Chapter 6 what's so funny about the funny bone.

The look upon my patients face was enough motivation for me to keep telling the story to her. I had talked this over several times with John and with others.

There was something about the events that change our lives forever that take more to get over than the other things that happen to us. And while I was facing the possibility that this woman wasn't my mother, I couldn't just instantly cut the ties that had bound me to her for the last 32 years of my life. In my eyes she was my mother, she had been the one that had been pushing me to accomplish my dreams, she was more than just my mother, she was my cheerleader, my mentor, the one who believed in me when I couldn't find the strength to believe in myself.

Susan arrived at my apartment at 4:30 just as she said she would. She scurried up the stairs to her second story apartment. Susan knocked on the door a couple of times before she could hear voices from inside the apartment.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I screamed as I stumbled over her bags trying to get to the door. I went crashing foot looped in one of the straps for my carryon. I had hit her funny bone of the end table when I tumbled from being caught in the bag. I pulled the door open to come face to face with Susan. "Come in please Susan it's got to be cold out there."

"Thanks you okay?" Susan said a little worried with the words that were coming from the apartment when the door was closed. "Those aren't the words of someone who's having a good day."

"Yeah well I just tripped over my bags. I must have fallen asleep in my chair last night and didn't hear the alarm clock go off a half hour ago." I said rubbing my eyes and then massaged my banged up elbow. "There's nothing funny about hitting your funny bone, whose ironic idea was it to call it a funny bone. It's never made me laugh."

"Don't look at me for an answer to that one. It had to have been a man that named it, half the stuff they name doesn't make any sense anyway. There's a coffee stand that we can stop at on the way there and get you some java to jump start you." Susan said. "That always helps me in the morning. Might make your day a little better, although I doubt anything will make it okay. Do you have a long flight?"

"Caffeine would be perfect and no it's not that long of a flight should only take about 4 maybe 5 hours to get there if I don't have any delays." I said back to her, "thanks for coming and getting me. I just have to find my shoes and we can go."

"Is that them sitting right there?" Susan asked pointing under my favorite chair.

"Yeah that's them." I grabbed her shoes and threw them onto my feet. I then double-checked and made sure that all the lights were off except for the ones that I had on timers for while I was gone and working nights. I put her coat over my shoulders picked up my keys and turned back to Susan, "okay I think that I am ready let's roll. I would hate to miss my flight after having to work so hard to get one there to begin with. Who would have thought it would be so hard to get a last minute flight from Chicago to Spokane."

Susan headed with me back down to her car. We climbed in and Susan started to head out to midway for my flight. "Not me," Susan said as she negotiated the streets and found a java stand for us. "But then I don't fly. I hate to fly. I once planned this trip to Hawaii and got as far as Phoenix before the flight attendants had to haul me off the plane. My vacation wasn't ruined I spent time with my sister and niece but I took the train back."

"My mother hated to fly too, she always said that if I wanted to come and visit I could get on a plane and do it, she wouldn't come and see me." I started to softly cry again, "I should have done it sooner. I thought about going home between Texas and the interview but I didn't do it. I haven't been home in a long time. I think I saw her around Easter or Mother's day."

There was silence in the car again as we went thru the drive thru coffee stand and soon with coffee for each of them, and we were headed once again for Midway.

"So did you talk to Carter last night?" Susan asked.

"No, I didn't." I said back.

"He's going to be worried about you." Susan told me.

"I think that he can live for a few days with out seeing me." I said rather shortly.

"Carter just really cares about people. He's worried about how you are handling the stress of all this." Susan said pulling onto the freeway.

"I know it's stressful enough without having this come on. I didn't expect it and it's all just too shocking and hard to absorb at once." I said.

"He was asking about you yesterday though, he seemed extremely concerned when you were not there for work. I think he will be biting at the bit before you get back home in a few days. Won't you be staying there for close to a week?" Susan asked.

I fought the tears back, "no I don't think so, and I just have a few things to settle up with her few belongings. When I moved out several years ago, she sold the house and moved into a smaller apartment. She figured she didn't need the room. I know he'll be worried but I have to take care of this first and then I will be back to deal with the Carter's. It's not like I am staying there permanently or anything."

"Oh honey I am so sorry that you have to deal with all of this yourself especially since you don't have any family back there to help you out." Susan said.

"I'll be okay. That is why I am only going to be gone for a few days. There is a lot of it that I do not want to deal with. But there are a few people who have willingly agreed and volunteered to help so that I don't have to stay there so long." I said to Susan as I watched us fly along the Kennedy towards Midway.

"Do you want me to talk to Carter for you? If not to at least let him know that you are okay?" Susan asked.

"I suppose that would be okay." I said looking longingly out the window. "That way he doesn't think that I ran out on him. I'm sorry Susan but right now Carter's feeling don't matter that much to me."

"I understand," Susan said as she negotiated the car up to where she could drop me off for the flight. "Is this the right carrier for your flight?"

"Yes it is Susan. Thanks for the coffee and for dropping me off." I said gathering up her bags. "I will see you in a few days."

Susan watched as I hurried inside the airport to catch her flight. As soon as she disappeared inside the sliding doors, Susan started to head back towards County to start what was yet to be another grueling day.