Penelope in Retrograde: A Novel(67)

“A procedure for what?” Phoebe grips my hand. “You just said he was stable.”

“He is right now, but he’s going to need a few stents put in to increase the blood flow to his heart and make sure this doesn’t happen again. Your dad was very lucky he got here so quickly. Whoever thought to give him baby aspirin before putting him in the car was very smart. You likely saved his life.”

“That was you.” My mother kisses Falon’s cheek. “I thought he was having a stroke, but Falon insisted we give him the aspirin.”

“Well, good work,” Dr. Vance says. “Not many kids get to say they saved their parent’s life.”

“Oh, I’m not his daughter.” A mauve blush blooms across Falon’s cheeks. “At least not yet.”

“Then everyone is lucky to have you.” Dr. Vance glances down at her watch. “I’m going to get prepped for surgery. I’ll let Nurse Harper know that you’ll be in to visit; however, I would like to keep it to no more than two visitors at a time. We don’t want to overstimulate Carter. Why don’t you all decide among yourselves who goes first?”

“Mom, why don’t you go in first by yourself,” I say. “Phoebe and Falon can go next, and I’ll go with Nana Rosie.”

“Actually, ma’am.” Dr. Vance makes a face. “I hate to do this, but I can’t let you go back into that room covered in manure. It just wouldn’t be sanitary.”

The thought of not being able to see my dad before heart surgery breaks me. I know she said he’s stable and the procedure is small, but people die all the time going under. What if something happens to him? I’ll never be able to forgive myself.

“Is there a gift shop where I can buy something to wear?” I ask. “Maybe I could shower in an empty room?”

“I’m sorry, but the gift shop isn’t open, and unfortunately, this isn’t a hotel, so I can’t just let you shower here without being admitted.” She offers me a sympathetic look. “I promise he’ll be fine. Go home. Get yourself cleaned up, and you can see your dad after surgery.”

I feel completely powerless. I can’t exactly argue with the woman who’s about to perform surgery on my father’s heart, and the last thing I want to do is stress my family out. If I get upset, they’ll be upset. So I do the right thing, which also happens to feel the most unnatural.

“OK.” I turn to my mother. “Mom, you go ahead and see Dad. Give him a kiss for me.”

“All right, dear.” She nods. “I’ll let him know you were here.”

I watch her follow Dr. Vance down the hall. She looks so small and out of place. My mother’s always been the type of woman who owns any space she walks into, but that’s not the case right now. I’ve always known my parents were older, but it’s not until this moment that I realize exactly how old they are. What if this is just the first hospital trip of many? The thought sends a shiver down my spine.

“Psst.”

I look over my shoulder and see Martin and my sister waving at me from the opposite end of the hallway. Phoebe’s holding open the door to a room and motioning for me to follow her.

“So, here’s the plan,” Smith whispers behind me. “Nana Rosie is going to keep the nurses’ station busy. She’s got a series of moles lined up for them to look at, and if that doesn’t eat up enough time, she’s willing to stage a fall. Falon has the front-desk lady occupied with insurance questions.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Phoebe and Martin have a room staked out for you to shower in. I don’t know what the clothes situation is, but I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Worst case scenario, you wear a hospital gown.” Smith gives me a gentle shove in the direction of the pirated hospital room. “I’m the lookout, but once your mom comes out, I’ve got to take over Nana Rosie’s spot and run interference. Shower quickly. Got it?”

I want to hug him, but I can’t. “Thank you.”

“Thank your fake boyfriend.” Smith nods in Martin’s direction. “It was his idea.”

I walk down the hall just fast enough to not draw attention to myself. The hospital is fairly quiet, and it looks like the staff is down to mostly a skeleton crew. Phoebe pulls me into the room as soon as I’m within arm’s reach.

“I’ve already got the water running,” Phoebe says. “The good news is that it’s warm. The bad news is that I could only find hand soap for you to wash with and a hand towel for you to dry off with.”

“What am I supposed to change into?” I pull off my cardigan. “Please don’t say a hospital gown.”

Phoebe points to the bed on the opposite side of the room, where Martin is standing in a pair of boxer briefs and an undershirt. The rest of his clothes are neatly folded at the foot of the bed. In any other situation, I’d be thrilled to see Martin half-naked, but my brain is quickly processing what half-naked Martin means in this context.

“Are you serious?”

“I’d give you my clothes, but I don’t want to miss my chance to see Dad. It’s either dress in drag or a hospital gown. Your choice.” She covers her nose. “God, you smell like shit.”

“Fine.” I sigh. “And thank you.”