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Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: Deadline
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Taking a deep breath, Toots nodded. “True, but what am I supposed to tell Dr. Lowery? He did drop everything to fly out here. Not many doctors do that anymore.”
“To the tune of five million dollars, I would fly across the country, too. Damn, Toots. Where is all that vaunted common sense of yours?”
In the pit of my stomach,
she thought.
Maybe Joe was right. Maybe Dr. Phil Becker was as good as, if not better than, the absent Dr. Lowery. At least he was there, and that alone was one point in his favor. Anyway, Joe was right. It was not her decision. Why had she assumed Bernice would want some big-shot Hollywood doctor? She didn't know what she'd been thinking. Bernice needed a local doctor, someone in for the long haul.
What
had
she been thinking?
“As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I was thinking of myself, I guess—the best, top-notch, all that money could buy.” Suddenly Toots was ashamed of herself. Money did not buy happiness, nor could it save Bernice's life. Yes, she would see that Bernice had the best medical care, but in all of the tension, Toots had lost her common sense. Dr. Lowery would get his donation. She was a woman of her word, but he didn't have to operate on Bernice to receive it.
Another nurse, one wearing teal green scrubs with teddy bears all over them, came racing to the waiting room. “Dr. Pauley, your patient in recovery is asking for you. She's awake and doesn't seem very happy to be here.”
“Thanks, Karen. I'll be right there.” Joe entered the waiting room, said hello to everyone, then asked Dr. Becker to step outside. Toots remained in the waiting room, allowing the two professionals a few minutes alone so they could discuss Bernice's case in private. Besides, she didn't need to hear all the medical mumbo jumbo to know that her dear friend was in trouble, big-time. She was frightened enough as it was.
Sophie looked dog tired. Mavis's hair had flattened from the humidity, and Ida still had the hot pink hair. Her eye makeup was smeared, and she really looked like she was on her last mile. Goebel looked a bit rumpled, but his eyes were bright, and he seemed more alert than ever. Those few hours of rest on the plane had made a big difference for him. Toots remembered that he'd been a cop for more than thirty years. He was probably used to grabbing what sleep he could on the run.
“Why don't you all have Pete take you to the house? Jamie is here somewhere, and she can take me home later.”
Pete had remained downstairs—told her he didn't want to get in the way. Toots knew better. Good old Pete was afraid of hospitals and doctors. Just like Bernice. She smiled. Southerners did have their share of superstitions.
“I'll stay here with you,” Sophie said. “I'm not even tired.”
Toots knew Sophie was lying, but she needed her. “Thanks, Soph. I'd like that.”
Ida and Mavis looked relieved, but Toots knew they would stay if she had asked them to. And Goebel, too.
“Maybe you could have Pete run to the grocery store? When Bernice gets home, she'll need all that healthy food Mavis and Goebel are crazy about. You could get some fresh vegetables, toss all that red meat she keeps in the freezer.” Toots wanted to send them away, but didn't want them to feel as though she didn't need them. She did need them. All of them. Now more than ever. And that's when she thought of Abby.
“My gosh, I haven't called Abby! I promised her I would!” She took her cell phone out of her purse and was about to punch in her daughter's number when Mavis stopped her.
“I called her, told her there was no news. Said I would call her when we knew something definite,” Mavis explained.
“Thanks. I don't know where my mind is.”
“You're worried about Bernice,” Ida said. “You've spent the past week worrying about Chris. You need a break, that's all. Maybe when we know more about Bernice's condition, you and I can find a hairdresser, someone who can fix this”—Ida lifted a hand to her head of hot pink hair—“stuff.”
They all smiled.
“I'll do that,” Toots said. “Now, Pete is waiting downstairs. I promise that Sophie or I will call as soon as we have news.”
After they said their good-byes, Sophie and Toots followed Joe and Dr. Becker to the recovery room. Sophie looked at Dr. Becker, and lifted her eyes in question.
Toots rolled her eyes, and mouthed
Kiss my ass.
Sophie slid her hand to her shoulder, her middle finger prominently displayed for Toots alone to see.
They both laughed.
It was going to take a sense of humor and a lot of prayers to get through the next few days.
