that spread across his face, his gold tooth sparkling.
Angie settled into the chair across from Dr. Ketz, shifting slightly to ease the stiffness in her knee. The sterile scent of antiseptic mixed with the faintest hint of floral from the air freshener plugged into the wall. A soft hum filled the room as the doctor typed something into her computer, her gaze flicking up with a warm, knowing smile.
“How have you been feeling?”
Angie scrunched her nose, already feeling the familiar internal debate. "I'm programmed to say that I feel fine, but I’m trying to remind myself that this is where I need to be honest."
Dr. Ketz chuckled, leaning back slightly in her chair. "Think of your older clients, Angie. When you ask them what they need…"
Angie sighed, then grinned. "I need them to be honest, or I can’t help them properly."
Dr. Ketz nodded approvingly. “Exactly.”
Angie inhaled deeply, steadying herself. “My joints hurt—especially my hands. When I try to grip something too tightly, it’s like they rebel against me. At night, my hips and knees are the worst. And, of course, my left knee is still inflamed and swollen.”
Dr. Ketz listened intently, her fingers flying across the keyboard, documenting everything. Then she lifted her gaze and gave Angie an encouraging nod. “I appreciate your honesty. It seems like I either have patients who tell me everything hurts but can’t be specific, or patients who put on a brave face and refuse to be honest, which isn’t helpful for diagnosis or treatment.”
Angie let out a dry laugh. “It’s just hard to have a condition where I look the same as always, except for my knee. But on the inside, I feel different. Sleep is hard. Moving in the morning is hard. Fatigue is my constant companion… one I’d really like to break up with.”
Dr. Ketz smiled at her description but didn’t downplay the reality. “I can imagine. Given how your symptoms are progressing, I’d like to start you on one of the injectable medications. If that doesn’t work, we may need to consider moving to infusions.”
