Organized to Death (17 page)

“Of course,” Brenda said, moving restlessly in the bed.

When she didn’t say any more, Tina prodded. “So, why are you here?”

“Just having some tests done. Nothing major.”

They don’t slap someone in the hospital for tests if it isn’t major, Tina thought, but she didn’t want to press Brenda. They weren’t that close. As far as she could remember, Brenda had looked and acted fine at lunch the day before.

“Well, I hope everything turns out okay,” Tina said awkwardly.

“I’m sure it will,” Brenda said, but she didn’t sound sure.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I’d better see what’s going on with Uncle Bob now.”

“Yes. Hope he’s doing all right.” Brenda turned her head away, and after saying a soft goodbye, Tina left.

Her mother dozed in a chair and Uncle Bob was sound asleep, but when she came farther into the room, Laura woke with a start.

“How was Mitzi?” she whispered, then gave a short laugh. “Why am I whispering? Uncle Bob can’t hear me.”

Tina shook her head. “Don’t know—just natural when someone’s sleeping.” She sat on the other bed and found it so high that her feet dangled. She remembered how Mitzi had looked on the high Victorian bed and hoped she herself didn’t look that forlorn. “Mitzi is all wrapped up in how life has treated her and doesn’t know how to get to someplace else.”

Laura stared at Tina. “You nailed her. True of most of us, though, isn’t it?”

“Probably. Some people are better at putting bad things behind them and going forward, usually, I think, because they reach out to others and try to help them. By doing that, they see that everyone has troubles, some a lot worse than their own. Feeling down? Think of the people worse off than you are, people in constant pain, for example. That should turn you around.”

Laura smiled. “I guess your learned something from all those psychology courses. And maybe I did something right along the way.”

Tina laughed. “By telling me not to feel sorry for myself? By telling me that other people have it a lot worse than I do? By having good books around to read, to find out how bad things can be? Charles Dickens was a good one.”

“Wasn’t he?” Laura grinned. “Imagine for a minute being a little match girl.”

“Right. Or even Alice in Wonderland.” The thought of Alice made her think of Hank. Through the looking glass. She pushed the thought away. “Did you know Brenda’s here?”

“No. Where?”

“I mean, she’s been admitted.”

“What?” The word sounded like a gunshot. Tina flinched.

“She’s in a bed just down the hall.”

Laura stared at her. “Oh, no.” She turned her head away. But not before Tina noticed the paleness of her face.

“Mom? What’s wrong? She said she was only in for some tests. But she wouldn’t tell me what for.”

Laura stood up, her movements jerky. “I have to go. Take care of Uncle Bob. I’ll come back in the morning.”

“Mom! Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I can’t.” Laura’s voice was anguished. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

She left quickly, her high heels clicking down the hall.

Tina glanced at Uncle Bob and saw he was awake. She jumped off the bed and went to stand next to him. “Can I get you anything?” Princess thumped her tail.

“No.” He reached for his hearing aids and put them in. Then he grabbed his water glass and took a few sips. “Ah. Why did Laura rush out of here without even saying goodbye?”

“I don’t know. I told her Brenda was down the hall—as a patient—and she took off.”

“Why is Brenda here?” Uncle Bob looked surprised.

“I don’t know that either. She wouldn’t tell me. Only said they were doing tests, but wouldn’t say what for.”

“Huh. Mysterious bunch of people.”

“You mean the Lunch Bunch and their daughters?”

“Must be catching. What secrets are you keeping from your Uncle Bob, huh?”

“I don’t keep much from you, Uncle Bob.”

“Well, then, tell me about this mysterious visit to Mitzi.”

Tina told all, except about The Kiss. She realized she had begun to think of it in capital letters. It loomed large. She wondered what Uncle Bob would think, but somehow could not share it with him.

“Well, that explains why Mitzi changed so much after Jasper’s death. She seemed to hold up as well as could be expected after Sally died, but then Jasper did, too, and she fell apart. Why do people insist on blaming themselves for other people’s actions? We make our own choices. I have no idea how Mitzi could have prevented Jasper’s suicide. She probably doesn’t, either, but she’s not thinking clearly. It sounds as if you might have put her on the road to rationality. You did good, Tina.”

