Home on the Ranch 47 - Tina Radcliffe Read online

  “Of course.”

  “Ellen happened to be in town and made it here about the same time I did.”

  Will’s eyebrows rose. “Good deal.” He yanked the striped tie off his neck and shoved the fabric into his suit coat pocket. “Tell me what happened again.”

  “Rose swears it was that barn cat. She’d gone outside to put scraps on the compost pile and the cat was trying to catch birds. She shooed him off, turned too fast, tripped and fell.”

  “That’s all? How could she break a hip like that?”

  “It happens. She got herself up and back in the house, but she called me because she was in pain. When I checked, one leg appeared a bit longer than the other and the hip hurt to touch. She couldn’t bear weight, so I called an ambulance.” Annie paused. “You know how she always complained about her hip when the weather changed. Maybe she has some arthritis or osteoporosis? I don’t know, but broken hips are always a risk for someone her age.”

  “Her age? How old do you suppose Rose is?”

  “I’m not sure. You know the rules. Weight and age are taboo. I’m guessing she’s sixty-something. What do you think?”

  “You’re probably right. She and my dad were about the same age, and he would have been sixty-three.”

  Annie did the math in her head. His father was thirty-four when Will was born. That would have made him fifty-two when he died. So young.

  Will sat down in the chair next to her, shoulders slumped.

  “Are you okay?” Annie asked him.

  “Me? Yeah, I’m fine. I just realized Rose has never had a sick day since I’ve known her.” He ran a hand through his hair. “She’s the rock in my life.”

  “I know. Me, too. I feel horrible thinking how I take her for granted.”

  Will took a deep breath and nodded.

  A female staff member in navy scrubs and a white lab coat approached them. A black stethoscope hung around her neck along with a photo ID on a chain. She was somewhere in her midforties with dark blond hair pulled back into a ponytail.

  “Are you Ms. O’Shea’s family?”

  “Yes,” Will answered, helping Annie to her feet as he stood.

  Annie gave a small smile at how he didn’t hesitate when asked the question.

  Family. Interesting thing about family. The three of them were closer than any family she knew. But it wasn’t a blood connection. Rose had been Will’s “mother” since he was eight. He hadn’t heard from his biological mother since she left. How could that happen? How could a woman leave her child and husband? At least Leanne in her own way had left Annie to protect her. That counted for something, didn’t it?

  “Susan Wyatt,” the woman said, introducing herself. She transferred the chart she held to her left hand to greet them both, shaking first Will’s hand, then Annie’s.

  “I’m Will Sullivan. This is Annie Harris.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m one of the staff orthopedic surgeons. I happened to be in-house checking on a patient, so the E.R. doctor asked me to see Ms. O’Shea.”

  Will nodded.

  “I just reviewed the X-rays. It appears to be a reasonably clean fracture. Since she’s resting comfortably we’re going to schedule surgery for early tomorrow afternoon. We’ll complete her workup, get an anesthesiology evaluation, then have her seen by the respiratory therapist and the physical therapy department. Generally we like to prepare our patients for what they can expect after surgery.” She perused the chart, then looked up at them. “Any questions?”

  “Can I stay in the room with her?” Annie asked.

  “Probably. Unless we run into a problem, she’ll come right back to the orthopedic unit afterward. I don’t know if you’re aware, but there is a surgery family waiting room. They allow two family members to wait there during the surgery. It’s on the first floor near the main lobby.”

  As they spoke with the doctor, Rose’s sister joined them.

  Ellen McAllister looked like Rose’s spitting image, except she had brown hair styled short instead of Rose’s trademark iron-gray topknot. Easily sisters, they shared similar features, including ample waists and bosoms.

  Ellen reached for Annie’s hand as she joined them.

  “Dr. Wyatt, this is Rose’s sister, Mrs. McAllister,” Will said.

  “I overheard your comments on the surgery,” Ellen said. “Is this a hip socket replacement or what?”

