Chapter 35 Be The Rock
BE THE ROCK
The curtain moved aside and a doctor walked in fifteen minutes later.
Her father was lying so still that if it weren’t for the machines monitoring his heart rate and oxygen levels, she’d think he wasn’t breathing.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Lester,” the woman said, coming forward to shake everyone’s hand.
“Sorry that it’s taken time to talk. I examined your father when he arrived.
Since he’s not conscious, we couldn’t ask what was going on and ran a bunch of tests.
I know his medical history from his charts.
It appears he’s got a concussion. There is some bleeding on the brain, but no signs of a stroke. ”
“A stroke!” her mother said.
“I’m trying to rule out what could have caused the fall. It’s possible it was him losing his balance, but if he’d had a stroke or a heart attack or any other sudden attack, we’d need to know that. It’s all been ruled out.”
Her shoulders relaxed over that news. Nothing she’d thought of.
“That’s good,” her mother said. “What did you find out?”
“Two of his ribs, his left tibia, and his ankle are broken. I’ve got an orthopedist paged. I’m positive he’s going to need surgery with the severity of his break, but he’s stable now. We’d like him to gain consciousness prior to that, but we can’t always time those things.”
“How long could he be out?” she asked.
Dr. Lester shrugged. “It’s hard to say. It could be a few hours, it could be days. We are working on getting him admitted. There is no reason to keep anyone in the ER longer than necessary, but that takes time.”
“Everything takes time,” Anya said. Her tone was sarcastic and she hated that, but she couldn’t control how she felt either.
“There isn’t much we can do right now. It’s just a waiting game. I’m going to check back, but if he wakes up or moves, buzz the nurse immediately and we’ll get back in here.”
“Thanks,” her mother said. “That wasn’t all that helpful.”
“Yes, Mom, it was. Dad is going to be here for a bit by the sounds of it. Once he’s settled in a room, you can go home and get some sleep. They will call you if there is an update, but you need to build your strength to care for him when the time comes.”
“Why don’t we take turns?” her mother said. “You go home and then I’ll call you when I know something.”
“I’m not leaving you, Mom.” She turned to Matt. “You don’t have to stay.”
“I’m not leaving either,” he said.
“Don’t you want to go home and change?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “I’m staying with you both until we know more. I’m just going to fill my parents in and then cancel anything I’ve got planned for tomorrow.”
“You don’t need to do that,” she argued.
“Anya, don’t. Don’t fight me wanting to help you. Don’t put walls up either.”
She’d never seen him this serious before.
He wasn’t wrong that she was doing exactly that.
Too many times in her life she’d had no one to lean on and learned to rely on herself.
“It’s hard not to,” she said.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He’d asked her to trust him, and she did.
That meant he’d stay by her side too.
She nodded and moved over. He opened his arms for her to step in for a hug she’d needed more than she could express.
He hadn’t given her one when he showed up. Instead, he took charge and got them some answers, distracted her from her worry, and supported her.
She’d needed that more than she needed the comfort.
Now it was time for the comfort.
“I know,” she said. “I believe it.”
“You can let yourself go with me. You can cry.”
“Anya, don’t hold it in again,” her mother said. Amber had no problem shedding tears on the side of her father’s bed, but once she’d cried earlier, she hadn’t since.
It killed Anya to see her mother so emotional. There was something unsettling seeing the woman she looked up to her whole life falling apart.
She was staying strong because her mother was struggling to do it.
She was all her mother had to rely on.
One of them had to keep it together. She’d be the rock her mother was to her for years.
Then she looked up to see Matt’s eyes on her parents.
She had him to be strong for her.
“I love you,” she said. “Thank you for being here for me.”
“I’d be nowhere else.”
His arms squeezed her tight and she let him do it.
They admitted her father to his own room after almost four hours. He still hadn’t woken up, but he appeared stable.
They were told he’d need surgery but were scheduling it for tomorrow.
“I don’t want to leave your father,” Amber said, stretching her back. “But they told me visiting hours end at eight.”
Anya looked at her watch. It was six, but it felt as if it was midnight. Seven hours had passed and she was thankful her father got in a room rather than them all staying in the ER for most of the night waiting.
“Are you going to stay until eight?” she asked.
“I will, but I need to walk.”
“I’ll stay,” Matt said, “if you want to get some food with Anya.”
He was looking at her, giving her a wide-eye glance to urge her mother to eat.
“That’s a good idea,” her mother said.
She grabbed her purse. “We won’t be long.”
“Take your time,” he said. “Your dad and I are going to bond.”
Anya cracked the barest of grins. “You do that.”
When they were in the hall, her mother turned to her. “It’s nice having someone you can count on, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“I had that with your father for years. I’ve got to be that for him now.”
She reached for her mother’s hand. “Oh, Mom. You are. Never think otherwise.”
The elevator doors opened. “I’m going to have to tell EJ. It’s the right thing to do.”
She knew that. “Why don’t you wait until you have more answers?”
“That was the plan. I’m hoping your father wakes up tomorrow. I don’t like this.”
“I know,” she said, squeezing her mother’s hand. “But he’s peaceful. I don’t think he’s in any pain.”
“No. He seems so relaxed in an eerie way.”
She snorted. “I thought the same thing. Take advantage of that and try to get a restful sleep. I know it’s asking a lot.”
“It is,” Amber said.
“Do you want me to stay with you at the house tonight?”
“No. Why don’t you stay with Matt? I can tell he doesn’t want to leave your side. You’ll both feel better about it.”
“I don’t know,” she said. The elevator stopped and they walked toward the cafeteria and food courts.
“What is there not to know? He cleared his schedule tomorrow and will be here with you. You can depend on him. I know it’s been hard in your life to depend on anyone, but you can.”
“I saw that,” she said.
“Treasure it. Your father has a lot of flaws, but he was dependable. He might not have been around enough in your life or EJ’s, but he was there for the important things.”
“I’ve been thinking of that lately.” Watching her father made her realize he was losing his independence and it was devastating. “Matt works a lot.”
“So do you,” her mother said. “Don’t put roadblocks up.”
Her shoulders dropped. “I’m not.”
“You are. Let me lecture you. It will take my mind off your father.”
“Nice way to make me feel guilty about arguing with you,” she said, scrunching up her nose.
“A parent learns the things that work the best with their children.”
Nothing worked with her brother.
“I’ll remember that if I have kids one day.”
“You will,” her mother said. “You’ve got a mothering nature even if you don’t think it.”
“Do you think?”
She’d never thought one way or another.
“Yes. You’re great with people. Anyone who works as a bartender is. You are approachable.”
“Because people think I’m silly or na?ve.”
“No, Anya. You let that get in your head from when you were a kid. No one thinks that now.”
She pursed her lips. “Probably not. Some do at work.”
“People are going to take advantage of anyone they can if a door is opened for them to walk in and do it.”
“I learned that the hard way at work,” she said.
“And you don’t let it happen again. I want you to be happy, Anya. That’s all a parent ever wants.”
“I want to be happy too. I am. Excluding the last seven hours. I’ll be happier to get some food in my stomach. I’ll bring a sandwich for Matt.”
“See,” her mother said. “Nurturing. He’s been taking care of you and you’re going to take care of him. Go home with him tonight. You both need it.”
“You’re right, we do.”