Cannot Wait to Get to Heaven - Fannie Flagg [67]
“Oh no, you’re not!” he said again, putting his hands on his hips and almost stomping his foot.
Macky looked at him and said calmly, “Now, buddy, if you want to try and stop me, that’s your business, but make no mistake, I am going in.”
The nurse sized up the man standing in front of him. He was older and not as tall as he was, but there was something about the look in Macky’s eye that caused the nurse to suddenly step aside and let him go in. He sensed that this man was not someone he wanted to tangle with.
Macky walked into the room and went over to the bed; when Elner looked up and saw who it was, she was glad to see him. “Hey, Macky!” she said, trying to reach for his hand.
“Hey, yourself,” he said, looking at her with a smile. “How you doing, old gal?”
She laughed. “I’m all hooked up.”
“I can see that,” he said.
“This is a fine mess, isn’t it? How did Linda get here so fast? What time is it anyway? I’m all turned around, I hope I didn’t make you miss work.”
“Don’t worry about it. How do you feel?”
“Oh, fine, except these wasp bites are starting to itch. Are Norma and Linda still here?”
“They’re right outside, waiting to see you.”
“Macky,” she said, looking up at him. “I sure am sorry I fell out of that tree. Is Norma real mad?”
“Nooo, not at all, she’s just glad you are OK. Do you need anything?”
“I need somebody to go over and give Sonny his breakfast and feed my birds; make sure my oven is off.”
“All that’s been taken care of. Ruby and Tot already did it.”
“They did? That’s a relief. By the way, where am I?”
“You’re at the Caraway Hospital in Kansas City.”
“That’s what I figured, but how did I get here?”
“The ambulance picked you up and brought you.”
“An ambulance? I don’t remember being in an ambulance.”
“You were knocked out.”
“I was?”
“Out cold.”
“Did they have the siren going?”
“Sure did.”
“Well, shoot, I had a ride in an ambulance and I missed the whole thing.”
“Are you up to seeing Norma and Linda? They’re having a fit to see you.”
“Oh, sure…And Macky, find out what they did with my robe, will you?”
When Norma and Linda walked into the room, they went over and kissed her, and Aunt Elner said to Linda, “I’m sorry you had to make the trip for nothing.”
“Don’t be silly, I’m just so glad you are all right, we thought you were dead.”
“I thought I was too,” she said. “When I woke up alive, I was as surprised as anybody.”
“Well, I doubt that,” said Norma.
It was around five-thirty by the time the doctor finally had all the results of the tests and came to find Norma and Macky. When they came out into the hall, he explained that so far all they had found were the wasp stings and a few bruises, but everything else looked good. Then Macky asked him, “What the hell happened earlier? Was she in some sort of a coma and just snapped out of it?”
“I really can’t say what happened.”
“Why did you think she was dead?”
“Mr. Warren, all our indications said that she was dead.”
“Well, maybe you should check your indications then, because something was off.”
The doctor shook his head. “Mr. Warren, we just don’t know what went wrong yet, but I promise you, we’ll get to the bottom of it, and as soon as we know, I’ll let you know.”
Norma saw that the doctor seemed genuinely upset and looked absolutely exhausted, and she said, “We’re just happy she’s all right now, and her hip’s not broken.”
“No, no broken bones, but we do need to keep her for a few days and do a few more tests just to make sure she’s OK.”
Norma said, “Whatever you think, Doctor.”
As the doctor walked away, Norma said, “I hope he doesn’t get into any trouble.”
A few minutes later, when Dr. Henson came into Franklin Pixton’s office, he was visibly shaken.
Franklin asked, “What is her present condition?”
“Stable, vital signs all normal, MRI, CAT scan both normal.”
“What happened?”
“She flatlined…. I tried everything.”
Franklin held up his hand to stop him, and pushed the intercom. “Order another complete check on all the OR machines immediately.” He then sat back. “All right, Bob, go