Mañana Means Heaven

Chapter 31.

185 31 That evening, while scrubbing little Albert down with a wet rag next to the glow of the woodstove, she fretted that his cough would not let up. She felt his forehead and it was clammy. She bundled him up with several layers of clothes and tucked him warmly against her body that night. After a couple of hours of listening to him cough, his throat sounding like truck gears grinding, she decided to ask one of the neighbors to drive them to the hospital. While waiting for the doctor to see them, she phoned Alex and he hurried right over. From down the hall he could hear his nephew’s voice, hacking uncontrollably. He arrived with sleep still in his eyes, a worried look gathered on his face. He went to Bea and put his hand on the back of little Al’s neck. “Christ, Beatrice, how long’s he been like this?” Bea picked at her thumb and didn’t know the answer. “It just got worse tonight, right after I bathed him,” she said. Alex bent down and lifted his nephew up; little Al’s head hung over his uncle’s shoulder. • After a few tests, and several needle pricks that little Al was too exhausted to cry about, the doctor concluded that what the boy had was advanced bacterial pneumonia. “Will he be alright?” “He’s going to have to stay here a few nights. We’ll need to keep a close eye on him.” “How long will it last?” Bea asked, glancing over at her brother. The doctor eyed little Al. “There’s no way to tell, really. Could be a day or two, maybe even a week. Just depends on how his body reacts to the penicillin.” • 186 The next two nights, Bea sat slumped in the chair at his bedside. Her mother stopped by at one point to bring some soup for her grandson, but he wasn’t up for it. Jessie relieved her daughter, and Bea went home to take a bath. Before returning to the hospital, she had Alex drive her to the post office to see if Jack had sent anything. “Have you heard from him?” Alex asked. “Yeah, he sent me a letter ’bout a week ago.”He could see the excitement on his sister’s face.“Says he’s ready for us.”Bea angled her body toward Alex.“I got enough now, Alex.” It took him a minute to register what she meant.“How much?”he asked,his eyes widening. “About seventy.” “Is that enough?” “Yeah, I checked on tickets already, over at the Greyhound. Think I have it all figured out. It’ll be tight, but we can make it.” He slapped the steering wheel with the butt of his hand. “Hell, I almost wanna come with you.” “Let’s do it,Alex,”she replied.“I got the money,you’ve got this truck,we can make it. Soon as little Al gets out, tomorrow maybe, or the day after.” Alex shook his head, “Nah, no way, I only wish I could, but right now ain’t good for me.” “You said it yourself, remember, you’ve always wanted to see New York—” He cut her off. “I can’t.” She looked at her brother, and fell back in her seat. When they reached the post office,Bea got out and hurried inside.A minute later she returned empty-handed. As she walked toward the car she caught her brother staring at her and she put up a smile. “Guess I can’t expect one every day,” she said, slamming the door shut. “He’s probably got a lot going on right now,” Alex replied. “I’m sure that’s what it is.” • On the third day, after giving him a good looking over, the nurse said little Albert was well enough to go home. Alex went to pick Bea and his nephew up from the hospital and found them in the lobby, waiting to be checked out. “Just gotta fill out some forms is all,” Bea said to her brother. “Then we can get outta here.” While Bea waited for the hospital official to come out, Alex took a seat next to his nephew and made small talk. An hour had passed before she decided to get up and go speak with the woman who sat behind the counter. 187 “Excuse me, Miss...