Chapter 23
W
hen Toots saw Bernice, she completely broke down, falling into Sophie's arms. Bernice was surrounded by monitors, beeping machines, and tubes coming out of every visible orifice.
“You bawl bag.” Bernice's voice was scratchy, hardly a whisper. She reached for Toots's hand.
Toots stepped closer to Bernice's bedside and let the tears flow, but she had a grin on her face. “Kiss my wrinkled old ass.”
Bernice took a shaky breath. “Can't. Take all day. Don't have that much time.”
That sobered them all. Joe stepped up to Bernice's bedside, looked at the numbers on her monitors, then cleared his throat. “You remember what happened to you?”
Bernice nodded. “In the kitchen.” She lifted a frail hand and placed it across her chest. “Pain.” She tapped her chest with her fingertips.
“You had a heart attack. We've looked at your arteries, and I hate to say this since you've been under my care for a long time, but you've got some blockage, and we need to make a few repairs.” Joe allowed Bernice a few minutes to soak up what he was telling her.
“Am I gonna die?” she asked.
“We're all gonna die someday, but you're not going to die today,” Joe answered her.
Toots wished she shared his confidence. How could he say such a thing to poor Bernice? Give her false hope? But then Toots realized there really wasn't anything else he could say. She knew he didn't want to tell her she might die; what kind of doctor would tell a patient she was going to die right before open-heart surgery? Yes, Toots knew Joe would explain the risks to Bernice, but they would be fast and sweet. The benefits, he'd explain as slowly as possible.
Dr. Becker came to Bernice's bedside, and took her pale hand in his. “I'm the guy that looked inside your arteries. I think we can fix you up, but there are a few things you need to know first. If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt me at any time, okay?”
Bernice nodded. Toots took her other hand and squeezed. Sophie grabbed Toots's empty hand in hers. They listened while Dr. Becker explained what had happened and what would happen during surgery.
“We just did a cardiac catheterization. That's why you're here in the recovery room. We inserted a small tube through a large blood vessel in your leg, and injected an X-ray dye into your circulatory system. You've got five areas that need immediate attention, but the good news is, even though you had a pretty nasty heart attack, there doesn't appear to be too much actual damage to your heart.”
Bernice nodded and squeezed Toots's hand so hard, Toots thought it might break.
“We'll do what we call an on-pump open-heart bypass. You'll be put to sleep under general anesthesia, and we'll begin by harvesting blood vessels that we'll use as the grafts. There is a vein in your leg called the great saphenous vein, and it's what we usually use because we're able to create multiple grafts from it. Once we remove the vein, we'll open your chest area by making an incision along the sternum—your chest bone. I'll cut the sternum, which will allow me to open your chest cavity. Now this might sound scary, but I do this every day, and while this is major surgery, it's very successful. The outlook for a full recovery is very good.
“In the traditional procedure, the heart is stopped with a potassium solution, so I won't have to work on your heart while it's moving. We will have you hooked up to a heart-lung machine, which will do the work of your heart and your lungs. I will take the grafts removed from your leg and reroute blood flow around the blockages. As soon as the grafts are complete, we will get your heart started again in order to provide blood and oxygen throughout your body. I'll close your sternum to its original position, then we'll ‘close you up.'
“Barring any complications, we will have you in ICU until the anesthesia wears off. This might scare you; it is what most patients fear more than anything. You'll have a breathing tube while you're sedated. Chest tubes will be sticking out all over you—they always remind me of that old Frankenstein movie.” He smiled.
“The tubes are inserted around the surgical area to help remove any blood that might've collected around your heart. As soon as you wake up, the breathing tube will be removed. If you can breathe fine on your own, great. If not, we'll have to hook you back up to the ventilator, and the breathing tube will have to be reinserted. When we get to this point, and I have no reason not to believe otherwise, you'll stay in ICU for twenty-four hours or so, then we'll get you up, maybe in a chair. You can even walk if you feel like it. And then the real fun begins.” Dr. Becker was smiling the entire time he explained.
Toots eyed Joe Pauley, who continued to monitor Bernice's vitals. Sophie let go of her hand and practically raced out of the recovery room.
