“Get a gurney to take her back to her room.”
When Debbie and the orderly came back, Robert was slightly rocking her and telling her she was okay and that no one was going to hurt her. He had her head cupped in his hand and nestled to his shoulder. She was out.
Debbie saw a sweet tenderness in his actions. He was always gentle with his patients, but she was surprised by the intensity of his expression—was it a doctor’s caring or something more? Not that she could blame him; she too felt “something more” for Gini. Her tragedy, her courage, her determination—all of that and something deeper, something in her essence drew people to her, even now.
“Dr. Young.”
He put Gini on the bed and gently combed his fingers through her curls, pulling them away from her face over and over. Debbie watched, aware of feeling tears welling up. She couldn’t have said exactly why.
“You take her back, Debbie. I want to stay and talk to Dr. Jeffries.”
When Ric arrived that evening, he was surprised to see Gini in bed, with Dr. Young standing at her side. Ric tried to time his visits so he arrived after dinner. He found it difficult to see Gini being hand-fed like a child. And sometimes the food slid out of her mouth and down her chin. She had always been so classy, with perfect manners, and now she was helpless. He tried as hard as he could to push all of that out of his mind and concentrate on her getting better, but seeing her being awkwardly fed was just too much for him to bear.
“Debbie, what’s going on? Is Gini okay?”
Ric stood at the doorway watching Robert checking Gini’s pulse and listening to her heart.
“She remembered the babies today. It upset her, and we had to sedate her. She’s okay now. We’re watching her closely.”
“The babies? She remembers them dying? Oh, God.”
“We don’t know exactly what she remembers. She just cried out saying ‘no babies.’”
Ric looked back at Gini. Robert put his hand on the side of her face and stood, looking at her. Then he realized Ric was there and walked toward him.
“She’s doing well. She doesn’t seem to be frantic anymore, but we need to watch her, Debbie. I don’t want her getting so upset again.”
“I will. The whole episode was hard on her physically, emotionally, and mentally.”
“Can I go be with her?” Ric asked. Robert nodded.
“Jeffries sees no complication with the hip fracture,” Robert told Debbie as they walked into the living area. “He thinks some massage therapy and extra bending of the leg will work out any stiffness that might be causing her pain.”
“That’s good,” Debbie said. “I know how hard she’s been trying. I don’t want her to have a setback.”
“I think we need to get Maggie involved here so she can talk to Gini about the loss of her babies.”
“I agree.”
After Robert left, Ric came out of the bedroom. He was concerned about Gini’s reaction and wanted to know what he should do. Debbie said the best thing was to let Gini work through it. Maggie, the team’s psychologist, was to meet with Gini the next morning.
“Debbie, is Dr. Young married?”
“Oh, heavens no! Why?”
“I don’t know, he never talks about his personal life, so I just wanted to know if he was married and had a family.”
“No, neither. He has lots of friends, including women. I guess he’s probably dated, but he loves his job and devotes his time to his patients and the hospital. I’ve never heard him say anything about wanting a family. I guess he’ll always be a bachelor.”
“And, you, Debbie, what about you? Obviously, you don’t have kids or you wouldn’t be living here. You want a family?”
“I guess you’ve figured out Lisa and I have an on-again, off-again relationship. We’ve been living together for a while now. I’m not sure if she knows if she wants to be with women or men for sure, but it doesn’t really matter to me; she and I will be forever friends either way. And, yes, I have thought about being a mother.” She smiled. “Someday. Can you see me as a mother?”
He smiled mischievously. “A strict one.”
“You see me as harsh?”
“At first I thought you a bit gruff. But now I see that’s a big facade to hide that huge heart of yours.”
“Oh, Ric, now don’t go trying to butter me up.”
“I know you don’t approve of me.”
“What? That’s not true. I’ll admit at first you were too polished. But you love Gini, and that’s what’s important to her and me. I approve, Ric, I do.”
“Good.” He winked. “I’m glad you can now see the unpolished real Ric Santini. I’ll be here before lunch tomorrow if that’s okay. I’m flying down to Florida in the afternoon for a few days.”
Maggie arrived about ten o’clock the next morning. The three of them were sitting at the table.
“Gini, my name is Dr. Maggie Kramer, but you can call me Maggie. I’ve come to talk to you. We can talk about anything.”
Gini put her hands in her lap and sat silent.
“Can you tell me your name?” Maggie asked.
Gini shook her head hard.
“Do you know where you live?”
“No… uff.” Gini displayed defensive body language, turning away from Maggie.
“Well, I can tell you where you live. This town we’re in is called