  “No,” Dr. Wyatt assured her. “I just reviewed her films with the radiologist. The break wasn’t bad. She’ll have a simple pinning that involves an incision and literally pinning the femur together, then I’ll sew her back up. She’ll have a drain for a few days, and a catheter for the first twenty-four hours. They’ll have her up and walking with a walker by the second day post-op.”

  “Wow. That fast,” Will said on a breath. “When will she come home?”

  “Most patients stay in the hospital five to seven days, depending on their health status before surgery and barring complications.”

  “How long until she’s back to normal?” Ellen asked.

  “That depends on the patient. But if everything goes as smooth as we think it will, I’d say three to six months, and you won’t even remember she had the surgery. She’s in good health and we haven’t found any problems so far.”

  “That’s amazing,” Ellen said.

  “It is, isn’t it?” Dr. Wyatt agreed with a smile. “Are there any more questions?”

  “What do you think caused the break?” Annie asked. “Any chance of osteoporosis?”

  “The CAT scan will tell us more, but I don’t suspect an unusual amount of deterioration. I’ll have her on calcium after surgery to improve her bone density and send her home with a prescription. Hopefully it will prevent any problems in the future.”

  Ellen nodded. “Thank you for taking care of my sister,” she added.

  “My pleasure. You’ll have to check with the admissions office to see what her room number is. You might want to get a cup of coffee or a bite to eat and give the staff a little time to get her settled in.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s later than I thought. The food court is probably closed, but the coffee shop is open. There are signs at the end of the corridor.” As she spoke she pointed.

  “Thanks again,” Will said.

  As the surgeon turned to depart she said, “I don’t have any cards on me, but if you think of any more questions you can have the hospital switchboard page me.”

  It took Ellen two seconds to wrap her arms around Annie for a tight hug. “I have missed you, young lady.”

  Then she turned to Will.

  “And don’t you look handsome,” she said with a cluck of her tongue. “You know those nurses have been eyeing you for the past ten minutes at least.”

  Will released an embarrassed chuckle and changed the subject. “Shall we hit the coffee shop?”

  “More like the ladies’ room,” Annie said.

  “So how are you, Will? Enjoying having Annie back?” Ellen asked, once Annie was out of earshot.

  “You bet. I haven’t had anyone to spar with except Rose for so long, it took me half the day to get back in form.”

  Ellen laughed. She lowered her voice and glanced around. “Don’t tell on me, but I snuck into the X-ray area and saw my sister.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” Will shook his head.

  “She was wailing that she’d gotten herself into a mess on Annie’s first day back.”

  “That’s ridiculous. This sure isn’t her fault.”

  “I reminded her Annie isn’t going to be leaving for any mission trips while Rose is on the mend. That improved her disposition considerably.”

  “Ellen,” Will scolded.

  “Oh, Annie will see right through that. She’s a nurse, remember?”

  Still, Will could easily imagine Rose becoming a drama queen if she thought it would postpone Annie’s departure.

  “By the way, I’ll be staying at the ranch until my sister gets home.”

  �
��Why?” Will didn’t mean the word to sound blunt, but he was surprised. Surely Ellen and Rose weren’t of the opinion he couldn’t fend for himself?

  “Respectability, Will. You can’t be staying alone at the house with a beautiful young woman and no chaperone.”

  “Beautiful young woman?”

  “Annie.”

  Annie?

  He’d thought of her as his buddy for so long. Not quite a sister, but not quite not a sister, either. Beautiful young woman? He shook his head. How had that snuck up on him?

  “Sure. Sure. Okay. Thank you, Ellen.”

  “You’re welcome. The pastor’s wife and I are going to take turns staying at the hospital. We’ll get help from the church ladies. I don’t get up to Tulsa as much as I used to. Good opportunity for us to get caught up on our chitchat and our crocheting at the same time.”

  Will smiled, knowing she wasn’t kidding.

  “Annie will stay at the hospital tonight while I get my things out to the ranch.”

  “Okay,” he answered. Not that he was going to argue with Ellen as she issued orders. She was so much like Rose he found it a little unnerving.

