Four Blind Mice (Alex Cross 8)

“Don’t let her do too much right now.”

“Hard to keep her down.”

?

??Well, tie her if you have to,” Kayla Coles said, and then she laughed.

I didn’t, couldn’t right then. I knew a fair amount about heart disease from my days at Johns Hopkins. I would definitely keep a closer watch on Nana. “What about you, Dr. Coles. What about your work schedule? Nearly ten o’clock and you still have more house calls.”

She shrugged, and seemed a little embarrassed by the question. “I’m young, I’m strong, and I believe the people in these neighborhoods need decent, affordable health care. So that’s what I’m providing, trying to. Good night, Alex. Take good care of your grandmother.”

“Oh, I will. I promise.”

“The road to hell,” she said.

“Paved with good intentions.”

She nodded and walked off the porch. “Say good night to everybody for me.” Dr. Coles headed down Fifth Street to her final appointment of the day.

Chapter 88

I DID SOME more background work on the Three Blind Mice the next day, taped notes to my wall in the attic, but I couldn’t get into it, couldn’t concentrate worth a damn. Nana’s lab tests came back in the afternoon, and as Kayla Coles had promised, she called the house. The two of us had a talk on the phone after she spoke to Nana.

“I just wanted to thank you for your help,” I said as I got on the line. “I’m sorry if I was rude in our living room the other night.”

“What makes you think you were rude? You were a little frightened is all. I don’t think ‘rude’ is part of your makeup. Anyway, let me tell you about your grandmother. She is suffering from atrial fibrillation, but given the options, that’s not such bad news.”

“Tell me why I should be happy about it,” I said.

“Not happy. But the treatment is noninvasive and has a good success rate. I think we can treat her with a catheter ablation. We’ll start there. She’ll be able to go home the next day, and hopefully be her old self in a week.”

“When should she go in for the procedure?” I asked.

“That’s up to her. I wouldn’t wait more than a couple of weeks. She sounded a little stubborn when I brought up a hospital stay. Says she’s too busy.”

“I’ll talk to her. See if it helps. What do we do until then?”

“Just baby aspirin, believe it or not. One eighty-one-milligram tablet a day. She also has to limit her caffeine — coffee and tea. And Nana should avoid stress-related situations. Good luck on that one.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

“For now, yes. Please watch the stress on her. I’ll stay involved if she wants me too.”

“I know she does.”

Kayla Coles laughed. “Good. She’s a smart woman, isn’t she? We’re going to make sure she sees a hundred.”

I laughed. “I hope I get to see her reach a hundred. So, no special precautions until we go in for the procedure?”

“No, not really. Just try not to bring too much excitement into her life.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said.

“You do your best and try not to get shot,” said Kayla Coles before she hung up.

Chapter 89

NO WAY I was going to get shot staying at home — or so I believed. A couple of mornings after my conversation with Dr. Kayla Coles, I came downstairs to make breakfast for the kids. Nana was sitting at her spot at the kitchen table, a large brown mug steaming in front of her.