“I’m not worried about that bullshit,” Nina said dismissively. “My reason for sharing is to make a point… People are going to say wild shit unprovoked. Don’t let anybody, especially not the random townspeople of Chance, get under your skin, Jazz. They don’t matter. And if they don’t matter, they don’t get to have any kind of power over you.”
I let out a deep breath and nodded even though they couldn’t see me. “You’re right. I’ve just always hated being here. You know thatuncomfortable feeling of walking into a room and realizing everyone was just talking about you? That’s how it feels here.” My stomach roiled as I took the exit to Chance. “If it weren’t for my aunt…” I stopped talking abruptly as an incoming call beeped in. “Hey, I need to take this.”
I yelled my goodbye into the speaker before clicking over to answer the other line. “Hello?”
“Ms. Payne?” The soft, compassionate tone of my aunt’s nurse of three years instantly put me on high alert.
After taking a deep breath, I responded, “Yes? It’s me.”
“It’s Monica,” she introduced herself, even though I knew her voice and I had her number saved. She was a tall, wiry woman with a very distinct tone of voice.
“Hey, Monica,” I replied nervously. “Is everything okay?”
“Addison is resting right now. Can we talk?” she requested gently.
I gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Is everything okay with Aunt Addy?”
“Where are you?” Her voice was even, compassionate, and extremely different from the upbeat, chipper tone she’d had when I’d spoken to her last week.
“I’m about fifteen minutes away from the house.”
“I need you to meet me at the address that I just texted you instead.”
I swallowed hard. “Monica, what’s going on?”
“Your aunt is a fighter,” she answered. “We’ve had to discontinue hospice services three times because she’s bounced back. She is a strong woman.”
She paused, and I felt my heart in my throat during that silence.
“But…” she started again, “her circumstances have changed.”
When Aunt Addy had told me she’d gone to the hospital a few days ago, I figured it was related to her heart issues. We didn’t talk long, but I noticed her words were slurred and assumed it was the medication. I asked her if she needed me to come a few days earlier, and she said no. Because of her battle with congestive heart failure for the last several years, everything about her hospital visit had felt routine. She’d get checked out, maybe have an overnight stay, but itwas never for very long. So hearing Nurse Monica sound so pessimistic freaked me out.
I stopped at a red light. “How have things changed?” I asked, putting the address she’d given me into the GPS.
“She had a right-side stroke a few days ago. Those who have congestive heart failure are two to three times more likely to have one,” she explained.
“I don’t understand. She was doing all the things on her list. She was taking her meds, getting exercise, eating well.” I shook my head in confusion. “I thought things were going well.”
“Shewasdoing well. But remember, heart failure means her heart isn’t pumping as it should…”
As she used medical jargon to explain what was going on, I stepped on the gas.
“She’s going to need more intensive care,” Monica continued. “Her medical team just moved her to Stark Recovery Rehabilitation Center for at least the next couple of weeks.At least.The first three months are the most important for stroke recovery. She agreed to two weeks. She’s just getting settled in now before dinner.”
My eyes watered as I nodded. “Okay.”
“Stark Recovery is strict, but it’s the best in the state. There are no overnight visitors, no outside food, no outside medical teams—”
“So you can’t be there?” I interrupted.
“I can but as a friend and a source of support. And she’s going to need a lot of support. I know she doesn’t like for people to see her when she’s going through it, but if you’re able to get her to agree to have visitors while she’s here, I believe it would help.”
Holding back tears, I made a left turn. “I can do that.”
“If anyone can convince her, you can. How long are you in town for?”
“A week,” I answered softly. “But if she’ll be in there for two, I’ll make arrangements for two weeks.”
