Folly Beach - Dorothea Benton Frank [115]
“No way,” I said, feeling stupid and guilty about not rushing her to Aunt Daisy’s side. “You’re right. Let’s get you downtown. It would actually be better to walk later on when it’s warmer anyway.”
“Yeah,” Patti said. “It’s awfully foggy and damp and this morning my throat was a little scratchy. Probably better to wait.”
“You girls haven’t changed a bit,” Ella said, pouring liquid dishwasher soap into its little compartment. “Always in cahoots with each other.” She closed the door and turned it on.
“What kinda cahoots?” Patti said.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t know what she means.”
“I’ll get my coat,” Ella said.
“Anyway, it’s a waste of gas to take two cars,” I said. “Russ will bring you home whenever you want him to.”
“Why? Where are you going?” Ella said.
“John is taking Patti and me out to dinner tonight.”
“Oh! Patti, wait ’til you lay eyes on this man. He’s a hunk.”
“A hunk, huh?” Patti said and laughed.
When we were in the car, moving down the highway that was indeed like a bowl of pea soup, I remembered to ask if Ella needed help with the bills and so on.
“Ella? Would you like me to spend some time going through the bills and see if anything’s due? Check on tenants?”
“Oh, no, honey! I’ve got that all under control. Don’t worry. But you’re sweet to ask. I’ll let you know if I need something.”
“Okay,” I said.
Well, that’s good. Maybe they were more organized than I thought.
When we arrived at the Medical University, Patti got out of the car, too.
“Know what?” she said. “I’m just gonna run up there really fast to see how she did last night and I’ll be right back.”
“I can park and come up with you if you want,” I said.
“Nah, you look like who did it and ran. I’ll be two seconds!”
“Oh thanks!”
“Truth hurts!” she said and stuck her tongue out at me.
I lowered my window and called out, “How old are you?”
She turned to me laughing and slapped her backside, which was sister-code language inviting me to kiss it. I gave her the one-finger salute and hoped that Ella had not seen us. We were still not too old to catch the devil from her.
I looked in the rearview mirror and then the one on the visor. She was right. I looked like I hadn’t slept in days. Gosh, what a whirlwind it had been since I arrived here. First, a car wreck that throws a new man into my life, next I find out I’m going to be a grandmother, then John wants me to write a play, and I turn around to put Aunt Daisy in the hospital! Surely things would settle down now. What else could happen?
I listened to Walter Edgar’s Journal on National Public Radio while I waited. I swear, if that man could bottle his voice he could make zillions but I suspected that was why he had his own radio program for so many years. He was so nice to listen to.
Soon Patti was back in the car.
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s awake. They took out the breathing tube and now she’s got this thing on her finger, like a clamp. It measures her oxygen in her blood. She’s very hoarse and oh, did I mention that she’s pissed?”
“I’ll bet she is.”
“She wants ice cream and popsicles, and two vodka martinis, vodka because they can’t smell it on her breath and we’re to sneak it in to her in a thermos. And oh, if she doesn’t get what she wants, she’s getting out of that bed and walking home if she has to.”
“God, she must be feeling better. And what else?”
“The doctor wasn’t around but the nurse, that nice one from yesterday? She said Aunt Daisy is in for at least one more night. Her fever’s down so she’s responding to the antibiotic. They just want to be sure she’s entirely out of the woods.”
“Good. Was she happy to see you?”
“She wanted to know if I was here to claim my inheritance.”
“Only Aunt Daisy would ask such an outrageous thing.”
“And she wanted to know where the hell you were. Her words. I told her I just ran up to make sure she had a pulse.”
“Nice one.”
“She said to tell you that if you expect