Escaping the Past

“Your father always wanted you to keep your hair short and tidy, but I did so love those curls,” she said slowly to him.

“Morning, Mom. Did you sleep okay?”

“Well as can be expected, I guess. Nurses came in all hours of the night to test this or that, or just to see if my old heart was still beating.”

“Sure beats the alternative, doesn’t it?” He forced himself to grin at her, although it was the last thing he felt like doing.

She tapped him gently on the arm and smiled back at him.

A nurse walked in behind them and began to check the fluid levels in the IV bags hanging on nearby hooks.

“Did Lou come with you?” Mrs. Wester asked.

“No. She’s at home catching up on some work. She said she would try to come by for a little while tonight. Sarah wanted to make something for you so she’s going to bring it by later.”

The nurse broke in. “Is Lou the young woman who was here with you last night?”

“Yes,” Brody replied.

“The night nurse said there was a man here late last night asking questions about your mother and the girl who was with you.”

Brody released his mother’s hand to turn toward the nurse.

“ He started out wanting medical information about your mother. He also wanted to know about your mom and her relationship to the young lady. Of course, we couldn’t release any information to him since he wasn’t family.” She shrugged and walked from the room.

“Wonder what that was about,” Brody mumbled to himself.

Mrs. Wester was visib

ly flustered when he turned back toward her in the bed. A fine sheen of perspiration graced her upper lip and her breathing was labored.

“Mom! Are you okay?”

She reached for his hand and gripped it with amazing strength. “I’m okay but you have to get me out of here, Brody.” She paused to take a deep breath. This set forth a series of hacking coughs. When the coughing spell was over, she took another breath and continued. “I want to go home. I want to go home today. Do you see? You have to take me home where everything can get back to normal.”

“Will you calm down if I promise to take you home? Soon?”

“Today, Brody. I want to home today.” She clutched his shirt from in her spindly grasp.

“Okay, Mom. I’ll see what I can do.” He gently took her hand in his and unwound it from his shirt, laying it into her lap.

Brody made arrangements in record time. His mom couldn’t be calmed down until he promised she would be moved home that very day. He spoke with the doctor and then called the medical equipment company to have a hospital bed and other supplies delivered. He also made arrangements for an around-the-clock nursing staff to take up the slack, just in case something went wrong.

At three in the afternoon, the ambulance was backing up to the door of the ranch house and Mrs. Wester was being moved to her new bed. The nurse, Lola, a plump firecracker of a woman, fussed over the move and introduced herself to Mrs. Wester as they rolled her into the house. She took over with amazing efficiency. Brody stood back on the porch with Lou as Sadie and Lola barked orders at the medical technicians.

Lou turned to Brody and said with a light smile, “I feel like I’m in the way.”

“So do I,” Brody responded.

“I never thought she would come home so soon,” Lou stated, worry etched across her brow. “Is she ready to be at home?”

“Probably not but she got really upset this morning and said she had to come home today. She wouldn’t calm down unless I agreed.”

“That’s strange. Any idea what upset her?” Lou’s eyebrows drew together.

“I’m not sure, but it had something to do with you…”

Lou cut him off. “Oh my God! What time is it?” She glanced at her watch. “It’s three o’clock! Sarah should have gotten off the bus five minutes ago.” Lou shaded her eyes with her hand and looked down the long drive. He could almost see Sarah’s long, dark hair and pink dress in the distance where she was standing beside a parked car at the end of the drive.