Tina basked in his approval as Princess stood up to be petted. “I’d better take her for a walk, hadn’t I? I see they brought water for her. I’ll bring food tomorrow—I’m sorry I forgot, but thank goodness she’s a morning eater.”

“I think you had other things on your mind, my girl,” Uncle Bob said.

“I did. How
do
you feel, really?”

“Not bad. They gave me a pain palliative. Seems to be working.”

“Well, I hope it’s easy on your stomach. And I guess they told you that they don’t believe ulcers are caused by stress anymore, right?

“Yeah.” He looked sheepish. “Now I can’t brag about them.”

She patted his shoulder. “No, you can brag about going in the ambulance.”

He shook his head. “I don’t even remember all that excitement.”

I do
, thought Tina. Relief washed over her, now, talking with Uncle Bob. She was sure the doctors would have him better in no time.

“Well, Princess and I will be back shortly.” She disengaged the leash from the bedrail and took Princess out of the room. The dog looked back at Uncle Bob as if to make sure he was all right and it was okay for her to leave him for a while.

She had to walk through the emergency room since it was after visiting hours, and she saw the male nurse who had given her such a hard time earlier. He looked away as she walked by him. She hoped he’d learned his lesson.

Outside, Tina found a grassy spot and was glad Princess didn’t do anything that needed cleaning up because Tina didn’t have the plastic bags with her. She’d have to remember to bring them, along with the food and Princess’s favorite chew toy.

As they walked back to the hospital, Tina saw Doctor Ted coming toward them with long strides. At first she was surprised to see him, but then she realized he had probably been there to see patients.

Princess let out a low growl as Ted approached. Tina patted her, wondering what was wrong. Princess hardly ever growled. The dog crowded next to Tina’s leg, and when Tina put her hand on her back, she felt the dog’s hackles rise.

The closer Ted came, the uneasier both Tina and Princess became.
What was it about him that made her feel this way
, Tina wondered.
And now Princess?

“New dog?” Ted’s hand reached out to pet Princess, but she growled again, and he quickly withdrew it.

“What?” Tina was distracted by her thoughts. “No, she belongs to my uncle. He was admitted today, and she’s his hearing dog.”

“Hearing dog?”

They stood under a streetlight, and Tina could clearly see his puzzled look.

A bit surprised that he didn’t know what one was, she explained.

“Oh, of course,” Ted said. “For a moment I’d forgotten about them. Never met one.” But Tina didn’t believe he’d ever heard of one before. Especially when he went to pet Princess again. This time the dog didn’t growl, and Tina ignored it. After all, Princess wasn’t working, so it didn’t matter.

“I saw Brenda,” Tina said. It would be natural for her to bring that up since Brenda was Dr. Ted’s nurse.

“What?”

“Brenda. You know, your nurse.” Tina gave a nervous little laugh.

“Oh, yes, she seemed a bit peaked so I ordered some tests. Probably anemic, but need to make sure it’s nothing more serious.”

“And you admitted her for that?” Tina couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

“Well, yes. She, um, fainted. Didn’t want to take any chances.”

Why didn’t she believe him? It was bad enough she kept wondering about the Lunch Bunch. Now she was becoming more and more suspicious of Doctor Ted.

“Well, gotta go,” he said. “Nice seeing you. You’ll be at work tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there.”

“See you there, then.” Ted strode off toward the parking lot, and Tina and Princess stood watching him a moment before walking back inside.

She found Uncle Bob dozing, so she hooked up Princess’s leash again and climbed into the other bed. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

In the morning Tina woke to see an aide come in to take Uncle Bob’s “vitals.” Tina watched bleary-eyed as the woman put a thermometer in his ear, checked his pulse, and took his blood pressure. The clock on the wall said 5:55. Before they could settle down again, another nurse came in and checked his IV site, the bag, and his bracelet, then gave him a pill. Neither woman had said a word to Uncle Bob. Tina wondered if they talked to the hearing patients.

“Go back to sleep,” Uncle Bob said, and Tina nodded back off.

At eight fifteen she woke again to see Brandon standing over her.

“Oh, hi,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“Came to see you. And Uncle Bob, of course. But he’s asleep.”

Tina glanced toward the other bed. They must have given him a sleeping pill the night before. She sat up, feeling awkward lying on the bed.

