Me: Thanks for including me in the app.
Anu: You are welcome and thanks for Zack. I must say I like his driving.
Me: He’s driving a special person. Please text me if you are not feeling well.
Anu: Have a good day, Uncle Dan.
I sigh, knowing it’s her signal to tell me that I’m fussing. I relax into the seat and ride and try not to think about the emotions I felt watching her in pain and being helpless. It is a lot, especially when you can’t do anything to help.
Do you want to walk away now?
NO, not going anywhere.
My phone rings and I’m surprised to see Andrea calling me.
“Hey,”
“I see MAK added you to the app.”
“Yes, she did. Hope that’s okay with you guys.”
“It is. The more support they can get when in crisis, the better and we support all four of them.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Can I ask who the other two patients are?”
“Malik is Jordan’s cousin, and Jane is Malik’s friend that’s pretty much alone without family. Malik built the app to help her. Jordan saw it as useful, so he and MAK joined. The rest of us are their support, so it’s good to have you on board.”
“Good to be on board. Anything I should know about besides the meaning of the colors?”
“Nothing really. If the yellow button goes off, whoever is closest helps the patient to the hospital, and if red goes off, we head to the hospital.”
“Does the red go off a lot?”
“Once in a long while we get a red, but the greens are frequent.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah, that’s good. Still concerning, but it’s good.”
“It’s good to know they are not alone in a crisis.”
“You witnessed it, and I’m sure it was painful to watch her like that.”
“It was more painful being helpless to help her. She said it was mild, and it scares me to think how bad a severe would be if that was mild.”
“That’s why green is good.”
“I hear you. And I thank you for being a support.”
“Thank you too for joining as support. Talk later.”
“Yeah, talk later.” I hung up and get out of the car. The driver has pulled up at the building. I didn’t want to have the conversation distracted. My ride up is swift, and my head is now back at the center of work. Soon as I step into my office, Patrick is ready to discuss matters.
“Can you check on Zack for me? He’s MAK’s driver today. I need to know if everything is okay. Then bring me Emma’s file.” I head into my office, ready to dive into my sister’s friend’s case. She and her husband are divorced but he’s threatening to sell his shares in her company to her competition, and making life miserable for her.
I sink into my chair and exhale all the tension I feel. I’m ready to face the day, firing up my laptop.
