19. Heifers
Heifers
Victoria
“Oh, my God, Victoria. It’s so good to hear your voice. We…we thought—take this phone. I can’t even talk right now,” Alyssa said. I laughed as I pictured over-the-top Alyssa wiping away tears and shoving her cell phone to Brittney.
“We’re so glad they found you, sis,” Brittney said, voice as soothing as ever.
“Me too.”
“What happened?”
I spent the next thirty minutes giving my friends an island recap.
“You better sue that aviation company!” Alyssa shouted from the background.
“And will!” I insisted.
“Girl, I just knew that man kidnapped you and had you human trafficked or something. Trust and believe we were on social media 24/7 and stayed on necks trying to raise awareness to find you,” Brittney expressed.
“We even posted a $50,000 reward to find you,” Alyssa added.
Fifty bands? My friends love my ass!
“Y’all are real ones, but I need y’all to get on social media and clear Knox’s name.”
“We’ll clear the air, but he’s still an asshole for canceling your trip and forcing you to go with him. This wouldn’t have ever happened if he hadn’t been a creep!”
“I agree, but I’m over that. This whole experience has been… eye-opening. I’ve fallen in love, learned more about myself, and will never take life for granted. I feel like I can take anything on.”
“That’s… that’s amazing, Victoria,” Alyssa commented.
“But how do you know you’re not going through Stockholm Syndrome or something? How do you know your love for Knox isn’t out of convenience—last man on Earth kind of thing?” Brittney asked.
I sighed before answering. “Because I pictured what my life would look like without him, and I didn’t like what I saw.”
The line fell silent, and I waited for their response.
“Stockholm Syndrome,” they both chimed before breaking into a fit of giggles.
“All right. You’ve had your laugh, but I need to know how my mom is doing.”
My heart squeezed when I received the dreaded silence. I braced myself to receive the news that my mother had passed. I’d be devastated that I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye, but relieved that she was no longer suffering.
“Your mom is doing fine. We check on her a couple of times a week to make sure she has everything. But we have to tell you something.”
“Alyssa, quit being so damn dramatic and spit it out,” I sternly demanded, tired of their pussyfooting around.
“Your mother was discharged from the nursing home and sent to another one,” Alyssa answered.
“D-discharged? Why?”
“I spoke to the business manager at the facility, and she explained that the payments had stopped coming in. They discharged her to a hospital, and then from there, she was sent to a nursing home on the other side of the city.”
The payments stopped coming in? How?
“Back up, back up. How did the payments stop coming in when I had 100k deposited into my account before we crashed? Her rent was set up on autopay.”
“I don’t know, sis. All I was told was that the payments started rejecting a month after your disappearance.”
“This is some fucking bullshit! Is she at least at a decent facility?”
“Personally, I wouldn’t put my mother there. It’s a little dingy, and the staff always have funky ass attitudes,” Brittney admitted.
“What about my sisters? Have you spoken to them?”
“Those heifers haven’t answered any of our calls. We were trying to see if they would help us transfer your mother back to the facility, but they have been radio silent.”
“Which is crazy because those bitches started a GoFundMe for you and made off with some serious money,” Alyssa mentioned.
I snorted. “Of fucking course.”
There was a knock on the door jamb, and Dr. Hubbard entered.
“Hey, guys. I hate to cut this reunion short, but the doctor is back, and I’m fully prepared for him to tell me I’m 29% octopus now.”
“You’re stupid,” Alyssa said, laughing.
“I know, but thank y’all for coming through for my mother.”
“We wished we could do more,” Brittney added.
“You did enough.”
We took another two minutes to say our goodbyes, and I made a mental note to call my bank to see what was going on.
“I want to see my husband.”
“I know,” Dr. Hubbard murmured as he retrieved a flashlight pen from his coat. I knew the man was sick of me asking for Knox, but That Man Over There was bitten by a venomous snake and died.
“Are you in pain anywhere?”
“No.”
“Hold your head still and follow my pen with your eyes.”
I was relieved many seconds later when he tucked the flashlight pen into his coat.
“Dr. Hubbard, I have Ms. Caldwell’s blood work,” a nurse announced as she entered the examination room.
