Accidents Happen - 25. Chapter 25 - Good News, Bad News, and Complications

Chapter 25 – Good News, Bad News, and Complications

The surgery felt like it took forever but the family refused to go anywhere. Besides the Wagner family, Scott, Nita, and Wade were there. The only other person in the waiting room was a woman named Ms. Iverson. Her sister, Teresa, was there having a triple bypass surgery and Miss Iverson was the only relative left. The family kept taking turns checking on her and Joe.

“Ms. Iverson, are you sure you wouldn’t like a cup of coffee or tea?” Rick Junior asked the woman as she sat dejectedly in her seat.

“That is very kind of you, but I really don’t want to be a bother.”

“Honest, it is no problem at all. I was going to get Grandpa one too.”

“Thank you, then. A cup of tea would be wonderful.”

Rick smiled as he and Wade went off to get them from the cafeteria.

“I wish they would just tell us something,” Bobby complained quietly.

“Actually, no news is a good thing. It means the surgery is going well,” Scott said in strained voice.

Charlie looked over at Scott. There was no denying that Scott looked worn out. Charlie just wished he knew what was causing the tension.

A nurse arrived in the waiting room a moment later still dressed in scrubs. She was all smiles.

“Dr. Amato will be with you shortly. He just wanted you to know the surgery went well and she is in recovery now.”

“Thank God,” Joe said loudly.

The family soon surrounded Joe while he smiled in relief. A few moments later the doctor arrived.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, but I just wanted to leave some instructions with the nursing staff. So you all know, the surgery went by the book. There were no complications and Mrs. Wagner came through fine. She will be in ICU for the next 48 hours just to make sure there are no complications. Then depending on how she is recovering decisions will be made about her rehab and how soon she can go home.”

Joe stood up and walked over to shake the doctor’s hand.

“Thank you so much for all you have done. I can never tell you how grateful my family and I are for all of your efforts.”

The doctor smiled and explained he would be seeing them during the recovery time before he walked out of the room.

“Charlie, I’m glad your mom is going to recover. I have to get to going,” Scott whispered into his ear before he kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks for being here for me,” Charlie stated. He was worried. The longer the day had gotten the worse Scott looked.

“Anything for you, Teach.”

“I’ll call you later.”

Scott stopped and said his goodbyes before heading out. Charlie couldn’t help but feel something was off. Before he could begin to try to figure it out the family was back at his side.

“Was something wrong with Scott?” queried Becca.

“He seemed nervous or something. Did someone say something to him?” demanded Kathy as she looked over at her Uncle Rick.

“Please tell me that Dad behaved and didn’t chase off Scott,” Rick Jr. piped in.

Charlie knew he had to cut this off before they began making things worse as they were already jumping to the wrong conclusions.

“Scott doesn’t like hospitals. I don’t know all the details but it took a lot for him to be here for me today. Evidently that is why he pushed to get out so quickly when he was hit by the car a few months ago.”

His nieces and nephew just looked at him in stunned silence for a moment.

“Son, is everything okay?” Joe asked as he noticed everyone beginning to crowd around Charlie.

“Yeah, just a small problem dealing with where everyone is staying tonight,” lied Charlie.

“Oh, well anyone who needs to can naturally stay at the house with me. I’m sure it is too late for Joan and Maria to head home to Boston now.”

“Dad, Joan and I wouldn’t leave you or Mom right now!”

Joe just smiled. Those who hadn’t made plans began to figure out where they were staying for the night. It was decided that the family would take shifts at the hospital. Everyone crowded around Joe and basically forced him to go home and get some rest. The first watch was left to Charlie, Rebecca, and Kathy. Rick, Tonya, Rick Junior, and Wade would be down to relieve them around midnight.

“Alright, Charlie, spill it,” Kathy said as soon as the last of the family had left them alone.

“Spill what?”

“Don’t play games with us,” Becca chimed in.

“Tell us what else is wrong. When you went outside earlier with Scott you were all light and smiles. You came in looking like someone shot your best friend.”

“Rick had just called saying that …”

“Don’t hand me that. I’ve been around Grandma and you long enough to know something else is bothering you,” Kathy said looking Charlie in the eyes.

Charlie sighed. He explained to the girls about needing air and meeting Cameron outside with Scott.

“Did Scott tell you who Cameron is?” asked Becca.

“Is he an old friend? Or maybe he is an old boyfriend?” Kathy continued.

“I don’t know. He said he would tell me later and we just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

The girls sat back not sure what to say. A moment later the nurse came in.

“Miss Iverson?” she asked looking at Kathy and Rebecca.

Miss Iverson stood up and hurried over to the nurse.

