Chapter 17
“The
paramedics are on their way, Brent,” Taylor said, hanging up the phone. She grabbed Jaime and pulled her aside to
whisper, “There’s no hospital or EMS squad here in Redridge. The nearest is in Collinsville, which is
about twenty miles away from here. So
it could take awhile.”
Jaime
nodded, her eyes wide with fright.
“You
shouldn’t have called them,” Brent said, still breathing hard. “I told you before, it’s nothin’. They’ll be comin’ all the way out here for
nothin’. And we’ll have to pay for it.”
Taylor
narrowed her eyes. Was this the way he
had been brought up, to avoid medical care because of the cost? She understood that because his family had
so many kids, money must be tight. But
that was no reason for him not to go to a hospital when he had symptoms as
serious as this.
“Look,
Brent, I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t think this is just
‘nothing’. Twice today you’ve had chest
pains and looked like you were about to pass out. That isn’t normal,” she said gently.
He
shrugged. “I dunno. But it’s better now.” Some of his color had returned, and his
breathing had slowed. But still, he did
not look well, and they weren’t going to back down.
“I
don’t care. You’re going to the
hospital,” Taylor said firmly. Jaime
nodded, seconding it.
Suddenly,
the kitchen door burst open, and in came Brittney. “Hey y’all,” she said. She looked from Brent, slouched weakly in
the chair, to Taylor and Jaime, who were hovering over him. “Whatsa matter?” she asked.
Jaime
and Taylor exchanged quick glances, not sure what to tell her without alarming her,
but Brent spoke before they had a chance.
“Nothin’, Britt. Just chest
pain. You know, it happens a lot. And it ain’t nothin’ to worry about, right?”
Brittney
nodded, waving her hand to Taylor and Jaime.
“He has this happen to him all the time,” she said casually. “It ain’t gonna kill ‘im.”
“Well,
we called 911,” Taylor said. “You know,
just as a precaution. He scared us.”
Brittney
stared at Taylor for a moment and then turned her eyes to Brent. “Momma won’t like that, you know,” she told
him accusingly.
“I
know,” Brent replied. “It ain’t my
fault. They called before I could stop
‘em.”
Brittney
stared back at Taylor and Jaime, her eyes boring into them, and turned around,
calling over her shoulder, “I’m leavin’.
I ain’t havin’ nothin’ to do with this.” Then she walked out.
“What
was that all about?” Jaime wondered aloud.
“I
told you. My folks don’t approve of
hospitals and such. There’s no point in
payin’ so much, especially when it ain’t for nothin’. I’ve been havin’ these pains for over a
year, and I’ve gotten used to ‘em. They
ain’t nothing to worry about,” Brent insisted.
Jaime and Taylor said nothing, just looked at each other in
disbelief.
Suddenly,
they were startled by the sound of approaching sirens, signaling that the
ambulance was arriving. As Taylor ran
out to meet it, she found Leanne stalking down the stairs, Brittney at her
heels, and the other four right behind them.
“What
do you think you’re doin’?” Leanne asked coldly. “Makin’ my family pay lots of money for no
reason at all?”
“No
reason?” Taylor asked incredulously.
“Don’t you think your brother’s health is a good enough reason?”
Leanne
said nothing to Taylor, just mumbled, “C’mon,” to the kids, and led them out
the backdoor, while Taylor ran out the front one, into the yard, where the
ambulance was pulling up.
***
Taylor
hung back with Jaime, watching as a small huddled of paramedics loaded Brent
onto a stretcher. As they did so, he
kept protesting, claiming that he was fine and didn’t need to go to the
hospital. Even so, they continued to
examine him, not taking any chances.
Taylor was glad, for she had a feeling there was something more wrong
with him than he thought, and she was concerned.
“Where
did all Brent’s little brothers and sisters go?” Jaime asked Taylor.
“Out
back, I think,” Taylor replied.
“I’m
gonna go look for them. Shouldn’t at
least one of them ride to the hospital to be for Brent?” Jaime wondered.
Taylor
nodded, and Jaime headed out the back door in search of the younger Cooper
kids. She returned five minutes later,
Leanne with her, and the younger kids trailing behind her like a line of
ducklings.
“Leanne,”
Brent said from the stretcher he was now lying on, looking up at his
sister.
“Shh,”
Leanne hushed him. “I’m gonna ride with
you, Brent.”
“Who’s
gonna stay with the kids?” Brent asked.
“Jimmy’ll
watch ‘em,” she replied, nodding to the next oldest, Jimmy, who stood beside
her.
Jimmy
nodded. “Don’t worry, Brent. I’ll hold down the fort.”
Brent
nodded; the fight had finally gone out of him, it seemed. “We’re ready to go now,” one of the
paramedics said. They wheeled Brent
through the house and out the front door, Leanne walking along beside the
stretcher. Taylor and Jaime, along with
the five others, tagged along behind.
“Bye,
Brent,” they all said.
“You
take care,” Jaime said to him. Brent
nodded, offering her a wan smile.
“It
was great meeting you,” Taylor added.
“I hope everything goes okay.”
“Thanks,”
Brent replied. “It was nice meetin’
y’all too.”
With
that, the paramedics loaded him into the ambulance and climbed in
themselves. Soon the vehicles was
speeding off, its lights flashing.
“How
long you girls gonna stay?” Jimmy asked, eyeing Taylor and Jaime warily, as
soon as the ambulance had gone off down the road.
“The
mechanic, Joe, is gonna tow our truck and fix its flat tire. He’s supposed to come pick us up here when
he’s done,” Taylor replied. “So I guess
we’re stuck here for awhile.”
Jimmy
did not protest, just nodded, but they could sense he wasn’t very happy with
their being there.
“It’s
hot now that the sun’s out,” Brittney commented, wiping her forehead. “Why don’t y’all come back inside?”
“Thanks,”
Jaime said gratefully, offering her a smile.
She and Taylor followed Brittney into the house, along with Tucker,
Cassie, and Austin. Jimmy hesitated a
moment, then finally followed.
***
