“Any fatigue? Dizziness?”
“None at all.”
“Good, good.” Dr.Lee flips through something on her desk and then looks back up. “Your scans from last Thursday showed that the procedure we did last October has reduced more of the thickening of the left ventricle muscle, so I’m happy with that improvement. Your ejection fracture could be better, so I’d like you to get some labs before our check-in next month, to seehow you’re managing the meds before we increase them. The nurse will send location options to your chart so you can find a place that’s convenient. If those look good, we won’t have to check in again until probably December.” She pauses and fusses with some papers on her desk. “And we did get confirmation from UNOS that you’re to remain on the transplant list in tier five unless there’s any worsening of your condition.”
I nod. It’s what we’d been expecting. The fact that I will eventually need a new heart keeps me on the list, but there are so many more people who need them way sooner, like the people in tiers one through four. I’m happy to wait.
“Oh, and please make sure your watch is always charged, and remember to keep your medical alert ID on it at all times, even when swimming.”
“Thank you, Dr.Lee,” Mom says, leaning into the camera’s view. “Should she watch her diet at all?”
“After six months of stability, if you’re feeling good, then I don’t see the need. I know there’s plenty of good ice cream and fried seafood down there, so feel free to enjoy, but not too much caffeine or salt. We want to watch your blood pressure, keep it low, but not too low. With these results, we won’t need to see you moved up the transplant list for a few years still.”
One of the things I love about Dr.Lee is that she always talks directly to me, even if I’m not the one who asked the question.
“Thanks, Dr.Lee.” She nods, and offers up a small smile, making sure she hits each of us with it, even Dad’s torso.
“I can’t wait to hear what you get up to at our next check-in. We’ll talk then.”
I log off before Mom or Abbi can jump in and add anything.
“All good?” I ask, waiting for them to object to Dr.Lee’s advice, but they all nod.
Dad pats me on the shoulder and says he’s going golfing, and Abbi says she wants to get some reading and yoga in and disappears up into her room. Mom and I sit for a few minutes, watching the fog lift off the backyard. I tip my head onto her shoulder, enjoying the quiet.
“Do you want to come to the beach with me and Maddy?” I offer, honestly fine if she says yes. It might be nice to spend some time together again that isn’t focused around my doctor’s appointments.
“No, that’s all right. I don’t want to cramp your style, and I’m meeting Paula for lunch anyway. We have the annual blood drive to finish planning, and she’s been through a lot recently. I’ve been a lax friend with all that was going on…here…We haven’t been in touch much.”
“Mrs.Tisdale? What happened?” I sit up and look over at their yard. Luke’s brothers are definitely back there playing, but there’s no sign of him.
“Actually she’s gone back to her maiden name. So, when you see her, it’s just Paula, or Ms.Nyeman.”
I flinch at the unfamiliar name. Even Luke’s nana doesn’t go by Mrs.Nyeman. “Why?”
“Oh, Luke didn’t tell you? Well, they went through a bad divorce last year. It was messy, hard on the boys too, I think, and poor Paula nearly lost the house.” Mom was a fancy divorce lawyer before I was born and she dropped to consulting part-time for her old firm. They’re always begging her to return, but she says she makes plenty of money as is and doing any morewould break her soul, so she must be telling the truth about how rough it was. I’m shocked. The Tisdales always seemed so perfect. They never argued like my parents do sometimes, and they were always so affectionate toward each other. I feel a wave of guilt that I didn’t know, and then it hits me—that’s probably why Luke reached out last year, and I was too selfish to realize he needed me.
“Wait, this happened last year? Do Abbi and Dad know?” I feel a twist of anger in my gut alongside my guilt.
Mom fiddles anxiously with her wedding band. “Yes. I’m sorry, honey. With your health issues I didn’t want to put more stress on you. We thought it best to wait until you were more stable. Though I should’ve told you before we came down. I really thought Luke would have mentioned it. He didn’t?”
“No.” Mom knows something’s up with us, but she hasn’t asked, and I don’t want to share.
“Oh, okay. Well, now you know.” Mom sighs. “Hopefully it’ll be a better summer for all of us, hmm?”
I agree, and she leaves me alone on the porch, staring at Luke’s, hoping she’s right. Then my phone pings.
Maddy
hey girl sorry I need a rain check
afternoon waitress is out sick
Sera
Nooo we’re supposed to have QUALITY TIME
Maddy
