The Two-Family House(72)

But it was Abe who hit the ground first. Rose felt the tremor from the fall before her eyes even registered it. Helen was on her knees next, shaking her husband’s massive shoulders, listening for his breath and yelling to the coat check girl, just returned from break, to call for an ambulance. Rose stumbled back to the reception, amid the chaos and the noise, back to Mort to tell him the news. “It’s your brother,” she told him. “I think he had a heart attack.”





Chapter 54





MORT


In the chaos that followed Abe’s heart attack, Mort struggled with what to do next. On the one hand, he was in the middle of his daughter’s wedding. On the other, his only brother was being rushed to the hospital. He knew with certainty that Mimi would have no further need of him that evening. He couldn’t say the same, however, for Abe. Mort made his apologies and said his goodbyes to the groom’s family and guests. Then he left the wedding and drove to the hospital. Rose stayed behind with Judith and Dinah.

The first time Mort had visited the hospital where they brought Abe was when Teddy was two years old and got hit with a baseball. Helen had ridden in the back of the car that day, holding Teddy on her lap. After Mort had dropped them off at the emergency room entrance, he had gone to find cheaper parking because the hospital lot had been so overpriced. When he pulled into the hospital this time, he saw that the rates were three times what they had been back then. This time, he pulled in and parked.

He was almost an hour behind the others in arriving, but he finally found them in the cardiac waiting room on the fourth floor. He was glad Natalie had stayed behind with Arlene and Johnny. The waiting room was grim, and no place for a young girl. Through the closed glass door, he could make out the faded wallpaper, peeling at the edges, and the shabby green tweed furniture that filled the space. Sol was drinking coffee from a paper cup while Sam and Joe paced back and forth under the murky lighting. Harry and his wife, Barbara, were on one of the sofas, talking quietly, and Helen sat with George, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. Mort hesitated before he opened the door—he felt like he was intruding on their family gathering. But after Helen looked up and spotted him, turning back was no longer a possibility.

Helen motioned for him to come in and got up from the sofa to greet him. “You didn’t have to leave the wedding,” she told him. “I feel terrible that you left.”

“It was almost over anyway.” He shrugged. “I wanted to come.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Helen said, and George patted him on the back. When the other young men came over to shake hands, Mort knew he had done the right thing by coming.

“What did the doctors say?”

“They wouldn’t say much, just told us to wait,” George answered.

“Then we’ll wait,” Mort said, and he took a seat in a chair next to Sol. The others resumed their hushed conversations.

Sol drained the last of his coffee and turned to Mort. “Nice wedding, by the way. Beautiful bride.”

“Thanks.”

After half an hour passed, a middle-aged man in a white coat opened the door to the lounge. They immediately rose from their seats. Helen clutched George’s arm. “How is he?” she called out, before the doctor could introduce himself.

“He’s stable and resting,” the doctor said. He held out his hand to Helen. “I’m Dr. Beineke. I’ve been treating your husband.” The boys all lined up to shake Dr. Beineke’s hand, but Mort stayed put next to Sol. He didn’t want to waste time prolonging the greetings. He just wanted to hear the report. “Your husband had a mild heart attack,” the doctor explained. “We have several more tests that need to be run, but as of now, we see no reason why he won’t make a full recovery. We’ll need to watch him closely over the next several days, and we’ll keep him here to monitor him.”

“Do you know what caused it?” Harry asked.

“Any number of factors; heredity, for one. I’d say excess weight is definitely on the list. When he’s ready to be discharged, we’re going to have to talk about modifications to his diet, as well as specific medications we’d like him to start.”

“We’ll do whatever you tell us to do,” Helen said. “Anything to make sure he gets better.”

“We can go over the details tomorrow. Right now, we’re just keeping him sedated for observation. We don’t want him moving around until we get some test results back.”

“Can we see him?” Mort asked.

Dr. Beineke nodded. “Yes, but there are quite a few of you here, so why don’t you go in one or two at a time.”

Mort waited in the lounge while the others took their turns. He was the last to go in, after Sam and Joe. The room smelled like Clorox and menthol cough drops. Under the dull blue hospital blankets, Abe looked small and pale. He had none of the vigor Mort usually associated with him, and for the first time in Mort’s life, he sensed his brother’s vulnerability. He sat down on a chair next to the bed.

Mort studied his brother’s face. Before this evening, Abe had filled up every room he’d ever entered with motion and sound. His voice, his appetite and his laughter had all dominated. Now that these were dormant and the space around Abe was still, Mort was able to conjure images he had not allowed himself to remember for decades.