Indemnity: Book Two: Covenant of Trust Series (27 page)

Thursday, September 20

Bobbi stepped away from Ann Molinsky’s door and peeked through the front window, debating whether she should go on in. Ann’s car was in the garage, but she hadn’t answered the doorbell.

They were both anxious to catch up, and with Shannon at Rita’s, they had at least two good hours of visiting time.

Bobbi rang the bell once again and strained to hear any sounds of movement from inside the house. “Ann?” Bobbi knocked on the front door as she pushed it open. “Ann, it’s Bobbi!”

“
Back here.” Bobbi heard a weak voice from the bathroom, and rushed back to find Ann gripping the doorframe. “You may not want to get too close in case this is contagious.”

Bobbi slipped an arm around Ann to steady her. “You’re drenched with sweat.” She guided Ann to the bedroom, and eased her onto the bed.

“
Just sick, sick to my stomach. Can’t catch my breath.” Bobbi helped her lean back, then lifted her feet up on the bed.

“
How long has this been going on?” Bobbi asked, taking Ann’s wrist.

“
Couple of hours,” Ann whispered.

“
Your pulse is all over the place. I’m calling an ambulance.” When Ann didn’t protest, Bobbi became even more frightened. She quickly dialed 911 from the phone on the nightstand, and relayed the information to the dispatcher. “They’re on their way. Everything’s going to be okay.” Bobbi hoped she sounded more optimistic that she felt. She continued talking, and occasionally Ann would smile slightly in reply, but mostly she lay, not moving, laboring to breathe.

When the paramedics arrived, Bobbi showed them to the bedroom, and tried to absorb what they were saying, so she could relay it to Chuck. One EMT checked Ann’s vital signs, and called out numbers while the second one phoned them in to the hospital. As they worked, Bobbi caught the word “infarction.” A heart attack. Chuck. She had to call Chuck.

“
Ma’am,” one of the paramedics said, as he held the IV bag up while his partner steered the gurney. “You probably don’t remember me, but my wife works for your husband. I know you from Christine’s stories, mostly, but we’ve met at the Christmas parties.”

“
Of course,” Bobbi said, trying to think of his name.

“
I’m Brian,” he said. “We’re going to take her to Christian. It’s closer, and they’re more than capable. We’ve got a good chance of stopping this one before too much damage is done.”

“
I’ll be right behind you.” Bobbi grabbed the cell phone from her purse, and locked Ann’s front door.

It took several rings before Chuck could get his cell phone out of his pants pocket.

“
Listen to me very carefully,” Bobbi said. “Your mother’s having a heart attack. I’m following the ambulance to Christian.”

“
Why not Barnes?”

“
Christian’s closer.”

“
I’ll be right there.” Chuck dashed out of his office, and handed Christine his keys. “I gotta go. My mother’s had a heart attack. Lock up for me.”

“
Sure thing. We’ll be praying, Mr. Molinsky.”

“
Thanks.” Chuck glanced at his watch. Ten minutes till four. He shouldn’t have to fight too much traffic yet. Christian was closer. Was that a good thing, or did it mean she was serious enough that she wouldn’t make it to Barnes? “Dear God, please not yet,” he murmured.

Bobbi paced the ER waiting room, clutching her cell phone, arguing within herself whether or not to call the boys. She didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily, and Brian sounded very upbeat. However, if things took a bad turn, and they weren’t able to get here in time ...

“
Mom, what’s wrong?” Brad said, answering the phone.

“
I’m at Christian Hospital. Grandma’s had a heart attack.”

“
How bad is it?”

“
I don’t know yet. She was conscious and everything, but until they run the tests they won’t know how much damage was done.”

“
Where’s Shannon? Do I need to come and get her?”

“
She’s with Aunt Rita.”

“
I’ll be there as quick as I can,” Brad said, hanging up.

Bobbi sighed, whispered one more prayer before dialing Joel’s number. “Hey, Mom!”

“
Sweetheart ... Grandma had a heart attack.”