“The doctor will be out in a moment. Is there anyone else with you?”

“No.”

Kathy, Rebecca, and Charlie turned to see the woman going pale and shaking standing by herself.

The doctor walked in a moment later and guided the woman to a seat. The nurse sat on her other side and gently held Miss Iverson’s hand. The Wagners felt guilty sitting there as Miss Iverson completely fell apart at the doctor’s news.

Charlie nearly jumped out of his seat when another nurse came in and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Yes,” Charlie blurted out looking up at the nurse.

“I’m sorry to scare you. Are you Charlie Wagner?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Your mother asked to see you. Normally we don’t allow visitors this late but she was rather insistent. She is a hard woman to say no to,” the nurse said with a smile.

“Try living with her,” Charlie joked.

The nurse explained what he had to do going in to the room. She also forewarned him that his mother would be hooked up to all sorts of equipment to monitor her heart and other things. The calmer he was the better it would be for his mother.

“Hi Mom. I understand you wanted me in here,” Charlie said trying to ignore the beeps and whizzes coming from the stuff all around his mother. She looked small and pale in the hospital bed surrounded by all the equipment.

“Charlie, thank god you are here. I’m sure I look like hell, so ignore it. My days of low cut tops and nude bathing are definitely over. Who the hell wants to see the scar I have now?”

“Jesus, Mom. You worry about the oddest things.”

“You learn to keep a sense of humor about things or you end up cracking up. You should be used to it by now.”

Charlie couldn’t help but smile and shake his head.

“How is your father?”

“Dad is okay. He is worried about you though.”

“I’ll be fine Charlie. Tell me he isn’t out there waiting to see me.”

“No, I managed to send him home with half the family to your house. The only ones left are me, Rebecca, and Kathy.”

“Figured you would hang around,” Barbara said with a smile.

“Mom, the nurse already told me I had at most five minutes. Is there something you need for us to bring you tomorrow?”

“No. Dr. Amato already told me I’m stuck here for the next two days. I am hoping to go home after that but he is talking a rehab center first.”

“Just listen to the doctor and do as he says.”

“I don’t have much choice in the matter this time,” Barbara said softly.

“Well tomorrow we all will take turns slipping in to see you.”

“For god’s sake don’t let anyone bring me up flower or puzzle books. Last thing I need is the room to look like a mausoleum. Tell them to save the flowers till I get home. Tell Becca and Kathy to do me a favor and start decorating the house. If I leave it up to your father it would never get done. Tell me the whole group isn’t down because of this.”

“Did you think the family would stay away with you in the hospital?”

“Damn. I hate pulling everyone out of their lives. Tell Rick and Wade to get their asses back to school. I won’t be the reason either of them doesn’t finish their papers,” Barbara said firmly.

“Sorry, I hate to interrupt but you really have to leave now, Charlie,” the nurse said standing at the doorway.

“Yes, Mom. I promise to send the boys back to school.”

Charlie leaned over and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. He hadn’t realized how badly he needed to see and talk to his mother, just to make sure she was okay.

The nurse guided him back out.

“We don’t usually let anyone in after visiting hours but she was getting more worked up and finally Dr. Amato said to let her have her way. Your mother is one strong woman.”

Charlie walked back in to find the waiting room empty except for Rebecca and Kathy.

“How’s Grandma?” the girls asked in unison.

“I think she is going to be alright,” said Charlie as he launched into a recap of their conversation.

“Leave it to Grandma to give orders while lying in a hospital bed,” Kathy said giggling between words.

“Give Grandpa a call and let him know you spoke to her. If you don’t you know the rest of the family will give you hell when they find out.”

Nodding Charlie called his father and told him all that his mother had said.

“Leave it to your mother. I know she is feeling better if she is ordering people around. I’ll make sure the boys are back at college tomorrow. Going to have a fight I know but they can come home when their finals are over. They only have another week.”

“Alright, Dad. The nurses have already told us no one else will be able to go in until visiting hours tomorrow. Then only in groups of two and if they feel it is too tiring for the patient be prepared to be kicked out and the visiting time cut.”

“I’ll tell Rick and Tonya. We won’t even wake up the boys. I’ll let everyone here know. We will figure out who can go daytime and who will take the night visiting hours. Charlie, go home then. You sound exhausted.”

Charlie laughed.

“Night, Charlie. Give the girls my love.”

Charlie told the girls what had been said and they began to pull themselves together to head home.

“Was Miss Iverson alright?” Charlie asked as they headed to the elevator.

“Her sister didn’t make it,” Becca said quietly.

“We went downstairs and sat with her till a taxi came. She was too upset to drive.”

