Chapter 5
CC followed the nurse with mounting apprehension. She had asked for—no, demanded information on Niles's condition immediately, but the nurse had politely deferred the question. The doctor would be in to speak with CC once she was in the cubicle that had been assigned to Niles.
"Will I get to see him?" CC asked, her tone anxious.
"Yes, here we are."
The nurse pulled open the sliding glass door of a small cubicle, and CC drew in a quick breath. Niles was reclining on the bed, clad in a gown and hooked to an IV, an oxygen monitor, an ECG machine, and a blood pressure cuff. His eyes were open, and his expression turned to one of intense relief when he saw her.
The nurse gestured for CC to enter the room and then followed her, withdrawing the chart from the rack on the wall. "Well, Mr. Babcock, I'm glad to see that you're awake. The doctor should be with you momentarily." He quickly checked the various monitors and jotted notes in the chart, then left the cubicle, pulling the glass door closed behind him.
CC moved to take Niles's left hand, reaching gingerly around the oxygen sensor. He laced his fingers with hers and squeezed reassuringly. "I'm fine, Babcock," he said, his voice rough.
"You don't look fine. But you look a damn sight better than you did this morning," she said, and only someone listening closely would have heard the tremble in her voice.
Niles heard it, and his expression turned sorrowful. "I am so—"
"I'm Dr. Pathak," the doctor said, sliding the door open. "Mrs. Babcock, we've met, but your husband was unconscious last time I saw him. Glad you've rejoined us, Mr. Babcock."
Niles raised an eyebrow at CC but both remained silent at the doctor's assumption about their relationship and shared surname. CC spoke first. "Doctor, how is he?"
"Well, we've run some initial tests, and both blood and ECG indicate a mild heart attack."
CC gripped Niles's hand painfully at that, and suddenly one of the monitors started beeping.
CC gasped, but Dr. Pathak merely moved to check the reading. She glanced over at their joined hands and said, "Mrs. Babcock, your grip is affecting the oxygen sensor."
CC immediately released her hold on Niles's hand, though she kept her fingers laced loosely with his. "Is this okay?"
The doctor nodded and continued, addressing Niles. "We've sent for Dr. Nash, the cardiologist on call, and he will determine if it is necessary to send you to the cath lab today. Meanwhile, we have you on blood thinners and nitroglycerin, and as you can see," she gestured to the monitors surrounding Niles's bed, "we're keeping a close watch on your progress."
Niles asked, "What would a cath entail?"
The doctor explained the procedure, and CC's worry continued to grow. "When will the cardiologist be here?" She asked.
"Should be any time now. I'll send him in when he arrives," Dr. Pathak said, and after nodding at both CC and Niles, she left them alone.
Niles turned to CC, apprehension clear in his expression. "How are you? Have you been ill?" His eyes drifted to her abdomen, and CC stretched her hand out over her belly.
"I'm fine, Niles," she said, and a half-laugh half-sob escaped her throat. "How can you even be thinking about my health?"
"How could I think about anything else?" He asked, looking at her tenderly. "I can't tell you how sorry I am."
She stared at him in disbelief. "I'm the one who's sorry. I was being such a bitch this morning, and then you—"
He laughed. "If you being a…" He cleared his throat. "If your bad moods brought on heart attacks, don't you think I'd have had one a long time ago? And then daily for the past twenty years?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You ass," she said affectionately, trying to surreptitiously wipe at the moisture that had gathered in the corner of her eye.
"CC," he said quietly. "Look at me."
She did as he requested.
"This is not your fault."
She glanced away and murmured, "I don't take care of you."
He laughed. Seeing her fierce expression, he realized that was the wrong response. "My dear. You're not supposed to take care of me. I'm supposed to take care of you, and of—"
A knock on the cubicle's door interrupted him. "I'm Dr. Nash. And you are the Babcocks, yes?" He didn't wait for them to confirm or deny. "Tell me what happened this morning, Mr. Babcock."
Niles repeated his symptoms to the cardiologist, and as he spoke, the doctor flipped through Niles's chart. CC offered details Niles wasn't aware of, things that had happened after he lost consciousness, and as she recounted the morning's activities, Niles's expression grew increasingly grim.
"These ECG results are troubling, Mr. Babcock. When you first arrived, your rhythms were irregular, which is to be expected. But they're still slightly irregular on this most recent test, and that could indicate that there is still a blockage, or it could indicate damage already done. It could also, of course, be a mistaken reading. To be sure, I'm going to call up to the cath lab and get you in within the next hour or so. Do you have any questions for me? I know Dr. Pathak already explained the procedure. You know there is some risk involved, but it's minor."
CC and Niles exchanged troubled glances, but both looked back towards the doctor and shook their heads.
"All right, then, I'll head upstairs and get scrubbed in. Mrs. Babcock, when they take him back, you can come up and wait in the cath lab waiting room. I'll be out to speak with you after I've finished the procedure. We will most likely admit him to the Cardiac Care Unit afterwards."
CC nodded, and Dr. Nash left.
Niles shifted on the bed, agitated.
"What is it?" CC said softly.
"I just—I can't believe this is happening now. We have," his voice cracked. "A baby on the way, CC, I can't be this ill."
She stood and then sat beside him on the narrow bed, reaching to cup his cheek. "Damn straight you can't. The doctor is going to go in and check, and if there's a blockage, he may be able to fix it today. This is one of the best hospitals in the city, you know that."
He put his hand over hers, his thumb tracing her knuckles. "I do know. If I—if something happens—"
CC lifted her other hand, putting her fingers over his lips and effectively silencing him. "Don't," she said roughly.
He nodded, tears in his eyes. He kissed her fingertips, then gently took her hand. "I need to say this. Tell me you'll tell our baby about me."
She put her arms around him, tucking her head beneath his chin. "Nothing's going to happen to you," she said thickly. "But if—" she stopped to clear her throat, then continued. "I hope you don't expect me to leave out the bad parts."
He laughed and murmured, "Wouldn't dream of it," running his fingers through her hair in a tender caress.
A knock sounded on the glass door, and CC sat up, turning to see who had arrived. A new nurse opened the door and pushed a wheelchair through. "I'm here to take you to the cath lab," she said cheerfully, and began to disconnect all the monitors.
CC stood, though she was reluctant to move away from Niles. She clasped his hand until the nurse motioned for him to get into the chair. CC squeezed Niles's hand once, tightly, before letting him go.
Just as Niles sat in the wheelchair, several alarms went off simultaneously in a neighboring cubicle. The nurse excused herself and left Niles and CC alone.
CC walked around the bed and sat down, reclaiming Niles's hand. She held it between both of hers and stared at the wall in front of her without seeing. "Niles…" she paused.
He looked at her, but she did not make eye contact.
CC continued, "You… you do know I'm in love with you, don't you?" She spoke hesitantly.
A smile lit his face, but she didn't see it. "I do. But the words are nice, too."
Finally she looked at him. Leaned over, kissed him ardently. "Well, I do."
He returned the kiss, tangling his hands in her hair.
At that moment, the nurse returned, and CC stood. "Dr. Nash told you to wait in the cath lab waiting room, right?"
CC nodded, her eyes on Niles. "I'll be there when you wake up, old man."
"I know," he said, and smiled for her.
CC stepped out into the hall and watched as the nurse pushed him to the end of the hallway. Only after he was out of sight did she go back into the cubicle and gather her bag and beret before heading upstairs.