“
Is she okay?”

“
I’m at Christian Hospital right now. We’re still waiting to find out how bad it is.”

“
I’ll be there in two hours.”

“
Joel, it may not be that serious. The paramedics—”

“
Mom, I’m coming home.” He wasn’t budging.

“
Just promise me you won’t go more than five miles over the speed limit.”

“
Mom ...”

“
Please. I don’t want two of you in the hospital.”

“
All right, I promise. I’ll be there by six-thirty.” Bobbi snapped her phone shut. It never failed. Each time they enjoyed something good, like Brad’s decision to go to seminary, or the wonderful weekend away, something worse lurked around the next corner.

Ann was the only parent she or Chuck had left, and Bobbi depended on her mother-in-law’s counsel and support. She needed Ann right now. God took Phil Shannon from them when she still needed him. This wasn’t where this was headed, was it? Surely, God wouldn’t ...

“
Bobbi, where is she?” Chuck jogged through the emergency room doors to her.

“
Cath lab. We’ll know more when they’re through.” Chuck hugged her tightly, both of them allowing that wall of strength to crumble for just a moment. When Chuck let go of her, she took his hand, and led him to the elevator. “Brian, Christine’s Brian, sounded very positive, like they could stop this before too much damage was done.”

“
Brian’s a sharp kid.” Chuck wiped his eyes, and stepped in the elevator behind her.

“
I called the boys.” Bobbi found a tissue in her purse, and handed it to him. “They’re on their way.”

“
Joel too?”

“
There was no negotiating.” He slipped his hand around hers again and she took a deep breath to maintain her composure. The doors slid open a moment later, and they rounded the corner to a small waiting area. “Now that you’re here I’ll call Rita and Glen.” She walked a few steps away, and quickly made the calls, keeping her eyes on Chuck. He was depressed for a month when his dad died. Could she walk with him through the pain of losing his mother? Then he was due in court with Tracy tomorrow. What will happen if he cancels?

She rejoined her husband, wrapping her arm around his. “Glen’s on his way, and Rita’s going to keep Shannon as long as we need her to. I told her we should know more in the next few hours.”

“
What’s she going to tell Shannon?”

“
Just that Grandma got sick, and we brought her to the hospital to check her out.”

“
So what happened?”

“
We were going to go get a cup of coffee after school, and I found her in the bathroom doorway, sick, and weak, barely able to stand. She was just soaked, and her pulse was really erratic, so I called the ambulance.”

“
Did you know it was a heart attack?”

“
Not until Brian said ‘infarction’ on the phone.”

“
Is Kara here?”

“
I guess so. Rita has her girls too. Unless she got off at four.”

“
I was just trying to think how we could get some information.”

“
What about your friend Lucas? Isn’t he a heart doctor?”

“
I think he only works out of Barnes.”

“
Mrs. Molinsky?”

Bobbi turned to see who was calling for her.

“
I’m Dr. Ayala.” A man dressed in blue scrubs held out a hand.

“
This is my husband, Chuck,” Bobbi said, shaking the doctor’s hand. “It’s his mother.”

“
Mr. Molinsky.” The doctor shook Chuck’s hand. “Your mother is in very serious condition. She has three blockages, and I’ve scheduled her for bypass surgery first thing in the morning.”

“
What about between now and then?”

“
She’s stable. We’ll keep a close eye on her. They got her in here very quickly, so she didn’t have a lot of damage from this heart attack, but without some surgical intervention, she won’t survive the next one.”

“
What time tomorrow?” Chuck asked.

“
We’ll take her back about five, and be operating by six.”

“
Can I see her?”

“
For a moment. I’ll take you up there.” He motioned for Chuck and Bobbi to follow him to an elevator. “She’s never been sick before, has she?”

“
Not really,” Chuck answered.

“
Any recent complaints?”

“
We’d never know it. You know how mothers are.”

“
Chuck,” Bobbi said. “What about at the cookout last weekend? She mentioned her chest hurt then.”

