DASHED DREAMS (13 page)

“How about if we hop in the truck and head down to Cracker Barrel for dinner?”

Grace nodded and offered her hand to him.

After dinner Grace picked up gifts for the girls. She chose floral denim shirts for Emma and Lynda and for Jillie, bought a blue sweater with blue and white checks. Dan paid the bill and they started out the front door. They glanced over to the bulletin board and noticed a flyer for Robert John Montgomery’s
Charm Tour, 2007.

“
I wonder if she knows he’s going to be here the same time she and the girls are?”

“I still can’t believe our she’s dating him! I’ve read about him in the
Country Music
magazine.” Grace said.

“What’ve you read?”

“Well, he’s quite the playboy…seen with different women all the time, not to mention a wife or two. He’s not for our little girl.”

“Grace, let’s not judge him solely on what we read. Let’s wait to talk to her.”

Grace shook her head. “I just worry about her.”

The kitchen construction was quickly completed. Grace looked around the new kitchen and dining room and began to mentally list all that was done. Her mother’s kitchen didn’t exist, as a few new things turned out to be a total modernization. The wall that’d separated the small kitchen and dining room was removed, leaving a large room that combined the two rooms. The yellowed linoleum, curling in the corners, was exchanged for hardwood. The dark kitchen cabinets were changed to a cottage white color, with glass inlayed cabinet doors. The old stove was taken out and a new island built with a sink and ceramic stovetop. On the opposite wall a double oven was installed. The only original part of the kitchen was left was Grandma’s table and chairs that sat on a new braided rug. The new appliances consisted of a dishwasher, a ceramic stove-top, two wall ovens, an instant hot water dispenser, refrigerated drawers in place of the refrigerator, and last but not least, a trash compactor.

Grace was pleased with the finished job. All she had to do was hang the new curtains over the sink and on the back door. She couldn’t wait for Jillie to see all these wonderful changes.

When her phone rang, Jillian jumped, rolled over, glanced at the clock: 5:35. She grabbed the receiver and mumbled, “Hello.”

“Dr. James, this is Nurse Hilda Botsworth in ICU. Your patient, Mrs. Stratton, is complaining of extreme pain. She’s already used her allotment of pain meds, and isn’t due for over an hour.” There was silence, as the nurse waited for Dr. James to reply.

Mrs. Delores Stratton was a ninety-year-old woman who fell at her daughter’s home earlier in the day. The fall resulted in a shoulder dislocation and a hip fracture. When seen in the emergency room, she presented with extreme hip and shoulder pain. She was taken to surgery, where Jillian repaired the hip fracture and relocated her shoulder. Her labs revealed she had an extreme urinary tract infection. She was placed in ICU after surgery as a precaution due to her advanced age.

“I’ll be over.”

“Dr., that’s not necessary. I can handle the situation,” the nurse said argumentatively.

“No, I’ll be over. See you in a few.”

Jillian got dressed for the day, as it was starting so early. She thought about walking to the hospital but decided to drive. She parked her car at the office and walked over to the hospital. At the nurses’ station, she nodded at Hilda Botsworth, who, without speaking, handed her the patient’s chart. Jillian sat down at an empty spot at the station to review her patient’s history. The surgery went off without any complications, and blood loss was minimal. She checked out the lab values from the labs that were taken directly after the procedure. Noticing that her patient’s white count was elevated, urinalysis values were elevated, her patient’s temperature elevated to 102, and she’d developed a cough.

Jillian closed the chart and got up to go see Mrs. Stratton. Her pager vibrated against her pocket. She took out the pager, and the display read, “Montgomery (555) 553-5151.” She smiled slightly, as she walked to her patient’s room. Over her shoulder Jillian noticed that Hilda Botsworth was following her, carrying the chart.

Quietly opening the door, Jillian saw a pale, Mrs. Stratton, who was clearly in discomfort.

“Delores, I understand. You’re having some pain?”

There was no response. Jillian placed her stethoscope on her patient’s chest and listened. Just as she thought; Mrs. Stratton was developing pneumonia.

