Worst of all, Anna, the most capable woman, had pride that bit at her and she couldn’t fathom being a burden to her family.
The nurses got her up and walking, using the restroom; she had a little dinner and while she was oddly off balance, weak and everything felt awkward, at least she was out of bed. All she could think about was her fear of a debilitating stroke, one that left her helpless and crippled.
And then toward the end of the day, while she sat up in her bed trying to remember how to use her phone, reading through the many old text messages, Joe walked into her room. She looked up at him, instantly remembered their last time together and held out her arms.
“Joe!” she said.
He went to her, sat on the edge of her bed and embraced her. She put her head on his shoulder and began to cry softly.
“Am I going to be okay?” she asked.
“Yes, Anna. It appears they got to it in time and the drug—TPA—successfully broke up the clot. You’ll have some therapy but you’re very lucky. Thanks to Jessie’s quick thinking, I believe.”
“I can go back to work?” she asked. “I’ve forgotten things.”
“Things that will either come back or you can relearn.”
“We were together,” she said.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “The night before. And your kids all dropped in unexpectedly so the cat’s out of the bag on us.”
“Was it Sunday morning?” she asked.
He nodded. “Bess had some kind of breakdown, an anxiety attack over school. Michael has been with her at your house ever since. Jessie has been checking in on them by phone, making sure Bess is okay and filling them in on your progress. I wanted to be here with you sooner, but I was told you weren’t allowed visitors until your condition was properly evaluated. You’ve been in very good hands, I take it.”
“But Jessie has to go to work!” Anna said.
“I think everyone is taking time off right now,” he said. “You’re a priority.”
“I could have been paralyzed! In a wheelchair for the rest of my life!”
“Shows you how little control we actually have,” he said, holding her close. “If you’d been alone, this could have gone badly.”
“Where is Jessie?” Anna asked.
“She’s in the hall. I passed her on my way into your room. I think she’s giving us a few minutes alone. And we need a lot more than a few minutes. When you get through the next days or weeks or whatever, when you’re feeling better and more secure, we’ll take a vacation.”
“Are you crazy?” she asked. “I can’t remember my cell phone number! Well, I couldn’t, then Jessie told me... My brain has been a mess! How am I going to go back to work?” She was thinking, desperately, I’m only fifty-seven and just survived a life-threatening stroke!
“It’s going to be all right,” Joe said. “But don’t worry about making plans. You’re going to have to get through this, get acclimated at home and work, and soon life will seem normal again.”
“I hope so,” she said.
Leaving the hospital was almost as traumatic as waking up in the hospital. Anna was really depleted in the confidence department. Armed with a treatment plan that included regular visits with a neurology team, medication for her blood pressure and blood thinners and regular appointments with speech and physical therapists, not to mention her very own internist, she was released. Regular checkups and scans would reveal any new clotting issues but her doctor was very optimistic.
To err on the side of caution, she wasn’t going to be driving herself for a month at least. If she went into the city for appointments, Jessie would take her or she’d grab an Uber. Her legs were weak, unsteady, and she went home with a walker. She wouldn’t be going back to work until she felt confident about her cognitive skills and her memory and judgment, but Phoebe was willing to bring work home to her and even work with her.
“And what about Joe?” Jessie asked as she drove Anna back to Mill Valley.
“What about him?”
“I hadn’t wanted to pry, but are you serious?”
“No,” Anna said quickly. “I mean, yes. I mean, no. Oh, dear, I don’t know. I’ve always loved Joe but never thought of it in romantic terms, and really, we were literally propping each other up after your father’s death when the idea of a romance presented itself. And now... Now the idea is almost terrifying. It is to me, anyway. And it should be to Joe.”