Holding the Net by Melanie P. Merriman

Author:Melanie P. Merriman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Green Writers Press
Published: 2017-03-16T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

I WAS IN PHOENIX PACKING UP to head back to Miami at the end of a business trip when my cell phone rang, and I saw Barbara’s name on the screen. Uh oh, I thought. We were scheduled to talk the next day about my trip to New Bern to take over as local family caregiver while she went on vacation. This unplanned call could only mean bad news.

“We’re at the hospital.” Barbara’s voice broke. “Mom had a bad fall last night, a really bad fall. Dena found her on the floor this morning, and the bed was still made from the day before.”

“What happened?” This was my worst nightmare—Mom stranded on the floor for hours without help.

“I don’t know. She’s really confused. Dena found her naked. Her nightgown was in a heap beside her, and had pee and poop on it. When I got there, Dena was washing her up. We put on her clothes, and I brought her here to the ER.”

“Jesus! Is she hurt? Did she have a stroke?”

“Look, I don’t know. She’s shaky. She couldn’t walk by herself, even with her walker. She has some bruises on her left arm, shoulder and hip, and her left eye is swollen shut. That’s all I can see. They’re doing some tests.”

I decided to cancel my morning meeting, change my ticket, and go straight to New Bern.

“Barb, I think I should come right away.”

“No, we won’t know anything more for a few hours. You can call me this afternoon when you get back to Miami.”

“I don’t know. It sounds really serious, and you seem pretty upset.”

“I was afraid something would happen to ruin my trip,” she sobbed. “I’m furious at her, and at myself. Why didn’t I just insist on getting someone to come in at bedtime?”

“Look,” I said, “This is not your fault. We’ll figure it out. You will have your vacation.”

I felt sick. As soon as I hung up, I got a cold washcloth from the bathroom and put it on the back of my neck. Despite what I told Barbara, I was sure this was our fault.

I broke the rules, and kept my cell phone on for the entire flight to Miami. A few minutes before we landed, I got an email from Barbara with more details.

What I found most frightening was Mom’s confusion. She told Barbara she had been sleeping on the floor on purpose, because she was babysitting a pet bird for the people next door and didn’t want to sleep in their bed. It must have been a weird dream, but she relayed it as if it were fact. She didn’t remember falling.

I got off the plane, grabbed a seat in the gate area, and dialed Barbara’s number. She was still at the hospital. Mom had been admitted for observation and monitoring.

“I had the night help set up for two days from now,” Barbara moaned. “If only I had done it sooner.”

“Stop beating yourself up,” I said, as I mentally flayed myself. “We agreed not to force her.

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