Life's Second Chances: The Show Me Series: Book One Read online

  “Sore,” she groaned in response. “And Colleen?”

  “Doing as well as can be expected. Angelina go back to sleep and I’ll be here when you wake.”

  She nodded, turned her head away from him, and fell back to sleep.

  Once he was sure she was sleeping, Alejandro went to check on Colleen. As he made his way down the hallway, he prayed that Angelina didn’t wake until he returned. Even though Colleen’s room was not far from Angelina’s, it seemed like it was an eternity before her reached her door. He waved to her parents as he passed the waiting room. They, too, looked exhausted—no one in the Alvarez or Samuels family had slept much in the last seventy-two hours.

  He checked with the nurses before entering Colleen’s room. She was still unconscious from surgery, but that was to be expected. He checked her vital signs, all of the machines that were connected to her, as well as the various tubes that were attached to her body. She was still on a ventilator helping her breathe. She had a gastric tube that fed into her stomach. She had a catheter along with other various tubes in her abdomen. These drained fluid from around her liver and would remain in place for about a week. All in all, Colleen was faring well. He stopped by Colleen’s parents to provide them with an update before returning to Angelina’s room. He hoped that she hadn’t woken while he was gone. He’d promised her that he’d be there when she woke up in the morning. He’d just reentered her room when she called for him.

  “Alejandro?” she whispered. He reached for her hand and held it while she opened her eyes. He brushed his hand across her forehead, letting her know that he was there, but also checking for a fever.

  “I’m here.”

  “Thank you. Thank you for saving Colleen.”

  “I didn’t—you did. What matters is that she is alive and recovering. You need to rest. We’ll be getting you up soon. Take it easy because you’ll need to be fully rested before I will allow you to return to work.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said. Alejandro had to leave—he was being paged over the intercom. He promised to check on her before he left the hospital for the evening.

  Gabriella ran into Alejandro as he was leaving Angelina’s room. “How is she?”

  “Good. But Gabriella, you need to make sure she understands that she needs her rest. She’ll be tired and will be susceptible to infection. I worry that when she returns to the classroom she will pick something up from one of the children.”

  “I’ll tell her that she needs to take it easy. But I know her and she will push herself. You’re going to have to play an active role in making sure she takes it easy, too. You’re her doctor.”

  “I realize that, but I wanted to make sure you understood the importance of this. I don’t expect you to do her work, but I want you to understand that she is—”

  “I know, Alejandro. She’s like a sister to me, and I will make sure she takes care of herself.”

  “Thanks.”

  Gabriella sat with Angelina and she spoke of Alejandro’s concerns for when she returned to work. She wouldn’t be able to return to work for six to eight weeks. “You’re going to have to take it easy, and when you return, the beginnings of the flu season will be underway.”

  “I know that, Gabriella. I’ll do my best to stay rested and well. I won’t overdo it, I promise. I’ll have you and my parents to make sure that I take care of myself.”

  *****

  Colleen was slowly recovering from the transplant. She had exhibited no signs of rejection. Everyone was thankful that the transplant was successful.

  Gabriella visited Angelina while she was in the hospital almost daily, bringing cards and letters from her students. Angelina missed them and couldn’t wait to return to the classroom. It was her avenue of joy. Her students were the family that she hadn’t yet had the chance to build. Teaching provided her with an extended family. Many of Angelina’s past students kept in touch with her and several that she’d worked with while she studied in college had begun to have their own families. When Angelina thought of the prospect of her own family, she often got depressed. She was thirty years old and didn’t even have a prospect for a husband, let alone a chance at fulfilling the dream of starting the family she so desired. Angelina had always dreamed of having it all—a house she could call her own and a family. The size of her family didn’t matter as long as she and her husband were healthy and happy with whatever came their way. One, two, three children didn’t matter. She’d feel blessed no matter what.

  One day when Gabriella entered Angelina’s room, she surprised her with a wheelchair and another envelope stuffed with cards. “What’s up with the wheelchair?”

