Another Hospital Stay
Chapter 37
"So, how much longer," I ask, glancing over at Ray, who was staring out the window. "Ray? Did you hear me?"
"Huh, what?" he asks, sitting up straight.
"I asked, how much longer," I repeat, glancing back at the road.
"Umm…half an hour, tops," he replies as we passed a sign that said, 'Belleville, New Jersey: 20 miles.'
"Good. I'm tired of driving," I say randomly, hoping he would offer to drive.
"Want me to drive," he asks, looking over at me.
"Hell yeah," I say, quickly pulling over.
He laughs and gets out, walking around the driver's side and me to the passenger's. Before he started the car again, he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss, running his fingers through my hair. "Have I told you that you have the most beautiful smile?" he whispers, kissing me again.
"No, but thank you," I reply, giving him a quick peck on his lips. "And I think that we should get going before that half hour turns into two hours," I add, grabbing his hand and lacing my fingers with his.
***
I let out a soft sigh when I heard Ray softly calling out my name, trying to wake me. "Alexia, we're here. Alexia, wake up."
I slowly open my eyes, lifting up my hand to rub them and get the remainder of sleep out of them. "What?" I say randomly, looking around.
"We're here," he repeats, holding my hand tightly. "The hospital is right there," he adds, pointing behind me. I slowly turn and let out a small gasp. It was the same place I remembered from when I was a little girl.
"Mom," I whisper, putting my hand up against the window, causing the window to get steamy from my body heat.
"Alexia, are you sure about this?" he asks, sounding concerned.
"Of course I'm ready. I've been ready for fifteen years," I reply, not tearing my gaze from the enormous building that kept my mom from me. "Let's go," I add, pushing open the car door. I hear him let out a sigh and a few seconds later, hear the car door slam shut.
He walks over to where I was standing and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "You're shivering. Are you cold," he whispers into my ear softly.
"No, I'm just nervous, I guess," I reply, smiling up at him. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I start forward, my stomach getting full of butterflies. "Ray, what if she doesn't remember me?" I ask suddenly, remembering that I had already talked about this with Ana.
"Alexia, honey, she'll remember you. How can she forget about her only daughter?" he asks, kissing me forehead.
I relax a little bit. That is, until we reached the heavily guarded entrance. As we approached, a security guard stepping in front of us, blocking our path. "Can I help you," he asks gruffly
"Um…yeah. I'm here to visit my mom," I say slowly, trying to calm down just a bit.
"What's her name?" he asks, pulling out a walkie-talkie.
"Josefina Rodriguez. I'm her daughter, Alexia," I reply, squeezing Ray's hand tightly.
He looked up at me, startled. "You're Ms. Josefina's daughter? We didn't think she was serious whenever she mentioned you. And she talks about you quite often. She's been here longer than I've been employed at this hospital," he says, smiling.
"So, she does talk about me," I say, feeling huge relief wash over me with that news.
"Yes, miss. She does. She kept asking last night if you were coming or not," he replies before turning on his walkie-talkie and saying something to someone inside. "All right. It seems that she's awake. You may go ahead and go inside," he adds, stepping aside.
"Thank you," I say, smiling before stepping inside. I look around in amazement. "Wow. It's even bigger than I imagined," I add, astonished at the size of the hospital.
"You've been here before," Ray asks, wrapping his arm around my waist.
"Yeah, when I was really little and my mom just barely started paying visits here. At the time, they were small ones, meaning that she always came home afterwards. That is, until the year I turned five. That was when she left for good," I explain, heading towards the information desk, where a solitary nurse sat, reading a magazine. She looked up as we approached.
"Hi, can I help you," she asks, smiling.
"Yes, we're here to see my mother. Josefina Rodriguez," I reply, smiling.
"You're her daughter? Why, you look just like her. The resemblance is uncanny," she says, her eyes brightening.
"I do?" I ask, feeling my face turn a bit red.
"Yes, you do. The same eyes and hair color. Although, the smile is different," she says, pulling out a book. She turns to a page that, when I leaned over just a bit and saw it, had a picture of who was none other than my mom. She was right, we did look alike. "Ah, yes. She is receiving visitors today and you're in luck, she's awake. You can go ahead and go up. But I need you and your friend to sign in on this sheet and write down your names', the date and the time you went in. Also, when you leave, I'll need for you to write down at what time you left as well," she explains, pulling out a sheet of paper from the book she had in front of her.
I take it from her and glance down at it, my mouth dropping open when I see who her last visitors had been. "They came and saw her last month," I say, feeling hurt.
"Who," Ray asks, leaning over my shoulder.
"My grandparents. They came and saw her. And they told me that they were going out of town to visit a few friends. They lied to me," I say, close to tears.
He pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly. "Calm down, honey. Didn't you say that they didn't tell you about your mother until a few days ago? They saw her a month ago. It was way before you knew about her," he says soothingly.
I brush away the few stray tears that had managed to slide down my face and force a smile. "You're right. I shouldn't be upset about this. At least they told me about her now, right?" I ask, grabbing a pen and quickly filling out what they nurse had told me to fill out. "May we go ahead and go up?" I ask the nurse, who quickly nods.
"Yes, just go straight ahead and to your right, there will be a set of elevators. Get on the first one and press the button for the fifth floor. Your mother's room is number 515. As soon as you step off the elevator, take a left and take that hallway. Her room is on the left side of the hall," she says, pointing to a door that was closed.
