Chapter Fifteen
Riley’s phone rang, waking Letty out of a sound sleep.
Letty wasn’t sure Riley even heard it. He was still wrapped around her, having fallen asleep after making love to her.
Letty wanted to think of it as having sex, but she had a sinking feeling that wasn’t all it was to Riley or honestly for her either. No, he’d made love to her.
“Riley, your phone is ringing.”
“What? Shit.” He groaned and reached for the phone, leaning over her to grab it off the bedside table.
“What?” He didn’t yell but she could tell he wasn’t happy about the call.
He sat up. “What? You what?” He listened then said, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He hung up and turned to her. “We’ve got to go home. To the hospital.”
Letty rolled out of bed, looking around in a daze, wondering where her clothes were. “The hospital? Is it your dad?”
He’d jumped out of bed and grabbed his pants, stepping into them and yanking them up over his hips. “No, it’s my mother.”
Lorraine? It had never occurred to her that Lorraine would be the one going to the hospital. Especially since Jasper was the one with the health problems. At least, the known ones. Had Lorraine been sick and they just hadn’t realized it?
“My dad called 911,” Riley continued, putting on his shirt and buttoning it. “Which he’d never have done unless whatever happened had scared the hell out of him.”
“Do you know what’s wrong?” She dressed quickly, then began gathering her things and tossing them in her bag.
Having already pulled on his jeans and his shirt, Riley was throwing things in his own bag.
“She’s been sick, but we thought it was just a cold.
But tonight she got much worse. Her chest hurt and she had trouble breathing.
Her cough was worse and then she started getting confused.
She wasn’t making sense so that’s when Dad called an ambulance.
” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “If I’d known it was serious I’d never have left. ”
“Why was she confused?”
“I don’t know. Neither does my dad, but it scared him enough to call EMS. Val and Liam are heading to the hospital as soon as Liam’s mom comes to stay with the baby.”
“Want me to make some coffee to take with us?” The hotel had a coffeemaker with coffee packets in the room.
“No. We’ll need gas soon and we can get some at the truck stop.”
They didn’t talk much. The drive was only about an hour and a half, not much more even with the stop for gas, coffee, and a bite of breakfast they could take with them.
Letty knew Riley was worried sick, and frankly, so was she.
Everyone knew Jasper had health problems, though he’d been much better lately.
But Lorraine had always seemed fine. She wasn’t young, neither of his parents were, but they weren’t ancient either.
“Hey,” she said as they drew closer to Marietta. She patted Riley’s knee. “It could be something minor.”
“Could be but I don’t think it is. Hell, Jasper wouldn’t let Mom call the ambulance for him until he was damn near dying.”
“That was for him, though. He wouldn’t wait that long for your mother.”
“I hope not but you can never tell. Do you mind coming to the hospital?”
“Of course not. I’d be hurt if you kept me away.”
When they reached the hospital, they went to the waiting room where Val had texted them to go.
Riley went straight to his father who was sitting in a chair looking…
lost was the only word she could think of to describe him.
Val wasn’t in the room, but Liam was. She hugged him and then went to Jasper and hugged him as well.
Jasper patted her back but didn’t speak.
Riley wound up talking to Liam about his mother. Jasper hadn’t been able to tell him much. Whether that was because no one knew a lot or because Jasper was too distressed to make sense, she didn’t know.
“Val is with her. We’re hoping she’ll be moved to a room soon,” Liam said. “They’re saying it’s pneumonia and she’ll have to stay in the hospital for a while. We don’t know for how long yet.”
“Will she be okay?” Riley asked in an undertone. Jasper was sitting across the room, staring at the doors where the doctor would come through to talk to everyone.
In the same quiet voice Liam said, “We haven’t heard yet. We’re hoping the doctor will be here before long.”
So they waited. After some time, Val returned looking upset.
“They say she has bacterial pneumonia and she’s contagious.
