Page 10 of Ms. Patti
“Haskins. Josiah Haskins passed away about six or seven months ago. I remember Dad mentioning something about him having a heart attack. Dad said he didn’t have any relatives that lived close. If I remember right, he owned a bit of property over off Meadow Creek Road.” Brody shrugged when Rafe stared at him. “What? I pay attention when people talk. Can I help it if y’all can’t retain facts five minutes after you hear them?” His brother’s quick grin eased some of the tension in the room.
“Lucas, you and Brody check the clinic, see if Doc Jennings or Doc Stevens have seen or heard anything.”
“We’re on it.” Both men rose and headed out the door, Heath moving aside to let them pass.
“Heath, call Frank at the garage, see if he’s talked to Momma since this morning. It’s a longshot, but it’s something. The rest of us will start asking around town, to see if anybody’s seen or heard from her in the last few hours. I’ll head over to the Haskins’ place, see if there’s any sign that Momma’s been there. Anybody hears anything, call here and let Sally Anne know. She can get hold of me immediately.”
The rest of his brothers quickly left to start their searches, while Rafe talked to Ridge and Shiloh and let them know to head back to Santa Lucia and see if their hospital might have had Momma admitted. The thought made his gut tighten, but better she be in the hospital than a worse alternative.
“Rafe, honey, what can I do? I need to help.”
“Sally Anne, the best thing you can do is man the phones. My brothers will be checking in, and I need you here. If you want, make a few calls. Check the diner, Gracie’s place. Anywhere Momma might have been this morning. You hear anything, you radio me right away, okay?”
Impulsively, he wrapped his arms around Sally Anne and gave her a quick hug. She squeezed him back and visibly straightened, her head going back, and she gave him a jaunty salute. “You’ve got it, boss. Now, go on, get outta here. Find your momma and bring her home safe.”
Without another word, Rafe walked through the front door and out to his car, praying the whole time. The town couldn’t afford to lose their beloved Ms. Patti, but more importantly, he couldn’t afford to lose her. It wasn’t an option he was willing to face.
“Hang on, Momma. We’ll find you.”
A heaviness hung over her, a feeling of lethargy invading her body. Struggling to open her eyes, which felt like lead weights kept them closed, she finally managed, squinting against the bright lights overhead. She raised her hand, managing to block some of the brightness down to a manageable glare, and looked around. Stark white walls on all sides, with a small window with vertical blinds greeted her perusal.
Looking down, she realized she was in a cotton gown, the kind given to patients admitted to the hospital. It didn’t look like she was in the Shiloh Springs emergency clinic, which was where Stan was supposed to drive her. Scooting up in the bed, she pressed the button to elevate the head, raising it until she was sitting up. Then she hit the call button for the nurse or somebody who could answer her questions. Like where was she and why had she been admitted.
The door to her room swung inward and Stan Ferguson stuck his head inside, his expression of concern genuine. He smiled when he saw her sitting upright in the bed.
“Ms. Patti, I’m so glad you’re awake. I’ve gotta tell you, you scared the living daylights out of me, passing out like that.”
“I passed out?” Why couldn’t she remember that? She remembered Stan finding her in the shed and helping her, wrapping her ankle, which now that she thought about it throbbed with a dull ache. He’d agreed to drive her to the emergency clinic, so she could see Doc Jennings, get him to take a look at her ankle.
“Yes, ma’am. I couldn’t wake you up, and your pulse rate was exceedingly fast, so I used my best judgment and brought you to the hospital.”
“Which one?”
“Mercy General, Williamson County. I started to go to the hospital in Santa Lucia but there was a pretty bad accident on I-45, and they were routing patients there. This seemed the smarter choice.”
“Thank you. I appreciate everything you’ve done to help me, Stan. I’ll make sure and let your parents know how much you’ve done for me too.”
“That’s not necessary. My mother’s got her hands full dealing with Dad at the moment, and I was glad I could help you. I did try calling the number for your house, once I got here, but I got voice mail, so I left a message. I’m sure your family’s looking for you.”
She almost rolled her eyes at that statement. If she knew her husband and her boys, not to mention all the women, they probably had an old-fashioned posse out searching every inch of Shiloh Springs, especially since her phone wasn’t working. Being incommunicado for this long, they’d probably gone straight into panic mode. She needed to call Douglas or one of the boys and let them know what happened and where she was. The only problem was all of their numbers were programmed into her phone, which no longer worked, and she didn’t know them by memory.
“Can you call the sheriff’s office in Shiloh Springs? Talk to my son, Rafe. Let him know what’s going on, where I am, so nobody panics. Or if you get me the number, I’ll call.”
Before he could answer, a nurse walked in, a big smile on her face. Dressed in blue scrubs, her hair pulled up into a messy bun, she quickly rolled a vital signs machine over next to the bed. “Afternoon, Mrs. Boudreau. I’m Gloria, and I’m the shift nurse on this part of the floor for today. You gave this young man quite a scare.” Lifting up a blood pressure cuff, she wrapped it around Ms. Patti’s arm and started it inflating. A quick flick of the digital thermometer took her temp, and the machine beeped as the cuff deflated.
“I had a bit of a scare myself, Gloria. Everything look normal?”
“Your vitals are stable. The doctor in the emergency room wanted you to be admitted since you lost consciousness. They also took x-rays of your ankle, and we’re waiting for the radiologist to read them. If there’s a fracture, they’ll call in an orthopedic specialist.”
She drew in a ragged breath. “How long do you think that’ll take? I’m going to need to contact my family, let them know where I am.”
“It shouldn’t be too long. As for contacting your family, there’s a phone beside your bed. Dial 9 for an outside line. In the meantime, if you need anything, push the call button, and I’ll come back.”
With a quick pat on her hand, Gloria left, leaving her with Stan, who shifted from one foot to the other, his hands clasped in front of him. She wasn’t sure what had him so antsy, but she’d figure it out. The debt she owed him needed to be paid, and she’d do whatever she could to ensure he knew a Boudreau’s thanks.
“I’m…I’ll go and look up the phone number for the sheriff’s office and give your son a call. I bet he’s looking for you right now. I waited to try and track anybody down, because I wanted to make sure you’d be okay. No need for anybody to panic when they don’t need to, right?”
“I appreciate your help, Stan. When you talk to my son, please tell him to have Douglas call me. He’s going to worry if he doesn’t hear from me soon.”
