Sparring Partners (40 page)

Hospitals suck.

Were they all like this, or only the ones
he'd had the displeasure of visiting? And were they all such
dreary, sterile environments? Why was the air so heavy? So full of
desperation?

Because people die here. Cold and alone,
with the cacophony of 'business as usual' all around them.

This would not happen to Irma. Not when he
could help it. She'd given him the power and he was going to make
it so. Unfortunately, some people didn't have a choice in the
matter.

For Irma, there was a choice, and Jordon was
going to make it.

The constant noise, the beeping and buzzing
of miscellaneous monitors, the squeak of the nurses shoes as they
scurried about in their scrubs, some over-worked and stressed to
the point of curtness, some crooning empathetically, soothingly, to
family and friends of their patients, roared through Jordon
screaming:
This is no place for a woman of her strength, her
passion for life, her depth of dignity, to die. Get Irma out of
here.

Jordon gritted his teeth, steeled his jaw
and headed straight for Irma's room, his gait long and fast. Finn
and Henry flanked him, easily matching his steps. There they were,
three tall, determined, bad-asses bent on breaking Irma out so she
could die in her own bed at Potters Woods.

One of the crooning nurses in bunny scrubs
quickly ran to catch him. Jordon recognized her. She was nice. She
combed Irma's hair and read to her. He ignored her though and kept
walking. He was a man on a mission, and he wouldn't be deterred by
a cute set of scrubs and an angelic disposition.

"Mr. Bennett"

Jordon kept moving.

"Mr. Bennett." She said again, louder and
more insistent. This angel had lungs.

Jordon didn't slow, but he could tell by the
squeaks that she was closing in on him.

"Mr. Bennett. Sir,
stop
. It's
important." Now people were staring. Jordon ignored them too. He
didn't have to turn to know she was almost on top of him.

"She's awake, Mr. Bennett."

Jordon stopped dead in his tracks, turning
quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid having nurse bunny scrubs
slam into him. Jordon managed to peel her away from him before she
bounced off his body and fell at his feet. When she began to
apologize, Jordon shook her.

"What did you say?"

He felt Finn's hand on his shoulder. "Put
her down, Jordon."

Jordon looked down. Sure enough, he was
holding the woman a good six inches off the ground.

Jordon set her down.

"Stop shaking her and she might answer."
Henry added.

Jordon dropped his hands to his sides and
spoke to Henry without looking at him. Instead, his eyes honed in
on the nurse's name tag like a laser.

"I'm not making any promises until I hear
what nurse Peacock has to say. Make it fast, I don't want to have
to shake you again."

Jordon knew he was scaring her. He didn't
care. Sometimes intimidation worked, and he wasn't above using all
the tools in his tool box. His estimation of nurse Peacock grew
when anger, not fear, flashed in her eyes as she took a step closer
to him and stuck a finger in his chest. She suddenly reminded him
of his elf, even though she didn't look anything like Reed. He
wasn't going to shake this nurse again.

"Mrs. MacDonald is awake. She's been asking
for you. I've tried calling your cell for the past hour, but all I
ever got was voice mail." She accused.

The ire went out of Jordon. Just hearing
that Irma was awake, and that he'd have a chance to say good-bye,
flooded him with gratitude. How could he be angry, when he was so
damned grateful.

"I was in a meeting."

"I hope it was important."

Jordon smiled at her snippiness. She
couldn't have been more than twenty-five, but she had a lot of what
his grands would call 'grit'. Just like his wife. Just like
Irma.

"It was. Not as important as this, but
important."

Something in his tone must have gotten to
her, because her attitude changed to one less accusatory. "You can
go in and see her, but she's very weak. Don't push her too
hard."

"I'm not here to see her. I'm here to take
her home."

Jordon turned and walked into Irma's room.
There was nothing else to say.

...

