GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE
CHAPTER 15
Laurie stood at the dirty, rain-stained hotel room window, watching the parking lot below for any sign of her Mother and Reuben. She hadn't thought it fair that they would leave her to watch her younger siblings; she wanted to be at the hospital with Keith, especially since that episode last night. The doctor assured them he would call if anything else happened that they needed to know, and Laurie knew that no news was good news, but this was agony!
"Hey, Laurie, let's play Scrabble!" Danny called from one of the two double beds in the room.
They were in the girls' room; Danny, Reuben and Chris shared another room just across the hall. It wasn't the fanciest of hotels, but it was all that was available at the last minute. And, it was a good twenty minutes from the hospital, which made Laurie despise it even more.
"Laurie!" Danny called again.
"Huh? Oh, no, I don't feel like playing, Danny. You guys go on ahead."
Danny frowned. "But you're the only one who can spell right!"
Laurie smiled. Scrabble was Danny's bane. He hated to play because he really was a poor speller. Monopoly was more his style, but Laurie vowed out loud to him once that she would never, ever play THAT game with him again, so he was stuck with the Scrabble, like it or not.
"Okay, I guess I could, for a little while. I wonder how everyone's doing? Keith, Mom, Reuben, Carly…" she murmured, sitting down by Danny.
"Is Carly gonna go to jail?" Tracy asked, jumping up on the bed to join the game.
"I don't know, honey. She didn't mean to hurt Keith. I think the police will just let her go home with her parents."
"I think she should fry!" Danny sneered, getting the game ready.
Chris laughed. "Like an egg?"
"Danny!" Laurie frowned.
He frowned. "She should."
The phone rang, and Laurie shook her head, getting up to answer it. "Hello? She isn't here right now. Can I take a message?" There was a pause, then, Laurie's face went white and she sat slowly back down onto the bed. "Oh, no…you're kidding…yes, yes, I'll tell her…thank you."
She was barely able to hang up. "Dear god…" she said softly.
Danny frowned, looking up. "What's the matter?"
She looked over at the three little faces peering back at her. "Nothing." She stood up, grabbing a sweater and heading for the door. "Danny, watch the kids. I have to go downstairs."
"What's the matter?" Danny cried. Something was wrong, and he wasn't about to let her get away without telling him.
She just yanked the door open and stumbled into the hall as Danny ran after her, some of the Scrabble tiles in his hand. "Laurie, wait! Tell me! Who was that?"
The look on her face as she turned around told him he didn't want to know. "It was the hospital," she blurted. "Keith's taken a turn for the worse."
He stopped in the middle of the hall, his freckled face as pale as hers. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to see if someone will take me over there. If not, I'll take a taxi. If Mom and Reuben come back, tell them, okay?"
"Okay."
He didn't know if she even heard him. She was running for the elevator and he turned, looking down at the tiles he still clutched in his hand. He swallowed. They were a little mixed up, but they spelled out BRTHR.
Laurie was crying as she stepped onto Keith's floor. She went to the desk where a nurse sat in front of the big double doors that led into the CCU.
"Please, I have to see my brother…you just called. I'm Laurie Partridge…" Her voice was pleading.
"Oh, yes. I believe they're taking him into surgery."
"Surgery!" Laurie cried. "Why?"
"I'm sorry, honey, you'll need to talk to Dr. Lowery. Let me see if he's left the room yet, okay?"
Laurie gripped the counter's edge with her fingers, trying to remain calm. This wasn't happening…not again. Last night after the blood pressure incident, the doctor told Mom and Reuben they thought they'd fixed the problem, but obviously they'd missed something. Damnit, where was that nurse?
She was just about to get hysterical, when the nurse returned. "You can go in. He's waiting for the right blood type to be brought in from the bank. They used all they had last night for him."
Laurie didn't even hear the last two sentences; she rounded the desk and blasted through the doors, running for Keith's room.
He lay in the bed, eyes closed, and whiter than the sheets beneath him. It was an eerie sight. The nurse in the corner desk rose quietly and slipped out when Laurie entered.
"Keith…" she was breathless, not knowing if he could hear her or not.
His eyes opened slowly and she felt a pain in the pit of her stomach. They were so distant, so cold…
"Honey, I'm here…"
He went to say something, but she shushed him, putting her hand on his chest. She pulled up a chair next to the bed.
"Don't talk. Just blink. Can you do that? Once for yes, twice for no?"
He blinked.
"What's going on, here? They tell me you're giving them some trouble again. Are you in pain, honey?"
He blinked twice.
"Are you sure? Maybe just a little?" Laurie put her face down close to his.
