she climbed to her feet and raced off. She came back holding a bottle of tablets. The second paramedic took them and said, ‘Probably his heart.’ He held them up so his friend could see.
They opened up Jim’s shirt and attached some monitors to his chest and then they lifted him onto the trolley.
‘Where are you taking him?’ What if they were Giuseppe’s men?
‘Centennial Hills.’
I nodded my head. It was the hospital I’d gone to when I’d had my tonsils removed. That was something I’d never forget.
I found the telephone on Jim’s desk and rang Liss. ‘I’m on my way to the hospital.’
‘What happened?’
‘Jim’s had some sort of turn. They think it’s his heart.’
There was silence for a couple of seconds, both of us thinking the same thing. If something happened to Jim, Harry would be free.
‘I’ll keep ringing your house till Harry gets home.’
‘We’ll be at Centennial Hills.’
By the time I hung up, the paramedics were at the elevator. Rosella stood by the front door with her handbag and cardigan in her hands and a stubborn look on her face. I wasn’t going anywhere without her.
Tom flagged us a cab and we followed the ambulance. Two strangers holding hands in the back of a cab.
Harry found us like that in the emergency waiting room a few hours later. We had no news of Jim.
Rosella hugged him and spoke frantically, the wildness of her gestures in proportion to the shrillness of her voice.
He responded in Italian so I couldn’t understand what he said, but his tone was calm, and eventually she nodded and sat back down, pulling her cardigan tight around her.
‘What happened?’ He sat, but his eyes roamed the room.
‘I’m not sure. He must have known he was having an attack. I heard him collapse on the other end of the phone. I got there as fast as I could.’
‘Shhhhh.’ He pulled me to him and for the first time I realised I was crying. Weird.
‘What if I was too slow?’
He kissed me on the forehead. ‘I’m sure you did everything you could.’
I leaned in close and whispered in his ear. ‘I thought it was Giuseppe.’
‘But you went anyway.’
‘He’s your Dad.’
‘Not many women would have done that.’
I shrugged and looked away, suddenly embarrassed. He wouldn’t have been sounding so impressed if he had seen me in action. I bet Tom was going to be talking about that for a while.
A man in a white clinic coat walked towards us. He had a clipboard in one hand and a stethoscope around his neck. It just screamed Doctor. ‘Tess Milano?’
‘Yes.’ I stood up.
‘I saw you singing a couple of months back at Vegas Ladies.’
I wasn’t sure if he was trying to see through my skeleton to my lungs or if he was checking out my boobs.
Harry cleared his voice and stood up. ‘I’m Harry. Tess’s husband.’ The way he said the word ‘husband’ spoke of broken bones and blood noses.
The doctor’s gaze immediately made its way to my face. Apparently my boobs weren’t worth the risk.
‘Have you news of my father?’
‘Ah yes.’ The doctor adjusted his stethoscope as if to draw attention to it. ‘Your father is in a stable condition. I’ve come to take you to him.’
We followed him through several sets of swinging doors, down halls, through more doors and up a set of stairs.
‘I hope the food here is good,’ I muttered to Harry.
‘Why?’ He had a firm grip on my hand and was glaring at the doctor’s back.
‘Because I’m never going to find my way out of here.’
He smiled but didn’t let up on the glaring.
Finally the doctor pushed open a door and we could see Jim lying on a bed. His eyes were closed but his colour looked improved on what it had when I’d found him. I felt tension I didn’t realise I had been holding, flow out of my body.
Another man in a white coat stood by Jim’s bed making notes in a chart. He had a name badge on – Doctor Blair.
‘Ahh there you are.’ Doctor Blair cocked his head on the side as
They opened up Jim’s shirt and attached some monitors to his chest and then they lifted him onto the trolley.
‘Where are you taking him?’ What if they were Giuseppe’s men?
‘Centennial Hills.’
I nodded my head. It was the hospital I’d gone to when I’d had my tonsils removed. That was something I’d never forget.
I found the telephone on Jim’s desk and rang Liss. ‘I’m on my way to the hospital.’
‘What happened?’
‘Jim’s had some sort of turn. They think it’s his heart.’
There was silence for a couple of seconds, both of us thinking the same thing. If something happened to Jim, Harry would be free.
‘I’ll keep ringing your house till Harry gets home.’
‘We’ll be at Centennial Hills.’
By the time I hung up, the paramedics were at the elevator. Rosella stood by the front door with her handbag and cardigan in her hands and a stubborn look on her face. I wasn’t going anywhere without her.
Tom flagged us a cab and we followed the ambulance. Two strangers holding hands in the back of a cab.
Harry found us like that in the emergency waiting room a few hours later. We had no news of Jim.
Rosella hugged him and spoke frantically, the wildness of her gestures in proportion to the shrillness of her voice.
He responded in Italian so I couldn’t understand what he said, but his tone was calm, and eventually she nodded and sat back down, pulling her cardigan tight around her.
‘What happened?’ He sat, but his eyes roamed the room.
‘I’m not sure. He must have known he was having an attack. I heard him collapse on the other end of the phone. I got there as fast as I could.’
‘Shhhhh.’ He pulled me to him and for the first time I realised I was crying. Weird.
‘What if I was too slow?’
He kissed me on the forehead. ‘I’m sure you did everything you could.’
I leaned in close and whispered in his ear. ‘I thought it was Giuseppe.’
‘But you went anyway.’
‘He’s your Dad.’
‘Not many women would have done that.’
I shrugged and looked away, suddenly embarrassed. He wouldn’t have been sounding so impressed if he had seen me in action. I bet Tom was going to be talking about that for a while.
A man in a white clinic coat walked towards us. He had a clipboard in one hand and a stethoscope around his neck. It just screamed Doctor. ‘Tess Milano?’
‘Yes.’ I stood up.
‘I saw you singing a couple of months back at Vegas Ladies.’
I wasn’t sure if he was trying to see through my skeleton to my lungs or if he was checking out my boobs.
Harry cleared his voice and stood up. ‘I’m Harry. Tess’s husband.’ The way he said the word ‘husband’ spoke of broken bones and blood noses.
The doctor’s gaze immediately made its way to my face. Apparently my boobs weren’t worth the risk.
‘Have you news of my father?’
‘Ah yes.’ The doctor adjusted his stethoscope as if to draw attention to it. ‘Your father is in a stable condition. I’ve come to take you to him.’
We followed him through several sets of swinging doors, down halls, through more doors and up a set of stairs.
‘I hope the food here is good,’ I muttered to Harry.
‘Why?’ He had a firm grip on my hand and was glaring at the doctor’s back.
‘Because I’m never going to find my way out of here.’
He smiled but didn’t let up on the glaring.
Finally the doctor pushed open a door and we could see Jim lying on a bed. His eyes were closed but his colour looked improved on what it had when I’d found him. I felt tension I didn’t realise I had been holding, flow out of my body.
Another man in a white coat stood by Jim’s bed making notes in a chart. He had a name badge on – Doctor Blair.
‘Ahh there you are.’ Doctor Blair cocked his head on the side as
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