Part 9 (2/2)
”Is she okay?”
”I don't know. The doctors think it's pneumonia. They're taking X-rays. Listen, let me talk to Vinny.” ”He's not here. It's his week to take Nana to church.” ”s.h.i.+t, that's right, it's Sunday.” ”What do you need, Nick?”
”Mona, have Vin go to my place and pack clothes for me, maybe enough for two or three days. Oh, and tell him to get my cell phone charger. It's on my desk in the study. He's got the key.”
”Okay.”
”And go to the store and get whatever I'll need for Lee. There's nothing but batteries in her refrigerator, so I need you to do major shopping. You know, get everything I need to make chicken soup and buy the basics so I can throw together quick dinners for myself. I need stuff for her fever, a thermometer, juice-whatever, and bring it to her place. I should have her home in a couple hours.”
”You're going to take care of her?”
Nick scrubbed his hand over his face. ”I can't leave her by herself, can I?”
”No, but you could call her family. Let them take care of her.”
No way. He'd heard how that mother of hers spoke to her. Rosalie didn't need to deal with that nudje when she was sick as a dog. ”Look, Mona, it's not a big deal.”
”I never thought I'd see the day when Nick Romeo would care for anyone other than himself.”
”Hey, I care for people. Look at you and Vin.”
”You have to care for us. We're family.”
”I wouldn't be so sure about that.”
”Don't try to pull that c.r.a.p on me, Nicky.”
”Mona, just get the stuff I need, will you?”
”Okay, I'll be there in a few hours.”
He gave her Rosalie's address and hung up before she could start again.
Rosalie wanted to go home. She'd never been in a hospital before in her life, except for when she was born, and she didn't want to start hanging out in one now. She pulled the oxygen mask off her face to tell the nurse putting a clothespin-type thingy on her finger that she was leaving.
”Oh, no, you don't.” He said in a Mike Tyson voice.
Leaving wouldn't be easy. Nurse Gus not only sounded like Mike Tyson; he was built like him, too. Rosalie didn't have the strength to fight him.
”You need the oxygen,” he said as he repositioned the mask on her face.
”I need my clothes.”
”We're going to take a little trip to Radiology for a few chest shots.” He released a brake and rolled the bed through the curtained area. Rosalie moved her hand to hold the side-rail, and it hurt like a son of a b.i.t.c.h. Oh, my G.o.d! There was a tube stuck in the top of her hand. She'd forgotten about that.
Rosalie hadn't forgotten that Nick had brought her there. Where was he? ”Nick?”
The nurse patted her arm but kept rolling her down the hall. ”Don't worry; your man's still here. He's pacing the waiting room. He hasn't stopped barraging us with questions, not that we're complaining. He's a cutie.”
Rosalie shot the nurse a you-haven't-got-a-s...o...b..ll's-chance-in-h.e.l.l look.
”Girl, jus' 'cause the store's closed don't mean I can't window-shop.”
By the time she got back to the ER, Rosalie was ready for a nap. Who knew X-rays were so draining? Maybe it wasn't the X-rays. Maybe it was all that moving around while trying to keep her b.u.t.t covered. Nurse Gus parked her bed in the little cubicle where the doctor was talking to Nick. Dr. Deena Jansen was your usual nightmare- tall, thin, blonde, and gorgeous, with the best b.o.o.bs money can buy. Did doctors give each other discounts? She could see it now... ”I'll trade you a b.o.o.b job for an appendectomy and a tonsillectomy.” ”Hey, that's no fair...” ”I'll trade you a b.o.o.b job for an appendectomy and a tonsillectomy.” ”Hey, that's no fair...”
”What do you mean? You got two b.o.o.bs. It's twice the work.”
The doctor's husky voice drew Rosalie from her mental meanderings.
”We gave her a heavy antibiotic in her IV, so she doesn't need to start this...” she handed Nick a prescription, ”... until tomorrow morning. We've also given her IV steroids, so start these...” another prescription changed hands ”... first thing in the morning as well, six for the first three days, then decrease to five for three days, and so on. The breathing treatments are every four hours around-the-clock, but if she's asleep and not having trouble breathing, don't wake her.”
Nick folded the pile of prescriptions and placed them in his wallet. ”Thanks, doc.”
They were talking about her as if she wasn't there. Like she was in a coma or something.
”Who gave you permission to talk to Nick about my condition?” Rosalie meant to sound forceful, but even to her own ears, she sounded weak.
Nick and the doctor, who looked curiously like a Barbie doll, turned and stared at her. The doctor gave Rosalie one of those condescending smiles they must practice in med school and patted her hand. ”You did, Ms. Ronaldi.”
The nurse put the sides of the bed down and giggled.
Rosalie had never seen a 250-pound man giggle, but Nurse Gus did. It wasn't pretty.
”Well, that doesn't mean I want you talking about me as if I'm not here.”
Nick reached for her hand, which she moved before he could catch it. Rosalie folded her arms, forgetting the darn IV. s.h.i.+t, that hurt! It tugged on the blasted tape holding the IV in place. Ow!
Nick patted her shoulder. What the h.e.l.l did she look like? A freaking dog?
”I'm going home.”
The doctor looked at Nick, and Nick nodded. Then Dr. Barbie cleared her throat. ”I'm releasing you, but only because your fiance said you'd get around-the-clock care. Frankly, I'd rather admit you, but he insisted that you'd refuse to stay.”
Fiance? Nick smiled and squeezed Rosalie's shoulder... then he added a wink for good measure. Rosalie bit the side of her cheek. Jeez, she was sick, not stupid. She got it.
”Fine. Nick's right. I wouldn't stay. So tell me what's wrong with me, what I need to do, and let me out of here.”
Nurse Gus started futzing with the IV and then pulled the tape off. Ow! The next thing she knew, he was pulling a needle the size of a coffee stirrer out of her hand.
The doctor tore a sheet off the top of her chart. ”You, Ms. Ronaldi, have pneumonia. Here are the instructions I gave your fiance. He's already arranged to have the nebulizer delivered.” She laid the instructions on the bed.
”Nebulizer?”
Nick patted Rosalie's shoulder again. ”Don't worry, honey, I took care of it. Let's get you home.”
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