  “I’ve written up a list of things that need to be done around the house,” Rose said from her hospital bed.

  “A list? That isn’t a list. It’s a novel. You wrote a book,” Ellen said, as she combed her sister’s hair and inserted bobby pins into the topknot.

  From across the room, Will stared out the hospital window at the Tulsa night sky. With Ellen’s comment he turned back. When his glance connected with Annie’s, she cleared her throat to suppress a laugh.

  “Will, you help Ellen and don’t be letting Annie do the chores. She’s still on the mend.”

  Annie opened her mouth to protest, but Rose kept talking, wagging a finger at Will, who moved to stand at the foot of her bed with his hat in his hands.

  “Do not let Margaret Reilly near my kitchen,” she huffed. “And I saw her eyeing the furniture in the family room on Sunday. If I come home and find she’s rearranged the house, why I’ll…”

  “Calm down,” Will said. “Where did you get that idea? Margaret isn’t interested in redecorating the house.”

  “Ha. That woman hasn’t learned where her business ends and mine starts.”

  “Rose.”

  “Rose O’Shea,” Ellen scolded.

  “I’m just saying.”

  Will approached the head of the bed. Resting his hands on the metal rail, he leaned over to plant a kiss on Rose’s forehead. “Have I mentioned how lovely you look in that ensemble?” he asked.

  Flustered, Rose paused and glanced down at her pale pink hospital-issue gown. “What?”

  Having distracted her from her tirade Will continued: “Ellen and I will be back tomorrow for your surgery. Until then try to behave yourself.”

  “Behave myself? They’re already starving me. Did you see that sorry excuse of a snack?” She pointed to the untouched cup of red gelatin on her over-the-bed table. “If I had known, I’d have finished off the last of the pot roast before we left home.”

  “You’re lucky you got anything once that IV was started,” Annie said. “And gelatin is a perfectly acceptable snack for someone who is having surgery tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Don’t remind me.” She suddenly became very quiet as Ellen leaned over for a hug.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” Rose glanced at Will and Ellen, who now stood near the door.

  “We’ll be back up here right after the morning chores are done,” Will assured her.

  Rose sniffed loudly, eyes moist.

  “You all right?” Will asked.

  “Oh, get going, before I embarrass myself.” She shooed the air, waving a tissue.

  Ellen grabbed Will’s arm and pulled him out the door.

  After dimming the lights, Annie sat down in the orange vinyl chair next to the bed. Supposedly the chair’s lower half extended, creating a recliner. She assessed the furniture with some doubt. The nurse had brought a pillow and blanket. She’d be fine; after all, she’d slept in much worse conditions and situations the past two years.

  Outside the door the orthopedic unit was quiet, with only the occasional squeaky shoe sound of staff passing by or the beep of a patient call light.

  Rose’s intermittent sniffs and the quiet hum of the IV pump were the only noises inside the room. When Annie reached over to put a tissue box on the bed, Rose took Annie’s hand and turned it over.

  “I want you to have this. In case I don’t make it out of surgery.” She dropped a chain into Annie’s palm.

  Annie unfolded the silver chain gently and held it up to the light. Suspended from the necklace was a delicate silver cross, inlaid with six dark blue stones.

  “This is lovely, but I can’t take your jewelry.”

  “I’ve been meaning to give this to you anyway. It was a present from my momma.” She sniffed again, holding a tissue to her reddened nose. “Now seems like the right time.”

  “Rose. Don’t do this to me. You’re going to be just fine.”

  “Did you read that surgical permit? The only situation it didn’t cover was a tornado.”

  “Yes, I know. Nurses call it C.Y.B.”

  “C.Y.B.?”

  “Cover your buns.”

  Rose laughed, her good spirits returning. “I think they try to scare you to death before they surgerize you, to make sure you’re strong enough to handle the real thing.”

  “There is that,” Annie agreed, chuckling at Rose’s creative vocabulary. “Besides, if they thought you weren’t healthy enough for the procedure they wouldn’t be taking the risk.”