They don’t want her to have visitors until she’s been on antibiotics for a couple of days at least. The hospitalist is taking care of her right now but Dr. Gallagher is on his way. ”
Dr. Jack Gallagher, Letty thought. Three of the Gallagher brothers were doctors with the hospital, but Jack was one of the family doctors in town.
“No visitors?” Jasper asked. “We’ll see about that.” He went off to talk to the hospitalist. He came back not long after, looking mad as hell.
“I take it they wouldn’t let you see her,” Riley said.
“Damn doctors. When Dr. Gallagher gets here, we’ll see what he says. She’s my wife and I ought to be able to see her.”
Eventually Dr. Gallagher came to talk to them. “She’s settled in a room now and feeling a little better, but she’s still very sick. She has bacterial pneumonia. We’ve put her on IV antibiotics and are giving her fluids and oxygen therapy. She’ll need to stay in the hospital.”
“For how long?” Jasper asked.
“Too early to say,” Dr. Gallagher said.
“She had that shot,” Jasper said. “The one you made us take. Why is she sick?”
Dr. Gallagher nodded. “Yes, and hopefully her case won’t be as severe. But the pneumonia shot isn’t one hundred percent effective.”
“What’s this nonsense about no visitors?” Jasper asked.
“I’m afraid it’s not nonsense. She needs forty-eight hours on antibiotics before she’ll no longer be contagious.
Jasper, you still need to take care since you’ve been around Lorraine and taking care of her.
If you start feeling bad at all, call me.
” He turned to Riley. “Keep an eye on him. I know how he is.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to call if he gets sick.”
Of course, that pissed Jasper off. “I don’t need you taking care of me. I’m a grown man and can take care of myself.”
“Like you did last time when you damn near died before you went to the hospital?”
Val said, “Dad, you have to listen to the doctor. Mom being sick is bad enough. We don’t want you to be sick too.”
Jasper grumbled and they stayed for a while longer until the doctor made it clear there was no point waiting around. He told them they could call to get updates on her. Which didn’t suit Jasper, but Riley could tell he was exhausted and the worry wasn’t helping him.
*
Riley had only thought there was a lot of work to be done prior to his mom’s illness.
The first two days when she couldn’t have visitors weren’t too bad, but it rapidly got worse.
Between visiting hours, keeping track of Jasper so he didn’t overdo it, and all his regular duties taking care of the ranch, he had no time for Letty.
There was no way he could get away longer than a quick trip to the feed store or to swing by Letty’s for a short time before having to leave.
Long enough to kiss her and want more and know he couldn’t have it.
Letty came out to see him as often as she could, but that was a mixed blessing.
They hadn’t had sex since the night his mother went into the hospital.
He’d barely managed to kiss her, much less make love to her.
And Christmas and New Year’s were fast approaching.
Riley had carefully avoided the topic of their fling only lasting until the new year.
He thought about it all the time. How could he convince her they could have more when he barely saw her?
Thank God, his mother was improving enough that she’d be out of the hospital soon and Jasper hadn’t caught pneumonia.
But he didn’t know what they were going to do when Lorraine came home.
She’d need help, and possibly medical care.
Which neither Riley, his dad, Mercy, nor Val could do.
Val was busy enough with the baby and the McFarland ranch, so while she could visit she wouldn’t be much help.
Mercy could help, but she had her own duties, which took up most of her time.
And his dad was no help at all, instead being intent, it seemed to Riley, on being a gigantic pain in Riley’s ass.
He broached the subject of getting some home health care when his mom came home.
As he’d expected, his dad pitched a shit fit.
He didn’t want some stranger in the house, blah, blah, blah.
They could take care of Lorraine themselves, blah, blah, blah.
Riley let him rant until finally he had enough.
“I’m calling home health care and getting someone to come in to help take care of Mom. It’s happening so get over yourself.”
That went over well. Jasper was so stunned he sat there with his mouth open. But Riley didn’t care. Jasper would just have to deal. He was going to make sure his mother was cared for, come hell or high water.