Page 44 of Besties
“But—”
“Do it for me.”
Anything. I would do whatever he asked. My eyes drifted shut, and between that and his massage, I drifted off to sleep. When the call came over the loudspeaker that we were landing shortly, I jolted awake.
“Have a good nap?”
“Why’d you let me fall asleep?”
“Because you needed it, and I liked having you lean against me. We don’t know what’s going to happen when we get to the hospital, so I wanted to be sure you were well rested. Sue me.”
He was taking care of me again, and I didn’t mind one damn bit.
When we disembarked, we grabbed our bags at the luggage claim, then went out to find the car that Richie had rented.
“How’d you get this done so fast?”
“Allyssa. She’s a godsend. I doubt I could function without her. She also made a call to Amelia Berry to reschedule your appointment with her. She explained there was a family emergency, and that you might be gone a week. Amelia said how much she appreciated us letting her know, and also thanked us for the flowers and chocolates. The kids loved them.”
The car Allyssa had rented for us was a 2019 Buick Enclave. Roomy and comfortable, and with enough class that Richie seemed right at home. He programmed the address into the GPS unit, then followed its mechanical voice to the hospital. Stopping at the desk, I asked for Walter’s room. The nurse gave us the eye, but told us where he was at. We took the elevator to the sixth floor and had just turned the corner when a strident voice erupted from the room.
“Damn it, woman. Stop fussing.”
Mom turned as we stepped inside. Walter was propped up on some pillows, glaring at her. When we entered, his gaze shifted to us.
“Oh, thank God. Please, take her home.”
I glanced between them, and Mom’s expression was like stone. “I’m not going anywhere.”
When he peered at her, his gaze softened. “You don’t need to be here. You’re tired, and you should rest. It’s not like I’m going to be leaving right now.”
“Shut up and let her fuss over you.”
He narrowed his gaze at me. “Not helping.”
I went to Mom and put my hands on her shoulders. They were tight with tension, and she leaned into my touch. When she tilted her head up to look at me, I saw everything I needed to. She was terrified and barely holding it together. Richie had been right about her needing me to be strong.
“Mom, why don’t we go get you something to eat?”
“No, I shouldn’t go—”
“Mom, come on. Richie will stay here with Walter. I promise he won’t let him run off with a cute nurse.”
She gave me a weak smile, reached up, and patted my hand. “Okay.”
When she stood, I was shocked at how much she’d aged since we’d seen her not long ago. Her eyes were glassy, her hair unkempt, and her lips were chapped.
“Sweetheart?”
Turning to look at Walter, she relaxed when she saw him smile.
“I love you.”
Tears started streaming down her cheeks. I took her arm and led her from the room. As we were headed for the elevators, I stopped in a quiet corner.
“What happened?”
“He was playing golf and started getting chest pains. His friend, Lyle, wanted to call an ambulance, but Walter insisted he was fine, and said that Lyle wanted to quit because he was afraid of losing. Then, somewhere on the sixth hole, Walter collapsed. Lyle got him to the hospital, and the doctors told us a bit ago he didn’t have a heart attack, but had an infection in his gallbladder.”
