Read Online Coming Undone by Staci Stallings - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Staci Stallings
Ads: Link
pushed into the second door, the nurse tending the body in the bed with the tubes and wires strung to it looked up.
“ Mr. Warren,” she said, addressing the man in the bed, “you have a visitor.”
“ How’s he doing?” Ben asked, absurdly hoping that she would tell him fantastic and he would be going home tomorrow.
“ He’s stable.”
“ Stable.” Ben raised his chin and lowered it slowly. There were just certain words that made his heart fall into his shoes.
“ I’ll be out here if you need me.” And with that, she went to and out the door.
The world tilted away from him as his senses swirled. He let out a hard exhale. Why was this happening? Why? “Um, Dad.” Man, it felt weird to talk to someone who couldn’t even hear him. “We… we need to talk.” He took a hesitant step forward, seeing the face amidst the wires, but not wanting to. “Uh, I went down today to the…” Bile rose in his throat, and he swallowed it down. “To the hospice unit. I… I don’t know if you’ve ever been there before, but it’s not so bad. Um. They… want me to sign some papers that would take you off life support. I don’t really know how I feel about that, or how you would feel about that.”
Anger bubbled up in his gut. “You know, this really isn’t fair. You always said I could come talk to you about anything, and now I could really use your advice. I don’t… I don’t know what to do here. I really don’t. So if you could like, I don’t know, give me a sign or something, something so I know what you want me to do…”
A different nurse pushed into the door, and Ben took a full step backward. It was almost time to go anyway.
“ I’m sorry,” the nurse said, “we had a monitor malfunction out there. I just needed to check on his oxygen levels.”
Ben shook his head as if the intrusion was no big deal, but his sniff gave him away.
“ Yep,” she said, checking several cords. “Everything’s working just fine.” She turned to go and smiled at Ben as she left.
He hated those smiles. They tore more holes in him than he could deal with. He wished they would quit doing that, looking at him like they didn’t know what to say. Of course, he knew they didn’t. How would they?
“ Well, Dad, I guess I’m going to go too. I may just head on home. It’s after six, and with traffic…” There was an end to that sentence, but he didn’t bother finding it. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” And with that, he turned and fled.
Instead of getting easier, these visits were getting harder. What do you say when you’re the only one talking?
Anger reasserted itself as he banged through the double doors and headed out and down to the parking lot. What was the point of living if it just ends in such a distressing mess? He couldn’t tell, and he was tired of thinking about it.
In the parking lot, he climbed in the Mustang, glad for once for the shred of normal one-upsmanship between him and Kelly that had brought him to make this purchase. He looked good in the silver Mustang, in control, invincible. Right now he needed that feeling more than he ever had before.
Before leaving for the evening, Kathryn went into the chapel. It was one of her favorite places in the world. Quiet. Serene. Holy. It had a way of wrapping around her and making her believe once again that Someone greater than she was in charge. She needed that more often than not. This job, the one she had been led to, was not the job for someone who thought they knew it all—because on a rather frequent basis, she was reminded that she had no clue.
Like today. As she sat in the pew, just looking forward and up at the large crucifix hanging there, she remembered Rachel and her sister, their aunt and the great-grandmother who had raised them. At one time Kathryn had tried to talk with those families like she knew it all. Now if humble had a name, she was sure it was Kathryn. Over and over she had walked into rooms filled
“ Mr. Warren,” she said, addressing the man in the bed, “you have a visitor.”
“ How’s he doing?” Ben asked, absurdly hoping that she would tell him fantastic and he would be going home tomorrow.
“ He’s stable.”
“ Stable.” Ben raised his chin and lowered it slowly. There were just certain words that made his heart fall into his shoes.
“ I’ll be out here if you need me.” And with that, she went to and out the door.
The world tilted away from him as his senses swirled. He let out a hard exhale. Why was this happening? Why? “Um, Dad.” Man, it felt weird to talk to someone who couldn’t even hear him. “We… we need to talk.” He took a hesitant step forward, seeing the face amidst the wires, but not wanting to. “Uh, I went down today to the…” Bile rose in his throat, and he swallowed it down. “To the hospice unit. I… I don’t know if you’ve ever been there before, but it’s not so bad. Um. They… want me to sign some papers that would take you off life support. I don’t really know how I feel about that, or how you would feel about that.”
Anger bubbled up in his gut. “You know, this really isn’t fair. You always said I could come talk to you about anything, and now I could really use your advice. I don’t… I don’t know what to do here. I really don’t. So if you could like, I don’t know, give me a sign or something, something so I know what you want me to do…”
A different nurse pushed into the door, and Ben took a full step backward. It was almost time to go anyway.
“ I’m sorry,” the nurse said, “we had a monitor malfunction out there. I just needed to check on his oxygen levels.”
Ben shook his head as if the intrusion was no big deal, but his sniff gave him away.
“ Yep,” she said, checking several cords. “Everything’s working just fine.” She turned to go and smiled at Ben as she left.
He hated those smiles. They tore more holes in him than he could deal with. He wished they would quit doing that, looking at him like they didn’t know what to say. Of course, he knew they didn’t. How would they?
“ Well, Dad, I guess I’m going to go too. I may just head on home. It’s after six, and with traffic…” There was an end to that sentence, but he didn’t bother finding it. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” And with that, he turned and fled.
Instead of getting easier, these visits were getting harder. What do you say when you’re the only one talking?
Anger reasserted itself as he banged through the double doors and headed out and down to the parking lot. What was the point of living if it just ends in such a distressing mess? He couldn’t tell, and he was tired of thinking about it.
In the parking lot, he climbed in the Mustang, glad for once for the shred of normal one-upsmanship between him and Kelly that had brought him to make this purchase. He looked good in the silver Mustang, in control, invincible. Right now he needed that feeling more than he ever had before.
Before leaving for the evening, Kathryn went into the chapel. It was one of her favorite places in the world. Quiet. Serene. Holy. It had a way of wrapping around her and making her believe once again that Someone greater than she was in charge. She needed that more often than not. This job, the one she had been led to, was not the job for someone who thought they knew it all—because on a rather frequent basis, she was reminded that she had no clue.
Like today. As she sat in the pew, just looking forward and up at the large crucifix hanging there, she remembered Rachel and her sister, their aunt and the great-grandmother who had raised them. At one time Kathryn had tried to talk with those families like she knew it all. Now if humble had a name, she was sure it was Kathryn. Over and over she had walked into rooms filled
Similar Books
