Between Sisters - Kristin Hannah [135]
“Please, don't . . .”
Claire stared at her sister, so pale now, and shaky. “I don't want you to cry over it.”
Meg stood up so abruptly she banged her shin on the coffee table and swore harshly. “I . . . can't talk about you dying. I can't.” She couldn't get out of the room fast enough.
“But I need you to,” Claire said to the empty room. A headache started behind her eyes again. It had been lurking nearby all day.
She started to lean back into the sofa when the pain hit. She gasped at it, tried to cry out. Her head felt as if it were exploding.
She couldn't move, couldn't breathe. She tried to scream her sister's name.
But the stereo was playing “Thunder Road” and the music swallowed her tiny voice.
Alison, she thought.
Then everything went dark.
Meghann stood by her sister's bed, holding on to the metal bed rails. “Is the medication helping?”
Claire looked small in the hospital bed, delicate, with her pale, pale skin and patchy hair. Her attempt at a smile was heartrending. “Yeah. A grand mal seizure. Welcome to my new world. I guess the good news is I didn't have a heart attack, too. How long will I be here?”
“A few days.”
“It's time to call Mama.”
Meghann flinched. Her mouth trembled traitorously. “Okay.”
“Tell Dad and Ali and the Bluesers they can come down to see me, too. Gina can always make me laugh.”
Meghann heard the defeat in her sister's voice; even worse was the acceptance. She wanted to disagree, to make her sister angry enough to fight, but her voice had abandoned her. She shook her head.
“Yes, Meg,” Claire said with a resolve that surprised Meg. “And now I'm going to go to sleep. I'm tired.”
“It's the meds.”
“Is it?” Claire smiled knowingly. “Good night. And take care of Bobby tonight, okay? Don't cut out on him. He's not as strong as he looks.” Then she closed her eyes.
Meghann reached out. Being careful not to disturb the IV in Claire's arm, she held her hand. “You're going to be okay.” She said it at least a dozen times; every time she expected a response, but one never came. A few minutes later, Bobby walked into the room, looking haggard. His eyes were red and swollen.
“She woke up,” Meghann said gently. “And went back to sleep.”
“Damn it.” He took Claire's hand in his and squeezed it.“Hey, baby. I'm back. I just went for a cup of coffee.” He sighed, said quietly, “She's giving up.”
“I know. She wants me to call everyone. Tell them to come see her. How do we tell Ali this?” Tears stung her eyes as she looked up at Bobby.
“I'll tell her,” Claire said quietly, opening her eyes. She smiled tiredly at her husband. “Bobby,” she breathed, reaching for him. “I love you.”
Meghann couldn't stand there another second. Every breath her sister exhaled seemed to whisper good-bye. “I've got phone calls to make. Bye.” She raced from the room.
Anything was better than standing there, trying to smile when it felt as if someone were ripping her heart apart. Even calling Mama.
It was late now; the night shift was on duty and the hallways were quiet. She went to the bank of pay phones and dialed Mama's number.
Mama herself answered, sounding boozy and loud. “Hello, Frank?”
“It's me, Mama. Meghann.”
“Meggy? I thought you prowled the bars this time of night.”
“Claire's sick.”
“She's on her honeymoon.”
“That was a month ago, Mama. Now she's in the hospital.”
“This better not be one of your stunts, Meggy. Like the time you called me at work 'cause Claire had fallen out of bed and you thought she was paralyzed. I lost forty dollars in tips to find out she was asleep.”
“I was eleven years old when that happened.”
“Still and all.”
“She has a brain tumor, Mama. The radiation treatments didn't work and no one has the guts to operate on her.”
There was a long pause on the other end; then, “Will she be okay?”
“Yes,” Meghann said because she couldn't imagine any other response. Then, very softly, she said, “Maybe not. You should come see her.”
“I've got a Starbase IV event tomorrow at two, and a—”