Just Breathe Again - Mia Villano Page 0,17

Once inside, she had to set Lydia down. No one offered her a chair or help and she was struggling to keep her standing.

“I can try to walk, Mom,” whispered Lydia.

“I’ve got you, baby.” Finding some type of strength deep within herself, she picked up her daughter again. With no medical insurance, or money to pay for the bill when it came due, Jeannie had no idea if they would even help her. At that moment, none of that mattered.

A young, twenty-something girl at registration was typing loudly on her keyboard. “May I help you?” She didn’t look up from her computer as she greeted them at the window.

“Yes, my daughter has had a severe headache for a while. She’s dizzy, weak, and throwing up,” said Jeannie. Her daughter held on to her with her eyes closed as Jeannie sat her in a chair in front of the registration.

“Your name please, and insurance card,” said Tiffany, as her name tag stated.

“Her name is Lydia Franklin and I don’t have insurance,” said Jeannie.

The girl rolled her eyes and began tapping on the computer. After getting Jeannie’s information, Jeannie signed a paper stating she was responsible for the bill, and the girl spoke again.

“Bring her on back and we will get vitals,” she said.

“I need to move my car out front. I don’t think she can walk. Can you bring her a wheelchair?” asked Jeannie.

“Hold on,” said Tiffany, signaling an aide to bring a wheel chair over to Lydia.

Jeannie got Lydia in the wheelchair with much effort. Her arms ached from carrying her into the hospital and trying to hold her up. They wheeled Lydia to the back and took her temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure while Jeannie ran and parked the car.

Once she hurried back in and caught her breath, Jeannie told the attendant as much as she could. She didn’t know much because Lydia kept her pain a secret from Jeannie. Lydia had headaches for the last six months that were becoming worse. Jeannie did not know she was throwing up, dizzy, missing track practice, and tired for so long.

After a nurse took all her vitals, they wheeled her to a room. Jeannie helped Lydia change into a gown and lay down on the bed. They brought her a heated blanket and her mom stood by her head and stroked her hair.

The time on the clock seemed to stop and the place became busier as they waited. Jeannie called her other job and told them she wouldn’t be there that night. She spoke to Ruth, her favorite coworker.

“Is everything okay, Jean?” she asked, yelling into the phone since the bar sounded very loud.

“It’s Lydia. We are at the ER and having her checked out. I’m sure it’s nothing other than the flu or something simple. I will see you tomorrow night,” said Jeannie.

She yelled back over the noise of the crowded restaurant. “No problem, honey, I’ll cover your shift. I can use the money.”

Ruth had become her good friend. Jeannie bonded with her right away, even though she was ten years younger. She had four kids and a husband who was unable to work. The income they had was her job as a waitress, and her husband’s disability check he received for being in the war in Iraq. They talked for a couple of minutes and Jeannie said she would tell her more when she saw her.

By the time the doctor came back to see them, Lydia was asleep again and Jeannie paced the floor.

“Mrs. Franklin, I’m Doctor Thompson. What’s wrong with your daughter?” he asked. He looked too young to be working on her daughter. His voice was cold, and not at all reassuring. Jeannie told him the history of the migraines, and what Lydia told her. He wrote what she said down and asked her questions she couldn’t answer. Jeannie didn’t know if she saw double, slurred her speech, or lost her balance. She just didn’t know.

“I’m going to order tests. How long has she been this bad?” he asked, writing on a chart and not looking up at her.

“Well, today was the worst. She told me this pain in her head has been going on for six months. She just told me, the throwing up started last month, and the dizziness as well. She had lost weight too. She has been hiding her weight loss from me. I hadn’t noticed till I picked her up to get in the hospital. She was too weak to walk.”

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