I take a sip of my coffee and change the subject. “Did you fix this for me? You remembered how I take it?”
Josh chuckles. “Of course I do. Three creams, two sugars. Light and sweet.”
“Yeah…”
He clears his throat. “So, they have both of our cell phone numbers. They’ll call us when Frank is in recovery. What should we do to pass the time?”
I chew on my lower lip and lock my eyes to his. “Did you bring your guitar?”
40
JOSH
Inearly burst out laughing when Melanie asks if I have my guitar. Of course I do, in the cab of my truck. We find a quiet spot in the hospital atrium and play, drawing the attention of a few others in the area. It is good practice, and I can’t help but notice how much more relaxed Melanie is playing in public now. We spend most of the time waiting for Frank, playing through Saturday’s setlist. As soon as she starts singing, several heads turn. My voice is momentarily gone—I’m captivated by the angelic sound coming from Melanie. If I thought I was sure about us before, it’s hearing her sing our words now that solidifies it for me. I still need all my questions answered, but I love her. I’m not leaving her.
When we hear from the doctor right around the three-hour mark, I think I see the tension in Mel’s shoulders physically melt away. Frank is in recovery and did great. He is resting comfortably and had a stent placed for the small blockage in his arteries.
Melanie is desperate to see him, so we walk back to the cardiac floor and plan to wait in the waiting room until they call us to come back. As soon as we walk through the entryway, we find Joan sitting in a chair and quietly knitting.
She must sense us because she looks up.
“Oh, hello, you two.” She offers us a shaky smile. “I just thought I would come here and wait. I should have gotten your phone number yesterday.”
Melanie takes the seat next to Joan and gives her hand a quick squeeze. “It’s okay. Dad’s recovering. They said we can see him soon.”
Relief moves across Joan’s features, which leads me to wonder just how serious the two of them are.
“Oh, good.” She sighs. “I was so worried.”
“The doctor said he’d explain more when they come up but that he had a stent placed and he’ll need some cardiac rehab,” I explain further.
“Well, good. We can help him with all of that, right dear?” She turns to Melanie and Mel’s face softens.
“I think he would like that very much.” She puts her hand on top of Joan’s, and the two women smile at each other.
“Is there family of Frank Glick here?” A voice interrupts.
We all turn to find two doctors standing in the entryway. One of them is a tall, lean man with light brown hair and kind eyes. The other is a slight young woman, with dark eyes and a surgical cap.
“That’s us,” Melanie says, rising quickly to meet them.
“I’m Dr. Comfort,” the man says. I almost laugh at the irony of his name—a cardiac surgeon with a name like Comfort. But I stop myself when it’s clear that actually is his name.
The doctor continues, “This is Dr. Stowe, one of our cardiac residents. She assisted with the catheterization today.”
“Hi. I’m Melanie, Frank’s daughter. This is Josh and Joan.” Mel gestures toward us.
“Good to meet you. So, the procedure went very well. We found a significant blockage that was blocking about eighty percent of the blood flow to one of his coronary arteries. We were able to place a stent and blood flow was restored immediately.” He pauses, letting that sink in. “He was awake the entire time and is doing great. We’re going to monitor him closely for a few hours, but everything looks really good.”
“Is that permanent? The stent?” Joan asks, surprising me.
“I was going to ask the same thing,” Melanie says, glancing at me.
“Yes, the stent is a tiny mesh tube that stays in place permanently to help the blood flow. He’ll need to be on blood thinners to prevent clotting around it. That’s all very normal.”
“When can we see him?” Melanie asks, not bothering to hide the urgency in her voice.
“He’ll be in recovery for about an hour and then we’ll move him up to his room. He’s tired, but his spirits are good. He’s already asking when he can eat.” Dr. Comfort chuckles.
