Page 35 of Everything We Left Unsaid

Abby

My phone dingsseveral times once I finally make it out of the store. I always lose service when I go in there and it drives me nuts, especially when I have to wait twenty minutes for the pharmacy to find the prescription they filled days ago and lost. I glance down and notice several missed calls from my grandmother and another unknown number. My heart sinks like a lead weight of impending doom. I hit the button to return her call, but there’s no answer. My swift walk turns into a full-on sprint, my sneakers eating up the yards of pavement that separate me from my car in seconds. I fling open my door and shove my key into the ignition, turning it with more force than is probably necessary.

Pulling out of the parking lot, I try her number again. Nothing. “Son of a bitch!” I cry out in frustration. It continues to ring the next three times I call, so I decide to give the unknown number a try, but a number with a local area code beeps in before the person on the other line can pick up.

“Hello!” I clip, answering my phone.

“Is this Mrs. Harris?” a timid female voice asks.

“Yes, this is she.” I don’t correct her that it’s Ms. and not Mrs. I’m in too big of a hurry to worry about semantics at this point. Weaving in and out of traffic, I place the call on speaker and deposit it in the cup holder to free up my hands.

Come on, come on. I gotta get home!I glance down at the speedometer as she prattles on. When I realize I’m going more than twenty over, I ease off the gas pedal.

“This is Kelsey from the emergency department at Riverview General. Your grandmother was just brought to us by squad and you’re listed as her emergency contact.”

With those words, my whole world tilts and time stands still.

“What?” I squeak out.

“She was rushed to the cath lab. Your husband and daughter are here, but the doctors want to talk to you.”

“My husband?” I bark out in confusion.

“Yes, he came in with your baby. He’s the one who called nine-one-one.”

Jacob.

He must’ve told them he’s my husband, and if I wasn’t so worried about my grandmother, I’d read more into that, probably revel in it a bit and dream about the possibilities. But I can’t think about that now. I need to get to my grandmother.

“How is she? Is she gonna be okay?”

She hesitates, and just as I start to think our connection is lost, she clears her throat. “She’s no longer in our department. You’ll have to get an update from the doctor when you get here.” That tells me absolutely nothing about her condition.

I thank her and end the call, continuing my mad dash to the hospital. When I arrive, hospital staff direct me to the waiting room. Tears spring into my eyes when I see Jacob and Chloe. He lifts his gaze as I approach and jumps out of his chair.

“Abby.” He pulls me into his arms and I sink into his strong, comforting chest.

“What happened?” I look up and search his face for answers, praying I’m not too late.

“Here, sit down.” He directs me to the chair next to Chloe where she plays with one of her dolls, seemingly unaware of the turmoil around her. She climbs into my lap and I cradle her against my chest, stroking the soft curls covering her head.

“After you left, she sat at the table for a long time trying to catch her breath, but never could. Finally, she said she didn’t feel well and was going to lie down.” He takes a deep breath, preparing to deliver the bad news. “She stood up, but she never made it out of the kitchen. She went down and I called for an ambulance.”

I cover my mouth and sob. How could I leave her like that? I knew something was wrong but was too distracted to notice the signs.

“I’m so sorry, Abby.”

“No, you were there for her and got help. I’m the one who should be sorry.” Chloe starts to cry as my sobs grow louder, reacting to my distress. “Is she gonna be okay? Is she gonna make it?” I manage to ask between gasps, gulping air like a fish out of water.

“I don’t know. They’re doing everything they can to-”

Just then, a loud, obnoxious BOMP, BOMP rings out overhead, interrupting Jacob’s update.

A woman’s voice crackles over the speakers. “Code blue, cath lab. Code blue, cath lab.”

“What’s going on? That’s where my grandmother is!” I rush out of the waiting room, searching frantically for anyone who can tell me what’s happening. There’s nobody to be found and no one who can help, not on a Sunday afternoon. I start to break down, becoming a teary, snotty mess standing in the middle of a hospital, my whole world shattering with nobody to put it back together.

“Abby?” I turn at the sound of my brother’s voice. My eyes land on his large frame looming in the doorway, Tiff standing by his side. I run to him, our fight last night forgotten, and throw my arms around him, desperately clinging to his calming strength. “Jacob called and told me what happened. Have you heard anything?”

---