"Okay, thank you," I say, starting to walk away.
"Huh, what?" he asks, sitting up straight.
"I asked, how much longer," I repeat, glancing back at the road.
"Umm…half an hour, tops," he replies as we passed a sign that said, 'Belleville, New Jersey: 20 miles.'
"Good. I'm tired of driving," I say randomly, hoping he would offer to drive.
"Want me to drive," he asks, looking over at me.
"Hell yeah," I say, quickly pulling over.
He laughs and gets out, walking around the driver's side and me to the passenger's. Before he started the car again, he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss, running his fingers through my hair. "Have I told you that you have the most beautiful smile?" he whispers, kissing me again.
"No, but thank you," I reply, giving him a quick peck on his lips. "And I think that we should get going before that half hour turns into two hours," I add, grabbing his hand and lacing my fingers with his.
***
I let out a soft sigh when I heard Ray softly calling out my name, trying to wake me. "Alexia, we're here. Alexia, wake up."
I slowly open my eyes, lifting up my hand to rub them and get the remainder of sleep out of them. "What?" I say randomly, looking around.
"We're here," he repeats, holding my hand tightly. "The hospital is right there," he adds, pointing behind me. I slowly turn and let out a small gasp. It was the same place I remembered from when I was a little girl.
"Mom," I whisper, putting my hand up against the window, causing the window to get steamy from my body heat.
"Alexia, are you sure about this?" he asks, sounding concerned.
"Of course I'm ready. I've been ready for fifteen years," I reply, not tearing my gaze from the enormous building that kept my mom from me. "Let's go," I add, pushing open the car door. I hear him let out a sigh and a few seconds later, hear the car door slam shut.
He walks over to where I was standing and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "You're shivering. Are you cold," he whispers into my ear softly.
"No, I'm just nervous, I guess," I reply, smiling up at him. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I start forward, my stomach getting full of butterflies. "Ray, what if she doesn't remember me?" I ask suddenly, remembering that I had already talked about this with Ana.
"Alexia, honey, she'll remember you. How can she forget about her only daughter?" he asks, kissing me forehead.
I relax a little bit. That is, until we reached the heavily guarded entrance. As we approached, a security guard stepping in front of us, blocking our path. "Can I help you," he asks gruffly
"Um…yeah. I'm here to visit my mom," I say slowly, trying to calm down just a bit.
"What's her name?" he asks, pulling out a walkie-talkie.
"Josefina Rodriguez. I'm her daughter, Alexia," I reply, squeezing Ray's hand tightly.
He looked up at me, startled. "You're Ms. Josefina's daughter? We didn't think she was serious whenever she mentioned you. And she talks about you quite often. She's been here longer than I've been employed at this hospital," he says, smiling.
"So, she does talk about me," I say, feeling huge relief wash over me with that news.
"Yes, miss. She does. She kept asking last night if you were coming or not," he replies before turning on his walkie-talkie and saying something to someone inside. "All right. It seems that she's awake. You may go ahead and go inside," he adds, stepping aside.
"Thank you," I say, smiling before stepping inside. I look around in amazement. "Wow. It's even bigger than I imagined," I add, astonished at the size of the hospital.
"You've been here before," Ray asks, wrapping his arm around my waist.
"Yeah, when I was really little and my mom just barely started paying visits here. At the time, they were small ones, meaning that she always came home afterwards. That is, until the year I turned five. That was when she left for good," I explain, heading towards the information desk, where a solitary nurse sat, reading a magazine. She looked up as we approached.
"Hi, can I help you," she asks, smiling.
"Yes, we're here to see my mother. Josefina Rodriguez," I reply, smiling.
"You're her daughter? Why, you look just like her. The resemblance is uncanny," she says, her eyes brightening.
"I do?" I ask, feeling my face turn a bit red.
"Yes, you do. The same eyes and hair color. Although, the smile is different," she says, pulling out a book. She turns to a page that, when I leaned over just a bit and saw it, had a picture of who was none other than my mom. She was right, we did look alike. "Ah, yes. She is receiving visitors today and you're in luck, she's awake. You can go ahead and go up. But I need you and your friend to sign in on this sheet and write down your names', the date and the time you went in. Also, when you leave, I'll need for you to write down at what time you left as well," she explains, pulling out a sheet of paper from the book she had in front of her.
I take it from her and glance down at it, my mouth dropping open when I see who her last visitors had been. "They came and saw her last month," I say, feeling hurt.
"Who," Ray asks, leaning over my shoulder.
"My grandparents. They came and saw her. And they told me that they were going out of town to visit a few friends. They lied to me," I say, close to tears.
He pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly. "Calm down, honey. Didn't you say that they didn't tell you about your mother until a few days ago? They saw her a month ago. It was way before you knew about her," he says soothingly.
I brush away the few stray tears that had managed to slide down my face and force a smile. "You're right. I shouldn't be upset about this. At least they told me about her now, right?" I ask, grabbing a pen and quickly filling out what they nurse had told me to fill out. "May we go ahead and go up?" I ask the nurse, who quickly nods.
"Yes, just go straight ahead and to your right, there will be a set of elevators. Get on the first one and press the button for the fifth floor. Your mother's room is number 515. As soon as you step off the elevator, take a left and take that hallway. Her room is on the left side of the hall," she says, pointing to a door that was closed.
"Okay, thank you," I say, starting to walk away.