Big Chicas Don't Cry(57)

“Gracie, por favor, go to the car and get me my bag. I think I left it in the trunk.”

As I walked to the car, I thought about Tony. If he left now, would I miss him? I thought that I would, and that bothered me. Love lost can be a painful thing—my welita was proof of that. I didn’t like feeling vulnerable.

But I also didn’t want to be alone for the rest of my life.

A high-pitched scream interrupted my self-debate, and then my mom yelled my name. I ran inside and froze at the scene before me. My mom and abuela were kneeling on the floor beside Welita. Her eyes were closed, and there was a bloody gash on her forehead. She was clutching her chest.

“Gracie! Call an ambulance! I think Welita is having a heart attack!”





Chapter Thirty


ERICA


I hated hospitals.

I couldn’t stand the smell, the bright fluorescent lights, or the constant beeping of the machines that somehow kept people from death. Even after my mother gave birth to my younger brother, I had to force myself to go visit.

At least then I knew what to expect when I got there.

The elevator doors opened at the second floor. A sign above the nurses’ station told me I was in the right place—Cardiac Intensive Care. I walked to the counter and waited while a woman in purple scrubs talked very fast on the phone and typed on a computer.

“Excuse me,” I said. She looked at me and held her hand up so I could wait for her to get off the phone. When she finally hung up, she asked what she could help me with. I told her I was there to see Felicidad Martinez.

“There can only be two people in her room at a time, but right now the cardiologist is in there. The family waiting area is down the hall to the right.” She pointed past the elevators.

I made the long walk down the hallway, reading each sign carefully to make sure I was going the right way. As I got closer, I knew again that I was in the right place. Not because of some sign, but because of the chatter. I turned right, and there was my family. My cousins, my parents, and other relatives I hadn’t seen in a while. I made my rounds and greeted each one with a kiss on the cheek. They smiled, but I could see how sad everyone was.

I found a seat next to my mom and took her hand. My dad held the other.

“Where’s Abuela?” I asked. My mother explained that all Welita’s children—well, the ones who lived locally—were talking with the cardiologist in the room. He was going to give them his diagnosis and options for treatment—that is, if there were any.

Gracie and Selena sat across from me, and they looked as upset as I felt.

Then I noticed a woman sitting by herself on the other side of the room. It took me a moment before I realized it was Mari.

I caught Gracie’s eye and motioned to Mari. Gracie shrugged.

About ten minutes passed before my abuela and her siblings appeared with the doctor. Everyone stood and gathered around him.

“I’m Dr. Jonathan Tang, and I’m the cardiologist taking care of Felicidad. Her children have given me permission to tell everyone what’s going on.”

We all nodded.

“Felicidad suffered a major heart attack. Preliminary tests show some damage to the main arteries. We had to place a stent, but she is stable for now and conscious. We have her on some medications through an IV and oxygen to help her breathing.”

“Doctor, what is the next step?” My mother’s voice was anxious.

“Well, it’s hard to say. Because of her advanced age and the fact that she has other health issues, surgery is very risky. But if we don’t do surgery, there is a chance that she could have another heart attack in the near future. It’s hard to predict because of her condition. But with the stent and additional medication, there’s a good chance that her heart can last for several more months, even a year or so.”

Only a year?

He said it as if that was a long time. It wasn’t. Not to us.

As he continued to answer questions, I made my way back to my chair. I knew deep down that it didn’t really matter what else he had to say. The outlook was bad.

I wanted to cry. Hell, I wanted to fucking scream. That wouldn’t do anyone any good either. So I went to see my welita.

The same nurse from before directed me to her room. But I didn’t walk inside because Mari was already there. Her back was to me, but I recognized her hair and the sundress she’d been wearing when I saw her in the waiting room. She was mumbling something, and her head was bowed.

She was praying.

I drove home an hour later in a fog. A very exhausted fog.

My head throbbed, and my stomach cramped from hunger since the only thing I’d eaten all day was a bag of chips from the hospital’s vending machine. I’d regretted not bringing with me the taco salad that had arrived at the table at Casa Comida just before my cell phone rang. I had run out of the restaurant as fast as I could, leaving behind my salad and my coworkers.

I pulled into my carport space and tried to summon the energy to get out of my car and climb the stairs up to my front door.

Then I noticed Adrian walking down them.

“Hey,” I said when we met on the sidewalk.

“Hey,” he answered and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “How are you?”

“I’m okay. What are you doing here?”

“Marion from the reception desk took up a collection and bought you a basket. I was going to deliver it, but you didn’t answer your phone, and I didn’t want to just leave it in front of your door.”