Friday, May 20, 2022- 19 weeks

Sheldon and I walk out of the doctor's office hand in hand. I'm digging in my purse for the car keys and hear my phone ringing from the depths of the bag. "It's my mother," I tell Sheldon before answering the phone, "Hello?"

"Amy, you need to come to the hospital. It's your father."

My heart jumps into my throat and my mouth goes dry. "What?" is all I'm able to mumble out.

"The paramedics are getting him into the ambulance now. They think it's a heart attack. We're going to Glendale Memorial." That's when I realize my mother is crying.

"Uh, Sheldon and I are just walking out of my doctor's office. We'll be there in half an hour." I end the call with my mother. Before Sheldon has a chance to ask, I explain, "My dad had a heart attack. They're taking him to the hospital. We have to go."

Suddenly, Sheldon is enveloping me in his arms around me in the middle of the parking lot. "Do you want me to call Penny to meet us there?"

I shake my head as I pull away. "Not until we know more."


It's only a twenty-minute drive, but it feels much longer. I pause exiting the car in the hospital parking lot. Sheldon reaches across the center console, taking my hand in his. "I know you're scared. Did I ever tell you about the time Georgie stole Meemaw's car for him to take Missy and me to see our dad after he had a heart attack when I was nine? He could barely see over the wheel. I was terrified, but I refused to be left at home. I wore a football helmet and surrounded myself with pillows in the backseat."

The image of a young Sheldon scared in the backseat as Georgie drives across town brings a smile to my face as I let out a chuckle. "Thank you. Now I need to find my mother."

"Amy, wait," Sheldon stops in his tracks. "I need a mask, and so do you. We can't have you catching something and getting sick." He turns back to the car to grab the spares we've kept in the armrest compartment for the past two years. He jogs back to me, handing one off, before reaching for my hand again.

We cross the parking lot to the emergency room and I tell the intake nurse we're there for my father. "They've already taken him upstairs. Head to the fourth floor, north wing. That's the cardiac care unit."

"So, it was a heart attack?" I ask.

The nurse doesn't give a definitive answer, only repeating, "He's been moved to the cardiac care unit. They'll have more information regarding his condition."

We step off the elevator on the fourth floor to find my mother sitting in the waiting area next to the elevator. "Mom," I call out, getting her attention. "How's Dad?"

"Amy, thank god you made it!" She's rushing toward me. "It was a heart attack, but we caught it early. He's getting an angi-something. They're opening up the artery that was blocked. The doctors are optimistic that he won't need major surgery."

I collapse into an empty chair and begin crying. Sheldon sits next to me, rubbing his hand on my back. "She said the doctors are optimistic. That's a good thing. Do you want me to call Penny now?" I shake my head again. Penny will have a ton of questions. I want to talk to the doctor and see my dad before everyone starts with the questions.

I feel my mother reach to hug me. "They said it would take about an hour. Do you want some coffee? Or tea? I was going to find some for myself."

"I'll go. You stay here," Sheldon stops rubbing my back and leaves me with my mother.

"What happened?" I finally ask after a few minutes of composing myself.

I look at my mother and notice the tears in her eyes for the first time. I've never seen her cry before. "We'd just finished lunch when he said he wasn't feeling well. I suggested he take a nap. He's been so tired the past few days. He was on his way upstairs when he collapsed. I couldn't get him up, so I called nine-one-one." We sit in silence until Sheldon returns, handing each of us a paper cup. "You said you were leaving the doctor's office when I called. Is everything okay with the baby?"

"Yes, just a routine check-up. Everything is right on track for where it should be."

She looks like she wants to ask more, but a doctor walking toward us stops her and catches her attention, "How is Larry?"

The doctor sits on the edge of the coffee table across from us, "The procedure went well. He's being brought down to a room. You'll be able to see him in a little while. He was awake for the procedure, but the drugs are making him pretty tired. It's normal for him to want to sleep for a while. He's going to need to stay here for a few days, at least through the weekend. When he goes home, he'll need to take it easy and change his diet, but we'll discuss that more once we know when he's going home."


The three of us enter my dad's room within minutes of a nurse telling us we're able to go in. He's sleeping, but that's to be expected based on what the doctor told us a little while ago. "I'm going to call our friends. Let them know we're canceling our plans tonight. Will you be okay for a few minutes?" I nod and he kisses my cheek before leaving the room.

"I'm going to call your aunt and let her know Larry will be okay. I'll just be outside if he wakes up." My mother pats my shoulder on her way out of the room.

Alone with my dad, I inch the chair close to his bed and reach for his hand. "I love you, Dad. You scared me when Mom called and told me I needed to get here as soon as possible. The doctor said you should be okay, but you have to be okay. You hear me, you have to be okay, Dad," I wipe the tears from under my eyes with my sleeve and watch his steady breaths. "You have to be here to meet your grandson."