A Paw-sible Theory

“Most cats, when they are out want to be in and vice versa, and often simultaneously.”

––Louis J. Camuti

CHAPTER FIVE: Unscheduled Hospital Visit

Citrus County Hospital was only two miles from Alyx’s house. I could have walked the distance, but decided it would be quicker if I got a ride. When the ambulance took Alyx away, I thought I might never see her again; I wanted to make sure she was all right. I didn’t think it would be a problem as I’d hitched rides before. I figured Maggie was preoccupied with other things and wouldn’t notice me slip out the door behind her, slide in the back seat when she opened the car door, and flatten myself to the floor.

The short ride was tolerable and I made my presence known when she turned off the engine, making her jump when I landed in the passenger seat.

“Oh, Murfy … as if I don’t have enough to worry about. What am I supposed to do with you now?”

She sounded exhausted rather than mad, and shook her head in resignation when I responded with a short mwa-mwa. She looked around, emptied the large tote bag she used for her fabric samples and I cooperated––allowing her to stuff me in the bag. What else could I do? It was my idea, after all. I did complain when she found a large piece of fabric in the trunk and tucked it over my head. I thought that was completely unnecessary. How was I supposed to see what was going on?

I pawed some of the fabric off to the side to get my bearings. As we entered the hospital, I could see Ethan on the phone, pacing up and down the hall outside of the ER. When Maggie reached him, he said he’d called the family and let them know what had happened. Some uncertainty, some shyness crept into his voice when he said that he’d also called his father.

Maggie took him by the arm and walked him to two empty seats in the waiting area just around the corner. Speaking in clipped sentences, she filled him in on what had happened after he left.

I lifted my head slightly for a peek around the room; Ethan saw my ears and his eyes opened wide.

“That’s not …”

“None other,” she answered before he finished the sentence.

She rearranged the fabric over my head. Someone with coffee walked by and Maggie handed the tote bag to Ethan, issuing a warning before she went in search of the coffee machine.

“You better stay put or you’re going home, Murfy.”

Ethan, who knew me better, said, “Oh, yeah, that will keep him in line.”

Three cups of coffee later, Maggie saw one of her store employees coming down the hall. She pointed the woman out to Ethan and rose to meet her at a distance. Curiosity got the best of me, my ears swiveled for the best reception, and I listened closely.

“Charvette, what are you doing here? Are you here to see someone?”

“I just came to see about Alyx.”

“How did you know she was here?”

“I have a police scanner I sometimes listen to. I was listening this morning when I heard the 911 call go out. I knew it was Alyx’s address. What happened? Is she okay?”

She got a short version of what happened. “We don’t know how Alyx is. We’re waiting to hear.”

“Would you like me to stay and keep you company?”

“Listen, I appreciate the thought and I’m sure Alyx would also, but I don’t think Ethan would feel comfortable with other people here. I’ll come to the store later to talk to you and Bernice and make some plans for our schedules. By then, I’ll know more about Alyx’s condition.”

A man in a white coat introduced himself to Ethan as the doctor on duty, and Ethan placed the tote on the floor. Maggie excused herself and Charvette, appearing to look for something in her purse, slowly walked away.

“I’m Dr. Casey, and I’m happy to report your mother’s vital signs are stable, and she’s out of danger from the head wound. We ran some diagnostic tests on her and neither the CAT scan nor the MRI shows any brain damage. We now have her hooked up to an EEG to report her brain activity and, at this point, the prognosis is good. She could regain full consciousness at any time or she may do it in stages with no permanent damage, and it goes without saying, the sooner the better.”

Happy to hear she was going to be all right, I purred maybe a little too loudly and Maggie nudged the bag with her toe.

“Any questions?”

“I’m sorry, Doctor Casey,” said Ethan, “I’ve heard the terms before but I’m not sure I really know what those tests are. Can you give us a little more detail?”

“Sure. We do a wide variety of testing to help determine if brain injury may have occurred. There are two types of neurological tests: those that examine the structure of the brain, and those that examine the function of the brain. The CAT scan and MRI look at the structure of the brain. The EEG, electroencephalogram, examines the function of the brain. The CAT scan is superior at detecting fresh blood in and around the brain, and we’ll repeat that one again, just to be sure. Does that clarify it?”

“Yeah, thanks,” said, Ethan.” Can we see her now?”

“Yes, of course you can. Stay as long as you want and don’t worry about leaving, we will certainly call you if there is any change.”

Maggie and Ethan went into Alyx’s room in the Intensive Care Unit and sat quietly side-by-side, alert to the beeps and blips of the monitors. Reassured that Alyx was going to be all right, I didn’t see any reason to stay. Imprisoned in the tote bag as I was, I couldn’t see anything anyway. Besides, I was hungry and needed to use the litter box. Next time, I’d go it alone, but for the present, a soft meow was enough of a reminder.

“Listen,” said Maggie. “I have to get this cat out of here before we get thrown out and barred from returning. I know you have to go to the police station sometime today, so I think it will work out for both of us if I leave and take care of a few things, and when I get back, I’ll give you a ride home to pick-up your car so you can go talk to Detective Smarts. How does that sound?”

“Alright, I guess.”

I popped my head out of the bag, took a last look back before leaving the room, and saw Ethan pull up a chair next to the bed, take Alyx’s hand, and start talking to her.