  “We’re going for a ride,” she said as she placed the envelope containing the cards down on the tray table and helped Angelina transfer from her bed to the wheelchair. Gabriella wheeled Angelina down the hall. Angelina had no idea what her friend was doing and then she realized they were headed to Colleen’s room. Gabriella pushed through the doorway and Angelina was flabbergasted. It seemed like the entire Samuels and Alvarez families had gathered in Colleen’s room.

  As everyone stood around celebrating Colleen’s successful transplant, her parents recalled watching the field hockey game and witnessing the series of events that led up to her injury. It had been a freak accident by nature. Somehow she’d lost her footing and was trying to recover when she was hit. “I really don’t remember anything about what happened. The last thing I truly remember was leaving the house and Wyatt reminding Angelina to walk Bingo. That’s it.”

  Her parents praised the emergency medical teams that assisted Colleen, both on and off the field. They were extremely thankful for their relationship with the Alvarez family. “John and Maria, thank you for everything,” Jackie said as she hugged Maria.

  “We didn’t do a thing,” John said as Ben shook his hand.

  “You brought Alejandro to us,” said Jackie.

  “We had nothing to do with that,” John said. “Gabriella was the one behind it—she’s the one who linked our families together when the girls were in school.”

  “Either way, Alejandro is why we’re all standing together celebrating Colleen’s new lease on life,” Jackie added.

  Colleen reached for John’s hand. “I don’t care what you say, Dr. A. You made this day happen. From what I understand, you coordinated everything. Thank you!” They were lucky to be connected with them, and Alejandro’s move back to St. Louis proved to be a godsend for all involved.

  Angelina came home from the hospital a week after the transplant. When Angelina returned home, physically she was doing well, but emotionally she was still trying to catch up and make sense out of what happened. She had her emotionally charged moments where she found herself crying for no reason, and then she’d realize how lucky Colleen was to be alive. Life was precious. It could be taken in a moment’s notice. She would never take it for granted again.

  Colleen followed Angelina home a week later. Neither one experienced any complications. Time would tell if Colleen would reject the transplant, but all indications were that she would be just fine. Angelina returned to the classroom two weeks before Thanksgiving, while Colleen wouldn’t return to school until after the New Year.

  Chapter Five

  Angelina returned to school amongst a hail of well wishes. A special mass and assembly were held in her honor. Angelina thanked everyone for their prayers, well wishes, and cards. She graciously thanked Gabriella for her constant support. “I want everyone to know that Ms. Alvarez’s family was instrumental in helping my family. Ms. Alvarez’s older brother is the physician that performed the transplant on my sister. I owe so much to her and her family.”

  Angelina said a few more words and then hugged Gabriella. She was so thankful that Mary hired her and brought Gabriella back into her life. Both were an emotional wreck by the end of the assembly. Arm-in-arm, they walked towards Mary’s office.

  “Are you two going to be okay the rest of the day?” Mary asked.

 
“I’ll be fine,” said Angelina. “I just got a little emotional. Give me a minute and I’ll head back—”

  “No, you two take your time and go back to your classrooms when you’re ready. Your aides will cover for you.”

  It was a pleasant day, so Angelina and Gabriella decided to take a walk outside.

  “I’m blessed to have you and your family back in my life. I’m sorry that we lost track of one another after graduation. I love you, Gabriella.”

  “I know you do. Angelina, I regret not keeping in touch, too, but we can only move forward and acknowledge the past, knowing we’ll always be in each other’s lives from now on. I consider you the sister that I never had, and I love you, too.”

  They sat outside for the remainder of the period discussing the upcoming holidays and the year’s activities leading up to their winter break. Angelina was excited to get back to her classroom. They were studying Thanksgiving and were preparing for a field trip to an Indian Reservation to participate in a mock Thanksgiving celebration. It was the first time the school had done this and everyone was looking forward to it.

