Chapter 25: The Surgery
Cassandra’s POV
We all bolted onto our feet. The surgeon approached us as he removed his plastic gloves. We waited expectantly, fearing the worst. Jordyn took my hand and held it so hard, I thought he would crush my knuckles.
“He’s stabilized,” the surgeon said.
Jordyn let out a long breath. He released his grip on my hand.
“Really?” Jordyn asked, relief in his voice.
I was relieved too. I’d been so worried that the surgeon was going to come and tell us that Stanley hadn’t made it.
I couldn’t even bear the thought of it.
“Yes,” the surgeon confirmed, nodding his head. His tone was dry and factual. “He’s out of the woods, so to speak. His life is no longer in danger.”
“Thank God,” Jordyn said.
“Not God,” the surgeon quipped. “You have modern medicine to thank for this one.”
“Yes, of course,” Jordyn said absently. I couldn’t tell if the surgeon was joking or not. His face remained serious.
“Fortunately, the myocarditis hadn’t progressed to the point where he needed a heart transplant. Although he was heading that way,” the surgeon continued.
“So what does this mean?” I asked.
“He’ll need to stay here, for further observation,” the surgeon said. “And he’ll need heart medication moving forward. But the prognosis is favorable.”
Favorable.
What an odd choice of word, I thought to myself.
“Do you know what caused it? The myocarditis?” I asked.
“We can likely determine the cause through more testing. It may have been viral. But we won’t know until we run more tests.”
“Do whatever you need to do,” Jordyn said quickly. “In fact, I’d like you to perform a full-body examination on him.”
The surgeon raised his eyebrow. “Do you have health insurance?” he asked dubiously.
“I assure you,” Jordyn said, “money’s no object.”
The surgeon nodded. “Okay then. I’ll put in a requisition form for the tests and full body examination.”
“Can we see him?” Velma spoke up. She hadn’t said a thing yet and I’d almost forgotten she was there. She was wringing her hands, her face pale.
“Not yet,” the surgeon said. “He’s still under anesthesia. But he’ll be moved to another room shortly. You can see him then.”
“I want him in a private room,” Jordyn said. “The best room you have. The best nurses. The best…everything.”
It was Jordyn’s way of showing he cared. Money was his love language. I couldn’t fault him for that.
The surgeon chuckled softly.
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“You can arrange that over there with reception,” he said.
Jordyn held out his hand. The surgeon shook it.
“Thank you,” Jordyn said sincerely.
The surgeon offered us a half-smile, then he walked away.
An hour later, Stanley was settled in his new room. Jordyn wasn’t kidding. Stanley had the best of the best. The room was spacious, with a lovely view out to an expansive park below. There were several comfortable seats, as well as a sofa that converted to a bed for visitors.
We all walked gingerly towards Stanley. He was still groggy from the anesthesia and he was hooked up to a heart monitor. His skin was gray and he looked so weak, lying there in that bed.
I went right to his side and took his hand.
“I think it’s time you left,” Velma said to me, trying to remove my hand from Stanley’s. But I held his hand firmly.
“I’m not going,” I said defiantly. Seeing Stanley like this, so fragile and vulnerable…I couldn’t possibly leave him now.
“He doesn’t need you here. He needs his family,” Velma started, reaching for Stanley’s hand again.
“Stop it,” Jordyn said firmly. “She’s staying and that’s final. Cassandra is a wonderful caregiver. Grandfather needs her right now. She’s not going anywhere.”
Velma shot Jordyn a shocked look. But Jordyn’s face was firm.
“Fine,” she replied haughtily. “But if SHE’S staying, then I’M leaving.”
She lifted her chin in the air and put her hands on her hips. She was waiting for Jordyn to concede, to choose her over me. But instead, he lifted his hand in the air and waved it.
“Bye, Mother. I’ll call you soon.”
Her face faltered for a moment, but then she fixed an indignant look on her face. She turned and left without saying another
word.
I found it odd that Jordyn was siding with me so much. He’d basically just kicked his mother out of her own father’s hospital room. This was really out of character for Jordyn.
I hesitated for a moment. I debated whether or not I should ask him. But he’d been acting so strange lately, and I had a right to know why.
Didn’t I?
I decided to confront him. I wanted to know why he was acting this way. Why the sudden change? I felt like he owed me an explanation for his erratic behavior.
“I have to admit,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “You’ve been acting very strange lately. In all our years together, you never defended me. Not to your mother. You never sided with me before, Jordyn,” I said, looking up at him. “Why are you doing this now?”
He looked back at me, an intense look in his eyes.
I don’t know what I thought he was going to say.
But nothing could have prepared me for his blunt, honest answer. It caught me completely off-guard and knocked the wind right out of me.
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