Chapter 45 #2
“He’s outside,” I say to her. She gets up and starts to pack up her folder and bag.
I move closer to her and take over her mouth.
She receives me with the same fervor. Our goodbye kiss feels like a long, breathtaking journey, filled with unspoken promises and a bittersweet ache.
I never want it to end. She breaks away from the kiss, her lips slightly swollen and her cheeks flushed.
Her eyes look like they are dancing in joy.
“You sir sure knows how to keep a girl wanting for more,” she jokingly says and I smile.
“That’s the plan.” She laughs. “If you’re not feeling well, promise me you’ll return home,” I whisper, my voice soft as I gently caress her cheek.
“I will return,” she confirms. “With a kiss like that, I’ll be the dumbest girl on earth not to return for more.”
I laugh. I know she’s trying to deflect but I’ll roll with it.
“Good, have a good day,” I say, watching her leave.
At the door she pauses.
“Thanks for sitting with me during my crisis.”
“Always, Princess. Go and have a good day.”
She nods and leaves. I call Zack, who answers right away.
“She’s on her way down. If she shows any signs of not feeling well, call me right away and make sure you are with her all day.”
“Yes, boss.”
I had planned to spend the day with her and not go to work today.
Patrick is aware I won’t be coming in, but now that Anu is out, it’s best I head to the office to take my mind off Anu’s crisis.
I send Patrick a text saying that I’ll be coming in and he should arrange a car for me.
I return to my room to change clothes. When I’m ready to leave, I see a text from Anu with details on the crisis app and login information.
My heart is joyous, knowing she agrees to include me in an important part of her life.
I take my time to download the app and log in.
She’s right; only ten people are on this app.
Four patients and the others are their support.
I only know three other people besides her: Jordan, Andrea and Kay, her cousin.
The app details the crisis of each Sickle cell patient.
Looking into hers, she has had one severe crisis in the last five months and two mild crisis, counting last night.
I look through the app at the other patients and notice the frequency of crisis vary.
They also detail the meds that each patient is taking.
Anu is the only SC patient and the other three are all SS.
Like she explained, SC carriers aren’t common.
Her dad is AS, and her mom was AC. After they lost her brother who was AS, they knew it was a twenty percent chance of their next child being SC, but they were willing to take the chance.
Sometimes I want to fault her parents but then, she wouldn’t exist if they hadn’t taken the chance, and the world would have missed a beautiful soul.
I close the app when I receive a text that my ride is outside.
I leave and head to the office.
Me: Thanks for including me in the app.
Anu: You are welcome and thanks for Zack. I must say I like his driving.
Me: He’s driving a special person. Please text me if you are not feeling well.
Anu: Have a good day, Uncle Dan.
I sigh, knowing it’s her signal to tell me that I’m fussing. I relax into the seat and ride and try not to think about the emotions I felt watching her in pain and being helpless. It is a lot, especially when you can’t do anything to help.
Do you want to walk away now?
NO, not going anywhere.
My phone rings and I’m surprised to see Andrea calling me.
“Hey,”
“I see MAK added you to the app.”
“Yes, she did. Hope that’s okay with you guys.”
“It is. The more support they can get when in crisis, the better and we support all four of them.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Can I ask who the other two patients are?”
“Malik is Jordan’s cousin, and Jane is Malik’s friend that’s pretty much alone without family. Malik built the app to help her. Jordan saw it as useful, so he and MAK joined. The rest of us are their support, so it’s good to have you on board.”
“Good to be on board. Anything I should know about besides the meaning of the colors?”
“Nothing really. If the yellow button goes off, whoever is closest helps the patient to the hospital, and if red goes off, we head to the hospital.”
“Does the red go off a lot?”
“Once in a long while we get a red, but the greens are frequent.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah, that’s good. Still concerning, but it’s good.”
“It’s good to know they are not alone in a crisis.”
“You witnessed it, and I’m sure it was painful to watch her like that.”
“It was more painful being helpless to help her. She said it was mild, and it scares me to think how bad a severe would be if that was mild.”
“That’s why green is good.”
“I hear you. And I thank you for being a support.”
“Thank you too for joining as support. Talk later.”
“Yeah, talk later.” I hung up and get out of the car. The driver has pulled up at the building. I didn’t want to have the conversation distracted. My ride up is swift, and my head is now back at the center of work. Soon as I step into my office, Patrick is ready to discuss matters.
“Can you check on Zack for me? He’s MAK’s driver today.
I need to know if everything is okay. Then bring me Emma’s file.
” I head into my office, ready to dive into my sister’s friend’s case.
She and her husband are divorced but he’s threatening to sell his shares in her company to her competition, and making life miserable for her.
I sink into my chair and exhale all the tension I feel. I’m ready to face the day, firing up my laptop.
My phone beeps with a text.
Zack: Ms K just finished her lesson; we are going to the studio.
Me: Okay, update me if there are any changes.
Zack: Yes, boss.
Patrick comes in as I set my phone aside. He sets the file I asked for on my desk.
“Do you need anything else?”
“Yes, I need you to find me a doctor that specializes in sickle cell disease.”
“A what?” He asked perplexed completely thrown off his usual composure.
“Never mind,” I say, brushing it off. Anu might not like me digging deep into the SCD. For now, I’ll trust her judgement. “Disregard my request. I’ll start on this,” I say, pointing to the file. “And, please, keep Aaron away from me today.”
I’ll research a specialist later, for now, I let it lie.
“Noted. I’ll try my best.”
Hope his best is good today.