Blink.
She smiled softly, caressing his cheek. "Thought so. You're going to be okay…Mom and Reuben are on the way, so when you come back from surgery, we'll all be here. You're not scared, are you?"
Blink.
She sniffed, swiping at her nose. "Don't be, okay? You'll be just fine. I know you will."
He swallowed, closing his eyes, and she leaned in, putting her head next to his on the pillow, her hand still stroking his face. Her shoulders began to shake as she wept. She stayed with him for a good twenty minutes.
"Laurie!"
She lifted her head to see Shirley and Reuben there. Glancing down at Keith, she saw he was sleeping and she got up, going into her mother's arms.
"Oh, Mom…they called and said he'd gotten worse…I didn't know how to get hold of you, so I came…I didn't want him going through it alone."
Shirley rubbed her back. "I know, baby, I know…you did the right thing. Is he asleep?"
Laurie pulled back, staring at her brother. "He wasn't when I came in, but he is now…I'm scared…they won't tell me why he's having surgery."
"Dr. Lowrey said that they have to repair a nick in his intestine. The point of the knife put a tiny pin point hole in his stomach wall, and it keeps hemorrhaging. That's why he's losing blood pressure." Shirley smoothed Laurie's hair from out of her face.
Her hand to her face, Laurie sobbed. "He could die, still, couldn't he?"
Swallowing hard, Shirley's eyes shone. "He could, but he won't. He's got too many prayers on his side." She gave her daughter another quick hug, then moved to her son's side.
Pulling up the chair, she leaned in close to him much like Laurie had before her. Petting his head and taking his hand, she talked softly to him. "Honey, it's Mom…I don't know if you can hear me or not, Keith, but I want you to know I love you so much. You're going to get through this just fine, and we're all here to help you…Laurie, Danny, Chris, Tracy, Reuben, Carly…we're all cheering for you, baby, so you've got to do your part and pull through this surgery so we can have you back with us, okay? We need you, Keith. We need your smile and your laughter, and your songs…" She paused as her tears fell from her cheek onto his. "I love you, honey. Please, Keith, you need to come through this for us…you can do it."
She kissed his cheek and stood up, feeling Laurie's hand on her shoulder.
"He'll be okay, won't he, Mom?"
Nodding, Shirley nearly collapsed in her daughter's arms.
continued...
CHAPTER 15
Laurie stood at the dirty, rain-stained hotel room window, watching the parking lot below for any sign of her Mother and Reuben. She hadn't thought it fair that they would leave her to watch her younger siblings; she wanted to be at the hospital with Keith, especially since that episode last night. The doctor assured them he would call if anything else happened that they needed to know, and Laurie knew that no news was good news, but this was agony!
"Hey, Laurie, let's play Scrabble!" Danny called from one of the two double beds in the room.
They were in the girls' room; Danny, Reuben and Chris shared another room just across the hall. It wasn't the fanciest of hotels, but it was all that was available at the last minute. And, it was a good twenty minutes from the hospital, which made Laurie despise it even more.
"Laurie!" Danny called again.
"Huh? Oh, no, I don't feel like playing, Danny. You guys go on ahead."
Danny frowned. "But you're the only one who can spell right!"
Laurie smiled. Scrabble was Danny's bane. He hated to play because he really was a poor speller. Monopoly was more his style, but Laurie vowed out loud to him once that she would never, ever play THAT game with him again, so he was stuck with the Scrabble, like it or not.
"Okay, I guess I could, for a little while. I wonder how everyone's doing? Keith, Mom, Reuben, Carly…" she murmured, sitting down by Danny.
"Is Carly gonna go to jail?" Tracy asked, jumping up on the bed to join the game.
"I don't know, honey. She didn't mean to hurt Keith. I think the police will just let her go home with her parents."
"I think she should fry!" Danny sneered, getting the game ready.
Chris laughed. "Like an egg?"
"Danny!" Laurie frowned.
He frowned. "She should."
The phone rang, and Laurie shook her head, getting up to answer it. "Hello? She isn't here right now. Can I take a message?" There was a pause, then, Laurie's face went white and she sat slowly back down onto the bed. "Oh, no…you're kidding…yes, yes, I'll tell her…thank you."
She was barely able to hang up. "Dear god…" she said softly.
Danny frowned, looking up. "What's the matter?"
She looked over at the three little faces peering back at her. "Nothing." She stood up, grabbing a sweater and heading for the door. "Danny, watch the kids. I have to go downstairs."
"What's the matter?" Danny cried. Something was wrong, and he wasn't about to let her get away without telling him.
