Page 69 of The Women of Oak Ridge
There was no response.
The doctor came around to the opposite side of the bed. “She’s had a low dose of pain medication, but with a concussion, we’recautious about administering anything that can increase the risk of bleeding. People with head injuries are often confused, agitated, and can even experience hallucinations. We’ll watch her for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. As her relative, we’ll need you to fill out some paperwork.”
I remembered Dad. “My father—her brother—will want to be involved in her care. I planned to call him as soon as I knew more.”
“That’s fine. We just need someone to give us basic information. Name, age, address. That sort of thing.”
A young nurse brought in a clipboard and pen. While I sat in a hard metal chair and filled out the forms, Jonas and the doctor spoke in low tones in the hallway. After I handed the paperwork back to the nurse, Jonas returned alone.
“The doctor said Mae’s glasses were broken in the accident. They’ll have the ophthalmologist examine her to make sure her eyes weren’t damaged, then get a new prescription going.”
Worry tightened my throat. “This is just awful. What will we do if she isn’t able to see well enough to drive or live alone? I need to call Dad.”
“There’s a pay phone in the waiting room. I’ll stay with Mae.”
Again, appreciation for Jonas welled up. Tears formed in my eyes. “Thank you.”
I hurried to the public phone and made a collect call to Dad’s office.
“Hi, honey,” he said after accepting the charges. “You never call me at the office. Is everything okay?”
A sob escaped. “No, Daddy, it’s not. Aunt Mae’s been in a car accident. She’s in the hospital.” I filled him in on Aunt Mae’s injuries and everything I could remember of what the doctor had said, adding, “The accident was her fault, Dad.”
“Poor Mae. Hold on, Laurel.” I heard him speak to someone, although I couldn’t make out the words. Moments later he said,“My secretary is working on getting me a flight. I’ll get there as soon as I can, honey. Are you okay? Were you in the car with Mae?”
“No, I was at the library. We were supposed to have dinner together later. I don’t know where she was going.” Tears ran down my cheeks. “I’m sorry, Dad. I should’ve been with her. I should’ve been driving.”
“This isn’t your fault, Laurel. I’ve been concerned about my sister living alone, fearing something like this might happen. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with everything, but I’m glad you’re with her. Hang in there, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Dad.”
I hung up the phone receiver, letting tears flow.
“God,” I whispered, a sob choking me. “Please let Aunt Mae be okay. I’m just getting to know her. I promise to be a better niece.”
When I returned to Aunt Mae’s room, I found Jonas speaking to Velvet and Roonie in the hallway.
“Laurel,” Velvet said, her voice motherly, “we came as soon as we heard.”
At my questioning look, Roonie had a sheepish look. “It’s a small town. Word travels fast. Someone saw the accident and called someone else. You know how that goes.”
Being from Boston, I didn’t. “Thank you for coming. I spoke to my dad. He’ll get here as quickly as he can.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Velvet glanced into the room, worry on her face. “Poor Mae, I just hate that this happened. Everyone is prayin’ for her, you can be assured of that.”
I nodded, unable to speak past the tears welling again.
“I should get back to work.” Jonas’s eyes held an apology. “I’ll come by to check on you and Mae a little later. Is there anything I can bring you? Do you need anything from the house?”
My brain felt so foggy, I couldn’t think of a thing. “I’m sure there is, but at the moment I couldn’t tell you what.”
After he left, Velvet said, “I’m going to stay with you until Harris gets here.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. It could be late when he finally arrives.”
She gave a single nod. “All the more reason for me to stay. You don’t need to be alone. Besides, we came in separate cars for this very purpose.”
The kindness of these people meant more than they would ever know.
