The Rancher's Reunion

“Uh-huh.”

“Sorry if I was irritable. The leg really is okay.”

Will nodded. “What’s happening with Rose?”

“X-ray. I got an update from one of the nurses. She thinks they’re going to admit her soon.”

“Surgery?”

“I imagine so, but I haven’t heard anything definite yet.”

“She hurting?”

“Not anymore. They gave her a nice shot.” Annie smiled slightly. “Rose was reciting her apple pie recipe in her sleep by the time they came with the gurney to take her for a CAT scan and then to X-ray. The staff was standing around taking notes.”

“You’re kidding.”

“A little. You need to relax, Will.”

“I wish I could.” He shook his head. “We need to call her sister. I don’t know if Rose told you Ellen moved back to Catoosa last year.”

“I already called. Ellen is in the billing office now, filling out paperwork.” Annie leaned over and pulled Will’s cell phone from her hobo bag and handed it to him. “I borrowed this. You left it on the kitchen table. I hope that was okay?”

“Of course.”

“Ellen happened to be in town and made it here about the same time I did.”

Will’s eyebrows rose. “Good deal.” He yanked the striped tie off his neck and shoved the fabric into his suit coat pocket. “Tell me what happened again.”

“Rose swears it was that barn cat. She’d gone outside to put scraps on the compost pile and the cat was trying to catch birds. She shooed him off, turned too fast, tripped and fell.”

“That’s all? How could she break a hip like that?”

“It happens. She got herself up and back in the house, but she called me because she was in pain. When I checked, one leg appeared a bit longer than the other and the hip hurt to touch. She couldn’t bear weight, so I called an ambulance.” Annie paused. “You know how she always complained about her hip when the weather changed. Maybe she has some arthritis or osteoporosis? I don’t know, but broken hips are always a risk for someone her age.”

“Her age? How old do you suppose Rose is?”

“I’m not sure. You know the rules. Weight and age are taboo. I’m guessing she’s sixty-something. What do you think?”

“You’re probably right. She and my dad were about the same age, and he would have been sixty-three.”

Annie did the math in her head. His father was thirty-four when Will was born. That would have made him fifty-two when he died. So young.

Will sat down in the chair next to her, shoulders slumped.

“Are you okay?” Annie asked him.

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine. I just realized Rose has never had a sick day since I’ve known her.” He ran a hand through his hair. “She’s the rock in my life.”

“I know. Me, too. I feel horrible thinking how I take her for granted.”

Will took a deep breath and nodded.

A female staff member in navy scrubs and a white lab coat approached them. A black stethoscope hung around her neck along with a photo ID on a chain. She was somewhere in her midforties with dark blond hair pulled back into a ponytail.

“Are you Ms. O’Shea’s family?”

“Yes,” Will answered, helping Annie to her feet as he stood.

Annie gave a small smile at how he didn’t hesitate when asked the question.

Family. Interesting thing about family. The three of them were closer than any family she knew. But it wasn’t a blood connection. Rose had been Will’s “mother” since he was eight. He hadn’t heard from his biological mother since she left. How could that happen? How could a woman leave her child and husband? At least Leanne in her own way had left Annie to protect her. That counted for something, didn’t it?

“Susan Wyatt,” the woman said, introducing herself. She transferred the chart she held to her left hand to greet them both, shaking first Will’s hand, then Annie’s.

“I’m Will Sullivan. This is Annie Harris.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m one of the staff orthopedic surgeons. I happened to be in-house checking on a patient, so the E.R. doctor asked me to see Ms. O’Shea.”

Will nodded.

“I just reviewed the X-rays. It appears to be a reasonably clean fracture. Since she’s resting comfortably we’re going to schedule surgery for early tomorrow afternoon. We’ll complete her workup, get an anesthesiology evaluation, then have her seen by the respiratory therapist and the physical therapy department. Generally we like to prepare our patients for what they can expect after surgery.” She perused the chart, then looked up at them. “Any questions?”

“Can I stay in the room with her?” Annie asked.

“Probably. Unless we run into a problem, she’ll come right back to the orthopedic unit afterward. I don’t know if you’re aware, but there is a surgery family waiting room. They allow two family members to wait there during the surgery. It’s on the first floor near the main lobby.”

As they spoke with the doctor, Rose’s sister joined them.

Ellen McAllister looked like Rose’s spitting image, except she had brown hair styled short instead of Rose’s trademark iron-gray topknot. Easily sisters, they shared similar features, including ample waists and bosoms.

Ellen reached for Annie’s hand as she joined them.

“Dr. Wyatt, this is Rose’s sister, Mrs. McAllister,” Will said.

“I overheard your comments on the surgery,” Ellen said. “Is this a hip socket replacement or what?”

“No,” Dr. Wyatt assured her. “I just reviewed her films with the radiologist. The break wasn’t bad. She’ll have a simple pinning that involves an incision and literally pinning the femur together, then I’ll sew her back up. She’ll have a drain for a few days, and a catheter for the first twenty-four hours. They’ll have her up and walking with a walker by the second day post-op.”

“Wow. That fast,” Will said on a breath. “When will she come home?”

“Most patients stay in the hospital five to seven days, depending on their health status before surgery and barring complications.”

“How long until she’s back to normal?” Ellen asked.

“That depends on the patient. But if everything goes as smooth as we think it will, I’d say three to six months, and you won’t even remember she had the surgery. She’s in good health and we haven’t found any problems so far.”

“That’s amazing,” Ellen said.