Desdemona Humphries leads a rather unspectacular life. She's a great daughter, grand-daughter, and aunt. She helps her brother coach little league and helps her sister bake for the school bake sales, in between running a bed and breakfast with her f...
As a note, I used the above song for this chapter and some may think it doesn't fit, but I've never seen it as being just about romantic love. I think it's about anyone who has ever loved you, taken care of you when you needed it, be it family, friends, or lovers, and I think it's perfect to describe the family vibe in this chapter.
Tyler was up to bat in the bottom of the ninth when Desi's phone started ringing. Ordinarily, she'd ignore it, because she took being one of the coaches seriously, even if she was just temporarily filling in, but when she looked at it, she saw that it was Hester calling. She wouldn't be calling now unless it was important. She motioned to Scott and walked back farther into the dugout to answer her call.
"Hey, Hes. What's up?"
"Des, I need you and Scott to meet us at the hospital as soon as the game is over. I mean it. Emily is going to be there to take Ty with her and the rest of the kids. Dad... he was working in the yard and the EMTs think he had a heart attack. Please get here quick, Des."
Desi just stared at the wall of the dugout for a moment, trying to process what her sister was saying, then it hit her. "Ok... as soon as we can, Hes."
She hung up before Hester could answer and hurried back to where Scott was standing. She told him what was going on and the second the game was over, Emily was there and they were heading out to the parking lot after promising her that they'd call as soon as they knew something. Neither of them spoke all the way across town, but they held hands tightly as Scott ran every light that he could get away with. They practically hit a parked car as they careened into the lot, grabbing the first available space. They found Gran and Hes in the emergency waiting room.
"How is he? Have you seen him yet? Has the doctor been out? What's going on?"
Gran wrapped an arm around Desi's shoulders, squeezing her granddaughter into her side. "We don't know anything yet. Now, you come sit down beside me, and we'll hear something soon, ok?"
Desi nodded distractedly, trying not to imagine what could be going on behind those swinging doors.
It seemed like hours later when a nurse came to tell them that the doctor would meet with all of them in a private waiting room. They followed her back, Scott leading the way, then Gran and Hester, and Desi in the back. They all walked into the room to see a distinguished looking older man already waiting for them in scrubs and a white coat. He smiled warmly and shook hands with each of them before motioning for the family to sit.
"Now then, I've examined Mr. Humphries, and he has, in fact, had a heart attack. It was mild, but it's serious nonetheless. He'll need to make some lifestyle changes: cut back on the heavy lifting, eat better, do some physical therapy, things of that nature. He'll also be put on some new medications along with some herbal supplements that have shown to help in this area as well. I have no doubt that this was scary, for him as well as the rest of you, but I want you to look at this as a wake-up call. He can't continue to put stress on his body like he has been, not at his advanced age. It's going to be a big adjustment for everyone, but it needs to happen." He looked at each of them in turn before continuing. "Now, I'm keeping him for a few days for observation, but after that, he'll be free to go home. You can all see him for a few minutes, but then I'd like for him to get some rest."
He shook hands with them all again before leaving them to be escorted by the nurse to their dad's room. Desi had to grab Scott's hand when they walked into his room because she felt the floor tilt at the sight of their dad laying there looking so frail, an oxygen mask over his face and IV's coming from his hands. Her brother gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they walked closer to the bed. Desi watched as Gran leaned over and kissed her son gently on the forehead, crying quietly as she brushed the hair out of his face.
"You scared the life out of me son, and that's not good at my age. How are you feeling?"
Desi watched as her father moved the oxygen mask and smiled wanly before nodding. "I've felt better, but I certainly felt worse earlier." He brought a shaky hand up to wipe the tears from his mother's face. "Don't worry, Ma. I'll be right as rain before you know it. I just need some rest, I think. I've just been pushing myself hard these last few months, what with all the repairs and updates that need to be done."
Desi felt a stab of guilt at his words and had to swallow a sob before it came out of her mouth. He was here because she felt the need to leave. If she hadn't, he wouldn't be in this shape. She took a deep breath before moving to his other side and taking his hand.
"Well, don't worry dad. From now on, I'll be here to take care of everything. All you need to worry about is getting better."
Her dad patted her hand as she ignored the look she was getting from Hester. They stayed for a few more minutes before the nurse told them that they could come back tomorrow. Scott and Gran went to pick up Hester's kids while she and Desi went to get a pizza for dinner. Desi managed to ignore the way her sister was muttering to herself until she smacked the steering wheel hard while they were sitting at a red light.
"You know that dad didn't mean what he said as a guilt trip for you, Des. He's just tired. He knows that you did the right thing by moving to London, and he wouldn't have it be any other way."
Desi shrugged, turning to stare out the passenger side window. "It doesn't matter how he meant it. It's simple. If I had been here, he wouldn't have had the added stress that he's been under." She finally turned to look her straight in the eye. "You're not going to change my mind. I'm staying here, where I belong."