Lord, forgive me. I am just grateful it wasn’t Mom.

The next two days passed a in blur. Charlie called out of work to Marie on Monday, but was there on Tuesday and glad for the distraction his class offered. He stayed with the family as much as possible and Scott called but kept leaving messages because Charlie kept his cell phone turned off while he was at the hospital.

Barbara, surprisingly, was a model patient but kept asking to go home. The doctor stopped by constantly and finally told the family she was going to a rehab center for a few days but would be home by the end of the week. The doctor recommended that a physical therapist and nurse be hired for a few days once Barbara returned home just to make sure she stayed to the program and didn’t over do things. Joe inquired into it and asked Charlie if he would meet with the one the hospital had suggested.

On Tuesday evening, a few hours before his mother was to be transferred to the rehab center, Charlie sat down to meet the hospital’s choice for the Rehab nurse. Charlie was ushered into a nice little office waiting room. He picked up a magazine, thumbing through it, while he waited.

“Hi, sorry to be late. I was with a patient,” came a masculine voice behind him.

Standing up Charlie turned to find himself face to face with Cameron Donne once again. This time Cameron was dressed in a deep blue scrubs and sneakers. The scrubs did little to hide what a great physique he had.

“Charlie? I did get the name right I hope,” said Cameron with a smile.

“Yes, you did Cameron.”

“So you are my patient? You seem in pretty good shape,” Cameron joked as he took the seat opposite where Charlie was standing.

“No, I am just doing the final check for my father. Mom goes into the rehab center tonight and they are saying after four days or so they intend to send her home.”

“Your mother must be in pretty good shape.”

“She is.”

The two men then went on to talk about Barbara’s usual routine at home, what foods she ate, and how she cooked, as well as what things she most likely wouldn’t want to do. Finding out Barbara had a daily exercise routine made Cameron smile. He filled in the rest of his work sheet and asked which rehab facility Barbara would be going to.

“It sounds as if your mother is really an active woman.”

“She really is,” said Charlie with a smile.

“Mind if I ask you something?”

“Sure. Ask away.”

“Are you dating Scott?”

Charlie stopped cold. He wasn’t expecting a question about him. The whole time that Cameron and him had spent talking it had been strictly about his mother. The question left him feeling vulnerable.

“Yes, I am.”

Cameron stopped and looked Charlie over.

“Well you are very different from Andrew.”

“Andrew? Who is Andrew?”

Cameron blushed and shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. It is just that I haven’t seen Scott in a few years and seeing him with you made me wonder.”

Charlie wasn’t sure what to make of that and before he could press for some answers Cameron’s phone rang.

“Excuse me, Charlie.” Cameron walked over to the corner of the office and spoke into his cell phone.

Who the hell is Andrew? What isn’t Scott telling me? Charlie felt as if he was putting together a puzzle without all the pieces. He sat there pondering the different questions he had while he waited for Cameron to get off the phone.

“I’m sorry about that. I have to get going for my next appointment. I will be at the rehab center on Thursday to introduce myself to your mother. I’ll set up the appointments and all with her at that time. Do you have anything else you need to know?”

Charlie could tell Cameron had slipped behind his professional demeanor and wouldn’t be spilling any more to him. Charlie just stood and shook his head no.

“I thank you for your time, Cameron. I’m sure you will be able to help my mother while she recovers.”

Cameron smiled and shook Charlie’s hand as they walked to the door.

“I look forward to getting to know her and you.”

Without much more being said, Charlie watched as Cameron rushed off to his next appointment. Charlie reached for his cell phone to call his father when it rang.

“Hello,” Charlie said without looking to see who had called.

“How is my favorite Teach?” Scott asked.

“I’m doing okay. Mom is being released into the rehab center in a little while.”

“That is really good news then Charlie.”

“Yeah. So what is up?”

“How about dinner tonight?”

Charlie wasn’t sure. Tonight, after all, his mother was going to the rehab facility.

“Scott …”

“Charlie, if you can’t make it tonight I understand. I just feel there are few things I need to explain to you.”

Immediately, Charlie’s mind went to Cameron and Andrew. Who were these two men to Scott?

“No. That sounds good Scott. Where would you like to meet?”

“My place. Say about a half hour?”

Charlie looked down at his watch and saw it was just after five. He really wanted to stop upstairs to see his mother and then change before meeting Scott for the night.

“Make it an hour and you have a deal.”

“You got it Charlie. I’ll see you then.”

Maybe I’ll finally get some answers to my questions. I pray Mom is feeling better. I just hope she doesn’t ask me questions I don’t have an answer to. Sighing, Charlie called his father to tell him that a Rehab nurse had been found.