“Why didn’t you call and let me know what was going on?” Brandon asked. “I didn’t find out until this morning when the office workers told me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think. Things were hectic.” Feelings of guilt washed over her when she remembered the dinner with Hank and The Kiss.

Suddenly the air in the room seemed to change, and Tina looked up to see Hank standing in the doorway. She felt the blood leave her head, then a warm flush washed over her whole body. She was glad Brandon had turned to see who had come in and didn’t notice her reaction. Princess’s tail thumped the floor when she saw Hank, and he bent down to pet her. “Not working, girl, I see,” he said. Uncle Bob slept on. “How is he?” Hank asked, moving his head toward the patient.

“Seems to be resting comfortably, as they say,” Tina reported. Interesting that Hank had asked first about Uncle Bob whereas Brandon’s first concern was why she hadn’t called to tell him what had happened.

Hank moved farther into the room, and he and Brandon shook hands. Tina studied the two men—Brandon solid, substantial; Hank lean, cat-like. And she knew she loved them both, in different ways. She wondered if she’d ever be able to choose between them. Brandon, comfortable, sheltering; Hank, exciting, expecting more of her, but so secretive.

Uncle Bob stirred. Everyone watched him, and Princess stood up. He opened his eyes and grinned. “What a crowd. Did you charge admission, Tina?”

Tina stood up and approached the bed and handed him his hearing aids. She waited for him to insert them, then said, “Got it right in my pocket. How do you feel?”

He grimaced. “Thirsty. Achy from being in bed so long.”

“I’ll call the nurse, get you something to drink and eat, maybe get you up in a chair.” She pushed the call button.

A slender, red-headed nurse bustled in, agreed that Uncle Bob could get up, and helped him into a chair. She promised to bring juice and breakfast. “We were told to let him sleep. And I’m afraid the breakfast will be bland.”

Uncle Bob made a face. “Don’t tell me. Jell-O and broth. Do I get to choose the color of the Jell-O?”

The nurse didn’t smile, just shook her head. Tina noticed she hadn’t really spoken to Uncle Bob, more to Tina instead. “If you face him, he can read your lips pretty well,” she said.

Not looking at Uncle Bob, the nurse nodded and left the room. Tina sighed. Even many medical professionals didn’t seem to know how to deal with the profoundly hard of hearing. Uncle Bob had complained, even when he could hear better than he did now, about doctors who wouldn’t face him, who mumbled, who refused to write things down.

Tina turned to Uncle Bob and said, “Princess needs a walk. I’ll go take her now.”

“Thanks. I’ll try not to choke on my breakfast.”

Tina laughed. “That’s good. Watch carefully for bones in the Jell-O.”

The two men stirred. “I’ll go with you,” Hank said.

“I’ll come, too,” Brandon said.

Tina felt suddenly uncomfortable. She imagined how they’d look, the three of them and Princess. If she were a different sort of woman, she would walk tall, feel proud to have two men escorting her. But she wasn’t that kind of woman. She couldn’t sort out her own feelings right now, and it frustrated her.

They escaped the hospital with only a few strange looks from visitors who didn’t understand why they were allowed to have a dog. Not one of them said a word, and Tina wondered if either Brandon or Hank felt as uncomfortable as she did. Somehow, she doubted it.

Outside they met Brenda’s mother coming in. Mrs. Cooley looked worn, older than the last time Tina had seen her. A faded beauty, she wore no makeup, and Tina noticed her hands had a slight tremor. She puffed jerkily on a cigarette, then put it out in the sand in the holder provided for those who still smoked.

“Tina,” Mrs. Cooley said. She squinted at Tina in the bright sunlight. Looked her up and down. Tina remembered Mitzi doing the same thing. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, Mrs. Cooley. How are you? And what’s going on with Brenda?”

Brenda’s mother stiffened. She stared at Tina for a moment before answering. “She’s just having some tests. She’ll be fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Tina wanted to ask her more questions. But Mrs. Cooley walked inside before Tina could think of a reason to keep her.

Tina looked up at Brandon. Sudden fear washed over her. Sally, dead from cancer. Crystal murdered. Brenda ill. The Lunch Bunch daughters seemed to be falling, one by one.

“Do you know what’s going on?” she asked Brandon.

He shook his head. “What do you mean?”

“Something’s strange about Brenda being in the hospital.”

“Don’t be silly. Her mother said she’s in for tests. What’s strange about that?”