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Authors: James Patterson
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bag onto the floor.
“Sorry, sorry,” she muttered; then she palmed her phone on the third ring.
“Mom?” she said.
“Ms. Castellano?”
Yuki didn’t recognize the man’s voice. She held the steering wheel with her elbow, buzzed up the windows, and turned off the radio so that she could hear a little better.
“Yes, this is Yuki.”
“It’s Andrew Pierce.”
Yuki’s mind scrambled as she fitted the two names together. It was Dr. Pierce. Her stomach lurched. Dr. Pierce had never called her before. Why was he calling now?
“Dr. Pierce. What’s wrong?”
His voice was tinny on the cell phone, overwhelmed by the roar of the traffic surrounding her. Yuki pressed the phone even tighter to her ear.
“Your mom’s in some trouble, Yuki. I’m on my way to the hospital now.”
“What do you mean? What happened to her? You said that she was okay!”
Yuki’s eyes were fixed on the road ahead, but she saw nothing.
“She’s had a stroke,” Dr. Pierce told her.
“A stroke? I don’t understand, Doctor.”
“She’s hanging in,” Dr. Pierce went on. “Can you meet me at the hospital?”
“Yes, yes, of course. I’m less than ten minutes away.”
“Good. Your mother’s in the ICU on three. She’s a fighter, which is good news.”
Yuki tossed the phone onto the seat beside her. Images and words cascaded inside her head.
A stroke?
Her mother had been eating ice cream four hours ago. She’d been chatty. Funny. Perfectly fine!
Yuki forced her focus back to the road, realizing too late that she’d passed her exit. “Damn it!”
Frantically, desperately, she sped down I-280 to where it ended at Berry Street, then gunned through a yellow light as she took a sharp turn onto Third.
With her heart pounding, Yuki pointed her little Acura north toward Market Street. This was a slower route, more cars, more lights, more pedestrians crossing against them, but it was her only alternative now.
Yuki reviewed her brief conversation with Dr. Pierce. Had she heard him right? She’s hanging in, he’d said.
Tears gathered in Yuki’s eyes. Her mother was strong. Always. Her mother was a fighter. Even if Keiko was paralyzed . . . Nothing could keep her down.
Yuki wiped tears away with the back of her hand.
Visualizing every cross street and stoplight between her car and San Francisco Municipal Hospital, Yuki floored the accelerator.
Hang on, Mommy. I’m coming.
Womans Murder Club 5 - The 5th Horseman
Chapter 32
FIGHTING DOWN PANIC, Yuki exited the elevator on Municipal Hospital’s third floor; she followed the arrows around turns and through doorways until she found the ICU waiting area and the nurses’ station beside it.
“I’m here to see Dr. Pierce,” she said tersely to the nurse at the desk.
“And you are?”
Yuki gave her name and stood until Pierce came out into the waiting room. His weathered face was buckled with concern as he led Yuki to a pair of small straight-backed chairs.
“I can’t tell you much right now,” the doctor finally said. “Most likely, plaque flaked off an arterial wall and formed a block to her brain. She’s on an anticoagulant—”
“Just tell me. What are her chances?”
“We’ll know soon,” Pierce told her. “I know this is hard—”
“I have to see her, Dr. Pierce. Please,” Yuki said. She reached out and clamped her hand around the doctor’s wrist. “Please.”
“Thirty seconds. That’s all I can do for you.”
Yuki followed the doctor through the swinging doors to the curtained-off slot where Keiko was lying. Wires and IV lines were running from her body to machines that had been assembled around her bedside like concerned friends.
“She’s unconscious,” Dr. Pierce said. “But she’s not in any pain.”
How could you possibly know that? Yuki wanted to yell at Dr. Pierce.
“Can she hear me?” she asked instead.
“I doubt it, Yuki, but it’s possible.”
Yuki bent close to her mother’s ear, spoke
“Sorry, sorry,” she muttered; then she palmed her phone on the third ring.
“Mom?” she said.
“Ms. Castellano?”
Yuki didn’t recognize the man’s voice. She held the steering wheel with her elbow, buzzed up the windows, and turned off the radio so that she could hear a little better.
“Yes, this is Yuki.”
“It’s Andrew Pierce.”
Yuki’s mind scrambled as she fitted the two names together. It was Dr. Pierce. Her stomach lurched. Dr. Pierce had never called her before. Why was he calling now?
“Dr. Pierce. What’s wrong?”
His voice was tinny on the cell phone, overwhelmed by the roar of the traffic surrounding her. Yuki pressed the phone even tighter to her ear.
“Your mom’s in some trouble, Yuki. I’m on my way to the hospital now.”
“What do you mean? What happened to her? You said that she was okay!”
Yuki’s eyes were fixed on the road ahead, but she saw nothing.
“She’s had a stroke,” Dr. Pierce told her.
“A stroke? I don’t understand, Doctor.”
“She’s hanging in,” Dr. Pierce went on. “Can you meet me at the hospital?”
“Yes, yes, of course. I’m less than ten minutes away.”
“Good. Your mother’s in the ICU on three. She’s a fighter, which is good news.”
Yuki tossed the phone onto the seat beside her. Images and words cascaded inside her head.
A stroke?
Her mother had been eating ice cream four hours ago. She’d been chatty. Funny. Perfectly fine!
Yuki forced her focus back to the road, realizing too late that she’d passed her exit. “Damn it!”
Frantically, desperately, she sped down I-280 to where it ended at Berry Street, then gunned through a yellow light as she took a sharp turn onto Third.
With her heart pounding, Yuki pointed her little Acura north toward Market Street. This was a slower route, more cars, more lights, more pedestrians crossing against them, but it was her only alternative now.
Yuki reviewed her brief conversation with Dr. Pierce. Had she heard him right? She’s hanging in, he’d said.
Tears gathered in Yuki’s eyes. Her mother was strong. Always. Her mother was a fighter. Even if Keiko was paralyzed . . . Nothing could keep her down.
Yuki wiped tears away with the back of her hand.
Visualizing every cross street and stoplight between her car and San Francisco Municipal Hospital, Yuki floored the accelerator.
Hang on, Mommy. I’m coming.
Womans Murder Club 5 - The 5th Horseman
Chapter 32
FIGHTING DOWN PANIC, Yuki exited the elevator on Municipal Hospital’s third floor; she followed the arrows around turns and through doorways until she found the ICU waiting area and the nurses’ station beside it.
“I’m here to see Dr. Pierce,” she said tersely to the nurse at the desk.
“And you are?”
Yuki gave her name and stood until Pierce came out into the waiting room. His weathered face was buckled with concern as he led Yuki to a pair of small straight-backed chairs.
“I can’t tell you much right now,” the doctor finally said. “Most likely, plaque flaked off an arterial wall and formed a block to her brain. She’s on an anticoagulant—”
“Just tell me. What are her chances?”
“We’ll know soon,” Pierce told her. “I know this is hard—”
“I have to see her, Dr. Pierce. Please,” Yuki said. She reached out and clamped her hand around the doctor’s wrist. “Please.”
“Thirty seconds. That’s all I can do for you.”
Yuki followed the doctor through the swinging doors to the curtained-off slot where Keiko was lying. Wires and IV lines were running from her body to machines that had been assembled around her bedside like concerned friends.
“She’s unconscious,” Dr. Pierce said. “But she’s not in any pain.”
How could you possibly know that? Yuki wanted to yell at Dr. Pierce.
“Can she hear me?” she asked instead.
“I doubt it, Yuki, but it’s possible.”
Yuki bent close to her mother’s ear, spoke
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