Genesis

Chapter 40

May 11th

5:48 P.M.

Thank you,” Jack said to the Lyft driver as he alighted from the black Honda Accord at the entrance to the main lobby of the Kimmel Pavilion. It had been an uneventful and pleasant enough ride, but just as long as he feared, and he would have much preferred to have come on his bike as it would have been a hell of a lot faster. For Laurie’s sake, he’d taken the rideshare as he had agreed. Eager to see her, he pushed through one of the revolving doors and quickly headed for the elevators.

JJ had come home while Jack had been on the phone with Laurie, and when Jack had returned to the family room, he’d found his son playing Minecraft. He was sitting on the couch, feet on the edge of the coffee table and his laptop balanced on his knees. Jack took a seat next to him and asked him about his day.

“It was fine,” JJ said.

“Mom’s surgery went well.”

“I know.” JJ’s hands never paused, playing across the keyboard with surprising rapidity. Although Jack wasn’t happy about the amount of time JJ spent playing computer games, he couldn’t help but be impressed with the child’s hand-eye coordination that had developed.

“How did you know the surgery went well?” Jack said. For a moment he’d thought maybe Laurie had called him and hadn’t mentioned it.

“Caitlin told me.”

“Mom will probably be home in just a few of days.”

“Okay, good,” JJ said after a pause. He clearly had been distracted by his gaming.

“Could you stop playing your computer game and talk to me for a moment?” Jack said with a touch of exasperation.

JJ rolled his eyes but reluctantly did as Jack asked.

“Were you worried about her today at school?” Jack asked, ignoring the eye-rolling.

“A little, but it was okay.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t call you today like I said I would,” Jack said. “What happened is that I didn’t hear anything until really late. I thought I was going to hear earlier. Did that concern you?”

“No,” JJ said.

“Do you want to ask me any questions about anything?”

“No. Except can I go back to Minecraft?”

Jack smiled when he recalled the conversation. In many ways it was typical, at least since JJ had been in the fourth grade. Getting any information out of him was becoming progressively difficult, especially when he was on his computer.

The elevator was crowded, so much so that Jack was pressed up against the back wall. When the car stopped on the eighth floor, he had to excuse himself and push his way out. As he walked down the corridor, he saw that most of the rooms had visitors. When he got to 838, he paused at the open door. Laurie was asleep in a typical hospital bed with the side rails up. To Jack she looked as beautiful as usual, with her face framed by dark hair that she had obviously taken the time to comb.

Silently Jack stepped inside and glanced around at the rest of the room’s interior. As Laurie had suggested, it was impressive indeed, with an expansive view out over the East River. A good portion of Queens and Brooklyn was plainly visible. The bed was oriented parallel with the large window and faced the wall to the right that contained a strikingly large, built-in flat electronic screen. A news show with talking heads was playing without sound. The rest of the furniture included a bedside table, a loveseat, a desk, and some built-in drawers. There was an open door leading into a bathroom, as well as a closed door that Jack assumed was a closet. Jack had to smile to himself at how different it was from any hospital room he’d ever seen when he was in medical school or when he was a resident.

Silently, so as not to wake Laurie, he tiptoed over to the bedside. Mounted into the wall behind the head of the bed were several flat-screen monitors capable of displaying her vital signs. Only one was functioning, with her ECG playing across the screen in a monotonous but reassuring repetition. The sound associated with the ECG was an equally repetitious, faint beep announcing each heartbeat. The only other noise in the room was the muffled voices drifting in from the hallway.

Jack was confused as to what he should do. He didn’t want to wake her, yet he wanted desperately to talk with her. As he was about to tiptoe over to the couch and wait for her to awaken, one of her eyes popped open. As soon as she saw him, the other one opened as well. Then she managed a smile. They exchanged endearments and he gave her a gentle kiss and a tentative hug, being careful to avoid putting any pressure whatsoever on her chest. Then he brought over a chair to put next to the head of the bed.

“Thanks for coming in,” Laurie said. With some effort she pushed herself back against the head of the bed to assume a semi-upright position. She winced as she did so.

“My pleasure,” he said. “I must say you look terrific despite what you’ve been through.”

“That’s nice of you to say but I don’t believe it for a second,” she said, managing a smile. “Did you get to talk with JJ?”

“I did, and I’m happy to report that he’s acting totally like his old self,” Jack said. “It was hard to get him away from his computer screen. I think he’s taken his mother’s having surgery in stride.”

“I’m not surprised,” Laurie said.

