“My grandma’s got an infection. I noticed it when I came in. It’s all crusty and red.”
Dr. Rudman went over to Helen’s side and bent down low. “The eye looks fine to me,” he said straightening up.
“Are you fuckin’ serious? It’s all crusted over, and no matter how many times I wipe and clean it, the crud comes back.”
The doctor smiled thinly. “Stuff like this happens all the time to old people.”
“My grandma was old yesterday and her eye was fine. She’s got a damn infection, and I want you to treat it.”
“It’s hard to see a loved one slip away. We want our loved ones to never get old, to never be sick, and to never start the process of dying. Your grandmother is a very sick woman who has a serious illness that will only progress. Her quality of life is very much compromised. You need to consider that. A lot of families have a hard time letting their loved one go, but it’s liberating for a sick patient to let go and move on to another level. Some call it heaven, but I like to think of it as—”
“Shut the fuck up before I bust your face! My grandma has a goddamn eye infection and you’re spewing all this shit about not letting her go and the quality of life? I want her comfortable. Get the damn medicine now or you’ll live to regret you walked into this room.” Goldie was inches away from the startled physician, who whirled around, mumbled something inaudible, and left the room.
“Unbelievable! What a jerk,” Hailey said. “I’m going to find Dr. Daniels. He’s great and compassionate. He’s my aunt’s doctor here. I know he’s here.” She bounced out of the room and disappeared.
Goldie grabbed one of the many pillows on his grandmother’s bed and pounded his fist into it over and over. If he were alone, the room would be trashed, but he’d have to appease his rage with the synthetic pillow. With his bare hands, he grasped it hard and tore it open, the stuffing spilling onto the floor.
A hand on his shoulder interrupted the rage, and he jerked his head up and saw Hailey. Standing behind her was a man about thirty-six years old in a solid shirt with a paisley tie. “Are you okay?” Hailey asked in a soft voice near his ear. The tips of her hair tickled his arms and the scent of the ocean swirled around him, calming him.
Letting out a deep breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, he nodded. Jerking his head at the man behind her, he asked, “Who’s he?”
“That’s Dr. Daniels. I asked him to come in.” Hailey gently took the mangled pillow out of his hands.
“I heard your grandmother has a problem with her eye.” He walked over, traipsing through the synthetic chunks from the destroyed pillow.
“I just told Dr. Fuckman there was something jacked up with her eyes and he gives me all this shit about having to let go.” The anger still smoldered inside him. Hailey sat next to him and took his hand in hers.
Dr. Daniels glanced at him quickly, then looked at Helen’s eye. “You’ve got quite an infection there, Helen. I’m going to put some ointment on your eye to give you some relief for now. Are you okay with me doing that?” Helen stared at the blank TV screen. The physician put on gloves, took out a tube, and applied the ointment over her eyelid.
“So why the fuck didn’t the other doc do anything?” Goldie asked.
Dr. Daniels shook his head slightly. “I’m not sure. Helen’s eye definitely has an infection. I’ll prescribe eye drops four times a day, an ointment twice a day, and in a few days you should see an improvement. After a couple of weeks, she should be good as new. The ointment I just applied will give her some relief. I’m glad you’re vigilant in watching your grandmother. It’s important that families are like that, especially when the patients can no long communicate for themselves. I’ll come back in and check on her during the next several days to make sure she’s doing okay.”
Goldie lifted his chin, his face stony. The doctor cleared his voice, then smiled at Hailey. “Patty is doing great. This time around she’s following all instructions to a tee.”
“It may take a while, but when she finds out her way isn’t exactly the best, my aunt ends up coming around. Thanks for coming to see Mrs. Humphries.”
“Of course. And you need to take some time for yourself. Your aunt’s been telling me that you’re on overload. It won’t help if you end up getting sick. You should take a couple days off to reboot. Just some unsolicited advice.” He smiled and walked out of the room.
Hailey stood up but Goldie tugged her back down and she tumbled into him. He hugged her close and nuzzled her neck. “Thanks,” he breathed into her ear, then kissed her soft neck. The scent of the ocean mingled with the aroma of papaya as he breathed in deeply. “You smell like a tropical island. I’d like to see you in a bikini, then strip it off and suck your tits as I fuck you under the sun.”
A small moan vibrated against her throat, and he put his finger in his mouth before trailing it down her throat. “I need a drink, and I want you to join me.”
“Are you done with your tray, sweetheart?” Kevin’s voice shattered the heated haze between Hailey and Goldie.
Without a word, Goldie gently moved Hailey away from him, leapt up, grabbed Kevin by the shirt, and dragged him into the bathroom. After closing the door, he said in a low, dangerous voice, “You were fuckin’ warned about giving respect to my grandma.” He slammed his fist right into Kevin’s face, and the man threw his hands in front of it as if to ward off another punch. “Next time I’ll make sure you’ll have to go to the hospital.”
Goldie came out of the bathroom, ignoring the question on Hailey’s lips. Soon Kevin came out, a towel pressed against his nose. Without a glance or a word, he left the room.
“Did you just hit him?” Hailey asked.
“I warned him not to disrespect my grandma. He did. He knew the consequences.”
“What if he tells the police? I mean, that’s assault. You could get in trouble.”
Goldie shrugged and picked up Helen’s tray. “I’m going to take this to the kitchen.” When he returned from the kitchen, he bumped into Dan.
“Dr. Daniels told me your grandma does have an eye infection. In no time, we’ll make sure it’s all cleared up. Oh… Kevin told me he slipped and fell in the bathroom in Helen’s room. He said you were there and heard him fall.”
