"It's touch and go for now." The exhausted neurosurgeon told Jena after a ten-hour operation to clear the multiple blood clots in Nate's brain. Ivy-Mae was there with her head in her hands as her second husband Jett patted her shoulders. Nate's dad, Gus grumbled in anger beneath his breath. The good doctor continued, "He will have a long road to recovery, and I use the word 'recovery' in context to being able ever to regain independent bodily function. Nathaniel, will likely never be the same person he once was. I'm recommending he be transferred to a long-term care facility as soon as possible. He will need round-the-clock care for the foreseeable future." The doctor then allowed them to visit the unconscious Nate in his dimly lit room.
His head was wrapped in bulky bandages, as medical equipment mechanically carried on his biological functions while beeping jarringly. Gus who had arrived last in the group questioned, "I thought he had a heart attack when you explained it on the phone. Not all this." Jena responded, "he did, but they fixed it at the first hospital." A nurse came in to get Jena to coordinate Nate's impending transfer.
When she returned she could hear Ivy-Mae talking to Jett about wanting Nate to be on life support "forever if that's the case," but Gus, who had a long seething grudge against Ivy-Mae interjected he was against the thought. Jena seeing an argument was brewing called them all out of the room. Once in the hallway, she explained what she had just learned, "a representative from the health insurance company has just told me that due to the 'unlikelihood' that Nate would regain consciousness, he is only covered for eighteen months of care." Ivy-Mae's eyes fluttered as Jett steadied her and Gus cursed at the ceiling. Jena continued, "But that's only if he doesn't show signs of brain activity improvement and so much as blinking purposely is considered a significant improvement from his current state. There's nothing more any of us can do. I suggest we all get rest and visit when we can. I'll forward the details about where he's being transferred in a minute, but for now, I've got to make some calls."
Jena went to Turner's car in the parking lot and told him the bad news about Nate. He was devasted but still planned to meet her the following day to discuss the party. Jena knew he was referring to the Coats girl's death, but that he couldn't say it over the phone. Jena sat in her car for a few minutes fighting the urge to return to Nate's room to comfort his family. However, she knew Nate would not wake up for some time, if ever, and that pressing business matters needed to be attended to first, something she knew Nate would appreciate. Jena without saying a word to her inlaws, pulled out of the parking lot with her home set as the destination on her GPS. It was a solid seven-hour drive back to Meadow Partings, but she needed the time to process what had passed. The trip felt like it went by as quickly as the blink of an eye. By the time she had pulled into Turner's driveway, she was going on her third day without sleep. The world was spinning, energy drinks were starting to taste like acid and her head throbbed. Everything felt like a distant dream she was watching herself live through. Jena let herself into Turner's and fell asleep on his couch, he wouldn't be there for another hour or so anyway.
When she woke up she could hear Turner in the kitchen talking to Roman. It was pitch dark outside. There was a blanket draped over her. She went in to apologize for falling asleep for so long. She had fourteen missed calls from Nate's parents on her phone and six unheard voicemails. Mrs. Flossie texted a few times about when she would be there to pick up Tiki. Roman and Turner were seated at the dining table, which was full of stacks of paperwork Turner had been neglecting. Turner had a tall bottle of Vodka open. Roman looked up showing he had smoked his cigarette down to the filter. "Glad you decided to drop in on us," Roman said sarcastically. Turner had another drink. Jena started by saying sorry to Turner for letting herself in. He waved it off saying, "It's fine." Roman went on, "Well everything here is wrapped up." Jena confused asked, "What do you mean?" Turner answered for him, "No statements to police and if they arrest you or you get a subpoena, call Roman." Turner passed Jena Roman's business card that had a copy of a script she was to say on the back, "I respectfully refuse to answer any questions without my lawyer present, as is my legal right."
Jena flipped it over in her hand. Roman stood up, gathering himself from the table, saying "I'll drive you home. You don't need to be seen using Turner's car anymore." Jena looked at Turner who had dark bags under his eyes as well, he said, "Keep me posted about Nate." Jena agreed as Roman pushed her along to his Rolls Royce parked behind the house. Roman didn't speak to her in the car, making the forty-minute ride to her barndominium practically strained. Jena looked out the window to pass the time. When Roman pulled up to the house he caught Jena's wrist as she went to reach for the door of the car and whispered to her, "Maybe you should have some company here just in case." This startled her a bit. She rushed herself along without a word in return. As she was closing the car door she could hear Roman hiss, "No wonder Nate was sick of you." Jena realized she hadn't showered or changed her clothes in days by then. It was no secret that Roman was not a pleasant person to be around. He was known for his harsh, but effective manner in the courtroom and town.
Jena expected to go in to see that her house had been turned upside down between the party attendees rushing out, the ambulance, and later police each doing whatever. Instead, it was eerily clean. Roman or Turner, must have already had their people get it in order. Jena was particularly unsettled when she found all her delicates carefully re-folded in her drawers. The liquor from the party had all been removed from the house, including the wine cooler in the kitchen, and the master bedroom's comforter set from the night of the party was gone. Jena found a new bedframe, carpet, and mattress in their place. It was as if the entire area where her bed was had been cut out of the floor and replaced. Jena found it off-putting and opted to sleep in the guest room on the first floor. She could have called Nate's family or her own, but she was still exhausted. She texted Mrs. Flossie to tell her she would get Tiki the following afternoon and then her work to tell them she would be in on Friday. The world could wait she thought, all of her problems were going to be waiting for her when she got up again.
Comments