“Do you want to talk at all about your procedure and what was found?” Jack asked. “I’m sure you’ve been told what Dr. Cartier told me.”

“Thank you for asking,” Laurie said. “But to be honest, I’m trying not to get too hung up on the details until I get to talk with the oncologist.”

“I think that’s wise,” he said. “And, if you don’t mind, I’ll follow your lead.”

“At the same time, I’m truly glad and thankful it was found as early as it was, considering its small size, and that there was only a microscopic amount in one lymph node.”

“I was thrilled about that, too,” Jack said. He noticed she avoided the term cancer, so he did as well.

“On a happier note, what do you think of this room?”

“It’s pretty amazing,” Jack said, letting his eyes roam around the room again. “Is that a sleeper couch?”

“It is, but don’t get any ideas,” she said with a laugh. “I want you home with the children.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” he said, raising his hands in surrender.

“Let me show you something else amazing,” Laurie said. “Hand me that tablet from the bedside table.”

Jack did as he was told, and Laurie proceeded to demonstrate how she could use it in conjunction with the monitor to order meals, watch TV or streaming services, adjust the window shades, or change the lighting and even the room temperature.

“Wow! If it can also put out the trash, I want one for our apartment,” Jack said, causing her to laugh hard enough to evoke a twinge from her endoscopic incision.

“Is everything copacetic at the OCME?” Laurie asked after resettling herself in a more comfortable position.

“Surprisingly enough, it’s still standing,” he said, trying to be funny. “Actually, it was a slow day in the autopsy room other than the Aria Nichols case. But let’s not have you worrying about work. I’m sure George will be able to handle any problems over the weekend.”

“Did you call Dr. Henderson back after you finished poor Aria’s autopsy?” Laurie asked.

“I didn’t,” Jack said.

“Why not?”

“For two reasons. One, he didn’t ask me to, and two, because there wasn’t much to report. Besides, when I spoke with him before the case, he didn’t seem to be all that concerned. And frankly he ended the conversation rather abruptly.”

“That’s odd,” she said. “He was very concerned about hearing what was found with Kera Jacobsen.”

“I think it has something to do with pressure he’s been getting or not getting from Vernon Pierce.”

“You’re probably right,” Laurie said.

A little while later, Laurie was eager to mobilize. She’d done it earlier, before Jack’s arrival, but wanted to do it again. He was all for it as both knew how important it was after having surgery and general anesthesia. After disconnecting the monitor leads and with the help of an IV pole on wheels, the two of them strolled up and down the lengthy hall several times. Later they returned to the room to watch PBS NewsHour while she had a light meal. When NewsHour was drawing to a close, a nurse named Teresa Golden came in with the sleep meds that Dr. Cartier had ordered.

“I can leave them here on your bedside table,” Teresa said, seeing that Laurie had company. “How is your pain? Do you think you need any more pain meds beyond what you’re giving yourself with the IV piggyback?”

“I think I’m doing okay,” she said.

“If not, just let us know,” Teresa said brightly as she checked Laurie’s surgical drain. “Very little drainage. That’s terrific.”

After Teresa left, Laurie commented on how warm and professional the nursing staff was, which was making the experience far more tolerable than when she’d had surgery at the Manhattan General years previously.

Following NewsHour, a show called NYC-ARTS came on. She and Jack watched it with half an eye, as they continued to do with the next show, which dealt with NYC metropolitan news. Mostly they talked about Emma’s progress and JJ’s upcoming psychologist evaluation, as well as their mutual concern about the amount of time JJ was spending playing computer games. A little after nine, Laurie began to feel exhausted.

“I’m afraid I’m running out of steam,” she said as she switched off the monitor. She took several deep breaths, as she was doing frequently, knowing how important it was.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Jack said.

“I’m positive,” Laurie said. “I’m doing just fine. With my pain meds, these sleeping pills, and having had general anesthesia, I’m going to sleep like a baby.”

“When do you think you might want to come home?” he asked.

“I’m going to leave that up to Dr. Cartier,” she said. “She said she’d be making early-morning rounds. I’ll text you as soon as I see her and we talk about it.”

“Fair enough,” Jack said. He stood up, handed her the paper cup containing the sleeping pills. He poured her a glass of water and handed that to her as well. When she was finished, he took both back and replaced them on the bedside table. He then bent over and gave her another tentative hug. She hugged him back but winced with the discomfort caused by using her arms.

“I’ll keep my phone with me all night in case you want to call or text for any reason,” Jack said. “Try to have a good night’s sleep.”

“I’m sure I will.” Laurie managed to give a little wave before he turned and headed for the door.