Page 83 of Where We Fall

My stomach sinks. They never call me at this hour on a weekend.

“Hello?” I answer hesitantly.

“Lexi Miller?”

“Yes, this is Lexi.”

Marcus turns his head around while standing by the stove.

“Hi, Miss Miller. This is Greta from Nothing but Care. I’m calling because your mother seems to have taken a spill. She is currently on the way to the hospital.”

“Oh my God. Is she okay?” I ask as my heart begins to race.

“She was awake and conscious when she left. That’s all that I can confirm.”

“How did this happen?” I ask.

“What I can gather is that she was having an episode—she didn’t recognize her caretakers. When they kept trying to calm her down, she got agitated and tried to run away.”

I can’t believe it. I hate everything about this damn disease. I can’t imagine the fear of not knowing what’s going on, not recognizing anyone, not knowing who you are or where you are supposed to be, but just knowing that you don't feel safe.

“Ok,” I say, my voice cracking as I try to hold in my tears. “Can you please tell me what hospital?”

That gets Marcus’ attention. He drops his spoon and walks over to me.

I nod my head as I gather the information. When I hang up, tears instantly start running down my face.

“What happened?”

“My mom. She fell. She’s on her way to the hospital.”

“Is she okay?”

“All they could tell me was that she was conscious when getting into the ambulance. Oh, God,” I jump off the seat. “I need to get back. She’s alone and confused right now. She needs to be around someone she might recognize. Someone who can talk to her and calm her down.”

I start pacing around the kitchen, unsure what to do first. Do I drive or fly? It’s a five-and-a-half-hour drive. That’s probably the fastest way to get there.

“I’m gonna drive there.”

I bolt across the room to grab my purse and keys.

“Woah, woah, woah. Babe.” Marcus follows me and puts his hands on my shoulder. “You can’t drive like this. It’s late, and you’re upset.”

“Well, I have to get to her as soon as possible. I can’t wait to book a flight. I probably wouldn’t get there until tomorrow.”

As I put my shoes on, he pulls his phone out.

“Don’t you dare walk out that door yet. Let me make a call and see what I can do.”

I try to tell him I can’t wait, but he holds his finger up.

“Hi, Martha. Are there any pilots on standby that could get me to Chicago tonight?”

My eyes open wide. He can’t seriously be considering having me take the company’s jet. That’ll cost a fortune.

“Perfect. We can be there in thirty minutes. Thank you so much for accommodating this.”

He puts his phone in his back pocket and then grabs his jacket.

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