The Second Heart (12 page)

For a moment, Vi looked at her tenderly, as
if she understood just how grateful Meredith felt.

Rob and Amelia were also pleased that their
daughter wouldn’t be left alone. It didn’t make sense for them all
to spend the night, but leaving Vi behind seemed like a good
compromise. Amelia said, “We’ll come back first thing
tomorrow.”

“My surgery’s at eight,” Meredith informed
them.

With a reassuring tone, Rob replied, “Then
we’ll be here at seven. Love you, brat.”

Amelia echoed his sentiments, they both
kissed Meredith, and then they left. Shortly after that, Vi went
away in search of a cafeteria, and Meredith once again found
herself alone. However, she didn’t have much time to collect her
thoughts, because Dr. Sparling returned as promised, carrying a
steaming cup of black coffee in her hand.

“Sorry I can’t offer you any,” she
apologized, nodding toward her cup. “But I hear the chicken broth
here is really quite palatable once you water it down some.”

“Great,” Meredith said unenthusiastically.
She listened politely while Dr. Sparling explained what Meredith
could expect in the morning, and Meredith signed a few papers
consenting to the procedure and acknowledging the risks of surgery.
She remembered going through a similar process when she had to have
her appendix removed.

Dr. Sparling straightened the papers in her
hand and tucked them into Meredith’s medical chart. “Okay, so now
we have some time to kill,” she said, flopping down into the
recliner. “There’s a movie channel. Wanna check it out?”

Meredith thought it was strange that Dr.
Sparling evidently planned to hang out with her in the hospital
room. She wondered why she was so special when the doctors’ grand
plan was to simply cut out the growth and send her on her way.
Meredith decided to try for more information. “Are those reporters
here because of me?”

Dr. Sparling scowled. “Yes. That’s one
radiology tech that’s going to be dusting off his resume, I can
tell you that.”

“One of the reporters told my dad that I’ve
grown an entirely new organ,” Meredith ventured.

Scoffing, Dr. Sparling rolled her eyes and
extended the footrest of the recliner, leaning the seat back. She
frowned. “My God, these things really aren’t that comfortable, are
they?” Then addressing Meredith’s comment, she said, “There’s a
reason why radiology techs aren’t allowed to tell the patient what
they see; they don’t really know what they’re looking at. The
reporter who told your dad that was misinformed.” She chuckled and
continued, “Honestly, it’s quite entertaining to see how gullible
the press can be.”

Meredith smiled, but pressed on, “Then if
it’s just a growth, then why did a specialist have to come in?”

“That’s a good question. The issue isn’t as
much
what
it is as
where
it is. Dr. Wells happens to
be an expert on that particular portion of your endocrine system.
We want to remove the growth without damaging any of the other
organs.”

Meredith nodded as the door opened. Vi was
back from the cafeteria.

Dr. Sparling looked at Vi in confusion for a
moment. “I thought you all had gone home.”

Vi smiled. “Not me. I’m bunking here for the
night.” She set her container of food down on the rolling tray and
sat in one of the chairs at the foot of the bed.

“I see,” said Dr. Sparling. “Well, I don’t
envy you sleeping in this chair! We were just about to watch a
movie.”

Vi’s eyes met Meredith’s for a moment, and
Meredith shrugged.

Catching the exchange, Dr. Sparling said,
“Like I told you earlier, I’m here to keep the looky-loos at bay,
and I’d rather not set up camp on the floor in the hall. Watching a
movie sounds like more fun.” She took up the remote that was
dangling next to Meredith’s bed and switched the TV on, punching in
the movie channel. The hospital had several movies to choose from,
and they quickly selected one and watched it silently for a
while.

Finally Meredith’s food arrived, and the
orderly arranged it for her on her hospital tray, moving the tray
to be over Meredith’s lap. Meredith laughed, because her bowl of
soup was covered with a silver dome, as if she were dining in a
five-star restaurant.

“Not too shabby, eh?” commented Dr. Sparling,
before returning her attention to the movie.

Meredith made a noncommittal sound and
removed the silver lid. To her surprise, a scrap of paper was
tucked between the soup bowl and the saucer. She tugged on it
gently; the note was small and the writing cramped, but she could
still read it clearly.

Trust no one. Do NOT have the surgery or you WILL
die.

