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“I can’t believe you’re leaving me,” Herbert whined loud enough for the nurses out in the hall to hear.
“I just need to shower and change my clothes,” Suzette said. “I’ll be back this afternoon.”
The nurses had encouraged them to leave after being there overnight. “He’ll be fine,” they said. “If you get sick, who’s that going to help?”
Silent, they got into Jason’s car. Lily was mortified that her father had blamed his heart attack on her behavior, announcing to the doctor that his rebellious daughter had caused him stress.
“Your cholesterol is over three hundred, and you’re fifty pounds overweight,” the doctor had said.
But worse, and Suzette and Lily felt terrible about it, even after the nursing staff and cardiologist told Herbert that Jason had presumably saved his life, Herbert still treated him terribly.
“I have to apologize for my husband,” Suzette said.
“It’s not necessary,” Jason replied. “I understand.”
“It’s necessary,” Lily said. “I don’t want to expose you to that again.”
“I won’t go to the hospital. My presence causes the man enough stress.” He pulled up to the Fairchilds’ house.
“Mom, go on up. I’ll be there in a bit.”
Jason looked at her, anticipating what she was going to say with dread. “You’re not coming home with me.”
“No, not today. I’d better stay with Suzette. I’ll go back to the hospital with her later.”
“Okay, call me when you can,” he said, pulling her over to hug. “I’m sorry you’re going through this.”
“Thanks. And thank you again for saving him. I can’t tell you what it means to me and my mother, and if my father comes to his senses, to him, as well.”
They hugged and then turned to the door handles. “Don’t walk me up,” she said. “Get home and get some sleep. I’m going to encourage my mother to lie down for a bit, too.”
“That’s probably wise. I’ll talk to you later if you’re sure you don’t want me to come up.”
“I’m sure.”
He watched her get out of the car and walk up to the house, turning around to wave before he drove off. Imagining the mess, the dinner that had been left out, and they’d left the fire in the fireplace, candles burning—they were lucky the house didn’t burn down.
Thinking about stopping in to see his parents, he decided against it. When he got home, he’d text his father to tell him about Herbert Fairchild’s brush with death.
Just one day after Christmas, everything looked worn out and gaudy. He drove through town and saw the piles of dirty snow, post-holiday trash piled up in front of each house, and he was glad there was nothing like that in his apartment. That was until he unlocked the door and saw the tree. They’d enjoy it on New Year’s Eve, and then it would come down, all the ornaments wrapped in tissue paper and stashed in some closet.
Stripping off his clothes, he bypassed the shower, pulled sweatpants on, and got into bed. Sleep came right away, and the call he expected from Lily never came.
***
At five, Jason woke up, confused. It was dark out already. Groping for his phone, he saw the time, looked for a text or a call from Lily, and was worried when he didn’t see any communication from her. He turned the bedside light on and looked over at the empty side of the bed. An indefinable emotion filled Jason with sadness. A call from Lily wasn’t necessary to explain her silence—he knew instinctively that she wasn’t coming back.
After he went to the bathroom, he made a cup of tea and took it back to bed. For ten minutes, he stared at his phone until he had the courage to call her.
“Let me call you right back,” she whispered. “We’re talking to the doctor.”
“Okay,” he said and waited for her to hang up before he disconnected the call.
He drank the tea, waiting. Ten minutes later, she called, crying. “He’s dead,” she said. “He had another massive heart attack at three, and we just made the decision to take him off life support.”
Shocked, Jason stumbled over his words. “I’m so sorry. I’ll leave right now,” he said. “I can be there in twenty minutes.”
“No, Jason, that’s not necessary. We’re going to leave here soon. Mother is just signing papers now. All I want to do is get home and get into bed.”
