Risk of Falling

“Worried, of course.” Carly leaned in. “The son is a real looker, FYI.”

They shared a giggle then squelched it as the person in question strode out of the patient’s room. Mr. Stone. Suzy’s giggle died in her throat. Couldn’t she get away from the man?

He approached the nurses’ station. “Miss Bylin, thank God you’re here.”

She frowned. That wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting. “What can I do for you, Mr. Stone?”

“My mother is being...” He sighed. “Difficult. Could you give me a hand?”

Carly looked between Suzy and Mr. Stone, questions written on her face. She nudged Suzy who nodded. “Of course. Let me just get my things, and I’ll meet you in her room.”

After he left, Carly spoke, but dropped her voice. “You know that guy?”

“A little.” She shrugged and grabbed her tablet. Turned it on. Wound her stethoscope around her neck. “If you need to take off before I’m finished, I’ll just read over your notes later.”

“You go ahead. Let me know what happens.” Carly winked at her.

Suzy shook her head as she walked down the hall to room twenty-three. Inside, Mr. Stone and his sister glared at the older woman in the bed. She took a deep breath and rushed in. “Am I in luck or what? A new friend in my wing.”

The woman merely stared at her, her upper lip clenched behind her lower. This was going to be a tough one.

Suzy clicked on the room information, but obviously Mrs. Stone hadn’t been there long enough for her files to get uploaded. She placed her tablet on the side table and moved around the bed instead. Noticed the stiff way her patient rested, favoring her right side. “They give you a new hip?”

Mrs. Stone turned to look at her children. Her son shook his head. “Repaired a fracture.”

“Those aren’t any fun, are they?” Suzy fussed with the pillows behind Mrs. Stone’s head though they looked fine. She observed how her new patient stayed quiet. Sullen. She warmed the stethoscope on her hand then placed it on Mrs. Stone’s chest. Moving into a facility could cause anxiety, and she wanted to check her heart. She paused a moment, listening. Sounded normal. “At least you’ll belong to me while you get better.”

Mr. Stone cleared his throat. “That was my request.”

She jerked her head up and stared at him. Interesting. Maybe he didn’t think she was so hopeless after all. “Well, thank you. I’m thrilled to care for your mom.” She tugged at the blanket and smoothed it out. Then she checked the leads for the monitors to make sure everything had been hooked up right. “Can I get you something, Mrs. Stone? Glass of water? Piece of pie?”

“You can get me out of here.”

Suzy laughed as if that was the first time she’d heard that. “Absolutely. Once the doctor gives you the all clear, I’ll be glad to wheel you out to your car.”

Mrs. Stone turned her face away from them. “Until then, get out. Leave me alone.”

“Can’t do that, I’m afraid. You’re my new best friend.” She addressed the family. “Is there anything I can get you two? The chef makes strawberry pie on Thursdays. I can go snag a couple of pieces.”

The sister nodded. “Ma loves strawberries.” She smiled at her mother. “Doesn’t pie sound good?”

“I want to go home.”

Mr. Stone shook his head again. His voice came out low and sounded almost dangerous. “Ma, we’ve been over this.”

“You’ve been over this. You’re the ones imprisoning me here.” Their mom looked out the window.

“Does that make me your warden, Mrs. Stone?” Suzy made a face. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but not that. Mr. Stone called me flighty the other day.”

Mrs. Stone looked her up and down. “My son is usually right.”

Suzy considered this and agreed. “You’re probably right. But once we get to know each other better, you can let me know what you think yourself.” She winked at the older woman who again turned away.

“So about that pie. Who’s up for it?” She pulled out an imaginary order pad and pen. “I can bring some coffee to go with.”

The sister grinned. “I think we could all use some. Right, Ma?”

Mrs. Stone rolled her eyes. “You do what you want. Obviously, it doesn’t matter what I think anymore.”

Yep, a difficult one. Suzy looked at Mr. Stone. “Think I’ll grab your son to give me a hand. We’ll be right back.”

He followed her out of the room and down the hall towards the main entrance and the kitchen. “I’m sorry about my mother.”

She stopped to look at him, noticing the bags under his eyes. Here was a man who loved his mom. It made him less forbidding. More...attractive. She shrugged. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m used to that.”

“She’s not usually that nasty.”

“She’s just had her life turned upside down. Anger is normal. Almost expected.” She opened the door and let him pass in front of her. “She needs a few days to adjust, then she’ll be back to almost normal.”

He looked at her. “Almost?”

“Mr. Stone, her life will never be the same even after she leaves here.” She went to the refrigerator and pulled out three pieces of pie and thrust them at him. “She has to learn a new normal.”

He nodded as he juggled the plates. “This is why I requested your section. I saw the way you handled the trauma the other day.”

“Just doing my job.” She grabbed a tray from below the coffee station, poured three Styrofoam cups of coffee, and added packets of cream and sugar to the tray.

“She needs some sunshine too, and I thought of you.”

She smiled at him. “I like that. Sunshine. Much better than warden.” She looked at him right in the eye. “Or flighty.”

“Miss Bylin, I—”

“Suzy, please. If I’m going to take care of your mother, you might as well call me by my first name.”

He nodded. “Suzy, I apologize for calling you that.”

She’d heard worse, especially from some of her angrier patients. “Like I said, I’ve been called a lot of things.” She arranged the tray and took the dessert plates from him. Added forks and napkins beside them. “Now this looks fabulous.”

He followed her back to room twenty-three. Suzy placed the tray on the bedside table with some flair. “Your dessert, madam.”

Mrs. Stone glanced at it then shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

“We’ll leave it for later in case you change your mind.” Suzy passed a plate of pie to the sister along with a fork. “If you need anything else, I’ll be your waitress tonight.”

Will took a fork from her. “Thank you, Suzy.”

Mr. Stone attempted a smile, but it didn’t quite work. She had a feeling he wasn’t used to it. She grinned instead. “You betcha. Enjoy.”