Chapter 56

"Margaret, are you alright?" Louisa hovered over Martin's mother as Margaret looked at her with fright in her eyes. She was trying to tell Louisa something, but she was speaking gibberish.

Louisa sat back on her heels and pulled out her mobile and called for an ambulance. James stood next to Margaret with his hand on her shoulder, "Will she be alright, Mum?"

"I don't know," she replied truthfully. "I think she may have had a stroke, and that can be quite serious."

All three children gazed at her with concern. They may not have understood what a stroke was, but they knew it wasn't good. Robert spoke up. "We need to call Daddy. He could fix her. Daddy can fix almost anybody, right mummy?"

She stood up and sat down in a side chair and pulled him to her. "Daddy can fix most people, but Daddy isn't here. They have good doctors here as well. One of them can probably fix her once she arrives in hospital." She noticed that James had sat down next to Margaret and was holding her hand, looking at her with concern; and she had to wonder, as she frequently did, how the special bond between them came about. She knew that James was Margaret's favorite. Oh, she was kind to the younger children, sending them cards and gifts for Christmas and their birthdays. She loved to send Joanie little dresses and trinkets, but she seemed to dote on James. It was hard to believe that this was the same woman who had left her own son to be raised by nannies and public-school masters, who even as recently as a few years ago, well even now, ridiculed him and his life choices so cold-heartedly.

Soon enough the ambulance arrived, and the attendants strapped Margaret to a gurney and carried her out of her home. Louisa confirmed the hospital's location and hurriedly grabbed Margaret's purse, checking to be certain that her identification cards were in order. After locking the door, she guided the children down to their car and drove off to the hospital.

When they first arrived at hospital, conditions in the emergency department seemed chaotic. It was especially unsettling for the children. There were a number of people sitting in the waiting room with obvious injuries or moaning in pain. And others were milling about, huddled together or pacing the floor whist they waited for the hospital staff to attend their loved ones. The children clung to her as they searched for someone to help them. Finally Louisa found an empty bank of chairs and she settled the children there as best she could and then approached the check-in window. Fortunatley she was sufficiently conversent in Portuguese to ask for information about Margaret and receive confirmation that they would call her when any information was available. Margaret had been taken directly to an examination room and Louisa and the children were not allowed to be with her. Louisa felt that was probably wise; they would undoubtedly be underfoot. Fortunately, they called her within a half hour with a brief status update of Margaret's condition, and the information wasn't good. The attendant told her they were taking her to imaging and suggested that Louisa take the children away from the waiting room, perhaps to the canteen. She gave the attending staff her mobile number and then steered the children down the hall away from emergency.

She ushered the children through the canteen and picked up several sandwiches and drinks, and then she settled them around a table in a corner far away from the entrance where things were slightly hectic. The children were subdued and quietly picked at their food. She knew they were distressed, as was she, but they all needed to eat to keep up their strength. It had been a long upsetting afternoon and was likely to be even longer. She should call Martin and let him know, but not until later, after his workday was completed. She had forgotten all about Ruth in the frenzy surrounding their finding Margaret, but she realized that she should call her. Ruth handled Margaret's affairs and she would need to know about this situation. And she could help with the children until her mother finished her work later in the evening.

But first she must tend to the children. "I know you are worried about Miss Margaret, but you must eat something." Dutifully, they each took a small bite out of their sandwiches, looking at her for approval. "Good, we need to stay strong. Now, I need to call Graunty so she can help us."

She pulled out her mobile and dialled, "Ruth It's Louisa."

"Louisa, what is it. You sound breathless."

"Margaret's had a stroke. We are all at hospital."

Ruth responded immediately, "Tell me exactly which hospital and we'll be there as soon as we can." She could hear Ruth cover the mouthpiece and shout at her husband, "Peter. Margaret's had a stroke. We need to go to hospital and help out Louisa."

Ruth returned to the phone, "Is there anything you need to me to bring, or anything else I can do before we arrive?"

"No, I have the children in the canteen and we are having a bit of tea. They took Margaret to run tests."

"Right. One more thing, Louisa. Have you called Martin?"

"No. He has consultations all afternoon on Wednesdays."