Sunlight streamed through Irma's window,
warming her face. Was it the sunlight that woke her, or was it a
voice in her head that begged her to return, if only to say
good-bye. She was weak, she could barely move her arms, and lifting
her head seemed to take the same effort as climbing Mount Fuji had
taken, when she'd scaled it in the forties. She made the journey
then huffing and puffing, muscles screaming, will pushing her on.
She'd make this journey now.

She was younger then, and stubborn in her
need to prove a point to herself.

Now, she was old and tired, and just as
driven to complete what she started, though this time not for
herself. She would climb this mountain for Jordon. His soul needed
this more than hers, and if coming back to the world, however
briefly, could give that to him, she'd do it.

She didn't expect to find her true place
with her third and in some respects best family at ninety-eight and
yet, God provided her with that love and acceptance in the form of
Potters Woods. The least she could do is return the favor. Of
course, none of them knew how old she really was. If they did,
she'd never have been able to go fishing, or have Jordon talk to
her as freely as he did. He'd have treated her like an old lady,
not like a friend.

Jordon walked through her door looking raw.
His hair tied back in a messy knot, his shirt inside out, or was
that the style? She couldn't keep up. But it was his eyes, filled
with relief, love, and determination that told her she'd done the
right thing by fighting her way back. She just hoped she could make
it out of this place before her soul, which she fought to contain
even now, broke free.

"You gave that poor girl more grief than she
deserved. You should be ashamed of yourself." She said, with as
much strength as she could muster.

"And you took your sweet time waking up.
Jesse was worried."

"Was he now? And what about you Jordon, were
you worried?"

He came toward her and kissed the top of her
head, his lying eyes smiling even as they held a whisper of tears.
"Not me. Not for a second. I know you're too full of pride to leave
with me having caught more fish than you. At least not before
giving me hell about it."

"Don't swear."

"Yes ma'am."

Irma smiled. It was the first time since she
met Jordon that he did exactly what she asked without sass,
politely even. He must have been more worried than his eyes let on.
Irma wanted to ease that, to let him know that it was all going to
work out, but she didn't know how just yet. She fervently hoped
she'd figure it out soon. She didn't have much time to get it
right.

"What do you say we unplug all this
shi...
stuff
and take you home?"

"You can't do that. I won't allow it." Said
the doctor in the room.

The officious tone rankled Irma almost as
much Jordon, who was instantly tense and cold, colder than Irma had
ever seen him. Jordon was in a state of mind to hurt someone if she
didn't do something about it. She raised her hand, painfully, and
willed it as it shook to cover Jordon's hand where his was fisted
in the bed linens.

When he looked at her questioningly, she
winked at him. Then, she turned her attention to the
twelve-year-old doctor in charge of her care. She disliked the man
intensely for the way he barked orders at the nurses and the rest
of the staff, and for the way he condescended to her. He wasn't
God. Not even close. And, it was time he learned that fact.

"I was not aware that you had anything to
say about it,
doctor
." Irma said, mustering as much contempt
as she could for his title. "I believe I can check myself out
anytime with, or without, your consent."

"If you leave this hospital you will
die."

"I'm aware of that. And I'll die if I stay.
Isn't that true, doctor?"

"Not as quickly, or as painfully." He
whined.

"How do you know?"

Apparently, the good doctor didn't like to
be questioned or contradicted, or have the reality of the situation
take precedence over his inflated opinion of his own decision
making skills. His chin went up, and he got too close to Jordon for
Irma's comfort. She could tell from Jordon's demeanor that nothing
or no one would stop him from doing what he thought was right,
certainly not one over-educated-under-sensed doctor.

"You are not leaving this hospital in your
condition. It's absurd, and I won't have it. If you persist in
trying, I'll have you declared incompetent and I'll hold you here
under a mental health commitment."

Irma smiled, looking at Finn and Henry who
waited silently but with as much obvious determination just inside
the door. The doctor ignored them when he sauntered in earlier,
security in tow right outside the door.

"Finn, darling. Does that camera you're
carrying have video?"

Finn nodded. "Yes it does, Irma."

