But she knew she wouldn’t. There might not be a place for her when she got back.
* * *
ALEX WANTED TO run. He wanted to get on his bike and tear out of town and never look back. But he tightened his hold on his mother’s fingers as a nurse tried for the fourth time to get an IV needle into her other hand.
“I’m sorry,” the nurse said. “She’s really dehydrated.”
Alex nodded and let his mom squeeze harder.
“There we go. All done. Just let me get this taped up. You did great, Mrs. Bishop.”
His mom whimpered like a scared child just as she had with every blood draw they’d done over the past few hours.
Sophie had been right. Something was really wrong.
The doctor came in, squinting from behind oversize glasses. “My suspicions were correct. A severe vitamin B12 deficiency.”
“A what?” Alex asked. “She needs vitamins?”
“Essentially, although it’s not as benign as it sounds. Oftentimes, when seniors become malnourished, the lack of B12 can severely complicate their health.”
Alex looked at Shane, who seemed just as confused as Alex felt. “Malnourished? What do you mean? She’s not starving.”
“Has she lost a lot of weight recently?”
Shane shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her like this.” He tipped his chin toward her, her naked limbs unprotected by the flimsy hospital gown. She looked shockingly thin without the protection of the layers and thick sweaters she always seemed to be wearing. “She’s definitely thinner than she was a few years ago.”
The doctor nodded. “I work over in the senior center, and this isn’t uncommon, especially when older people get stressed. They stop eating. They start to lose weight, then their appetite just seems to fade.”
Alex nodded. “So she’s weakened. She just needs food and vitamins.”
But the doctor didn’t look reassured. “She’ll be in the hospital for at least a few days. Likely a week. We’ll slowly rehydrate her and renourish her. But the B12 deficiency will take at least a couple of weeks to reverse. It’s not just about strength. She’s had some erratic behavior?”
“You could say that,” Alex muttered.
“B12 deficiency often has psychiatric manifestations. Depression, paranoia, even hallucinations.”
“From vitamin deficiency?” Shane barked.
“Yes. Confusion, aggression, anger.”
Shane and Alex looked at each other in shock.
“She’s been having trouble for a couple of months now,” Shane said. “We thought it was due to her mood disorder.”
The doctor nodded. “Probably made it worse. And if she’s on any medication, there’s a good chance she hasn’t been taking it.”
“I’ll ask her doctor.”
“Sure. I just want to assure you that this is very reversible. But someone will have to be sure she’s taking better care of herself. She also has very high levels of C-reactive protein. It could be an infection, but considering her lack of fever, I suspect it’s arthritis. We can run some X-rays tomorrow to check. Has she complained of any pain?”
Shane looked at Alex, but Alex wouldn’t know. Shane answered. “She hasn’t complained much, but I notice she’s had a little trouble walking. That started this summer.”
“Well, don’t worry. We’ll figure it out, and she’ll be able to answer more questions in a day or two. Right now she needs rest and fluids. We’ve got both of your numbers if we need to be in touch. I’ll be on rounds starting tomorrow at nine.”
“Thank you,” Shane said.
Then they were alone. They both watched their mother for a long time before Alex spoke. “Sophie was right. She said there was something really wrong. I didn’t buy it.”