“
But she said it was a muscle thing, overexertion.”

The elevator door opened, and Dr. Ayala stepped off and then waited for Chuck and Bobbi. “That’s not unusual. Early warning signs of a heart attack are often passed off as something else. She’s right down here.” The doctor motioned, and led them to the third door past the nurses’ station. He knocked on the door lightly. “Mrs. Molinsky, your son and his wife are here. Are you up for a quick visit?” Then he turned back to Bobbi and Chuck. “Just a few minutes, and keep things positive. You can go back later this evening.”

“
Thanks,” Chuck whispered. As he rounded the privacy curtain, he squeezed Bobbi’s hand a little tighter at the sight of his mother, pale and weak, hooked to various monitors. He leaned down to her and kissed her forehead. “That was quite a scare.”

“
For you and me both,” Ann said with a half-smile. “Thank God Bobbi was there.”

“
Yeah,” Chuck said, glancing back at his wife.

Bobbi stepped up to the other side of the bed, and took Ann’s hand. “Sounds like they have everything under control now.”

“
Someone’s control,” Ann answered. She took a deep breath. “That was just a rotten experience.”

“
And you are the queen of understatement,” Chuck said. “Have they told you about the bypass surgery?”

“
Yes, then he said, ‘now get some rest.’ It just kills me, figuratively speaking, of course. How am I supposed to sleep with that hanging over my head?”

Chuck smiled, and looked over at Bobbi. “She’s fine.”

“
We should go,” Bobbi said.

Chuck kissed his mother again. “I love you. And we need you around.” Bobbi gave Ann a kiss on the cheek, and she and Chuck slipped out quietly. “I feel a little better now, talking to her.”

“
I think I’ll call Joel again,” Bobbi said. “He was pretty upset.” In the next couple of hours, Brad came in, and then headed to Rita’s to be with Shannon. Glen and Laurie Dillard visited, with Glen promising to be back in the morning during the surgery. Bobbi called her principal to arrange for a substitute for Friday. She and Chuck took turns looking in on Ann, who finally seemed to be resting.

Just after six-thirty, as promised, Joel got off the elevator, accompanied by a young woman. She wore her blonde hair down, although it was just long enough to pull back. She was average height and build, and her clothes, while they followed the current fashion, were much more modest. Joel hugged each of his parents. “How’s Grandma?”

“
Resting,” Chuck said. “You can see her when she wakes up.”

“
This is Abby,” Joel said, presenting the young woman to his father.

Chuck shook her hand and said, “I’m glad to meet you, Abby. Thanks for coming.”

Bobbi held out her arms, and drew Abby into a hug. “I’m glad you came with Joel. I’m sure he needed the company.”

“
I was glad to get the chance to do something for him for a change,” she said softly. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and glanced at Joel.

“
Where’s your little boy?” Bobbi asked.

“
Oh, he’s with my parents, since it was an emergency and all.”

“
I’m going to take Abby home tomorrow after Grandma’s surgery,” Joel said. “I don’t think she’s been away from Ryan overnight before, have you?” Joel looked to Abby for confirmation, and she shook her head. “Where are Brad and Shannon?”

“
At Rita’s. Shannon was there when all this happened, and Brad went to be with her so it wouldn’t be so scary.”

“
Do you think Aunt Rita would let Abby stay at her house tonight?” Joel asked.

“
Honey, why wouldn’t she stay at our house?” Bobbi asked.

“
I didn’t want it to look bad, us staying at the same house. Maybe I could stay with Brad.”

“
Joel, it’ll be fine if both of you stay with us. You shouldn’t abandon Abby with a bunch of strangers anyway.” Bobbi turned to Abby. “Did you guys get to eat on the way?”

“
No, we drove straight here. Joel kept his promise about the speed limit, so we didn’t want to stop for anything.”

“
Why don’t I take you downstairs to the cafeteria then? Joel?”

“
I’m gonna stay here in case Grandma wakes up. Abby, you should go eat.” Joel smiled at her, encouraging her silently.