  *****

  Angelina had been back in school for about a week. She’d been more tired as of late, but blamed it on the fact that she was getting back into the swing of things. That morning she’d awakened with a headache, but she didn’t think twice about it since she often had headaches due to her allergies. Lately, she’d also been a little on the warm side, but blamed it on the weather and the higher than normal humidity levels.

  Angelina was running behind as she greeted her mother in the kitchen. She grabbed her travel mug and reached for the coffee pot when her mother started questioning her about the field trip. “I’ve always wanted to visit an Indian Reservation. How far did you say it was? What time are you leaving? What time do you expect to arrive? Are you looking forward to the trip?”

  Jackie didn’t hesitate or even take a breath between questions. Angelina’s head was pounding and she just didn’t have the energy to deal with her mother. She paused before pouring her coffee and said, “Mom, last night I told you everything about the field trip. Didn’t you listen to a word I said?”

  Jackie was shocked by Angelina’s comment. She stood and watched as Angelina quickly poured her coffee sloshing the hot liquid over the edge of the cup. Hurriedly, she reached for a cloth to clean-up her mess and slammed the lid onto the cup. She grabbed her purse and headed to the door. “I have to go I am running late.” And with that, Angelina rushed through the door slamming it behind her. Angelina had been cross with her mother for no reason at all. In Jackie fashion, she’d just asked a few questions.

  They boarded the bus for the field trip. Angelina seemed a little anxious, but Gabriella didn’t say anything because she thought it was just the adrenaline of going on the trip. She’d actually had to pull aside several of the boys to threaten them that if they didn’t behave, she’d leave them at school. Gabriella had never witnessed Angelina get upset with her students, but today she did. Gabriella couldn’t figure out what they’d done. Actually, hers were behaving worse than Angelina’s while they’d lined up to board the bus.

  They arrived at their destination and disembarked the bus. Angelina was behind Gabriella. One of Angelina’s students was a little loud and Gabriella turned around. She witnessed Angelina stumble as she reached the top of the stairs and almost fall down the stairs, but she caught herself before falling. One of Angelina’s students asked if she was okay, but she blamed it on her clumsiness. Gabriella thought something was out of sorts with her and decided to keep an eye on her for the remainder of the day.

  Thankfully, the school required a parent for every three students on field trips, in addition to the classroom teacher. This ratio enabled the teachers to interact more with the students and further enrich the experience for everyone.

  Gabriella noticed Angelina brushing her hand across her forehead. She was pale and appeared to be warm. Several times, Gabriella saw Angelina lift the hair off of her shoulders, fanning her neck. It was a nice day and the temperatures were in the mid-sixties. Gabriella didn’t think it was warm enough that Angelina needed to fan herself.

  They had eaten and were watching a tribal dance when Angelina stood and headed for the back of the Exhibition Hall. Gabriella followed her with her eyes and waited for her return. She was concerned with the visible signs she’d witnessed earlier in the day. Anxiousness… Clumsiness… Overly warm. It just wasn’t normal for Angelina, as she remembered her always being on the cold side. Alejandro had asked her to keep an eye on Angelina when she returned to school.

  When Angelina didn’t reappear, Gabriella stood and nonchalantly walked over to Mary.

  “I’m going to check on Angelina. She walked out a few minutes ago and hasn’t returned. I’m a little concerned.”

  Mary nodded. “I saw her leave, too, and was watching for her to return. Go check on her.”

  Gabriella headed to the ladies room where she found Angelina standing at the sink washing her hands. Her face was flushed and it looked like she’d been wiping her forehead—there was an abundance of wet paper towels sitting beside the sink. She seemed surprised when Gabriella entered. She gathered the towels and threw them into the trashcan. Gabriella didn’t want her to think she was checking on her, so she went into one of the stalls. When she came out, Angelina was still standing beside the sink. She appeared to be holding onto the sink for dear life.

