Drama Momma (Surprisingly Perfect Sequel)

The Note

The Uber dropped me off at the emergency room entrance of the hospital. I opened the door before the car was even stopped and ran in. I cut right in front of the lady who was trying to check in at the front counter.

"Excuse me! I need to see my mom. She got hurt and she's in this wing somewhere!" I said to the surprised nurse behind the plexiglass.

"Miss, you have to get in line," she said.

"What? Hell no. I'm not checking in. I just need to know where my mom is!" I said.

"Well I can't even help you. You need to go to the other counter if you want to visit someone," she said, pointing to the nurse at the counter behind her.

"Hey, have a little compassion. She's just a kid," said the other nurse. She turned around to me and smiled. "Come over here, sweetheart."

"Great. Thanks. I'm glad that some people around here are actually nice," I said, looking the nasty nurse dead in the eyes before walking away to the other side of the counter.

"What's your mom's name, honey?" the nice nurse asked.

"Jennifer Everston," I said.

The nurse typed a few things into her computer and said, "Okay, so you see that hallway behind you? Take that all the way down and then take a left. Once you reach the end of that next hallway, the examination room she's in is all the way at the very end on the right."

"Perfect. Thanks!" I said, turning around and walking as fast as my pregnant-girl legs would go.

I tried not to get freaked out by the sterile smell, or the lights that were too bright, or the walls that were painted a stark white with a drab, cream-colored trim that said, "hey, this place is horrible! Go back home!"

But everything was a blur. I was just going too fast. How could I not? Mom had never been hurt at work in our whole lives. She'd never been hurt...ever.

I took a left. Almost there. Almost there. Doctors and nurses were passing me by, staring. Probably because I was still in my bright green leggings from my avocado costume, but none of that mattered.

As I got closer, I heard laughing. Mom was laughing. What the hell? I thought she was dying! I stopped dead in my tracks when I was right near the open door of the room so I could listen in.

"Yeah, I haven't had much luck in meeting someone new after losing my wife," said a man's voice. "I think I'm just so hustle, hustle, hustle with work that I never really thought about it much."

"Wow...sounds just like me," Mom said, and they both laughed.

"It takes a special kind of person to do both of our jobs, I think," said the man.

I peeked my head in the doorway and saw a tall guy in a lab coat. He had a head of bright red hair. I saw Mom's face and instantly knew what was going on, then rolled my eyes. Even though my dad wasn't one, she always had a thing for redheads. That's exactly what this doctor was.

"Hey, what are you being so shy for?" Mom asked, instantly locking eyes with me.

I blushed and stepped into the room. I felt like I was, I don't know...interrupting something.

"What happened to you?" I asked, crossing my arms and tapping my foot.

"Forklift accident," she said, giving me a half-smile.

"What were you doing on the forklift? You're a regional manager now. Look at you! You're dressed in a blazer and a skirt!" I said.

"Hang on! I can explain. I was visiting a store and saw that this guy was having trouble getting a bunk of lumber around the back of the building. So I hopped on. I wanted to show everyone how it's done," she said, taking a breath. "Twenty years of driving a forklift all the time and nothing happens, and now that I'm Regional Manager and it's no longer a part of my job, something goes wrong."

"So what happened?" I asked, tapping my foot a little faster.

"I hit a pothole and I tipped over." She shrugged. "Good thing I've had years of training and I knew what to do...but even though I leaned away from the fall, I smacked myself pretty hard against the cage."

"You're her daughter?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah," I said.

He reached out his hand and I shook it. "I'm Doctor Marco."

"His first name is Michael," Mom said, her face getting a little red.

Doctor Marco smiled. "Yes...Doctor Michael Marco. Your mom has a concussion and a broken arm."

"Oh. That's it?" I asked.

"What do you mean, 'that's it?'" Mom asked.

"I dunno. When you called I thought it was something really bad. I thought you cut off your finger with a saw or something!"

Doctor Maco let out a few chuckles before clearing his throat.

"Get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and reduce your time on screens as much as you can. Remember, absolutely no work for two weeks," he said, handing her a piece of paper. "And don't forget it. The last thing you would want to do is re-injure yourself." He gave me a small grin. "Make sure she doesn't overdo it, okay?"

"Yes sir," I said.

I watched as the doctor took a business card out of his pocket. He jotten something down on the back of it with a pen.

"This is my card if you need anything sooner. Your phone number is in your chart, so I'll call you in a week to see how you're doing," he said, handing Mom the business card.

"Oh, thanks. It's much appreciated," Mom said, stuffing the card into her laptop case from work.

"Can I call you a cab or anything? You shouldn't drive for at least twenty-four hours," the doctor said.

"Huh? A cab? Those things are still around?" I asked, giggling up a storm. "I'll get us an Uber, Mom."

Doctor Marco took Mom's hand. He helped her get up slowly.

"How do you feel? Any dizziness?" he asked.

"No. I think I'm all set," Mom said.

"Terrific. Take care now. I'll be in touch," Doctor Marco said, before giving us a little wave and walking out.

I took out my phone so I could get us an Uber back home. We walked down the hall and through the lobby, then out to a bench outside. Mom was wearing her winter coat with her arm only through one sleeve. I reached over and zipped it up for her, since she couldn't.

"Look at this. I feel like I was just taking care of my two little girls, and now you're taking care of me," Mom said. "Did you have fun last night?"

"Yeah. I had the best time with Chase and Destiny and everyone else," I said. My phone buzzed. I could see a car coming. "Uber's here."

"Great. I can't wait to lay down in a place that doesn't smell of rubber gloves and sanitizer!" she said. "Oh, so what did you think of Michael?"

"Who? The doctor?" I sighed. "You and your redheads."

"No, it's not that! He was just...really sweet, too. Not just dreamy," she said.

"I think your concussion is making you loopy. You never talk about a guy who you're not watching on television," I said as the Uber pulled up.

Mom grabbed a hold of the arm of the bench and stood up, then reached for her purse. When she picked it up, something fell out of it. But she didn't realize and was already on her way to the car.

"Hang on, Mom! You dropped something!" I said.

I reached all the way down, which was starting to get hard now that I was so big, and picked up the little piece of paper. It was Doctor Marco's business card. The back of it was what was face-up, so I could see the little note he left on the back for Mom, which was right underneath his personal phone number.

Had a good time chatting with you. Would love to talk again sometime.

-Michael