Chapter 7 - THE MEDICAL CRISIS
The following morning,
the autumn chill deepened,
wrapping Concord in a blanket of crisp white frost.
Inside Aunt Clare’s kitchen,
we were sipping hot coffee when my phone buzzed again.
This time,
it wasn't Ethan.
It was his father,
Arthur,
calling from Massachusetts General Hospital.
I answered with immediate apprehension.
“Norah? Oh,
thank goodness someone answered,
” Arthur’s voice trembled over the line,
punctuated by the sterile beep of hospital monitors in the background.
“Arthur? What happened? Where is Ethan?” “Ethan missed my neurology appointment yesterday,
” Arthur explained,
coughing weakly.
“I tried to drive myself because I didn't want to bother anyone,
but I got disoriented on the highway,
had a minor blackout,
and ended up in the emergency room.
” My heart leaped into my throat.
“Are you alright? What did the doctors say?” “I’m bruised up,
and they want to keep me overnight for observation,
” Arthur sighed heavily.
“When I called Ethan this morning,
he sounded like a madman—he said he went to Madison’s apartment last night,
found out she was heartless,
and completely lost his mind.
He hasn't slept in forty-eight hours,
Norah.
The whole family is falling apart at the seams.
” I closed my eyes,
feeling a profound wave of sadness for the old man,
but absolute resolve for myself.
“I’m calling Rebecca right now,
” I said firmly.
“She’ll coordinate with the hospital staff.
Hang in there,
Arthur.
” I hung up and immediately dialed Rebecca,
Lily’s biological mother,
who lived just twenty minutes away in Cambridge.
Rebecca was a brilliant corporate attorney,
sharp,
fiercely protective,
and utterly no-nonsense.
When I explained Arthur’s hospitalization and Ethan’s catastrophic collapse,
Rebecca didn't hesitate for a single second.
“I’ve got the hospital on speed dial anyway,
” Rebecca said coolly.
“I’ll drive over,
get Arthur discharged into my care,
and handle the administrative nightmare.
You stay right where you are in Concord,
Norah.
Focus on that baby.
” “Thank you,
Rebecca,
” I breathed,
tears pricking my eyes.
“Don’t mention it,
” Rebecca replied with a dry chuckle.
“Ethan built a house of cards,
May you like
and now he’s learning what happens when the wind blows.
”