Meredith
tucked the note back under her soup bowl and stole a glance at Dr.
Sparling, who was still watching the television. Then she looked at
Vi, who was similarly engrossed. Was the note a joke?

She slurped a spoonful of her soup as she
considered what to do, her mind racing. She tried to remain calm as
she sorted through the possibilities. If the note was a prank, then
she should ignore it. But if the note was genuine… could she risk
it? Undecided, she said, “Hey, Vi.”

Both Vi and Dr. Sparling looked at her.

Meredith swallowed, trying her best to seem
normal. “You should try my soup. It’s really not bad.” She pushed
the rolling hospital tray toward her friend until it was within
reach.

Vi pulled the tray toward herself hesitantly.
“Okay. Though I’m not exactly on a quest for the perfect chicken
broth, you know.”

In her mind, Meredith willed Vi to find the
note.
Look under the bowl, Vi. Look under the bowl. The bowl Vi,
the bowl.

Vi spooned some of the soup into her mouth
and smiled in mock appreciation. “Mmm, hospital soup. My favorite.”
She started to push the tray back toward Meredith.

Shit.
Frustrated, Meredith tried
another tack. “Hey, Vi, do you want to use my saucer so you don’t
have to eat off of that flimsy Styrofoam?”

Vi gave her an odd look. Thankfully, Dr.
Sparling had turned her attention back to the movie, which had
reached a climactic scene, and didn’t notice. Meredith widened her
eyes and looked pointedly down at the bowl and saucer and then over
at Dr. Sparling. Vi picked up on her vibe and said, “That would be
great, thanks.” She pulled the rolling tray table back toward
herself and picked up the soup bowl. Spying the note, Vi quickly
hid it under her thumb as she took the saucer and replaced the soup
bowl onto the tray.

Meredith watched Vi’s face closely as her
friend made a show of spooning her food out of the Styrofoam
container and onto her plate. She could tell the moment that Vi had
read the note; Vi’s face paled and her eyes darted over to Dr.
Sparling and then to Meredith.

Vi took her cell phone out of her pocket and
typed in a quick message, hitting send.

Meredith waited for her phone to notify her
of Vi’s text, but nothing happened. She picked up her phone to make
sure it wasn’t set to silent, and her lips pursed as she saw she
had no cellular signal. Casually, she said, “Hey Vi, do you have
service? ‘Cause I don’t.”

“Oh,” Vi said, deflated. She looked at her
phone and added, “I don’t have a signal either.”

Dr. Sparling chimed in. “Yeah, cell service
in the hospital is horrible. That’s why all the docs carry pagers
instead.” As she said it, she tapped the pager that she wore
clipped to her breast pocket. She paused for a moment, and then
asked with a chuckle, “Have you two seen this movie before or
something? You’re mighty distracted.”

Meredith shrugged. “You know us young’uns,
Dr. Sparling. We need constant stimulation.”

Satisfied, Dr. Sparling returned her
attention to the TV.

Meredith glanced at her watch. Seven-thirty.
Still too early to claim to be tired and ready to sleep. They would
simply have to wait. Her soup remained untouched as Meredith did
her best to watch the rest of the movie. It was difficult to worry
about whether the on-screen couple would end up together when she
had her own situation to consider.

If the note was a prank, she knew she was
going to feel like an idiot. However, she found it extremely odd
that Dr. Sparling seemed glued to her side, so it would follow that
the doctor likely knew something she didn’t. That, combined with
the evident interest of the local news community, made her entire
situation seem fishy. Her gut told her that the note was genuine,
but who was it from?

As the ending credits of the movie were
rolling up the screen, the door to the hospital room opened once
again. Dr. Wells stepped in, the surprise evident on her face at
Dr. Sparling’s presence. “Dr. Sparling! I just sent the nurse to
call you.” She turned to Meredith and said, “I have just been
informed that there is a gentleman over at Phoenix Mercy that has
your same condition. He also needs to be treated as soon as
possible. Therefore, we need to perform your procedure
tonight.”

Meredith balked. “But my parents aren’t
here.”

Dr. Wells suppressed an eye roll. “Then I
suggest you call them.” She looked with a sharp eye down at
Meredith’s soup, which still hadn’t been cleared away. “How much of
that have you had?” she demanded.

Meredith responded that she’d only had a
spoonful or two, annoyed at Dr. Well’s brusque manner.