“Mrs. Stratton, we’re going to get you comfortable as soon as possible.”

In the hallway, Jillian spoke: “Nurse Botsworth, I noticed on the chart that Mrs. Stratton started coughing and complaining around midnight. Why wasn’t I notified until now?” The nurse could tell that Jillian was upset.

“We thought that once we got more pain meds in her, she’d settle down.”

“Please call her internist, Dr. Steele, and notify him of her condition. I want respiratory to come up and start breathing treatments right away. I’ll be at my office this morning. Please call with hourly reports.” Jillian knew how quickly a patient of this advanced age could deteriorate.

Nurse Botsworth waiting for more instructions remarked in a gruff manner, “Anything else? Oh, how’s your boyfriend?”

Jillian dating Robert John Montgomery was received with a couple of different attitudes: “Hey, that’s great” or “Who do you think you are, something special? A doctor dating a star and now you’re asking for this?” Nurse Hilda Botsworth fell into the later category.

“He’s fine. Thank you for asking.” Again her pager vibrated. This time she didn’t look at the screen, knowing what the display said. It was not that she was ignoring RJ, but she was concerned about her patient and her treatment.

She found Lynda sitting in the cafeteria drinking coffee.

“Good morning. You’re here early.”

“Yeah, had a lot of paperwork to catch up on. It’s really quiet here before six, so here I am! Why are you here so early?”

“My hip patient needed to be seen. Gotta get something to eat. Are you going to be here for a while?”

Lynda nodded yes. “I haven’t eaten yet. Get me something, too.”

Jillian stood in front of the hot food line, Melanie, the food server, said, “Good morning, Dr. James. What’ll it be?”

“Good morning. Let’s see, scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and sourdough toast times two, please.”

“I’ll bring it out. Are you in the doctors’ dining room?” Melanie smiled at Jillian, the kind of smile that has become familiar to Jillian since she had been dating RJ.

“Thank you. No, right over here,” Jillian said indicating the corner table where Lynda sat.

After a few minutes their breakfast arrived; Melanie refilled their coffee cups, then hesitated at the table, smiling at Jillian. Jillian smiled back and started to eat her breakfast. Again her pager vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket,
“RJ ASAP!”
Lynda reached over and took the pager out of Jillian’s hand after seeing her friend’s expression.

“It’s the third time in a couple of hours. I need to call him back.”

“Seems urgent, huh?”

Jillian placed her fork down on her half-empty plate, took a sip of coffee, opened her cell phone and dialed RJ. After only about a half of ring, RJ answered, “Well, its about time.”

“I’m at the hospital.”

“What’re you doing there so early?” Jillian could tell by his tone that he was irritated. “Why’d you take so long to call me back?”

“I have a critical patient. She’s ninety.”

“Yeah, ninety, that’s old. I’m getting over to a rehearsal and wanted to see if you’d to come out this weekend?”

“I can’t, not with my patient as ill as she is.”

“Isn’t that what you have partners for?”

“Not to take over my ill patients, so I can go gallivanting to ….” Jillian realized she was getting angry at Robert’s insensibility. There was silence on the line, then, “Well, have fun,” the line went dead. Jillian held the phone to her head a second, then shook her head and closed the phone.

“Boy, that was quick!”

“Sometimes he can be…”

Lynda was shocked. This was the first time she’d heard Jillian speak a negative thing about him. Jillian didn’t offer an explanation

“Trouble in paradise?” Lynda asked.

Jillian laughed and shook her head. The girls finished their breakfast, discussing their upcoming trip to Dallas. Jillian was trying to shake off RJ’s attitude. She was pleased that her friend hadn’t pressed for details.

From overhead, the girls heard, “Dr. James, please call 447.”

Jillian picked up the cafeteria house phone. “Dr. James.”

“ICU, Hilda Botsworth speaking.”

“This is Dr. James.”

“Doctor, are you still in-house?”

“Yes.”

