When October Goes

Chapter 25

It was a day like any other.  I got up, made myself some extra strength coffee, and began editing some preliminary chapters for my next book.  I wanted to have something prepared for my meeting with my editor later that day.  Logan was due back from a business trip at some point in the day, and Viv was at school.  With Richard at Yale, it made for an empty house.  For the most part, Logan and his daughter had been living at my house.  Viv even had her own room, and while it was much smaller than the one at her dad's, she liked the fact it was half the distance to Chilton.  I'll admit I enjoyed having her around because the house didn't feel quite as empty.

When I had just settled in for some hard work, my phone rang.  It never fails.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rory, it's Luke," he said, sounding almost panicked.

"Is everything ok?" I asked, concerned.

"No, it's your mom," he revealed.  I was stunned, and my brain started going a million miles a minute with worst-case scenarios.  "She collapsed at the Dragonfly.  The ambulance took her to Hartford."

"Which hospital?"

He told me, and I began making a mental checklist of what needed to happen.

"I'm on my way," I replied.

After hanging up, I grabbed my purse, keys and headed to the car.  I opened the garage before starting the engine.  The moment I stepped on the brake to shift the car into gear, it felt funny.  That's when I realized I was still in my slippers and pajamas.  I raced back into the house to make myself marginally presentable.  Thankfully, I remembered some coffee.  The hospital was on a ten-minute drive, and for once, traffic was in my favor.

I checked in at the front desk and went to the room where they said my mom was, but it was empty.  I began to panic and scanned the room for any clues.  Then, I heard my mother's voice behind me.

"Where's Luke?" she asked, sounding almost irritated.

"What am I?  Chopped liver?" I retorted.

"He was supposed to meet me here.  I also specifically told him not to worry you.  I'm perfectly fine," she replied.

"Mom."

"He just doesn't listen," she continued.

"Mom -"

"He's supposed to be here," she interrupted me.

"Mom!"  She finally turned her attention to me.  "What going on?"

"Nothing.  You don't need to worry," she replied.

"That's a lie, and you know it," Luke's voice proclaimed from behind me.

"It's nothing," she insisted.  "And I don't want to hear any more about it!"

"Obviously, it's something, Mom, and you're hiding it from me," I retorted and gave her a chastising look.

"I fainted at the inn today," she began.  "No big deal."

"It's more than that, Mom," I argued.  "Now, are you going to tell me, or do I need to tell you that you sound like grandma?"

We were at a standstill for what felt like an eternity when she finally caved.

"Fine," she conceded.  "The doctor saw a small lump during my last physical."

"For the record, I told her to tell you about it right away," Luke added.

"When did you find this out?"