  “Think so?”

  “I’m positive.”

  Rose squeezed Annie’s hand again, smiling. “Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?”

  Annie smiled back. She wasn’t acting like Rose at all. The labile emotions had to be a side effect of the narcotics.

  “Well, I am. Sometimes I forget you aren’t really my daughter. That makes me sad.”

  “Oh, Rose. You are the best mother in the world. If you hadn’t taken me in and treated me like a daughter, I don’t know how I would have gotten by.”

  “The Lord gave you a good head on your shoulders. You’d have been fine.”

  “No, really,” Annie replied, deadpan. “I was going to run away and become a trapeze artist if things didn’t get better.”

  Rose paused and stared at her. She giggled. “That’s a joke, isn’t it? You had me there for a minute.”

  Annie laughed along with Rose.

  “I don’t want you to leave the ranch, Annie. But if you have to, if you really feel that the Lord wants you to leave, I’ll respect your decision.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But have you even considered staying?”

  “Rose.”

  “Is it because of Will?”

  “Rose.”

  “I know you were half in love with him when you left.”

  Annie sighed. Had her feelings for Will been that transparent? She hoped not. One thing she did know was that it was time to be honest with Rose. She deserved as much.

  “Yes, back then I suppose I was half in love with him. But that’s the past. I was a kid.” She moved her finger along the shiny aluminum bedrail. “Today, I certainly don’t know God’s plan for my life, let alone Will’s. Besides, we both know Will says he’ll never marry.”

  “Things change,” Rose said.

  “I doubt that will change, and if it did, I imagine he’d marry someone Margaret has in mind for him.”

  Rose snorted.

  Annie paused, looking Rose up and down. “Do you remember that nasty Susan Lane my freshman year of high school? That was a hard year for me, and it didn’t help that Susan always had an unkind word to say. She always made me feel like an outsider. You told me she was still a sister in the Lord, and I needed to turn the other cheek, every time.”

  “I remember.” The words were a soft response.


  “Well, you were right. Eventually she became a good friend.”

  The room was silent. Finally Rose released a deep sigh.

  “I never thought I’d see the day you’d be reminding me of my own words. I suppose I ought to be ashamed of myself.”

  “No, but maybe you could try being nice to Margaret,” Annie suggested. “I mean besides the fact that it’s the right thing to do, she is Will’s business associate.”

  “But, Annie, there’s so much more going on here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Rose slapped her hand down on the bed. “Oh, fiddle-faddle.”

  “Rose?”

  “I wish Will wasn’t so doggone stubborn. Sometimes the whole situation makes me so mad.” Her weathered hands folded the white hospital cotton blanket back and forth in agitation. She let out a breath. “But I suppose that’s what makes Will Will.”

  “What situation?”

  “Never mind me. I believe you’re right, Annie. We all have to wait on the Lord. Life can seem mighty unfair at times, but He never promised us fair, did He?”

  “No,” Annie answered, still confused at Rose’s outburst. “He promised He’d never leave us.”

  “And that’s the best promise of all.” Rose shifted in the bed, repositioning herself.

  “Does it hurt? Do you want me to call the nurse?”

  “It throbs a little but I’m still riding high on that last shot. Let’s wait a while.”

  “Okay, but let me know. I don’t want you in pain.”

  “I will. Now, you did say you were going to stay until my hip healed, didn’t you?”

  “Rose, I wouldn’t ever leave if you needed me.”

  “That’s what I want to hear. Okay. So tell me about Kenya,” Rose said with a yawn.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “What did you do there? What was it like? The country? The people? The food?”

  “That would take me all night.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Annie smiled. “I worked at a government clinic. The first one I was assigned to near Mombasa was closed down. But the next one the program director sent us to was farther from Nairobi, closer to the refugee camps of Dadaab. We had nursing students from Nairobi with us. Sometimes we were asked to visit the refugee camps to assist with vaccinations. The conditions in those camps were deplorable.”