Roadblocks

Chapter 1: Silke“I wish I were dead.” Uh, oh. Silke Williams stepped through the doorway just in time to see Kayla throw her hairbrush down, knocking over the plastic water pitcher on her bedside table. Water and ice cubes cascaded over the sheets and into Kayla’s lap. “Goddamn it!” Kayla McKnight burst into angry tears. “Is anything ever going to go right again?” She tried to wipe her eyes and caught her IV tubing on the siderail, and burst into a new barrage of tears. Since Kayla apparently hadn’t noticed her, Silke tiptoed back out and softly closed the door behind her. A plastic cart whirred by, sporting an assortment of colorful tubes as well as a laptop. The phlebotomist pushing it nodded at Silke before disappearing into the room across from Kayla’s and Silke almost envied her. While the person whose blood was about to be drawn wouldn’t be super-welcoming either, at least the phlebotomist had a mission, and once she’d accomplished that she could leave. There was a window at the end of the hall and Silke walked towards it. Squeak, squeak, squeak. A harried looking nurse passed her without a glance, her rubber-soled sneakers speaking of years of controlled haste and resigned determination. “Can I help you?” A tiny grey-haired lady with kind eyes stopped next to Silke. “No, um, no, thanks, ma’am.” Suddenly embarrassed, Silke turned and strode purposefully back to 217. So what if Lauren wasn’t in there? The girl in that bed was Lauren’s daughter and if she and Lauren were ever going to make it as a couple, Silke needed to step it up. Taking a deep breath, she rapped her knuckles against the door and entered shortly after. “It’s about damn time. It would serve you right if I peed all over the bed.” “Well, hello to you, too.” “What are you staring at?” Kayla scowled at her and Silke immediately felt like an intruder. “Nothing,” she lied, still shocked by the angry red line across Kayla’s forehead that the bandage no longer covered. It was surrounded by a greenish-blue bruise that reached all the way up to the hairline. With no bangs, as Kayla wore her mass of brown curls long and parted in the middle, it was displayed in all its non-glorious splendor. Lying there in that hospital bed, Kayla looked older than eighteen and more like Lauren than she usually did, and Silke couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. “How are you doing today?” “My mom’s not here.” The girl glared at her. “She went to the cafeteria. Do you think you could make yourself useful and find my nurse?” “Um, sure. What does she look like?” “I don’t know. I’ve had about a million different people invading my privacy over the past week. Look for someone in blue scrubs standing around talking about her date last night and ignoring my call light. That’s probably her.” “Ha ha. Very funny.” Appreciating Kayla’s attempt at sarcasm, however feeble, Silke gave her a crooked grin. “What do you need anyway? Maybe I can get it.” Niceness didn’t cut it any more than sympathy had, judging from the look on Kayla’s face. “Forget it. I’m fine.” She sniffed and straightened her shoulders, but instead of making her look grown up and dignified, as she no doubt intended, it only made her look more pitiful than ever. But then, nobody was at her best in a hospital gown and with hair that hadn’t been washed in a long time. Silke suddenly realized how she must look to Kayla, dressed as she was in jeans with purposely-faded creases, and the new mauve colored top that hugged her chest, nicely showing off her cleavage. Add to that the medium-heel ankle booties and the purse she’d bought at a market in Italy a couple of years ago and it was no wonder the girl resented her. Heck, she would, too, if their roles were reversed and Silke was the one banged up in the accident. “Why don’t you go find my mom? She’s been gone forever. Probably ran into someone she used to work with, or the grateful parents of some baby she saved. In the meantime, I’m starving up here. I refuse to eat another spoonful of tasteless chicken broth or lime Jell-O.” “Why don’t I run down to the cafeteria then and get you a burger or something?” Kayla grinned and Silke could tell that she was up to something, especially when she reverted to a sweet cajoling voice that probably worked on most people, including her mother. “Thank you for offering, Silke. That’s very nice of you. I would dearly love a grilled cheese sandwich, if you don’t mind. And maybe a sweet tea? I’m sure my mom’ll be happy to reimburse you for anything you pick up.” “Don’t worry about it,” Silke replied automatically and almost left then. But the expression on Kayla’s face was just