I caught my phone in my hand on the third ring and brought it to my face squinting into the blue light. “Unknown number,” I mumbled and connected the call. “Hello.”
“I’m looking for a Mr. Weston Monroe,” a much too perky for the middle of the night voice said. Thank God, she used my full name. I didn’t think Capri would be okay with a chick from the past calling me in the middle of the night.
“It’s me.” I rubbed my hand across my eyes.
“Sorry for calling so late, Mr. Monroe. My name is Claire Reynolds. I’m a nurse at San Diego Memorial Hospital.” I sat up, coming to life. “I have a Mr. Louis Blue here. He is unable to drive himself home and has listed you as an emergency contact number.”
“Wait, where are you calling from?” I asked swinging my legs out of the bed and hurrying out of the room. Capri was already back asleep. She slept like a champ, most likely because I stuck it in her like a champ.
“From San Diego Memorial, sir,” this nurse says.
“What happened? Is he okay?” I asked flipping on the kitchen light.
“I can’t say, sir, but he does need a ride home. He refused to call anyone to come and get him, so we found your name on his paperwork.”
“You can’t tell me what happened? Is he okay at least?” This was stupid. They could call me to come get him, but they couldn’t tell me what happened.
“I’m sorry, sir. He is ready to go home, though. I can tell you that much.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll be there soon,” I said hanging up. Shit, at least he could go home.
I tiptoed back into the room to grab a pair of jeans. “Is everything okay?” Capri’s sleepy voice spoke again making my dick flinch. Ignore the sexy voice.
“Blue’s in the hospital. I’ve gotta go pick him up,” I whispered pulling a clean shirt over my head.
“What?” She sat straight up, hair an adorable mess. “Is he okay? I’ll come with you,” she said swinging her head around and looking for her pants.
“No, no,” I whispered climbing back onto the bed and leaning over her. “He’s fine. They won’t tell me what happened, but he does get to go home, so he’s okay. I’ll go pick him up, find out what happened, and come home.” I kissed her forehead after she fell back onto the pillows.
“You sure? I can go with you, Wes.” She yawned.
“Go back to sleep, baby.” I kissed her on the lips. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Mmmkay,” she mumbled rolling over. “Call me if you need me. I’m there,” she mumbled.
“I know, baby.” I pulled the blanket up around her shoulders and gave her one more kiss on the neck before slipping out to find out what kinda bullshit Blue got himself into.
“You get your dick stuck in the vacuum again, Bluebell?” He sat up from his hospital bed.
“Got it stuck in your throat, kid,” he said swinging his skinny legs over the side of the bed coughing. Coughing. More damn coughing.
“You okay?” I asked walking to him and patting him on the back. That was what you did when someone coughed, right?
“Stop fuckin’ burpin’ me.” Blue reached back to swat my hand away.
“Mr. Blue?” Some way too buff doctor came in. Seriously. How was he a doctor? “You’re all set to leave. I wanted to go over a few things before you break out of here.” He looked at me and nodded. “Is it okay to speak in front of your friend?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Blue waved his hand at the doctor who sat in his rolly chair.
“Mr. Blue, this is quite serious.” The doctor opened his folder. “It looks as though you are in the early stages of emphysema.” What the?
“Yeah,” Blue said scratching his nuts. Fuckin’ Blue.
“How have you been managing your COPD?” The doctor scribbled in his folder.
“CO what?” I asked, “and dude, emphysema?”
The doctor looked at Blue, who nodded and huffed. “Mr. Blue has chronic bronchitis. It’s a result of his years of smoking, and now it seems the habit has permanently damaged the airways and air sacs of his lungs.”
Fuck. I reached up and gripped my hair in my fingers. “What does it all mean?” ‘Cause really it all sounded like scary jibberish.
“I’m dyin’,” Blue said. I think. I thought that was what he said. I wasn’t sure because my ears popped, and then my legs got wobbly, so I had to climb onto the bed Blue sat in.
“Jesus. You’re a pussy sometimes,” Blue grumbled next to me when a cup appeared in front of my face.
“Some water, sir,” the doctor said, and I took it from him dumping the cup on my face.
“Son of a bitch,” Blue grumbled next to me, and I felt his wrinkly ass cold hand squeeze mine.
“Mr. Blue, how have you been managing your COPD until this point?” The doctor continued to speak to Blue.
“Nothin’,” Blue said.
“What should he be doing?” I pushed myself up and looked at the doctor.
“The first thing he should do to slow down the progression of the disease is quit smoking.” That got a grumble from Blue next to me. I pushed past him and stood next to where he still sat on the bed. “He also should be using bronchodilators to help relax his airways and improve his breathing. Tonight, his O2 levels were at eighty-six percent, which is not good and the reason why he was having shortness of breath.”
“Bluebell, you couldn’t breathe? You should have had them call me,” I said to him, but he just shrugged. Stubborn old ass.
“I’d also like for you to start pulmonary rehab to help you get the most out of the part of your lungs that isn’t damaged yet, and start you on oxygen, especially when you are more active and find yourself out of breath more quickly.” The doctor jibber jabbed away, and I did my best to type in the nonsense he was spewing into my phone.
The doctor handed Blue a packet of papers. “Here is all the information you will need as well as your prescriptions. Please take care of yourself, Mr. Blue.” The doctor stood and shook Blue’s hand before shaking mine.
“Okay, Bluebell,” I said scrolling through my notes, “Let’s get to the pharmacy and get your medication then we can call that rehab place in the morning.”
“Forget it, son,” Blue said standing up right into a coughing fit.
I waited for him to settle down. “Blue, he said we can slow it down, so let’s do it.” I put my phone in my pocket and reached out to help him walk, but he slapped my hand away and flipped me off.
“Son, I don’t have medical insurance. This stuff is more than a guy like me can afford. Just take me home.” He shuffled past me. Fuck. We didn’t have medical. None of us at the shop did.
“Well, we can buy some then,” I said, following him.
“It ain’t that easy. Especially when an old shit like me is already dyin’.”
“Stop saying that!” I shouted, stopping Blue in the hallway. Shit, my ears were popping again. Fuck, the bed was too far away. I squatted down to the ground.
Blue’s hand squeezed my shoulder. “Come on, son. Take me home.”
I wasn’t surprised that C was awake when I got home. The entire drive back to Blue’s, I thought about what I could do to help him and how we could get him going on his treatments. It all came down to one thing. Money. He needed the money, and we could get him feeling better and keep him as healthy as possible longer.
Now that I was home, and Capri was here waiting for me, I just wanted to fall.
“Hey.” She put her book away, stood from the couch, and pulled off her sexy glasses. I couldn’t get to her fast enough. I hung my keys in their place on the wall and hurried toward her.
She immediately stood on her toes and hugged me, wrapped those tiny arms not quite all the way around my waist, and hugged me. I sagged into her. She knew that I needed this. “How is he?” she whispered into my chest.