“Well, don’t have any more of it. We will
begin in about forty minutes.” She left as abruptly as she had come
in, and for a few minutes they all stared at the empty doorway.

Dr. Sparling spoke up, infusing her trademark
cheerfulness into her voice. “Well, isn’t that lucky? That means
you’ll get to go home that much sooner!”

Meredith forced a smile, the thought of the
warning note pressing on her mind. Judging by her face, Vi’s
thoughts appeared to be running along a similar vein.

Dr. Sparling reached over to one of the side
tables and picked up the hospital phone. It was an old style
punch-button phone with a curly cord leading to the handset. She
handed the phone to Meredith with the suggestion that she call her
parents back to the hospital.

The Carpenters’ home phone rang eight times
before Meredith hung up in frustration. She tried both her parents’
cell phones as well, without luck.

After she set the phone back down on the
cradle for the last time, Meredith felt like crying. She wished she
could talk to her parents and have them help her decide what to do.
She took a long, deep breath to calm her nerves, and then in a cool
voice said, “Dr. Sparling, would you mind giving us some
privacy?”

Dr. Sparling immediately sprang out of the
recliner while exclaiming, “Of course! I seem to have overstayed my
welcome, eh? I’ll be just outside, though, if you need anything.”
She made her way around the bed and to the door. Just before she
left, she added, “We’ll probably be back to get you in around ten
or fifteen minutes to prep you for the surgery.”

Once they were alone, Meredith and Vi waited
silently for a moment to ensure they wouldn’t be overheard. Then Vi
moved to the recliner chair and leaned toward Meredith, speaking in
a whisper. “What do you want to do?” she asked.

Meredith responded in a low voice, “I believe
whoever wrote that note.”

Vi nodded. “Me, too. You should have seen the
reporters downstairs, Mere. They
knew
they had something
good. How are you feeling?”

Meredith considered. She hadn’t had a dose of
morphine for several hours, but the pain in her belly was nowhere
near what it had been. “Okay,” she said. “Do you think they would
just let me leave?”

Vi scoffed quietly. “I doubt it. And if we
ask for permission, they’ll know to keep a close eye on us. I think
we should just sneak out.”

Meredith agreed, and they quickly made a
plan. Vi stuffed the clear plastic bag of Meredith’s belongings
into her purse and exited the room, turning down the hallway toward
the elevators, which were just past the nurse’s station. Meredith
yanked her IV out and then waited a few moments before following in
her bare feet. As they had expected, Dr. Sparling was at the
nurse’s station, and she raised her eyebrows when Meredith came
down the hall, still wearing her hospital gown.

“Do you need something, Meredith?” the doctor
asked.

“I’ve been in that bed all day, and I figured
that after the surgery I will be lying down a bunch, too. I just
wanted to stretch my legs a bit while I still can.” Meredith was a
terrible liar, and she hoped that she wouldn’t give herself away.
She boldly made eye contact with Dr. Sparling, and then wondered if
she was making too much eye contact. She glanced down the hallway
where she knew Vi had gone.

“Your friend came down here a second ago,”
Dr. Sparling observed.

Meredith nodded. “She smokes, so she was
going to go down to have a cig.”

Dr. Sparling frowned. “There’s no smoking
allowed on hospital grounds.”

Meredith shrugged. Then she asked, “Does this
hallway loop back around?”

“I don’t think you should be taking a walk
right now. We’re going to take you back for your procedure any
minute.”

“Just a short one, I promise,” Meredith
pleaded.

Dr. Sparling huffed. “Five minutes then. If
you take this hallway all the way down, you pass the elevators and
then turn right. Keep turning right and then you’ll end up back
here.”

Meredith smiled. “Great! It’ll make me feel
so much better.” She continued down the hallway toward the
elevators, and was frustrated to discover that they were in plain
view of the nurses’ station. A quick glance back showed her that
Dr. Sparling was watching. She sauntered past the elevators
casually, while her eyes darted around looking for the
stairwell.

She turned right down the hallway Dr.
Sparling had indicated and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a
door with a picture of a stairway on it. It was a heavy gray door
that made a clanking sound as she pulled on the handle, and she
held her breath. She opened it just wide enough to fit her body and
was about to step through when she heard a male voice call her
name. She glanced back and saw that it was the handsome nurse who
had been taking care of her.