Accidents Happen - 24. Chapter 24 - Heart Matters

Chapter 24 – Heart Matters

Charlie arrived at the hospital in record time. He sat for a moment to compose himself. He knew that if he went in there uptight or upset, he would be of no help to his father. The rest of his family already depended on him to see them all through this.

Taking a deep breath he walked slowly to the front desk.

“Can I help you?” chirped the young girl in the candy striping outfit sitting at the desk.

“I’m trying to find out information on my mother. She was transferred here from another hospital. Her name is Barbara Wagner.”

“Okay, just let me check and I’ll let you know what I can.”

She typed and it seemed an eternity before she finally got what she was looking for.

“Okay, she is in the cardiac wing. There is a special waiting room in that wing where you can go. I don’t believe she is allowed visitors yet. Follow the green line to the elevators and take it down a floor. The waiting room is to your right. There is a phone on the wall. Call the nursing station listed by the phone and they will let you know when you can go in.”

She handed Charlie a temporary pass with Barbara’s name on it and Cardiac Wing in big bold letters. Charlie just followed the green line like a zombie to the elevator. It took a moment to go down the floor and he was immediately hailed as he stepped out of the elevator.

“Charlie? Did Maria call you?”

Charlie turned to find his father standing in the doorway of the waiting room. A quick glance allowed Charlie to see that his father had been the only one in the room.

“Of course she did, Dad. Are you alright?”

Charlie looked his father over. He seemed to have aged overnight. His shoulders were slumped and his normally pressed clothes looked like he had slept in them.

“I don’t know,” Joe half whispered to himself.

Charlie guided his father back into the waiting room and had him sit down.

“Dad, what happened?”

“Your mother didn’t feel good after Thanksgiving. Yesterday I kept trying to get her to rest but she put Kathy to work helping her get everything back to normal. This morning she was up early. Told me she was going to make breakfast for us. I figured I would help her out but when I entered the kitchen I found your mother on the floor. I called 911 and her doctor. By the time they were loading her into the ambulance I called Maria.”

His father stopped and took a deep breath. Charlie could tell he was trying hard not to cry. Gently he put his hand on his father’s arm.

“At the hospital they checked and knew she had had a heart attack. Her doctor had her moved to Stony Brook because they have a special cardiac wing and he knew she would have a better chance at recovery here. They haven’t been out to tell me much. They were still running tests on her.”

Joe barely finished telling this to Charlie when the first members of the family began to arrive. Rebecca, Kathy, Krista, and Rick Jr. came into the waiting room together. Charlie noted he could hear the bell for the elevator and each time it rang for this floor another member of the family seemed to appear. Charlie sent Rebecca out to get Joe coffee and something to eat. Kathy and Krista sat down on either side and kept their grandfather company. The others slowly began to either sit or stand in small groups as they arrived. Charlie filled them all in and then called the nurse’s station inside.

“This is Charlie Wagner. I am calling to check on my mother, Barbara Wagner.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Wagner. Right now they are checking her out again. She is stable and until the tests that were run on her come back there isn’t much to tell you. Her doctor is with her now. Maybe after he finishes with her, he can come out and let you know what her condition is.”

“Thank you. I’ll let everyone who is here know.”

Charlie walked over and told his father first, and then everyone else, that once the doctor was done he would be out to speak to them all.

It was a little after three when Wade arrived and sat down next to Rick Jr. Rick just melted into his arms and was glad for the companionship.

“How are you holding up, Uncle Charlie?” Becca asked.

“I’m alright I guess.”

“Well don’t drift out on us. Everyone is sort of looking to you for how to handle this.”

Charlie didn’t know what to say to that. He just nodded and waited. He was watching for the doctor when he saw this young man come flying around the corner, barely missing Scott as he stepped out of the elevator. The look on Scott's face nearly made Charlie laugh. Both men continued on to the waiting room.

“Mr. Wagner?” questioned the young man as he entered the room. Scott walked around till he was by Charlie’s side.

Joe raised his hand and the young man walked over to him.

“I’m Dr. Amato. Your wife had a minor heart attack. The problem is she has developed an issue with one of the valves on her heart. We set the surgery up for later this afternoon. I don’t want to wait on this.”

“Will she be alright?”

“Well the valve is malfunctioning. It is the reason for the black out. She isn’t’ getting the oxygenated blood through her body like she is suppose to. We are going to have to go in and replace the valve to fix the problem. This isn’t a new problem for your wife. I am surprised she waited this long to have the surgery done.”

“Barbara never mentioned a problem to me,” Joe whispered. He looked up at the doctor with tears in his eyes. “What are her chances, honestly, doctor?”

“Well, your wife is in her seventies, Mr. Wagner. However, I rarely see someone in such good health. I give her chances of a full recovery a high mark. Besides your wife already told me she can’t go anywhere, she still has too many things to get done,” Dr. Amato commented chuckling.

The family smiled at the doctor’s comment.

“That so is Grandma,” laughed Krista.

“You know she isn’t going to let anything happen till she has told us all what is expected of us,” Bobby chimed in.

