THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

Part 5

As soon she left the hospital, Terry headed for Don's apartment. She had fairly certain that's where he was and she had a pretty good idea why he was incommunicado at the moment. Sometimes after a busy stressful week, he's shut off his phones, put on a game or movie, grab a beer or more and try and pretend that serial killers, rapists and the other evil in the world didn't exist even if for just a little while. After a night of unwinding and de-stressing, he'd turn the phones on and go on with his life. Usually nothing urgent demanded his attention although he'd always have a few missed calls to return the next day.

Arriving at the apartment, she could hear the sounds of a basketball game on the TV although it took a full minute of continuously leaning on the doorbell to get any response from with it. Finally a familiar and very grumping voice was heard calling out, "I'm coming! Now quit ringing the damned bell!"

Terry quickly stepped aside just as the door was flung open to reveal Don standing in the doorway clad only in boxer shorts and a T-shirt and clutching a beer in one hand. Blinking his eyes in the dimmer light of the hallway, he looked at the woman standing there asked confusedly, "Terry? What are you doing here?"

"Check your messages, Don," she said sharply as she pushed past him into the room, her eyes taking in the several empty bottles on the floor by his recliner.

He put down the bottle and picked up the phone noticing that he had twelve missed calls, all from Charlie. "Okay. I'll call and find out what he thinks is so important," Don said.

"Don't bother because now he won't answer," Terry replied. "When he couldn't reach you, he called me to see if I could get in touch with you."

"Did he ay why he needed to get in touch with me?" Don asked.

"Pick him some ginger ale at the store which I did. It turns out that the stomach flu he thought he had was appendicitis," Terry explained. "He's currently at Huntington Memorial getting his appendix removed. Go get dressed and I'll drive you there."

"I'm perfectly capable of driving myself," Don protested.

"Maybe. But I promised Charlie you'd be there when he woke up from surgery and I'd like to get us both there in one piece," she said mildly.

"Does Dad know about Charlie?" Don asked as he shut the bedroom door behind him.

"Not yet. You can call him from the hospital," Terry answered.

A few minutes later Don stepped out of his bedroom wearing a pair of faded jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt. "Just let me get my keys and wallet and I'll be ready," he told her.

"He's going to be all right, Don," Terry said, once they were in her car. Starting the engine, she pulled out into the street.

Arriving at the hospital, they entered and hurried over to admit desk. Don spoke to the clerk, asking, "Can you tell us where the surgical waiting area is?"

"Third floor and then follow the signs. You can't miss it," the clerk replied. She glanced at the computer screen. "What patient are you here for?"

"My brother, Charles Eppes. I'm told he's having his appendix removed," Don answered.

"While you're waiting would you mind very much filling out what you can of his admitting paperwork?" she asked.

"I'll give it a try," Don replied since it would be something to do while he waited for any word on Charlie.

The clerk handed over a clipboard full of papers saying, "Just return it down here when you're finished.

"Come on, Don," Terry said as she took him by the arm and started for the elevator.

Arriving in the waiting area, they managed to take seats on the couch. Don glanced over the papers and said, "Darn. I'm not sure if I even exactly what Charlie has for his health insurance."

The young woman reached into her pocket and removed the wallet. "You might look in there. Charlie knows I have it but you can hold onto it for him," she said quietly.

"Thanks," Don said, taking it from her. Once he'd filled out as much as he could of the paperwork, he set aside the clipboard and leaned forward, elbows on his knees and chin resting on his hands. "God, I really hate hospitals. With a sign he shifted position letting his hands dangle loosely between his knees.

"I do too," Terry admitted. She reached an arm around his shoulders. "Too many bad memories of your mother?"

"Yeah," he answered tiredly and turned to look at her. "How come you're so familiar with appendicitis?"

Terry kept her arm around his shoulders as she quietly replied, "In my senior year in college my roommate had a bad attack. We were out on a camping trip, miles from anywhere and no way to call for help. By the time someone found us, her appendix had ruptured. S-she died on the way to the hospital."

Don wrapped his arm around her and drew her close. "I'm sorry, Terry," he said.

She reached up and gave his hand a squeeze. "Charlie wasn't that sick, Don. He's going to be all right," she said reassuringly as together they waited for someone to come speak to them.