  While washing her hands, she asked, “Are you alright?”

  “Yes,” Angelina adamantly replied.

  She didn’t believe her quick, terse reply. Gabriella didn’t know what to do. She knew something wasn’t right, but didn’t want to press the issue and further agitate Angelina. She’d wait and see how she was when they returned to St. Margaret’s; then she’d confront her. Gabriella opened the bathroom door and Angelina preceded her. Angelina barely crossed the threshold when she grabbed her side and collapsed to the ground.

  “Angelina?” Gabriella cried out.

  She’d fainted. Gabriella knelt down and felt Angelina’s head—she was burning up with fever. Trying not to draw attention to herself, she ran for Mary. Whispering in her ear, she told her of Angelina’s collapse. Mary jumped from her seat and followed Gabriella to the hallway where Angelina lay unconscious. “I’ll call for an ambulance,” said Gabriella. She dialed 911 and told the operator what had happened. An ambulance was being dispatched. No sooner had she hung up with 911 then she dialed Alejandro.

  Alejandro had caller ID and recognized his sister’s telephone number. He’d just completed visiting with his inpatients at the hospital and was heading towards his office.

  “Hey, Sis. What’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be on some Indian field trip?”

  Gabriella could barely get the words out. “Angelina,” she whispered.

  He couldn’t hear what she said and asked again, “What?”

  Gabriella spoke louder this time. “It’s Angelina. She’s collapsed.”

  Alejandro stopped in the middle of the hallway, “Where are you?”

  “We’re on the field trip. Angelina’s been acting a little strange today. Anxious, clumsy… So she went to the ladies room and I followed her. As she went to leave, she grabbed her side and collapsed. I’ve called 911 and they’re on their way. Alejandro, she’s got a fever.”

  “Damn,” is all, he said. Collecting his thoughts he continued, “Inform the paramedics about the transplant. Tell them to bring her directly to this hospital. I’ll be waiting for you in the ER.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Alejandro?”

  “Sis, get her here as soon as you can. I’ll contact her parents and let them know she’s on her way.”

  “Alejandro, what could it be?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll have to see when she gets here. Try not to worry. I’ll take care of her.”

  “I know you will.”

  Alejandro took a deep breath when he hung up the phone. He moved his hand through his hai
r in disgust. He’d warned her about returning to work too soon and for her to call him in the event she felt like she was coming down with something. “Damn,” he uttered as he flew down the stairs, running towards the ER. He was going to secure an examining room and then call her parents.

  The paramedics arrived at the Exhibition Hall within four minutes of Gabriella’s call. They tried to be discreet—Mary gathered the parent chaperones from Angelina’s class and informed them what was happening. They were shocked, but knew to remain calm for the sake of the students. The paramedics had moved Angelina out of the doorway and into an adjoining conference room. They didn’t want to frighten the children. While the paramedics were examining her, Gabriella gathered her chaperones and informed them of the situation. She’d be escorting Angelina to the hospital.

  Gabriella told the paramedics exactly what Alejandro had instructed her. Her fever was 103.5. They further questioned Gabriella as they wheeled Angelina out of the building. “Her doctor will be waiting for her in the ER.”

  “How were you able to arrange that?” the driver asked.

  “He’s my brother. He performed the liver transplant.”

  The paramedics had heard of Alejandro through the grapevine. “Didn’t he just move to St. Louis?”

  “Yes, he did, and I’m so thankful for that.”

  Gabriella rode in the ambulance, holding Angelina’s hand the entire way. She was worried about her friend. She was warm and so pale. Alejandro had been worried about her returning to school and he was right. Gabriella talked softly to Angelina as the ambulance sped down the highway to the hospital. She prayed that her brother would find the answers quickly to what was ailing her.

  The ambulance pulled up at the ER. Before it came to a complete stop, Alejandro was prying open the doors. He helped Gabriella from the ambulance. “Alejandro, she’s so warm and pale.”