“Mrs. Ramsey,” I corrected firmly.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend,” she apologized quickly.
I’m not upset in the least bit, but I think, after everything, I deserve the title.
“Perfect. Let’s see what we’re working with.” Dr. Hubbard said, humming to himself as he reviewed my results on a tablet. “Well, Mrs. Ramsey , except for slight dehydration and malnourishment, your labs are perfect.”
“No babies, right?”
“Nope. No pregnancy.”
Thank God. I need to get my life back in order before I go down that route.
Wait a minute. I might be getting ahead of myself.
Does he even want children? We joked about it, but Knox’s near-death experience might turn him into one of those live-to-the-fullest types of people who want to explore the world and strike everything off their bucket list, and children might not be on that bucket list.
“What was your diet like on the island?”
“Pescatarian—shrimp, crab, fish, shark, lobster, octopus, oysters—a sea urchin once, but that didn’t blow over so well when I was stung.”
“Allergic reaction?”
“Not enough to worry—slight burning and a little swelling; that’s all.”
“What else sustained you on the island?”
“Seaweed, coconut, nuts, and fruits—oh, I almost forgot, once we ate some parrot hatchlings. And when Knox recovered my suitcase from the ocean, we had snacks I’d packed.”
He nodded. “You had a colorful diet while on the island, but you’re nearly underweight.
I’m sure that’ll change when you return home and reintroduce fats, carbs, and sweets into your diet.
However, it’d be ill-advised to get off the ship and have a triple cheeseburger and French fries for your first meal.
After three months without these foods, you might be more prone to stomach issues like indigestion. ”
“Honestly, this is the healthiest I’ve been since high school, and I don’t plan on putting all that weight back on. A triple cheeseburger doesn’t sound appealing in the least bit.”
The pager at Dr. Hubbard’s waist went off, alerting him to what I hoped was an update on Knox. I was on pins and needles while I waited for his response.
“Good news, Mrs. Ramsey. Mr. Ramsey is stable. Given the severity of the bite, I’m shocked he survived. You can visit him briefly.”
“Is he conscious?”
“He’s sedated, but we will bring him out of sedation once he gets some more rest. You ready?
” I hopped off the examination table like my ass was on fire and followed closely as he led me further into the medical bay to Knox.
“I’ll come back and get you in thirty minutes.
From there, you’ll be escorted to a bunk room we prepared for you, where your dinner will be waiting. ”
“Thank you,” I murmured as I stared down at Knox’s sleeping face. “Dr. Hubbard, is Knox in the clear?”
“Again, he’s stable but is responding positively to the antivenom and IV fluids.”
“In your professional opinion, was his heart going out a one-off?”
“Mr. Ramsey’s labs were all over the place due to the toxins; however, when we get him to baseline, he’ll be in excellent health for his age. I can’t predict the future, but the heart issue was directly related to the bite.”
I nodded and gently grabbed one of Knox’s hands. “I have a few more questions. Is that okay?”
“Absolutely.”
“How’s his leg?”
“There was some tissue and muscle breakdown; however, we intervened before necrosis set in.”
“Meaning?”
“He’ll need wound care for a few weeks to ensure it doesn’t become infected. I’d suggest he use a cane or crutches during this time, but based on my brief interaction with Mr. Ramsey, I doubt he’ll be compliant.”
I smiled softly. “You’d be right. So, after a few weeks…”
“He should ambulate fine without assistance.”
All the air whooshed out of my lungs.
Thank you, Jesus.
“Any other questions for me?”
“Can a pair of scissors be dropped off at my bunk room?” His brow raised as he considered my request. “My braids,” I responded quickly.
“Right,” he said, blushing slightly. “I’ll leave you to it—thirty minutes, Mrs. Ramsey. I know you want to remain by your husband’s side, but he’d want you to take time to care for yourself.”
“I hear you, Doc. I won’t give you any issues.”
Dr. Hubbard had barely left when I ripped back the cover and carefully climbed into bed with Knox.
“Listen good, Gio. I don’t want any shit out of you when we get back. You don’t have to use the crutches, but we can get you a sweet-ass pimp cane or something.”
I rattled on with my demands until my fatigue finally caught up with me.