"Call him anyway … right away. He needs to know, so as to arrange his schedule for the next few days to accommodate a trip to Portugal. He has her medical power of attorney and will be the one the doctors and hospital will turn to for decisions regarding her care. I'm sorry Louisa, but he needs to be here."

"Yes, you are right. I wasn't thinking. It's all such a shock."

"Yes dear, I understand. We will be there shortly."

Louisa ended the call and turned to the children who were looking at her expectantly. "Graunty and Uncle Peter will be here soon. I need to call Daddy and tell him to come and then we can talk about what is happening."

She dialled his office number and Morwenna answered, "Morwenna, this is Louisa. Is Martin free at the moment."

"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Ellingham. He is with a patient."

'Yes, I thought he might be. Could you give him a message to call me as soon as he has a free moment? He has my mobile number."

"Right. I'll give him the message as soon as he finishes with this consultation. Is there anything else I should tell him?"

"No. That's all. Thanks, Morwenna." Louisa was certain by the tone in Miss Newcross's voice that she had picked up on her own anxiety.

The children had stopped eating whilst she was on the phone. She could tell that they were very concerned about the situation, and she needed to comfort them and help make sense of what was completely foreign to them.

"Okay. Graunty Ruth and Uncle Peter are coming to help us and I've left a message for Daddy to call so I can tell him as well. Do you want to talk about what is happening?"

"Mum, do you know what is happening?" James was sceptical.

"I have an idea, yes. The emergency doctors confirmed that she had all the signs of a stroke and they told me that they would be taking her up to radiology for scans. The scans will tell them where the damage is in her brain and whether there is a clot, that is, whether something is blocking one of her blood vessels, or if one of her arteries is bleeding." She tried to make it as simple as possible, but it was difficult.

"Why do they need to know that? Can't they just make her better right away? Daddy would know what to do." Robert had total confidence in his father's medical ability.

"Even Daddy would need to know where in her head the problem was before he started to fix her, Robert."

James added, "That's right Robert. If a clot is blocking an artery, that is, if something is stopping the blood from moving, there is some medicine they can give her to make it move again. But if an artery is bleeding, then that medicine would make it worse. They have to know what has happened before they can make her better."

Louisa wondered when it was that James had learned about strokes. But she shouldn't have been surprised; James frequently talked with his Dad about his work and she suspected that James now knew as much about Martin's work as she did, perhaps more. She tried to hide her surprise and nodded, "That's right James. I gave them my mobile number and they told me they would call when she was stabilized."

"Will we be able to go see her then?" James was anxious.

"They may let me, but they made it clear that no children would be allowed in the intensive care unit of the hospital. That is where they will take her after they decide how to treat her. Now I want you to finish your meal."

Louisa took a few sips of the soup she had selected whilst she debated how to organise the remainder of the afternoon. A thousand thoughts tumbled through her mind. Someone needed to stay and confer with the doctors. Perhaps Ruth and Peter could stay in hospital waiting to hear about Margaret's condition whilst Louisa took the children back to her mother's. No, the more she thought about it, the more she realised that sending the children back with Ruth would be best. Then she remembered that Margaret had laid the table for their tea. She should return to the flat and put things away before taking the children back to her mother's. She shook her head trying to clear her mind. Clearing up Margaret's flat could wait until later. How would Martin react to the news of his mother in hospital. They all knew it was inevitable, but would he be concerned for her care, or would he treat it as an inconvenience. It was important that he model good behaviour for the children's sake, no matter how he felt about his mother. And how will they all fit into her mother's small casa once Martin arrives? Maybe they should get a hotel room, or two.

"I think it would be best if Graunty took you children back to her flat. Perhaps she could take you to the pool after all."

"We can't go swimming whilst Miss Margaret is so sick. It would be bad-form." James had a strong sense of right and wrong, and to him, playing in the pool would be inappropriate.

Joanie had been especially quiet the entire afternoon which was completely out of character. Their little girl was a chatterbox, always had something to say about almost anything, but this afternoon's events had overwhelmed her. "I don't like it here. I want to go home."

"I know Joanie. I've called Graunty and she is coming to take you to her flat. Perhaps Peter will play a game with you until it's time to go to Mimi's house in a few hours."

"No, I don't want to go to Mimi's house. I want to go home. I want to see Daddy." She choked back a sob and wiped a few tears off of her cheek.

