Page 92 of Mountain Pine
My leg bobs, my nerves are shot, and I want to bust down the door and find Russel to see if he’s okay myself. Buring my head in my hands, I take deep breaths and try to come up with a way to spin this shit from doom to bloom.
What if it’s a heart attack turns into if it is, we’re in the best place possible to get him help. What if he needs surgery turns into he’s a healthy man and is also in the best place to get his ticker fixed. What if he dies turns into the worst-case scenario and the only truth about that is I’ll be there to take care of his family. I’ll never let Corrine and Taylor want for anything. Russel can rest easy knowing both his girls are safe and loved.
I’m going to throw up.
Don’t die… don’t die… don’t die.
“Conner!”
I look up at the sound of Taylor’s voice, but she’s all blurry because my eyes are leaking again. I’m going to need to work on my inner plumbing. Pulling my hat off, I wring it in my hands and stand up. “Ishe…”
“They’re taking him back for an x-ray.”
An x-ray? Is that proper procedure for a heart attack? Hope blooms in my chest. Maybe it wasn’t a heart attack at all and just indigestion or something? Or did he fall and hurt himself and didn’t tell anybody until the pain got worse?
“Come back with us.”
A breath shudders out of me. “Are you sure?”
Taylor grabs my arms and tugs me along. “Of course, I’m sure. You’re family, Con. He even asked for you before they took him.”
Why on earth would Russel ask for me?
I don’t like this.
Numbly following my girl, we land in a tiny room with a gurney, monitors, and Corrine. Her eyes are red-rimmed and she’s still in pajamas.
“Conner.” She’s on me in a flash, hugging me. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze tight.
My own mother never hugged me. Never showed affection or compassion. The most I ever got from her was a half-ass smile when I’d hand over my paycheck or some groceries.
I came from two hateful, angry people while Taylor was raised with love and happiness. Corrine hugs me like I’m her own. Like she loves me. Like she wants nothing from me other than my company.
My voice cracks when I ask, “What happened?”
“He must have been having chest pain for a while and didn’t say anything. We were both running errands this morning to get candy for the parade and once we were about halfway to the festival, he seemed uncomfortable. Kept shifting, wincing. He’s been complaining about his arthritis and back a lot latelyand I dismissed it because he always fusses about those things. But when he clutched his chest in the car, I came straight here, fearing the worst.”
Guilt chokes me out.
“He looked awful,” she continues. “All flushed and sweaty. His breathing was hard and fast too.”
Oh no, that’s bad. “What did the doctor say?”
“Nothing yet. They did blood work and an EKG. We have to wait for another round of those to see if there are any changes.”
“How long?” Taylor asks.
“I don’t know.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath. “Well, he’s in the best place so that’s good.”
Russel’s boisterous laughter hits our ears all at once. “That’s really something.”
“Full moons in the ER are a wild time,” the nurse says, wheeling him back into the room. She gets him into bed and makes sure all his monitors are good before she leaves. He’s got all these sticky tabs on him too. And for the first time ever, he looks older than I’ve ever realized. Corrine’s a decade younger than him. The age gap never hit me before today.
“You all are fussing over me like I’m about to die.”
Corrine’s lip quivers.
