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“No, I am fine,” she says, but I can hear a smile on her face.
“You know, I have a few contacts in the medical field. If you’d like, I can get you a second opinion for your gran?”
“Oh really?” she asks, and her voice perks up. She sounds like I just offered her millions of dollars, and I am surprised such a simple gesture means so much.
“Yes, sure, of course, let me see what I can work out tomorrow. Your gran will need to sign some forms from the nurses for another doctor to examine her, but it should be no trouble.”
“That would be amazing, thank you so much,” she gushes, and I make a mental note to ensure I get that done for her asap. We talk a little more about her gran and then she asks about my health.
“So, how are you feeling, has your bruising subsided?”
“I am fine, just a knock to the head, really.” I am lying because it hurt like a motherfucker, but I am not going to tell her that.
“I think I overheard Jake telling the nurses that someone attacked you. Did you find out who it was?”
Ahh, so Jake has spilt the beans already, so I have no choice but to come clean.
“No, but I am not worried. I am fine, and I have security with me often, so I am in no danger.”
“Security?” she asks, and I curse myself for mentioning it.
Downplaying it I continue, “Just the bouncers and door staff at the club, nothing serious.”
To change the topic, I ask about Jasmine, and she perks up again, talking about work; her passion for those kids is obvious. Clearly, she loves what she does, and I enjoy getting more of an insight to her. We talk on the phone well into the evening, while her gran is asleep, and both our troubles fade away into the night.
***
10
MOLLY
I wake in the hospital with another kink in my neck. All this sleeping in armchairs is going to have my body permanently shaped like a pretzel. I wonder if my medical insurance extends to chiropractic care. Rubbing my neck and my eyes, I look and see gran sitting up in bed already awake.
“Good morning,” I grumble as I try to stretch my shoulders out just a little to relieve the tension I am feeling in my neck.
“Good morning, Molly. We got presents!” Gran is still not better, but she does sound cheery for a sick woman.
Looking around the room, I survey the surroundings and see a fresh Starbucks coffee on the side table along with two large bouquets of flowers, both roses, one mixed colors, the other stark white. They are so unbelievably stunning; they look like something out of a magazine. I have never seen roses this beautiful and both arrangements are huge, they must have cost a fortune! I push my blanket to the side and stand up, walking over to the flowers, intrigued. I pick up the card from the mixed bunch and read a short get well message for gran from Stephen. I’m surprised, how thoughtful of him, it is extremely considerate.
Looking at the card on the white roses, I read his message.
Molly
You bring me so much sunshine every time we meet. I hope these flowers brighten your day just a little. Enjoy the coffee... don't spill it.
Stephen
I swoon just a little inside. These are the first bunch of flowers I have ever received, and I am blown away. I read the card out loud to gran and she smiles, her eyes twinkling in delight.
“Sounds like the coffee guy is a keeper,” she says before starting to cough, so I quickly grab her a glass of water and settle her again.
The nurses come in to check over gran while I take a quick shower in the hospital bathroom to freshen up for the day. As I expected, she hasn’t improved at all, and now there is talk of further tests and more poking and prodding which gran is not looking forward to.
I can’t say I blame her. She has been cooped up here in her hospital bed for a few days now, and it is disappointing that she is not improving. There have been numerous tests that Byron has requested, none of which point to anything out of the ordinary aside from the fluid on her lungs. The medication he prescribed her should be helping with that, but it’s not. To say we are frustrated is an understatement. For the first time, I start to doubt Byron’s method and wonder if what Stephen mentioned about getting a second opinion is something that can happen today. I keep that thought to myself, not wanting to worry gran any more than she already is.
It is decided that more tests need to be done, so while I sit in gran’s room waiting for her to return from her tests, I power up my laptop to do some work. I have a backlog of admin that I need to get through and although the hospital is not ideal, it will have to be my workplace for today.
I am pleased to see that the report on Jasmine has all been completed and sent through and no further action is required at this stage. But for me, I need to try and keep a closer eye on her and see if I can find a better home life for her. At sixteen, it is hard to find a foster family, many preferring to foster younger kids, not ones in their teenage years. I also need to start working with her on her leaving care plan, because once she turns eighteen, there will be no more foster options and we need to support her transition into other housing options. This transition can be a tricky time for the kids.