“Well her surgery is scheduled for an hour from now. If you have no other questions?”

“Why the wait, Dr. Amato?” William inquired.

“I am just waiting on the results from another test we ran on Mrs. Wagner. I prefer to be thorough and make sure we go in with all the knowledge we can.”

Staying for a moment in case of any other questions, Dr Amato looked around. Finding the family had mostly begun to talk to each other again he headed out.

Charlie took that moment to grab Kathy and talk privately to her.

“Do me a favor; try to convince your Grandfather to go up to the cafeteria for lunch. I’ve been here before and the food there is actually not like a hospital’s usual disaster. Get some food in him or your Grandmother will never let us all hear the end of it.”

“Okay Charlie. I’ll grab Rick and Ben too. It would do good to have people for him to focus on. Becca is going to come naturally. If Nita shows up just send her up with the rest of us.”

Charlie smiled. He knew he could count on Kathy and Becca to keep Joe’s spirits up.

“So, how are you holding up?” Scott asked quietly.

Charlie turned with a smile. He hadn’t realized how much comfort it could be to have someone there for him. Scott hugged him as he melted into Scott’s arms.

“I’m surviving. Just trying to make sure everyone is taken care of. I have the twins taking Dad out of here for some food again. He took a bite of the bagel before and tossed it out. If he doesn’t eat Mom will have our heads.”

Scott smiled down at him.

“You do have a lot of your mother in you, Charlie.”

Charlie looked up at Scott. There was a look of confusion on his face.

“How so?”

“I am watching how you handle things. You take care of those around you. You made sure your father is taken care of, keep checking on everyone else, and put yourself last. You are just like Barbara.”

Charlie blushed. He was about to say something when the elevator beeped and out stepped Rick and Tonya. Rick spotted Charlie and rushed over to him. Before Charlie could even say a word Rick scooped him up in a bear hug.

“Charlie, oh my god, I’m so sorry. How is Mom?”

“Put me down so I can breathe,” gasped Charlie.

“Oh, sorry.”

“Mom is going to have a valve replacement for her heart. It is what caused her black out earlier.”

The color drained out of Rick and he looked like he was going to be sick. Tonya put her arms around her husband.

“I just got Dad to go upstairs for some food. Most of the family followed him up.”

Rick collapsed into one of the waiting room seats.

“Is she going to be alright?”

“Well the doctor gave her a pretty good chance for a full recovery. Mom sort of sent him out with a message for us so we know she is awake and in charge.”

“When isn’t Mom in charge?”

Charlie and Rick both had to laugh at that. Tonya sat down next to her husband while Scott moved off to check on Maria and Joan who had just gotten off the elevator.

“Go check with Maria, Charlie. I’ve got Rick,” Tonya said with a small smile.

Charlie arrived to hear Scott just finish explaining what was going on with Barbara.

“So where is Dad?” Maria asked with the concern clear in her voice.

“He went upstairs to get some food. Anyone you don’t see here is up there with him. I know he didn’t have breakfast so wasn’t giving him an option for lunch.”

Maria nodded her head.

“I’m going to check on the rest of the family and grab something to eat. Do you want to come with me, Mom?” Joan asked as she shot Charlie a look.

“Maria, you didn’t eat either I bet. Go with Joan and get something to eat. There isn’t much anyone will be able to do. Mom’s surgery isn’t for about a half hour. The waiting will get to us all later.”

Joan smiled at Charlie. Maria allowed Joan to guide her to the elevator again.

“Well, that takes care of nearly all of them. So what about you? Have you eaten anything today since breakfast?” Scott asked Charlie.

“No.”

“Do I even have to start?”

“I got it. Fine. I will go with you to get something in a moment. Just let me check on Rick again, okay?”

Scott smiled and waved Charlie on.

Rick sat looking shell shocked on the hospital chair.

“Rick, did you and Tonya even eat yet?”

“No.”

“So come up with the rest of us and get something to eat. Mom is going to be going into surgery soon and we are all just going to be playing the waiting game. Come sit with the rest of the family.”

“They are going to be mad at me.”

“Why?”

“The fight.”

Tonya looked over at Charlie in confusion.

“Rick, I never told anyone what happened between us.”

Rick looked up at Charlie; the unshed tears glistened in his eyes.

“Oh God.”

“What? What is wrong Rick?”

“I did it,” Rick said as he started to sob.

Charlie was lost. What did Rick do? Rick had been mad at the whole family with so many changes coming. In some respects it surprised Charlie how little his brother liked to deal with anything that didn’t fit into a narrow band he thought of as normal. However, Rick’s normal world had been changed dramatically in the past few months. His niece not only came out but announced she was getting married. His son was forced out and was dealing with a fairly high profile hate crime case with his boyfriend. Then as the icing on the cake Charlie had begun to date Scott. So what did Rick do that he felt he was the cause of something?

Tonya held her husband’s hand.

Rick finally stopped sobbing and looked up at Charlie with red ringed eyes.

“Mom’s heart attack is my fault, Charlie. I caused it.”

