Chapter 71

“You bet,” Kevin said, handing him one of the three insulated mugs I’d found in the kitchen.

“Then let’s hit the road,” Dad said.

We ran through the closest drive-through and bought sausage biscuits to go with our coffee, and were at the hospital a few minutes before seven. When we got to Mom’s room, she was awake and looking a bit better than she had the previous evening.

Dad gave her a quick kiss and said, “Has the doctor been by yet?”

“Not yet,” she said, “but I’ve been told that he’s on this floor, so it won’t be long. Where’s Russ?”

“He decided to go home last night,” Dad said, “but he’ll be back this morning.”

“That wife of his keeps him on a tight leash,” she said.

We sat chatting quietly with Mom, and a few minutes later a tall man wearing a lab coat and a stethoscope entered the room. “Good morning, Harriet,” he said, ignoring the rest of us. “How are you?”