Her breathy chuckle filled the line. “Nah, I’m sure he’s dealt with worse. It’s part of the job. But I’m glad it went well. She was really lucky. It could’ve been so much worse.”
“No shit. King couldn’t believe she didn’t crack both her hips as well. He called her on it when he saw her bruising. She reneged on her first story and fessed up to falling down an entire flight, in the pitch black no less. I can’t believe she didn’t tell us Dad started sundowning. And to think I let her talk me out of round the clock care. Totally my fault, well, it’s no longer up for discussion. It’s done. It starts tonight. She should have known better than anyone she couldn’t handle this solo, but she’s too damn stubborn.”
“Maggie’s not stubborn, she’s a woman in love. It’s what we do.”
Ummph, her words hit hard and deep. I loved her for where she was going, but there was zero chance she’d ever experience this nightmare firsthand. Zero. That’s what living wills were for. But this was not the time or place for that conversation. And definitely not over the phone.
“How’s it going there?”
“Everything’s fine, don’t worry about us.”
Bullshit. As far as timing goes, Mom’s accident couldn’t have been more inconvenient. Dad’s daytime nurse had the day off, so Tal volunteered to stay with him so my sisters and I could all be here. It might have only been hand surgery, but that’s how we rolled. And Charlie, Drew and Andrew didn’t exactly have the same calming touch. Somehow, Tal inherited Emma as well, since nursery school—the one you pay double for, according to my sisters—apparently ends like a month earlier than regular school. Who knew?
“He’s been asking for Maggie, but I’ve been able to distract him. He ate a decent amount and just sat down with Emma to watch a little TV.” It sounded like she was watching two kids instead of one. Damn, this sucked.
“I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, where I want to be.” She was amazing. “Besides the kiddos don’t technically start until July 1st. It’s all logistics this week. Someone else can give them a pep talk and make them feel more important than they are. All they really need is the twenty-five cent tour so they can find the bathroom when they need to vomit after they learn what they’re really in for.”
“Real nice, tough girl. Although, the whole bitch thing is kind of a turn on. Tell you what, when I get back you can practice your pep talk on me, remind me just how important I am while my mouths on-”
“Really, Ace?” Her tone was playful. Who was she kidding—she loved it when I talked dirty. “Is your mind ever NOT in the gutter?”
“Nope.”
She laughed at my candor. I was honest.
“Leave me be and go do the gentlemanly thing and grab your mom and sister’s lunch. Ooh and make it good, you’re in the city, for goodness sake. Mmm, remember Jackson Hole’s burgers?” Like mother, like son. Maybe iron deficiency was hereditary. Ha, she sounded like she was ready to salivate. Actually I was pretty sure she drooled on the phone. I couldn’t help but laugh, she was adorable. “Anyway, I’m sure they’re starved, you were all up so early.”
“What about me? I can tell you for a fact, I’m starved. I haven’t eaten since last night.”
“I’m hanging up, Asher.” I wished I could see her face, I swore I felt the heat of her blush through the phone. “Send Maggie my love.”
“I will.”
“Love you.” Click. The call dropped.
For a guy who dreaded hospitals and whose elderly mother needed metal plates screwed into her wrist because his father’s dementia now posed a physical threat to them both, I was surprisingly relaxed. In fact, I was pretty sure I was standing in the middle of the waiting room sporting a huge grin. Tal did that for me.
I listened to my woman and walked toward the lower east exit. First, it was a gorgeous Manhattan day, and second, there was zero chance of getting a cab at this hour. I should know, I grew up not far from here and spent more time than I cared to remember across the street. Oddly enough, I didn’t flinch when I strolled past Memorial Sloan Kettering, I must have been too focused on a work call.
By the time I made it back, Mom was settled in a private room. “Who’s hungry?” I asked, holding more than a few plastic bags up high.
“Yum!” Tara and Molly squealed in unison, each grabbing for a Jackson Hole bag, while Avery practically pried the sweets bags from me.
“I love Baked by Melissa. Say you got the red velvet, say you got the red velvet.”
Yup, too much time with her three-year-old, she was beginning to whine just like her. Or maybe it was my fault for feeding her addiction. With now empty hands and an unobstructed view, I realized Mom had company. Time to muster the fake charm.
“It looks like you’re planning on feeding the entire hospital.” Her voice alone was like nails on a chalkboard.
“Constance, what a surprise.” Not a good one. I turned toward Avery before she emptied the bag. “Hey, addict, try and save a few dozen for the floor nurses.” She rolled her eyes then smiled. She knew I knew what she was thinking, fat chance. I grinned back at her. Yup, addict.
“Always the gentleman, Asher, good to see you, too.”
Even her half ass compliment annoyed the hell out of me. I snapped my head back in her direction and saw she had her chair bellied up next to my mother’s bed, like she cared. Her glaring smile was plastered to her overly taut face. You could’ve bounced a penny off her forehead and gone diving off her lips. And I wasn’t just saying that, it was a fact. As far as I was concerned all she was doing was showing face and being nosey. Because that was Constance.
“Although I wish I would have known earlier about your mother’s condition, I would have come right over. I’m just around the corner.”
She fell and broke her wrist, there was no condition. And like we didn’t know where the witch lived. But I said none of that out of respect of my mother’s, albeit unexplainable, friendship with said witch.
I walked around to the other side of the bed and kissed Mom’s silk white hair, choosing to ignore Constance. “How are you feeling Ma? Any pain?”
“I’m fine, sweetie, stop fussing. It’s only a broken wrist. Besides, this is crazy, I was just telling Constance how this is all unnecessary. I was chatting to someone else in the recovery room who just had a full knee replacement and she was going home. What a sweet woman, we exchanged numbers. She lives in Long Island too, we might try and set up our physical therapy together.” Of course she made a friend in recovery. Only my mother. She was the sweetest woman on earth and only saw the good in people. Maybe I needed to be a little more like my mother, but for some reason I couldn’t rise up for Chase’s mother. “My doctor is only making me stay … who knows why.” She looked back at Constance. “Whoever called you really shouldn’t have. I do love the orchid, truly, but you shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.”
“Actually, who told you Mom was here?” I interrupted out of curiosity, being that the plan was still tentative when Tal and I flew in late last night.
“Chase, of course.” Bullshit. This woman lied with a straight face.
“Funny, I just spoke with him. Filled him in. He was stuck in the OR all night, had no idea.” I hadn’t actually spoken to him. Okay, I lied too. But I had spoken to Lil, and Chase was in fact stuck in the OR all night.
“I do hate the hours my son keeps. It’s too much, I worry so much about him.” Her performance wasn’t winning her an Emmy with this crowd. Even my sisters, who were more interested in ketchup versus aioli rolled their eyes. The extended Craig clan adopted Chase years ago. There was no masking Constance’s lack of motherly nurturing. She might be harmless in comparison to her dearly deceased, but she was as self-absorbed as they came.