It was a thirty-minute drive to Sackettville with traffic, even speeding. I’d forgotten that not everyone up here was on vacation like me.
When I got to the hospital, I was surprised. It had been little more than a glorified Quonset hut when I was a kid and my mother hauled all three of us here whenever one of us needed stitches. Now it was a big, modern looking hospital. I never did tell her that one time my brother had hit me with a bat; she still believes I fell out of a tree. He didn’t mean to hit me that hard, and besides, I didn’t want to die for telling on him.
I charged to the admissions desk and barked out a request to be shown to Officer Seavers’ room right away.
58
Summer Fever | Catt Ford
The admissions clerk took the wind out of my sails immediately. “Are you a relative?”
“No, I’m… I’m a… friend,” I said.
“Only immediate relatives are permitted into the treatment areas,” she said. “You’ll have to wait.”
“I’m a special friend, his… his close friend.” She looked at me kindly. “Are you his partner?”
“No, not exactly. We haven’t… haven’t…”
“Unless your name is on his medical contact form, I can’t help you.
You’ll have to wait.” She pointed to the couches that lined the room.
“Can’t you even tell me if he’s alive?” I asked desperately.
She consulted her monitor. “Yes, that I can tell you.”
“Was he hurt? I heard he was… shot.” She shook her head. “I don’t know, it just says that he’s in the E.R.” I started to pace, wondering if I dared approach any of the police officers that passed through the waiting room. They were all in a hurry and looked stressed. I had no way of knowing how many of their number were injured or dead, and decided that they wouldn’t give me the time of day.
A man who bore a resemblance to Russ came into the hospital, accompanied by a woman with long blonde hair. I wondered if he was Russ’s brother.
“Russ Seavers?” I heard him ask.
After a brief exchange, a nurse came out to escort him into the treatment area. His wife kissed him and let him go.
59
Summer Fever | Catt Ford
After whipping up my courage, I approached her. “Excuse me.” She had light green eyes and a pretty face and she looked worried.
“Are you Russ Seavers’ sister-in-law?”
“I am, and you are?”
“You wouldn’t know me, at least, not my name, it’s just that… they won’t tell me anything and… is he alive?” I clenched every muscle in my body, hoping and praying.
“Are you J.D.?” she asked.
I didn’t know whether to tell her, fearing she might bop me one if she knew what I’d said to Russ the last time I saw him. “Yeah, J.D. Andrews.” Her eyes filled with compassion when I admitted who I was, and she put her hand on my arm. “Let’s go sit down over there. He’s alive. I don’t think it’s life threatening. My name is Janice Seavers, by the way.”
“Thank God,” I gasped.
She kind of smirked. My hope that she knew nothing about our goings-on died on the vine right there. “Why don’t you wait with me ‘til George comes out? Then we’ll both find out.” I wanted to do something for her, to repay her kindness. “Can I get you a coffee? A soda? Donut? Candy bar….” She laughed and held up her hand. “No thanks, I’m trying to lose weight.” She sat and pulled me down into the seat beside her, effectively cutting off my new career in race pacing. “When George comes out, I’ll get him to tell Russ you’re here.”
“He won’t want to see me,” I said miserably. “But I had to know if he was okay.”
60
Summer Fever | Catt Ford
I could tell she was curious, but she was well-mannered and didn’t probe. “Look, when they called us, they said Russ was not critically injured. Try to relax.”
“Easy for you say,” I muttered.
“Not really,” she answered.
I could see her hands were trembling so I took one of them in mine and we sat in silence,
When I got to the hospital, I was surprised. It had been little more than a glorified Quonset hut when I was a kid and my mother hauled all three of us here whenever one of us needed stitches. Now it was a big, modern looking hospital. I never did tell her that one time my brother had hit me with a bat; she still believes I fell out of a tree. He didn’t mean to hit me that hard, and besides, I didn’t want to die for telling on him.
I charged to the admissions desk and barked out a request to be shown to Officer Seavers’ room right away.
58
Summer Fever | Catt Ford
The admissions clerk took the wind out of my sails immediately. “Are you a relative?”
“No, I’m… I’m a… friend,” I said.
“Only immediate relatives are permitted into the treatment areas,” she said. “You’ll have to wait.”
“I’m a special friend, his… his close friend.” She looked at me kindly. “Are you his partner?”
“No, not exactly. We haven’t… haven’t…”
“Unless your name is on his medical contact form, I can’t help you.
You’ll have to wait.” She pointed to the couches that lined the room.
“Can’t you even tell me if he’s alive?” I asked desperately.
She consulted her monitor. “Yes, that I can tell you.”
“Was he hurt? I heard he was… shot.” She shook her head. “I don’t know, it just says that he’s in the E.R.” I started to pace, wondering if I dared approach any of the police officers that passed through the waiting room. They were all in a hurry and looked stressed. I had no way of knowing how many of their number were injured or dead, and decided that they wouldn’t give me the time of day.
A man who bore a resemblance to Russ came into the hospital, accompanied by a woman with long blonde hair. I wondered if he was Russ’s brother.
“Russ Seavers?” I heard him ask.
After a brief exchange, a nurse came out to escort him into the treatment area. His wife kissed him and let him go.
59
Summer Fever | Catt Ford
After whipping up my courage, I approached her. “Excuse me.” She had light green eyes and a pretty face and she looked worried.
“Are you Russ Seavers’ sister-in-law?”
“I am, and you are?”
“You wouldn’t know me, at least, not my name, it’s just that… they won’t tell me anything and… is he alive?” I clenched every muscle in my body, hoping and praying.
“Are you J.D.?” she asked.
I didn’t know whether to tell her, fearing she might bop me one if she knew what I’d said to Russ the last time I saw him. “Yeah, J.D. Andrews.” Her eyes filled with compassion when I admitted who I was, and she put her hand on my arm. “Let’s go sit down over there. He’s alive. I don’t think it’s life threatening. My name is Janice Seavers, by the way.”
“Thank God,” I gasped.
She kind of smirked. My hope that she knew nothing about our goings-on died on the vine right there. “Why don’t you wait with me ‘til George comes out? Then we’ll both find out.” I wanted to do something for her, to repay her kindness. “Can I get you a coffee? A soda? Donut? Candy bar….” She laughed and held up her hand. “No thanks, I’m trying to lose weight.” She sat and pulled me down into the seat beside her, effectively cutting off my new career in race pacing. “When George comes out, I’ll get him to tell Russ you’re here.”
“He won’t want to see me,” I said miserably. “But I had to know if he was okay.”
60
Summer Fever | Catt Ford
I could tell she was curious, but she was well-mannered and didn’t probe. “Look, when they called us, they said Russ was not critically injured. Try to relax.”
“Easy for you say,” I muttered.
“Not really,” she answered.
I could see her hands were trembling so I took one of them in mine and we sat in silence,
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