My Sister's Keeper

Chapter 48

48

A MISTY RAIN WAS FALLING as Ashleigh crossed from the parking garage to the lobby of Duke Medical Center in Durham. A clock high on a wall read 7:39 a.m. Collapsing her umbrella, she stepped to the main information desk where an elderly woman stared at a computer monitor.

"Could you tell me which room David Matthews is in, please?" Ashleigh asked.

Leaning forward, the woman clicked a few keys on her keyboard and squinted at the monitor. "Let's see... Hmm. Is he a patient here?"

"He was in surgery all day yesterday."

"Matthews...Matthews...Okay, here he is. Are you family?"

"Sister."

"Well, he spent the night in Intensive Care, but he's being moved to another room right now and I don't have that number yet. Give me your name and I'll page you when I have it."

"How long is that going to take?"

"I don't know, honey. Usually not more than half an hour. I'll keep checking and will call for you when I get it."

Ashleigh gave the woman her name and stepped into the almost-empty waiting room. Picking up a recent issue of People Magazine, she settled into a padded chair. A TV on the wall above her softly chattered with Good Morning America. During the next fifteen minutes, visitors began lining up for passes and the waiting room filled with spouses, parents, and noisy children. As two women across from Ashleigh exchanged graphic details of their recent hysterectomies, a well-mannered, well-groomed eight-year-old boy sitting next to the women, placed his feet together on the floor, folded his hands in his lap, and stared at Ashleigh. Ashleigh checked the time and turned her attention back to the magazine.

"Look, Mama," the well-manner boy whispered loudly. "It's the woman on TV." Ashleigh felt a change in the mood around her. Looking up, she realized that the entire section was staring at her. On another TV screen across the room she saw her own driver's license photograph.

"Miss Matthews," the receptionist called.

Ashleigh dropped the magazine in the seat next to hers, rose, and marched quickly out the front door slapping her sunglasses on as she left the building. Outside, she raised the umbrella and ran through the light rain toward the parking garage.

AS THE SOFT GRAY LIGHT of a rainy morning filtered into Martha's bedroom, Sydney opened her eyes and gazed into mine. I brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. "Good morning."

She smiled and tucked her face a bit lower into the covers. "Good morning."

"You look beautiful."

"Did we just spend our first night together?"

"Looks that way."

Sydney rose on an elbow. "I don't think I should be here when your mother comes down. Could you run me home?"

"Can I trust you to take my car and not wreck it?"

She smiled sheepishly. "What time do I need to be back?"

"I'll ride with Mom today if you'll promise to bring it back tonight."

She smiled. "Okay."

We kissed and just when things seemed headed toward a repeat of the night before, we heard mother stirring upstairs. Sydney jumped out of bed, dressed, took the keys to my car, and kissed me goodbye.

After she'd gone, the house felt hard and empty. My footsteps echoed off the walls and I became acutely aware of the pain in my swollen ankle as I limped upstairs to check on Mom. Through the door, I could hear her crying and it crushed my heart. I knocked twice, but after hearing no response opened the door ajar and looked in. Mom was seated at a window in her robe with her head down on a table. I pushed the door back and entered.