a tad too smug. Nope, girl, you’re not rid of me quite yet. And you’re not getting me in trouble either. Silke narrowed her eyes at Kayla, but the girl wasn’t looking, scrolling through something on her phone instead. So Silke pulled out her own and texted Lauren. Sure enough, while Kayla’s eating had been upgraded to a soft diet, the grilled cheese was a no-go. “No sandwich for you. Sorry.” Silke settled herself into a chair. “What’s with the fidgeting?” “For your information, even though I’ve been hooked up to enough machines to look like a robot for the past week, some parts of me are still human. I suppose I should be thankful my kidneys are working, but since no one has answered my call light for about an hour and I’m about to wet the bed, do you think you could track down a nurse or aide to help like I asked you earlier? I need someone who knows what they’re doing.” “Oh, please. You can walk, can’t you?” Silke stood up again and grabbed the IV pole. “Now, if you just lean on me…Come on! I’m stronger than I look.” “No. Just ‘cause you putz around labs doesn’t make you a nurse. My leg bone was shattered and I’m going to need months of rehab so no, I can’t walk, and thanks for reminding me. I need people who know what they’re doing or I could fall and mess myself up even more. Would you just find me a nurse, for God’s sake?” Indignantly she pulled her IV pole away from Silke, using more force than she needed, and promptly banged it against the bed. “Damn it.” She must have jarred her broken leg because tears sprung to her eyes anew and she swiped at them with the heel of her hand. Just then Lauren walked in. “What’s going on here?” Without so much as a hello to Silke, she set down a loaded food tray and hurried to Kayla’s side. “I need to go to the bathroom and nobody will help me,” Kayla sobbed theatrically, even as Lauren was already efficiently arranging things. Silke made as if to help, too, but Lauren shook her head. She had no problem getting Kayla up singlehandedly, holding her gown closed with one hand as it supported her around the waist, and pushing the IV pole with the other. “You’re almost there, honey. You’re doing much better. I’m so proud of you.” The bathroom door closed behind Kayla and Silke got up wanting to hug Lauren, but Lauren never came over, hovering where she was until Kayla was ready to be helped back. “Thanks, Mom. What did you bring me? I’m starved.” Pronouncing it whad’ja like a toddler would, Kayla settled herself against the pillows as Lauren raised the head of the bed and slid the bedside table in front of her. “An omelet and grits, yum. And sweet tea? You’re the best.” Kayla gave Silke a triumphant look and dug in. “She sure is,” Silke agreed, warmth suffusing her. Sure, it had been a while, but those last few nights before Craig and Kayla came home really had been something. Her gaze met Lauren’s, and from the matching flush that crept onto Lauren’s face, Silke could tell that Lauren hadn’t forgotten either. Oops. Seeing Kayla’s smirk turn into a look of confusion, Silke hastily erased all such thoughts from her head, striving for a neutral expression. “I’m glad you’re eating. Must mean you’re feeling a little better.” Lauren had probably noticed Kayla’s reaction as well, because she unnecessarily busied herself, pulling containers out of a bag and arranging and rearranging them, all the while chattering away. “I got us some food, too, in case you’re hungry, Silke. I thought we could all eat together before Kayla’s therapy.” She pulled two chairs closer to Kayla’s bed and they sat down, awkwardly balancing Styrofoam plates on their legs. Their knees touched and Silke quickly looked away, lest she show anything on her face again. Grasping at a distraction, she opened her packet of plastic utensils. “Yes, I know,” Silke stammered when she saw Kayla raise her eyebrows at the brown splotches all over her fingers. “They’re sticky, too. I stopped at this Christmas tree place on the way over, Papa Noel or something. They gave me a whole bunch of cuttings and didn’t even charge me. The Mercedes smells like a forest.” “Christmas?” Kayla shoved her unfinished food aside, clenching her fists. “Nice that life goes on for you while I’m still stuck in this hospital bed. Should be a great holiday this year. Can’t do s**t for myself, and Dad…” She swallowed hard and then her face crumbled. “Oh, honey.” Lauren put her plate on the nightstand and wrapped her arms around Kayla. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie. We’ll get through this.” “How can you think about Christmas?” Kayla wailed inconsolably. “Nothing will ever be the same again. Nothing.”