“Mrs. Stratton’s temp is rising. Her daughter’s here waiting to talk to you.”

“I’ll be right up.”

“Thank you.”

Jillian returned to the table and told Lynda that she’d talk to her later. She grabbed her last swallow of coffee and started upstairs.

She met Mrs. Stratton’s daughter, Joyce DelGatto, outside her mother’s room. “Doctor, how’s she doing?”

“She’s critical. We’ve started antibiotics and breathing treatments for her pneumonia and we’re also treating a severe UTI ”

“UTI?”

“She’s probably had a urinary track infection for quite some time and at her age, we’re taking it hour by hour.”

“I know. You know she has an advanced directive…no heroic methods.”

“It’s noted on her door and on her chart. I’m going to my office. Please call me if you have any questions. I’ll be getting reports throughout the day.”

“Thank you.”

Jillian nodded a silent ‘you’re welcome.’ She stopped at the nurse’s station to let the nurses know that she was heading over to her office.

Sunrays peaked over the Wassuk Range; the warming of the day had begun. Jillian glanced to the east, thinking that early morning and dusk were the best parts of the day. The walk to the office was completed unconsciously, as Mrs. Stratton and RJ’s call were on her mind. She unlocked the back door and walked down to the hall to her office. Sitting down at her desk, she instantly realized that she’d not keyed in the security code. At that moment the alarm started. When she jumped up and started back down the hall to counteract her mistake, the alarm stopped.

During the quiet time Jillian finished all of her deskwork and by 11:45, her morning patients were seen. Joy kept her posted on Mrs. Stratton’s deteriorating condition.

“Dr. James, ICU on the backline.”

“Thank you.”

“Dr. James, this is Linda in ICU. Mrs. Stratton just passed. She coded about a couple of minutes ago. Since she was a DNR, we just monitored the situation. Dr. Steele’s here and since he’s the county coroner, he can do what needs to be done. Do you want him to handle the paperwork?”

Jillian hung up the phone. She felt a deep sorrow for her patient and family. The only consolation was that Mrs. Delores Stratton was blessed to have had lived a long full, happy life with wonderful children and grandchildren.

Walking through the front doors of the hospital, heading back to her office, all Jillian could think of was being at home, in the security of her home. She’d only lost two patients during her medical career, and she felt devastated.

Running into Mrs. Crawford, this year’s president of the Hospital Auxiliary Guild, was unfortunate. She was the last person Jillian wanted to see. This lady, was sweet, but always has a favor to ask, either medical advice or something about the Guild.

“Oh, Dr. James, how are you?”

“Just fine. Thank you for asking. And you, Mrs. Crawford?”

“Please, it’s Dorothy. I’m just fine, but I’ve been thinking about making an appointment to see you, as Arthur’s been bothering me quite a bit in my fingers.” Mrs. Crawford hesitated waiting for Jillian’s advice.

“Sure. Just call the office and we’ll be happy to see you.”

“Dr. James, the Guild just brought your name up the other evening at our meeting.”

“Hope it was good?” Jillian said with a playful attitude.

“But, of course, dear. We were going to ask you to ask your boyfriend if he’d do a concert fundraiser. We couldn’t pay him much but something.”

“I don’t know, but I’d would be happy to ask him.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Jillian tried to be polite and not appear rude. She started walking, but Mrs. Crawford had ahold of her arm. Just then Jillian’s cell phone rang. Jillian thought: I don’t care who you are THANK YOU!

“I have to catch this.”

“Go right ahead, dear. I’m in no hurry.”

“Dr. James,” Jillian said, as she answering the phone without looking at the display.

“Well, it’s about time I got ahold of you! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to call me back!”

“I had to come back over to the hospital. My hip patient just passed. Anyway, I believe you were the one, who ended our last conversation so quickly.” She was fully aware that Mrs. Crawford was eavesdropping.

“I’m sorry about your patient, but I’m sure you have others. Well, since she’s gone nothing’s holding you back from coming out this weekend.”