Michigan Weather and Women: Part 4

Finding real love, at last.

Based on a post by CleverGenericName, in 4 parts. Listen to the
Podcast at Connected.

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Driving home the next day felt like waking up from some kind
of dream until I pulled into our driveway and Munchkin came running out to
greet me. As I was getting out to reassure him that he hadn't been abandoned,
the reality of my life settled right back in. I went inside, and Lane and Mary
grunted their hellos without looking up.

Ah, home.

I texted Erin that I made it back safely, and she replied
almost immediately saying what a great night she had, and how much she missed
me already. It was going to be a long three weeks until she rotated back to the
hospital in Petoskey. Luckily, life was as busy as always, and time flew by.
For the first time since I was a child, I could honestly say that I was happy.

My happiness lasted until the day before Erin was scheduled
to return.

I got my first inkling that something might be wrong when I
called to see if Wilma wanted me to pick up any groceries for her from town.
She didn't answer, which was strange, and the call went to voicemail. Even if
she was napping, she was a very light sleeper and would normally answer by the
third ring. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, so I went straight to
Wilma's to make sure she was alright.

Everything seemed fine when I pulled into the yard, but
there was no answer when I knocked on her door. I tried again, but there was
nothing but an eerie silence. Fearing the worst, I grabbed the spare key from
its hiding place and went inside. I called Wilma's name and, hearing no reply,
went quickly through the house trying to find her. When I got to her bedroom, I
could hear a low moaning sound from the attached washroom. I ran in and found
Wilma collapsed by the bathtub. She had slipped and hit her head, injuring her
hip and arm in the process. She didn't have her phone with her when she fell
and had been unable to move, so who knows how long she had been lying there.

I called 911 for an ambulance and then called Erin and
suggested that she meet us at the hospital. It took forever for the paramedics
to arrive, and longer still to get Wilma loaded into the ambulance. By the time
I got to the hospital, she was already being triaged by their emergency team.

I took a few minutes while I waited for an update on Wilma's
condition to call the rest of the family and give them the news. Alison came
directly to the hospital after class, and Sharon brought Mary and Lane as soon
as they got home from school. Erin arrived a few hours later and broke down
when she saw me. Finally, just after nine, the doctors gave Erin an update.
Wilma was in rough shape; she was badly dehydrated and had a moderate
concussion, a fractured wrist, and a bone bruise on her hip. It would take her
weeks to recover in the hospital. The good news was that she would make a
recovery, given enough time and support.

Erin and Mary decided to stay with Wilma in the hospital
while Sharon dropped Alison at her dorm and drove Lane back to the house. By
midnight, Mary had nodded off in a chair in the corner of Wilma's room, while I
waited outside with Erin.

"You should go home, Davis. There's nothing else you
can do tonight. Thank God, you found her; I am not sure what I would have done
if you hadn't. I already lost Grampy; I am not ready to lose Gran as well. They
are all I have."

I wrapped her in my arms and pulled her close.

"You have me, now, too. And the girls. And you know
Lane would do anything for you, you just need to ask. I was serious about what
I said in Grand Rapids, Erin. I love you."

Erin pulled me closer but didn't reply.

The following week was a rollercoaster of emotions. Wilma
was improving far quicker than the doctors had anticipated, but she would still
be in rehab for at least another two weeks. It was impossible to hide Wilma's
accident from the rest of the family, and they descended on the hospital like
vultures; or, more accurately, their lawyers descended on the hospital while,
for the most part, they stayed far away where it was warm. The one exception
was Erin's stepfather, who flew in the next day.

"For Christ's sake, Erin. Haven't you done enough harm
as it is? Do you want your Gran to die alone on the floor of that dingy old
shack of hers? It's time for her to move into a care facility that can look
after her. Be reasonable!"

When he failed to persuade Erin to act on his behalf, his
attorneys requested an emergency court order, alleging that Wilma lacked the
capacity to make her own medical decisions, that Erin was not acting in her
best interests, and that one of Wilma's children should be appointed as her
legal guardian. Wilma was furious when she learned of his actions, but there
was little she could do to stop him until she was discharged from the hospital.
Both sides knew that her doctor's recommendation would hold a lot of weight
with the judge, and it was not good news for Wilma when it came.

"If Mrs. Anderson is to return home, she will require
around-the-clock care and company. If such care can't be arranged, then I
recommend that she be placed in a long-term assisted-living facility that can
treat any lingering effects from her fall, and from her late-stage
cancer."

Erin took the news like a physical blow, and she staggered
backward to a chair. We didn't have the resources for 24-hour nursing, and it
would be impossible to arrange it with such short notice even if we did.

"I'm sorry, Davis. I need to be alone for a while to
think."

She left without looking back or saying goodbye to Wilma, and
I just let her go. I wanted to ease her pain, but I knew that there was nothing
I could do. She had lost, and her family had won. I was despondent as I made my
way towards the exit, so much so that I nearly ran into Alison who was
finishing up her shift at the hospital.

"You look terrible, Brother, what happened? Is Wilma
alright?"

I explained to her about the doctor's recommendation and
Erin's reaction.

"No one has had the heart to tell Wilma, yet. She's
recovered from the fall, but this news is going to kill her."

Alison looked at me for a minute, before her mouth quirked
upwards in a smile.

"I'll do it."

"What do you mean?

"I'll do it. I'll look after Wilma. I am wrapping up my
clinical practicum tomorrow, and I was planning on working this summer. I will
look after Wilma instead. Mary can move in with us as well, and I can teach her
what she needs to know to care for her when I'm not there. Once her school year
is done in June, she and I can spell each other off, and I can still pick up
some shifts here and there."

It was an amazing offer, but I couldn't let her do it.

"Alison, I can't ask you to give up your job for the
summer. You need that money for your living expenses at school."

"You're not asking; I'm offering. And since you've paid
for my tuition so far, I am debt-free and can take out a loan to cover my last
term."

"I didn't cover the tuition, it was your;"

"Davis. Really? Our mother, who never met a five-dollar
bill she couldn't snort or inject, left me a college fund? Please. I am not an
idiot. I love you, Big Brother, and I love what you have done for me and the
others, but it's my time to step up now as well. Let me do this."

I felt a heaviness lift from my chest as I hugged Alison and
lifted her off her feet.

I tried to reach Erin to let her know about Alison's offer,
but I drove to her apartment, and she wasn't there, and she must have turned
her phone off. I figured she must have gone to Wilma's, so I headed that way. I
pulled in just as the sun was setting and found her SUV parked in the laneway,
crosshatched by the lengthening shadows of the trees.

I parked and saw a lone figure at the end of the dock, still
wearing her scrubs. I could see whitecaps on the waves as they smashed into the
dock, and I knew she must be freezing, so I grabbed my jacket out of the back
of the truck and went to join her. The footing was treacherous, with patches of
ice hidden by the gloom and spray, but I made my way carefully to Erin and
wrapped my jacket around her shoulders. She closed her eyes and leaned back
against me.

"Am I doing the right thing, Davis? Gran could have
died. She would have died if not for you. Can we risk that happening again? Am
I just holding on to the past?"

When she was finished, Erin lapsed into silence.

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