Page 36 of Everything We Left Unsaid

I shake my head, wishing I knew more. “They just called a code blue. I think it’s her. She’s coding!” I cry, pulling out of his embrace. “I’ve seen enough episodes of Grey’s Anatomy to know that’s not good.” Ethan releases me and Tiff takes over, pulling me in for a hug.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, but I’m glad you’re here. Wait – how did you get here? Did Jacob call you, too?”

She and Ethan exchange a look I can’t quite interpret before she answers, “Ethan called me. He thought you might need a friend.”

“Well, I’m glad he did. He was right.”

“So, Jacob’s back in town?” she asks, forming a temporary distraction from my looming grief as we walk back to the waiting room.

“Yeah, it’s, um, kind of a long story.”

“You’ll have to fill me in later.” She winks and wraps her arm around me, resting her head on my shoulder. “Whoa,” she gasps when we enter the waiting area and she takes in the scene. Jacob has moved two chairs around to face each other, and he’s sitting across from Chloe teaching her how to play Patty Cake. “I take that back,” Tiff murmurs. “You need to fill me in ASAP.” She looks on in amazement at Jacob and Chloe interacting, and I know my expression mirrors hers.

I glance at Ethan, conflicting emotions playing across his features. He catches me watching him. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he was there for our grandma, but I’m still not happy he’s back.”

“We’ll talk about it later,” I warn him with a stern look. He needs to play nice right now. We have bigger things to worry about.

Twenty minutes later, a man in green scrubs walks into the lobby scrubbing a hand over his face, exhaustion marring his features. “Russo family?” he inquires.

“Yes, that’s us,” I offer, and Ethan and I approach him anxiously.

“You’re her grandchildren?”

“Yes,” we answer in unison.

“Your grandmother has had a heart attack. A pretty bad one,” he adds, sympathy softening his features. I swallow thickly as tears pool in my eyes. “We’ve managed to stabilize her for now. She had a blockage in one of her major coronary arteries, the widow maker, we call it, but we were able to open it with a stent.” A collective sigh of relief echoes throughout the room. “When blood flow was restored to the heart muscle, she experienced an arrhythmia and we had to shock her heart back into a normal rhythm. That was the code you probably heard overhead.” We all nod our heads in acknowledgment. “Right now, she has a tube down her throat breathing for her, and a catheter in her groin where we placed a device that will take some of the strain off her heart, so don’t be alarmed when you see her,” he warns. “She’s going to be hooked up to lots of tubes and machines, but they’re all in place to help her.”

“Is she going to be okay? Will she wake up and be able to breathe on her own?” I ask.

“There’s no way to know for sure right now, but I anticipate she’ll recover from this, though it’ll take a while and she’ll need lots of support. She’s very lucky to be alive.” He pauses a moment to let that information sink in. “The squad reported that the family began life-saving measures as soon as she arrested. Who was with her at the time of her collapse?” All our eyes land on Jacob as he hovers at the back of the group, holding Chloe close to his chest. “Great job initiating CPR when you did.” The doctor reaches out to shake Jacob’s free hand. “You saved her life, son.” Jacob nods humbly and takes his proffered hand.

“When will we be able to see her?” Ethan interjects.

“Once they have her settled in, the nurse will come find you. Visitors will be allowed back one at a time.”

“Thank you, doctor,” I offer. The rest of our group add their thanks and he leaves to tend to his next patient.

“How long do you think it will be before they let us back?” Ethan asks.

“I have no idea.”

“’Nack,” Chloe chirps, reaching for me.

“I better find her something to eat before she goes all Tasmanian Devil on this place. You can go ahead and go back if they allow visitors before we make it back.”

“Do you want me to take her so you don’t miss your chance to see your grandmother?” Jacob offers.

“That’s okay, we won’t be gone long.”

His dejected look pulls at my heartstrings. I wasn’t trying to exclude him, but I thought maybe he’d had enough of parenting for today. He’s not used to being solely responsible for a small child. “You can come with us if you want. I’m sure you’re probably hungry, too. I hear the orange Jell-O is to die for here.” I attempt to inject a little humor into the situation to lighten the mood, and he smiles at my lame efforts to make him laugh.

We follow the signs to the cafeteria and find something to snack on while we wait. It’s not the Sunday dinner I had in mind, but my grandmother is still with us and that’s all that matters. Once we have our food and settle into a booth, I broach a subject that may make me lose my appetite. “So, you did CPR on her?”

He glances down at the table, the memory fresh in his mind. “Yeah,” he mumbles.

I regret asking, but I need to let him know how much I appreciate what he did. “Thank you.” I reach across the table and grasp his hand. His head snaps up and his gaze finds mine. “You’re the only reason she’s still with us.”

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