Toots was shocked at her behavior, but shouldn't have been since Sophie had experienced such odd visions the past week. Maybe she'd had a vision of poor Bernice! Had she seen that Bernice wouldn't survive the surgery?
“She probably needs to smoke,” Toots said, hoping to explain Sophie's sudden departure.
Toots thought Bernice looked tired and suggested to Dr. Becker and Joe that the three of them leave the recovery room so Bernice could rest.
A slick Hollywood hunk lingered in the hallway just outside the recovery room entrance. With his close-cropped black hair, unnaturally blue eyes, and tanning-bed look, Toots knew without an introduction that this was the famed heart surgeon who'd cared for the great movie star Evangelista Thackeray. Dr. Lowery was wearing a silk Armani suit, a white shirt with French cuffs, and shoes that were surely handmade from the best Italian leather money could buy.
“Dr. Lowery, I'm Theresa Loudenberry; I spoke with you on the phone.”
“Ms. Loudenberry, wonderful to meet you. Such generosity, too.” Dr. Lowery held out his hand. For reasons she couldn't fathom, Toots did not want to touch this man, this slicked-up doctor who dressed in silk suits before surgery. She kept her hands at her sides.
“Yes, well I ...” There were no words to name what she felt then. Fortunately, Dr. Becker and Joe introduced themselves.
“Great, just great. Now where is the patient? I'll need to run more tests, do my own evaluation. You did a heart catheterization, correct? I'll want to look at those results, possibly do another. I like to be as thorough as possible. My concern is always the patient.”
No one said a word. Both doctors looked at Dr. Lowery as if he had grown another head out of the side of his neck. Even Toots stared at him. Oh shit! She knew if Bernice had heard those remarks she would be ready to cuss someone out. And in this case, that someone would be the famous heart surgeon to whom she'd promised $5 million. Famous or not, she wasn't going to allow him to cut into Bernice's chest and remove a single thing, let alone patch up her heart. Why
had
she called this ... gigolo?
She almost started laughing right there on the spot. Toots knew her obsession with the once-famous movie star was over. She'd let silly movies and Hollywood rule her life a little too much.
Chapter 24
“
D
r. Becker is quite familiar with the patient, and he's local,” Joe explained to Dr. Lowery after Dr. Becker and his team took Bernice into surgery.
Toots had made an instant decision based on her gut feeling of what she thought Bernice would want her to do. Dr. Lowrey had been understandably upset, but as soon as Toots told him she would still donate the $5 million to Cedars-Sinai, he seemed almost relieved. “Then if I'm not needed here, I suppose I should see what kind of entertainment Charleston has to offer.”
Toots almost choked, but somehow managed to suggest several upscale restaurants in the Charleston area. She also told him that anyone who was anyone must have a praline from The Sweetest Things Bakery. She left out the fact she was a half owner. She would make sure Jamie made a
special
batch of pralines just for him if he was still in town tomorrow. Toots smiled at the thought.
As soon as Dr. Lowery disappeared, Sophie reappeared. “I hope like hell that ... man isn't doing Bernice's surgery. He's evil, I swear! The second I laid eyes on him, I had the same feeling I had right before you got the phone call telling you about Bernice. Surely he's not the real thing?”
“That's why you ran out of the room?”
“Yes, I was absolutely terrified of the feelings I was having. His vibes, karma whatever you want to call them, are evil. How do you know this man and why did you insist he be the one to take care of Bernice?” Sophie asked.
Toots didn't know those things herself. Only that he'd been Evangelista Thackeray's physician, and she'd been Toots's secret heroine ever since she saw her in
Black Beauty.
Throughout the years, she'd followed her career and her many marriages, something they shared in common.
“I don't know.” Toots's adulation of the great actress seemed silly and childish now.
“I think we should hold a séance as soon as we get back to your house.”
“So you really didn't run out of the recovery room because you had a bad feeling about Bernice's surgery?” Toots asked, still not one hundred percent convinced.
“I wouldn't lie about something like this. You should know that by now,” Sophie said.