Louisa sighed. Yes, in his daughter's eyes, Daddy could make any problem go away. His calm quiet presence made her feel safe whenever something out of the ordinary occurred to make her world feel out of sorts. Daddy would make it better. Louisa leaned over the table to her daughter and held her hand, "Come here. Daddy is going to call me in a few minutes and I am going to ask him to come to help. He should be here tomorrow. And we will call Daddy tonight and you can talk with him. We will ask him what we should do about Miss Margaret. Okay?"

Joanie scuttled around the table and settled onto Louisa's lap. "Okay. Daddy can make her all better. Robert says so."

"Maybe …" Louisa didn't want to encourage her children in their belief that Margaret was going to recover. The doctors in the emergency room had not been encouraging. Margaret's condition had deteriorated even during the short ambulance ride to hospital. They promised to do what they could, but they made no promises. "Miss Margaret is very, very sick, and the doctors said she might not get better. We will have to wait and hope for the best."

Louisa hugged her daughter tight, "Don't worry." At just that moment, Ruth and Peter appeared at their table.

"Have you heard anything more?"

"No, we are still waiting."

Peter glanced around the canteen and then said, "Perhaps I should nose around and see what they will tell me."

Louisa replied, "They have my mobile number and said they would ring me when they had something to relay."

Ruth nodded her head in understanding, "Yes, but they have other priorities and may not call you as soon as the results of her scans are available."

Peter added, "Ruth is correct. I have experience in working with emergency personnel, and I've picked up some Portugese in the past several years. They may be more open to speaking with a medical professional than with a lay member of the family. Wait here."

Before Louisa could reply, he headed off to the emergency area. "Is that really a good idea, Ruth? It may just annoy them."

Ruth smiled as she watched her husband make his way toward the exit, "No, Peter is very resourceful, and tactful. Let him work his magic."

Just then Louisa's mobile rang. She looked at the screen and answered, "Martin."

"Louisa." His voice was subdued with a hint of urgency.

She stood up and walked a few steps away from the family, "Your …. Margaret has had a stroke."

"Thank God."

"Martin?"

"I mean, you and the children …?"

She could feel his relief through the phone and heard a thump as he relaxed into his desk chair. She should have left a more detailed message so he wouldn't have worried. "We're fine"

"Good."

"They've taken her to radiology, and we're in the hospital canteen waiting to hear the results of the scans. Peter has gone to see if he can chase them up. Ruth is here with us. She said you will want to come over to supervise her care."

"Yes." His voice was grave, "I have several procedures scheduled for tomorrow morning, which I must perform, but I should be able to leave by noon. I will have Miss Newcross reschedule my consultations for the remainder of the week and book a flight to Faro. I'll call tonight with the details."

Louisa rubbed her forehead with her fingers, then responded "Good. Uh … "

"Yes, was there something else?"

"Yes, could you say something to Joanie. She is very upset and wants you. Maybe you could reassure her that you will be here tomorrow."

'Yes, put her on."

Louisa went back to the table, picked up Joanie and put her on her lap, and then handed her the phone, "Hi Daddy" …. Louisa listened attentively to her daughter's side of the conversation … "It's scary here. Can you come and take us home?" She was so sweet, twisting the hem of her dress anxiously whilst listening attentively. "Yes … Uh huh." Joanie's brow furrowed and she looked just like Martin when he was worried. "Okay. I love you too."

She handed the phone to her mother, "Daddy wants to tell you something."

"Martin?"

"Yes, I told her that I would come stay with you tomorrow afternoon, and I told her that even though hospitals can be very noisy and scary places, she will be safe with you and her brothers. I asked her to be very brave, and to ask you or James or Robert for a hug if she gets scared. And I told her I loved her. Was that useful, do you think?"

Louisa turned away from the table and lowered her voice, "Yes Martin, that appears to have been very useful. She is much calmer now."

Louisa turned back to face the children and Ruth as she closed out her call with Martin, "So we should see you tomorrow, after lunch?"

"Yes. And Louisa, please have Peter or Ruth call me and let me know the name of her attending physician. I'd like to call him later today if possible."

"Okay, I'll pass on the message. Thanks. I love you."

"Mmm … yes. I love you too."