"Henry, please call my lawyer. Have him meet
us, along with the hospital's general counsel, in my room right
now. Oh, and be a dear, won't you, and call Judge Peel at his home?
His number is on my phone dear, I know he won't mind being put on
speaker phone so the good doctor can plead his case."

Henry smiled at her, picked up the phone on
the table next to her bed, pushing the doctor as he went, and
started dialing. "Yes, ma'am."

Irma looked at Jordon, raising her voice so
everyone in the room could hear her. "Do you still have Larry King
on speed dial?" She was taking a huge risk, not knowing if Jordon
even knew Larry King. The twinkle in his eyes proved he was no
slouch at improvisation. With that, she knew he'd be up for
this.

"Number three, right after the White
House."

"Good." Irma watched the blood rise to
boiling point on the doctor's face. Heaven help her, this was fun.
Not exactly how she wanted to spend her last day, but necessary if
she wanted to get home.

Henry hung up the phone. "Judge Peel has the
number and is calling his court reporter in to take testimony. His
clerk will put us on speaker as soon as the judge is ready.
Hospital counsel is in the building and on his way down."

"Finn, will you film this? I want Larry to
have video for his program." Irma looked at the doctor and blinked
twice, hoping she looked as innocent as she was devious. It helped
his color when Finn started taping the man.

"How do you spell your name, doctor? We
should make sure that Larry has it, and the name of the hospital,
correct before he broadcasts on national television. Don't you
agree?"

The doctor turned to leave at the same time
a large man in a navy suit entered. The man grabbed the doctor's
arm, pulled him into the room, and smiled at Finn. It was a
politician's smile. Then he looked at Irma. Jordon held her hand in
silent support.

"I'm attorney Anderson. Tom
Anderson...s..o..n...in case Larry wants to spell
my
name
correctly."

"I'm sure Mr. King will make every effort,
he seems very precise." Irma said.

"I'm not worried about Mr. King, Mrs.
MacDonald, I'm worried about you."

"I wish to leave. I am declining further
treatment. This doctor is making threats about my competency, and
frankly, I'm offended by his arrogance."

"Are you competent?"

"Are you, attorney Anderson?"

"I'm not the one dying."

"Are you certain of that? Really certain?
And what if you were the one dying? Would you want to do it
here?"

Attorney Anderson paused for a moment then
looked at the doctor, "What basis do you have for saying this woman
is incompetent?" It wasn't as much of a question as a demand.

"Well-"

The doctor swallowed hard. "It's obvious.
She's declining medical attention. In her condition that will kill
her. She's not thinking straight."

"That's your basis?"

"Yes."

Attorney Anderson called in the security
guard. "If anyone tries to stop Mrs. MacDonald and her family from
leaving, arrest them." Since he was looking at the doctor when he
said it, Irma was fairly certain she was getting out.

The phone rang and Attorney Anderson
answered it before Henry could. "Yes, judge. She's here. No sir,
there's no basis to conduct a competency hearing. She's fully
capable of declining treatment. Yes sir, I'll stipulate to the
entry of an order to that effect. Thank you, your honor." He hung
up.

"Sign her release paperwork now and get
someone in here to unhook her and help her get dressed." Anderson
said, as the doctor fled the room. He turned to Irma with kindness
in his eyes.

"You are more than competent, Mrs.
MacDonald. Your family can take you home. Immediately. But-"

He said, waving his finger at her like she
was a recalcitrant child. "You will exit these premises in a
wheelchair. I don't give a damn what Larry King", he shot Jordon a
knowing glance, "or Anderson Cooper might have to say about
it."

Irma didn't reprimand him for swearing, she
smiled instead.

"I'm looking forward to the ride, Mr.
Anderson."

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

...You've been walking the ocean's edge,

holding up your robes to keep them dry.

You must dive naked under and deeper
under,

a thousand times deeper! Love flows down.

The ground submits to the sky and suffers

what comes. Tell me, is the earth worse

for giving in like that? ...