“Like a crib?” he asked. “And a changing table? And a jumpy seat?”
“A jumpy seat?”
“Don’t laugh! I only want you to have everything you’ll need. And to be sure you know that living on an island means that planning ahead is usually essential. Like now.”
“Okay. So, do you have a plan?”
He reached over to the nightstand, pulled out a drawer, and extracted a small notebook. That’s when Maddie noticed that his IVs were gone; he must have been taken off the heavy-duty meds.
“Yes, I have a plan. Taylor brought me this. And I have my phone, so I’ve been surfing the internet—do they still say that?—and making lists. Other than sleeping, eating, and PT, I have little else to do.”
She listened patiently as he read the options and the items he preferred and why. Needless to say, she was impressed. Especially because the baby’s daddy was taking charge.
“You’re amazing,” she said when he was done.
“Well, I figured since I’m not the one who’ll be doing the ‘giving birth’ part, I could at least do this. If you don’t mind.”
“Absolutely, I don’t mind. I guess I figured I’d have time after the shop opens.”
He shook his head and said, “All you’ll need to do is bless my choices and pick out the color.”
“Please don’t say ‘pink or blue.’”
He smiled. “Only if we find out when we can see the ultra sound.”
Before Maddie had a chance to answer, a woman dressed in green scrubs came into the room. She was carrying an iPad.
“Mr. Winsted? I’m Dr. Page. I’m a resident working with your doctor. I’d like to go over your discharge papers, okay?”
Rex looked from her over to Maddie, as if she must have known this was going to happen, but she had not.
Dr. Page continued. “Your doctor has agreed to let your sister sign you out. He has, however, noted that because of your occasional bouts of vertigo and the need to continue strengthening your leg muscles, you should be situated on a first floor. He understands you live on a second floor, so he talked with your sister and her husband and they want you to live with them on Chappaquiddick, where she can supervise the balance of your recuperation. You’re scheduled for a follow-up appointment a week from Friday. Meanwhile, if you pass your ‘final exams,’ as we like to call them, we should have you out of here by Wednesday.”
Life moved quickly after that.
Before leaving the hospital that day, Maddie stopped at Dr. Mason’s office and explained Rex’s situation, and that they’d like to have the ultrasound before he was discharged.
But the scheduling department couldn’t find an opening until after Memorial Day. “The obstetric sonographer is only on the island Thursdays,” a young woman said.
“Oh,” Maddie replied. “A nurse can’t do it?”
“Only one who’s had the proper training.”
“After Memorial Day” would, of course, be when Rex was living on Chappy in the house where he’d been born and raised, and when Maddie would—hopefully—be juggling customers at the bookshop.
She made the appointment anyway, and decided to figure out later how they’d get there.
The hours and days started to close in on her as she hurried to put finishing touches on the bookshop while trying not to neglect Rex, which became more challenging after he passed his “final exams,” was discharged from Windemere, and went to Chappy.
She waited two whole days before going to see him.
Kevin greeted her and led her to the outside deck where Rex was already ensconced. The house was an old, gray-shingled Cape, which Kevin said he’d “reconstructed” inside. It had a large bedroom on the ground floor and two bedrooms upstairs; though Kevin and Taylor used the large one, they’d moved upstairs for “the duration of our houseguest,” he said, then added, “I’m pretending we’re on an exotic vacation in somebody else’s house.”
Then he excused himself and left them to take in the sun that was warm for May. A scent of flowers filled the air; Rex noted that they weren’t exactly bougainvillea, but they were nice.
Though Maddie had considered asking Grandma if he could finish his recuperation at the cottage, she knew that Chappy was a better option for him. Taylor would be there, and Kevin could be if she could not, as had happened that day. Also, as an EMT, Taylor would know if Rex got into trouble and she could get him to the hospital much faster, because Chappy was closer to it than Menemsha was. So as badly as Maddie wanted him with her, he was safer there.
Besides, if he’d been at the cottage, he might have found the newest note that had arrived the day he was discharged. She’d shoved it into her purse with the copies of the others, and assured herself she’d deal with it, either by bringing it to Chief Lawrence or ripping the damn things up, every one of them, once and for all.
