at his mom’s last visit, but her heart hadn’t been discussed. They’d discussed her cholesterol and how she could lose a few pounds. But nothing about her heart having problems. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to get her checked out. Will nodded. “Good.”
Ma removed her oxygen mask. “Not good. I’m not going.”
“Oh, yes you are.” Will turned to the paramedic. “I’ll follow you guys to the hospital.”
“I told you I’m not going. I got a little dizzy. That’s all.”
Will closed his eyes and looked to the heavens. “Ma.”
“I’m fine, honey.” She tried to stand, but was urged back down by the paramedic. She swatted at her hands. “I’m not an invalid.”
“Not saying you are. But you need to go to the hospital.” Will stood and removed the cell phone from his suit pocket. He needed reinforcements. “I’ll call Tori and ask her to meet us there.”
“Don’t you dare.”
Toby stepped forward and held up his hands in surrender. “I already did, Eva. Called her right after I called Will.”
Thank goodness. Will appreciated the manager’s quick thinking even if his mom groaned and sat back down in the chair as if defeated.
The paramedic put the oxygen mask back over Eva’s mouth and spoke into the walkie talkie attached to her shoulder. “Bring in the gurney, Pete.”
Ma furiously shook her head while Will nodded. “You will get on that gurney if I have to strap you on it myself.”
“And if he doesn’t, I will.” His sister Tori pushed forward and knelt by their mom’s feet. He noticed that she’d lightened her dark blond hair to a platinum blond like his. Uh oh. Not a good sign. He’d deal with that later.
Tori patted their mom’s knee. “We’ll make sure you get the best care.” She looked up at her brother for confirmation. “Right, Will?”
Of course, they would. He nodded. “The very best.”
The snap and squeak of the gurney’s wheels drew their attention towards the door. They stepped out of the break room to let the paramedics do their jobs. Tori reached out her hand, and Will clasped it in his. They’d seen a similar scene with their father when they’d been just teens. They might be older now, but they weren’t ready to lose their mother too. Not yet.
The paramedics wheeled the gurney out of the break room and down the hall through the bank lobby. Co-workers stopped conversations and turned to watch. Many stepped forward to check on Eva. She held up her hands as if parting the Red Sea. “I’m fine. They’re overreacting. I won’t be gone long. You’ll see.”
The paramedics pushed the gurney as if it was a barge carrying a queen in front of her subjects. She waved and offered assurances she was okay.
Will hoped she was right. Because by the looks of things, it didn’t seem that way. One step at a time, he reminded himself. They only needed to find out what they were dealing with first.
Once the ambulance was off to the hospital, Will turned to Tori. “Why don’t we take my truck over? I’ll bring you back later for your car.”
With their mom gone, Tori nodded but released the tears he knew she’d been holding back the entire time, just like their father had taught them. Will put his arm around her and led her to his car. Helped her in. Found the box of tissues in the middle console and offered it to her. He ran around to the other side and started the truck before he’d shut his door and fastened his seat belt.
He turned the radio volume low and reached out to hold Tori’s hand. She wiped her eyes with the tissue in her other hand. “It’s spooky, you know? Just like we lost dad.”
Will kept his eyes on the road, but squeezed her hand. “Mom’s tough.”
“Dad was Marine tough.”
Will winced. “With a bad heart.”
“You think that’s what this is? A heart attack?” Tori sniffled and wiped her eyes. “I didn’t have enough time to ask Toby for details. I was volunteering at the boys’ school when the call came.”
“I don’t know what this is. Honest.” He hoped it was something simple. Maybe she’d forgotten to eat breakfast this morning, and her blood sugar was low. Maybe she had an inner ear infection that had thrown off her balance. Those were scenarios he could handle more than a heart attack. He took the turn off to the highway, accelerated and glanced behind him as he merged into traffic. “But I can guarantee we will get the best care.”
“Did you call Carol or Joan?”
Their sisters. Who they hadn’t heard from since Christmas, nine months ago. Will looked over at Tori. “Not until we have more answers. You know how they are.”
“Think they’ll come up to visit?”
He doubted it. After their dad died almost twenty years before, the family had splintered. His older sisters had gotten married and moved out of Lake Mildred as soon as they could, as if the small northern Michigan town couldn’t keep them prisoner anymore. They had both moved out of state, Carol to Arizona, Joan to Georgia. It had been mom, Tori and him for all those years since. With the occasional phone call and even more rare visit. “I don’t know.”
“Mom’s not going to want to slow down.” She glanced at him. “She’s still working. Still involved in the garden club. The library literacy club. She watches the boys for me after school at least twice a week.” Fresh tears started at the thought. “What if this is my fault?”
“Before we go assigning blame, let’s find out what we’re dealing with. But no.” He squeezed her hand again. “None of this is your fault.”
He slowed down for their exit and breathed a sigh of relief when the hospital came into view. The sooner the doctors could examine his mom, the sooner they could find out what was wrong.
Then fix it.
SUZY’S ALARM SOUNDED from her cell phone. She sat up. Stretched. Rubbed her eyes. It had taken a while, but she’d finally fallen asleep. Good thing too. She had to work tonight at the nursing home.
She turned off the alarm and stood. Her eyes fell on the yellow notice. Oh, right. She’d forgotten about that. Two weeks to clean up the backyard shouldn’t be hard, right? Just a matter of getting the trash bags to the curb on pick up day. Straighten a few things. No big deal.
After she made her afternoon cup of coffee and added plenty of cream and sugar, she pried open the sliding door that led to the deck. Stood and observed the yard. Tried to see what Mr. Stone had seen.
Yep, those trash bags were waiting by the garage. Had to be at least a dozen of them. But she worked on collection days, and by the time she got home, she wanted to sleep. Not haul trash to the curb. And that’s if they hadn’t already picked up her neighborhood. She could transport them herself to the dump, and probably would have to, but that meant more time taken out of her already busy, upside down schedule. Four twelve hour days left only three to catch up on everything, and that was if she was lucky enough to have those three days off instead of getting called in at the last minute to cover a shift at the nursing home. Not that she minded. It was easier to keep busy. Less time to think. To remember. To grieve.
Then there was the Camaro that had been parked in the backyard since Suzy had been eight or nine. Shortly before her dad had left her mother and her, he’d driven it there to work on the engine. But he never had. And so it sat, almost twenty years later. She wondered if she could even find the keys for it. Maybe in the glass bowl Mama had kept on her dresser.
She took her coffee with her and approached the rusted heap. It had been her dad’s pride and joy once. The classic car he had wanted to