She just yanked the door open and stumbled into the hall as Danny ran after her, some of the Scrabble tiles in his hand. "Laurie, wait! Tell me! Who was that?"
The look on her face as she turned around told him he didn't want to know. "It was the hospital," she blurted. "Keith's taken a turn for the worse."
He stopped in the middle of the hall, his freckled face as pale as hers. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to see if someone will take me over there. If not, I'll take a taxi. If Mom and Reuben come back, tell them, okay?"
"Okay."
He didn't know if she even heard him. She was running for the elevator and he turned, looking down at the tiles he still clutched in his hand. He swallowed. They were a little mixed up, but they spelled out BRTHR.
Laurie was crying as she stepped onto Keith's floor. She went to the desk where a nurse sat in front of the big double doors that led into the CCU.
"Please, I have to see my brother…you just called. I'm Laurie Partridge…" Her voice was pleading.
"Oh, yes. I believe they're taking him into surgery."
"Surgery!" Laurie cried. "Why?"
"I'm sorry, honey, you'll need to talk to Dr. Lowery. Let me see if he's left the room yet, okay?"
Laurie gripped the counter's edge with her fingers, trying to remain calm. This wasn't happening…not again. Last night after the blood pressure incident, the doctor told Mom and Reuben they thought they'd fixed the problem, but obviously they'd missed something. Damnit, where was that nurse?
She was just about to get hysterical, when the nurse returned. "You can go in. He's waiting for the right blood type to be brought in from the bank. They used all they had last night for him."
Laurie didn't even hear the last two sentences; she rounded the desk and blasted through the doors, running for Keith's room.
He lay in the bed, eyes closed, and whiter than the sheets beneath him. It was an eerie sight. The nurse in the corner desk rose quietly and slipped out when Laurie entered.
"Keith…" she was breathless, not knowing if he could hear her or not.
His eyes opened slowly and she felt a pain in the pit of her stomach. They were so distant, so cold…
"Honey, I'm here…"
He went to say something, but she shushed him, putting her hand on his chest. She pulled up a chair next to the bed.
"Don't talk. Just blink. Can you do that? Once for yes, twice for no?"
He blinked.
"What's going on, here? They tell me you're giving them some trouble again. Are you in pain, honey?"
He blinked twice.
"Are you sure? Maybe just a little?" Laurie put her face down close to his.
Blink.
She smiled softly, caressing his cheek. "Thought so. You're going to be okay…Mom and Reuben are on the way, so when you come back from surgery, we'll all be here. You're not scared, are you?"
Blink.
She sniffed, swiping at her nose. "Don't be, okay? You'll be just fine. I know you will."
He swallowed, closing his eyes, and she leaned in, putting her head next to his on the pillow, her hand still stroking his face. Her shoulders began to shake as she wept. She stayed with him for a good twenty minutes.
"Laurie!"
She lifted her head to see Shirley and Reuben there. Glancing down at Keith, she saw he was sleeping and she got up, going into her mother's arms.
"Oh, Mom…they called and said he'd gotten worse…I didn't know how to get hold of you, so I came…I didn't want him going through it alone."
Shirley rubbed her back. "I know, baby, I know…you did the right thing. Is he asleep?"
Laurie pulled back, staring at her brother. "He wasn't when I came in, but he is now…I'm scared…they won't tell me why he's having surgery."
"Dr. Lowrey said that they have to repair a nick in his intestine. The point of the knife put a tiny pin point hole in his stomach wall, and it keeps hemorrhaging. That's why he's losing blood pressure." Shirley smoothed Laurie's hair from out of her face.
Her hand to her face, Laurie sobbed. "He could die, still, couldn't he?"
Swallowing hard, Shirley's eyes shone. "He could, but he won't. He's got too many prayers on his side." She gave her daughter another quick hug, then moved to her son's side.
Pulling up the chair, she leaned in close to him much like Laurie had before her. Petting his head and taking his hand, she talked softly to him. "Honey, it's Mom…I don't know if you can hear me or not, Keith, but I want you to know I love you so much. You're going to get through this just fine, and we're all here to help you…Laurie, Danny, Chris, Tracy, Reuben, Carly…we're all cheering for you, baby, so you've got to do your part and pull through this surgery so we can have you back with us, okay? We need you, Keith. We need your smile and your laughter, and your songs…" She paused as her tears fell from her cheek onto his. "I love you, honey. Please, Keith, you need to come through this for us…you can do it."
She kissed his cheek and stood up, feeling Laurie's hand on her shoulder.
"He'll be okay, won't he, Mom?"
Nodding, Shirley nearly collapsed in her daughter's arms.
continued...