“Of course you wouldn't. I don't know why I even said that. Let's go to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee. Jamie is waiting for us. She sent me a text message earlier. Poor kid has been here all this time, and I've yet to see her. I told Joe to call my cell the second Bernice is out of surgery.”
“Great, I want to be here when the old broad wakes up. See if she had one of those near-death experiences people are always talking about.”
“Good grief. Do you have to be so damned morbid?”
They waited at the bank of elevators. As soon as the doors swished open, they stepped inside, pushing the C button for the cafeteria.
“I'm not morbid,” Sophie said. “Just psychic.”
“I do believe you are. I just wish it hadn't taken all these years for you to find out. Just think of all the grief you could've saved me. I sure as hell wouldn't have married that cheapskate, Leland.”
They laughed, then the doors opened, preventing any further conversation.
Only a handful of people were in the cafeteria when Toots and Sophie entered. The lights were dim in virtue of the lateness of the hour. A group of nurses seated at a round table in the corner were giggling at some private joke. Two doctors sitting across the room from them appeared to be engrossed in a stack of papers.
Jamie was seated at a table close to the cash register. She saw them and waved, her smile as bright as sunshine. Her once-blond choppy-short hair was a soft warm brown that reached her shoulders. She was much prettier than Toots remembered, pretty enough to give Abby a run for her money.
“I've missed you so much.” Jamie stood to give Toots a warm, welcome-home hug. “And you too,” she said, hugging Sophie.
“I ordered you both coffee.” Jamie removed a plastic food storage bag from her backpack. “And I knew you'd want some of these, so I had Lucy bring a fresh batch over before we closed shop earlier.” Jamie placed the bag of pralines in front of her.
“Oh, I have been craving these! Thank you so much.” Toots removed a praline from the bag, then offered one to Sophie. “Is Lucy the new girl you hired?” Toots asked between bites.
“Yes. You'll love her. She's a fantastic baker. She's learning to make pralines, too. When Bernice comes home, I'll invite her over. Now tell me exactly what they are doing to Bernice. I cannot tell you how worried I've been. She's like a second mother to me.”
“She has five blockages, and they're doing the bypass surgery right now. Dr. Becker seems to know what he's doing. According to Joe, who I trust with my life, he's the best around. Said he'd trained with the doctor who invented the artificial heart.
“I feel like such a fool asking Dr. Lowery to travel across the country to save my friend, then tell him not to. He asked me what kind of entertainment there was, said he might as well enjoy the trip since he was here. Until I volunteered that I would still donate the promised five million to the cardiac unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, he was not a happy camper at all. But once I said the magic words, everything was wine and roses.
“I thought I was an expert when it came to men. Shows you how little I know.”
“I could have told you that,” Sophie said.
Jamie laughed, then her tone turned serious. “You two are quite the pair. So does this Dr. Becker think Bernice will ... you know ... survive?”
“The doctor said that, other than having had a massive heart attack, she's in pretty good health. He said her heart has sustained very little actual damage. Go figure that one out. Apparently he believes she's strong enough to survive the surgery. He wouldn't do it if she weren't.”
“Did he say how long it would take?” Jamie's expression was laced with concern.
“No, but I'm sure it will take the rest of the night if all goes according to plan.” Toots reached into the bag and took another praline. “These are so good, I swear I could eat a dozen of them. Mavis has had us on such healthy diets, it's made me sick.”
Jamie burst out laughing. “Well, a few at a time are good, but I don't think I could eat a complete diet of nothing but sweets even though I adore baking the stuff.”
Toots smiled, then something told her to check out Sophie. She was looking at the clock above the cash register. Her normally olive-colored complexion had turned as white as the walls of the hospital.
“Would it be terribly rude if we went home for a while?” Sophie asked out of the blue.
“Are you all right? Is there something you're not telling me?” Jamie asked.
Recalling how Sophie had acted just before the phone call telling Toots that Bernice had had a heart attack, Toots became very concerned. She liked it much better when Sophie was being her usual smart-ass self rather than this worried, frightened woman she'd just turned into.
“I'm fine. I have a feeling someone wants to make contact with me. Sooner rather than later.”

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