20 Questions

Chapter 43

I wake up to the sound of the pilot telling us we are preparing to land. I slept the entire flight, but I still feel groggy. I run my fingers through my unruly hair before pulling it back into a ponytail and wipe the crust out of my eyes. They still burn from crying and I'm certain they are red and swollen. My headache finally went away but is replaced with queasiness. It's been a while since I've had anything to eat so I open the bag of pretzels on my tray. I'm not a huge fan of pretzels, but I need to get something in my stomach so I don't throw up. We land and are allowed to turn our phones back on. I check my phone and see a couple messages from my mom.

I am back in the room with your dad. He's being a pain in the ass. He refuses to ask the nurse for any pain medicine, so I told her to give him something when he left for a CT scan. They are waiting for all his labs to come back, but they said something about one of his heart enzymes being elevated.

They hooked your dad up to Nitroglycerin and a blood thinner. We are waiting for the heart doctor to come in.

I know they haven't told her that he is having a heart attack yet, but they will. She's not going to take it well. I send her a text letting her know that I just landed and I will be there soon. I open my Uber app and set up a pickup. Hopefully, they will be here by the time I get off the plane and get my luggage. They announce that we can exit the plane, so I grab my bag, find the flight attendant who was so wonderful to me and give her a big hug. I tell her that I will never forget her kindness and wave goodbye. I rush through the airport to the baggage claim area. I receive a notification that my Uber drive will arrive in five minutes and will pick me up at the front. Luckily, the luggage arrives and my suitcase is one of the first to come out. I hastily grab it and make my way to find my ride.

My Uber driver is named Todd and has some type of English accent. His voice is pleasant to the ears and he seems interested in what is going on with me. I tell him about my dad and how kind everyone was at the lodge and at the airline. My house is on the way to the hospital so I ask him if he minds stopping there before heading to the hospital. I am anxious to get to the hospital, but I don't want to take my luggage with me. We arrive at my house and I tell Todd that I will be fast. He tells me to take all the time that I need so I thank him and run into my house. I throw my suitcase in my bedroom, grab my toiletry bag and head to the bathroom. I rub some concealer around my puffy eyes and add some eyeshadow. I don't want my parents to see how upset I've been. No amount of concealer will fix this mess, but there's a slight improvement. I grab some peanut butter crackers and some beloved sweet tea from the kitchen and make my way outside.

Todd talks to me the whole way to the hospital, keeping my mind busy. Everyone has been so thoughtful today and I hope I can repay their kindness someday. Todd pulls up to the front of the hospital and I jump out, opening my purse to pay him, but he refuses. I try to object, but he tells me to pay it forward. I thank him profusely and make my way to the ER. I rush up to the triage window and tell her that I am here to see my dad. She looks him up by name and tells me that he has been taken to the cath lab on the third floor. I thank her and run to the elevators.

When the elevator opens, my mom sits in the waiting room, head in hands and trembling with sobs. I walk over and crouch down in front of her, pulling her hands from her face. Her eyes are bloodshot and swollen and her lip is quivering. My heart breaks all over again seeing her this way. She throws her arms around my neck and cries into my shoulder. I hold onto her, her body shaking like a leaf. If I let her go, she would plummet to the ground. This woman is the strongest lady I have ever known and it tears me apart to see her so fragile and defeated. I sit her back down in the chair and take her shaky hands in mine. She takes several deep breaths as I wait for her to tell me the news.