“How did you figure that, Rick?”

“I fought with all day with Mom on Thanksgiving. I made her feel worse.”

“Rick, you didn’t cause it,” Tonya said gently.

“Your wife is right. If you had caused it, she would have had it during Thanksgiving. This is something Mom has kept from us. Unfortunately, now we all know.”

“You think it really isn’t something I caused?”

“Yes,” said Tonya and Charlie together. That brought a laugh from Rick.

“Great. I get it in stereo from my wife and brother. Okay, so I am not the cause. Still feel like an ass though.”

Scott wandered over and interrupted the moment.

“Come on. Sitting here isn’t getting anyone food. Let’s go upstairs,” Scott commented as he hugged Charlie.

The four of them went up to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was bright. It was in many ways more like a restaurant than cafeteria. The room was packed with doctors, nurses, and people waiting to see their loved ones. On the way in was a menu where everyone stopped to look. There were so many choices Charlie hadn’t realized how hungry he really was. Him and Scott ordered and paid before finding a table near the rest of the family. The family was sitting in small clusters talking. As Charlie looked he spotted that Nita had arrived and was sitting with Becca, Kathy, Wade, Rick Jr. and Joe.

“Charlie, relax and eat. Everyone is okay for the moment,” Scott said with a smile.

Charlie paused to think. The low level of noise helped to make his conversation with Scott private so he began to speak openly.

“I’m just worried is all.”

“Yes, but your family is keeping an eye on your father and you. In case you haven’t realized it, they really are turning to you to see how to handle it.”

“I wish they wouldn’t. Usually they turn to Mom and Dad.”

“Well you are your mother’s son. What did you expect? I got to see you at Thanksgiving. There is no denying Barbara knows and loves her family. However, she also kept turning to you to help keep things going. She relies on you, Charlie. The family knows it too. So they turn to you now to see how they are supposed to keep going. Even Maria is looking to you, and I know she is the oldest.”

“I don’t understand it.”

“What is there to understand? Your mother is the force behind your family. For everyone there is the top dog and their first. You are the first, Charlie. You may not have been the first-born, or the one who has lived the most, but you are the one the others trust. Your nieces and nephews adore you. Your siblings love you. Your parents depend on you. So like it or not they are going to turn to you during this crisis.”

Charlie just shook his head and went back to eating. Most of the rest of the family had finished by now but were sitting at the nearby tables having conversations in the late afternoon sunshine that poured in through the many windows. The room still was filled and the staff was walking around cleaning up the tables and floor as the cafeteria slowed down.

Charlie looked at his watch and realized his mother had to be in surgery by now. He didn’t feel like sitting there and yet wasn’t ready to go back to the waiting room. He figured he might just walk outside and get some air. He walked over to his father and let him know what was going on. Joe waved him on as the tables began to walk over and decided what they were going to do as well.

Charlie and Scott walked toward the hospital exit. Scott had his arm around Charlie and was trying to keep Charlie’s spirits up. Charlie was just grateful for the support and Scott taking the time off from work to come sit with him and his family during this emergency.

They had just started out of the hospital toward the car port when the voice broke through interrupting their alone time.

“Scott, I never dreamed I would end up seeing you here,” came a deep voice from behind them. Scott and Charlie turned to face an extremely good looking man. Charlie noted the deep brown eyes, perfect teeth, and rich clothing. The jet black hair framed the man’s face. It was easy to tell how toned he was from the way the clothing clung to his figure. Charlie figured the man had to be in his early thirties.

“Cameron, I’m surprised to see you too,” was Scott’s strained reply.

Charlie felt Scott tense beside him. He wasn’t sure what was making Scott so upset.

“I know you hate hospitals, but I am glad I ran into you. Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude,” Cameron said turning to face Charlie as he reached out his hand. Charlie shook it. “I’m Cameron Donne.”

“It is nice to meet you. I’m Charlie Wagner.”

“You’ll have to excuse us, Cameron. Charlie is dealing with a crisis and we came out to get a breath of fresh air while we can.”

Charlie noted the look Scott gave Cameron. There was definitely something going on here.

“Oh, I am sorry. I will talk to you later then. I wish you luck with your crisis, Charlie.”

Scott turned and escorted Charlie in the opposite direction. Charlie could feel Cameron’s gaze on his back.

“Care to explain what just happened there?”

“Later, Charlie. Let’s deal with one problem at a time.”

Oh this day is just getting better and better. First, mom has a heart attack and had to have surgery. Now who the hell is Cameron and why won’t Scott just tell me?

Before Charlie could ask another question his cell phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Uncle Charlie, would you get back in here. Grandpa wants you,” Rick Jr. said breathlessly into the phone.

“Is something wrong?” asked Charlie as he turned and started sprinting back the way they had come.

“No, but I just get the feeling he wants you close to him.”

“I’m on my way.”

Charlie didn’t have to turn to hear Scott was keeping pace with him.

“Is everything okay with your Mom?”

“So far. Dad wants me there though.”

The two hurried into the hospital to rejoin the rest of the family.