Chapter Nine
The next morning dawned bright and early with another snowstorm. Montana was definitely gonna have a white Christmas this year, Eli mused as he stood at the kitchen window with his coffee in his left hand. It was still early, and after a fitful night of tossing and turning, he’d finally crawled out of bed in search of coffee. Even with his adorable bedmates, he’d found himself hard pressed to sleep without his Daddy by his side. He wanted more than anything to call his Daddy but at five thirty in the morning, Willem was more than likely sleeping.Or giving the hospital staff hell.
He took another long sip from his favorite chipped mug, desperately needing the caffeine to jar his brain cells into working. He had a job waiting on the dining room table. One that he planned on making headway on before the kids got up. Because then it would be lessons for Raelynn and activities for Jeremy. This home-schooling was a little more challenging than he’d expected. But he still found himself enjoying it, despite his struggles. It gave him quality time with his niece and nephew.
On the counter his phone vibrated. He picked it up, his heart freezing when he saw that it was the hospital calling. “Hello?”
“Mr. Atheron?” A man on the other end sounded just like the state trooper the night that he’d called.
“Is Willem okay?” he croaked out, a sudden fear that he’d lost his Daddy overwhelming him.
“He’s fine,” the doctor said in a clipped tone. “But he may not be if my staff has to put up with one more of his demands. Please tell me you’re coming to get him today.”
Relief coursed through Eli. Daddy was okay. He was just giving the staff hell like Eli had suspected. “Of course.”
“Good. We didn’t know with the storm, and the remoteness of your location, if you’d be able to get in to get him.”
Eli glanced out the window at the steadily falling snow. “I’ll be there. Even if I have to use a snowmobile to make it into town or call in a favor or two.”
“Good,” the doctor sounded relieved. “All joking aside, there’s no reason for Mr. Willem to stay another day here at the hospital.”
Eli sighed. “I’m more than ready for him to be at home. The kids didn’t sleep well last night knowing that he wasn’t home.” He cleared his throat. “So, other than him driving the staff crazy, how’s he doing?” Eli took another sip of his coffee.
“Remarkably well considering he blacked out yesterday. His sugar levels are stable. No more dizziness or nausea.”
“That’s great.” Eli nibbled on his lip. “I…is there anything we could’ve done to prevent the blackout? Could it have been stress related?” He had to ask, even though Willem had told him that diabetes was a bitch and could flare up for absolutely no reason – even when he did everything the exact way the doctors suggested.
“Unlikely. He did the correct thing by contacting his doctor last week. It sometimes happens when a patient is on the same med for an extended period. His body builds up a resistance to it – even insulin, and your significant other had never taken the new med, so he had no idea that his body wouldn’t process it correctly.”
“Okay. I worry. We’re parents now and the stress that comes with kids is more than either of us are used to.”
“Well relax. I can say with at least ninety percent certainty that it was a reaction to the insulin and not an environmental one.”
“Thank you.” A slow acceptance started to build in Eli. Maybe it wasn’t the extra stress of the kids and dealing with Eli’s Little that had led to his Daddy’s blackout, but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful, he decided, until he knew Willem had recovered completely. “When can I come get him?”
The man muttered something like ‘not soon enough…’ but finally answered Eli. “Any time after nine a.m. I’m working on his discharge papers right now.”
“Okay. Thanks again for taking care of him for me.”
“See you then.” The doctor hung up.
Eli set down the phone on the counter, then glanced up at the clock on the wall. Almost six. The weatherman had said that the storm would intensify well into the early afternoon when they expected whiteout conditions to shut this part of the state down. Another look out the window sent a shiver down his spine. It was still coming down. He was going to have to leave soon, to get his Daddy then get back home if he wanted to beat the worst of the storm. He could wake the kids, bundle them up and be on the road by eight. Willem’s truck was four-wheel drive, and the kids would be perfectly safe for the thirty plus mile drive, but he worried about triggering bad memories of the fatal trip back from Audra’s parents’ home. It’d been a storm much like this one - and the last thing he wanted was to set off another spiral of bad dreams.
“Damn. I wonder if Derek is up?” He was the only man close enough that might not mind retrieving Eli’s daddy if he asked. He chewed on his lower lip. Or he could ask Sadie to come over to babysit. But then Derek would still drive his wife over. What the hell did he do? What was the right answer?
The ring of his phone should’ve surprised him, but a flash of his Daddy’s name, wasn’t considering the call he’d just gotten off of. “Hey, Daddy. I hear you’re raising hell.”
“I’m done,” Willem growled out. “They came in at four to check my damn blood sugars. I’d just fallen asleep at two and they expected me to be civil after sleeping only two hours.”
“I know. My daddy can be a growly bear when he doesn’t get his sleep.” Eli admitted. “Hey, I just talked to the doc. He said you could come home, so I’ll be there around nine to bring you home. You can nap on the couch if you want while the kids and I work on schoolwork…”
“No,” Willem growled. “That’s what I called you about. You’re not dragging those kids out. Not with the storm. I’ll make arrangements to get home myself.”
Relief warred with hurt. He was happy he wouldn’t have to call Derek and ask for a favor, but the fact that Daddy was treating him like a simpleton, wasn’t setting well. “I see, I was going to…”
“You just keep your butt inside, Elias. The roads are going to be too dangerous for you to be driving on. I’ll be pissed if something happens to you.”
Eli flinched at the harsh tone. He’d been just worrying himself sick about how to get his Daddy home. But Willem not only had already taken care of it, but evidently, he didn’t even think that Eli was smart enough to realize that taking the kids out wasn’t a good idea. “Then I guess I’ll be here when you get home then. I think I hear one of the kids, Will. I gotta go.”
