"Cass, love. Send Linc over here. Right now. Please," I demand, scouring the bed for that stupid remote with the buttons. I find the cord and drag it to me, clanking the metal bed frame incessantly on the way up. I press the nurse button and Linc bursts through the door, nearly knocking Mindy over.
"It's time?" he asks, staring at her with wide eyes. He's a bit paler than usual. He's gripped both of Mindy's hands between his as he stares at her.
"It's time," she says calmly.
A knock at the door cuts through their moment as a nurse walks in.
"Hi! How are we doing?" she asks, a smile on her face. She glances between Mindy and Linc then her gaze travels to the floor. "Oh! Let's get you over to L&D." She pops her head out into the hall and calls for a wheelchair. Within minutes, they've got Mindy in a wheelchair and they wheel her out.
"I'll be there as soon as I can!" I yell to her before the door closes.
My nurse walks back in, wearing that same smile. "Hi Miss Summers. How are you feeling?" she asks cheerfully.
"I feel fine. Normal."
"Good! Okay, so has anyone spoken with you since you've been awake?"
I shake my head no.
"Okay. So, we found an irregularity in your heartbeat. You have a heart arrhythmia. I know this may sound alarming, but there are many ways to treat this. We're going to get you started on a daily medication and see how that helps, okay?"
"A heartwhat?" Cass asks loudly from the phone on the bed, startling the hell out of me. I forgot he was still on the phone.
"A heart arrhythmia. It just means that sometimes the heart has an irregular heartbeat."
I'm silent as I process the information being explained to me. I've never had any sort of health issues before. This feels so sudden. More than anything, it feels beyond my control. A runaway train that will ruin anything that crosses its path until it flitters out.
"How long do I have to stay here?"
"We're working on your discharge papers now. The doctor will be in shortly to do an in depth summary of your condition and treatment plan before you go. Do you have any questions right now?" She asks.
"No," I manage to say the word aloud without my voice cracking. She exits the room and I pick the phone up from the bed. Cass's perfect face is staring back at me.
"We have matching dresses," I tell him, needing to distract myself from the current reality.
His hearty laugh is music to my ears. "You better savor the moment while you can cause this is the only time you'll see me wearing anything remotely close to this."
"As soon as they discharge me, I'm heading straight to you then I have to go find Mindy. Shit. She doesn't even have her phone." I realize I'm holding her phone in my hand.
"Neither does Linc," Cass adds.
I see Linc's name at the top of the call. "Well, fuck."
"I'll send Shorty to come get it and bring it to Linc. Aaron is already up there with them."
"I'll come to you as soon as I'm able. Love you."
"I love you."
The phone goes to Mindy's home screen and I lock it. Shorty arrives a few minutes later to bring Mindy's phone to her. He gives me a hug when he walks in. "Always something you two, ain't it?"
"Never a dull moment?" I shrug and hold my hands out by my shoulders with a cheesy grin.
Shorty laughs, shakes his head, and then turns around and leaves the room. I sit alone, with only the sound of the beeping of the machines in the room, my mind racing and trying to process so very much at one time. I try to hold back tears as the overwhelming feeling begins to sink in. There has been so much tragedy in such a short amount of time and although having a heart arrhythmia may not sound like a death sentence, it almost feels like it. I need to get to Cass. I need to get to Mindy.
The sound of the clock ticking is somehow louder than all of the beeps in this room, reminding me that I very well may miss the birth of my godchild. When the doctor finally comes in and explains everything to me, I'm exhausted and tune out half of what he says. He hands me a folder with a bunch of papers inside and leaves as a nurse comes in with my discharge papers. I sign those things so fast and change into the clothes I was wearing before I ended up in this bed.
I want to spring across this hospital but I settle for a speed walk instead. By the time I spot Digger standing outside of Cass's door, tears have already welled in my eyes. He gives me a solemn stare and opens the door for me. Cass takes one look at me and clears the room.
