Gwen laughed slightly, as that question had taken her by surprise. Giggling under her breath, she responded, “You know what, honey? It is very similar, except the obstruction isn’t a doll’s head. It’s known as a clot in the body.”
Paul, who didn’t know whether to believe, Lisa, said, “Oh, ok, so Lisa was right.”
Gwen, looking with pride first at Paul then gleaming at Lisa, responded, “She was.”
The family sat in relative silence for 30 minutes. Henry checked his watch and moved back and forth in his chair sporadically. He was agitated and wondering what was taking so long. He had got up to ask the nurse if there was any change in Pop Pop’s status when the doctor came through the door. He was in scrubs with his head smock still on and a mask pulled down around his neck.
“Harper family,” he said aloud, as Henry and Lee stood up. He asked them over to a secluded corner of the waiting room. The rest of the family looked very interested in what was being said. Lisa tried to read the doctor’s lips, but a thick black/gray mustache, which meant that the doctor could have been a ringer for General Grant in a civil war reenactment, was covering most of his mouth, making it impossible to see. All she could see was him talking and her father and her uncle shaking their heads with looks of worry. This went on for about 10 minutes. Henry and Lee then shook the doctor’s hand and said, “Thank you.”
The doctor replied, “Your father is in good hands.” These were the only words Lisa could read on the doctor’s lips.
Her father and uncle returned to the family all sitting together. Henry began to speak. Lee let him talk, as he knew this was information only one of them should tell the whole family, and Henry’s personality suited this role. Henry was the patriarch of the family after Pop Pop. It didn’t bother Lee, and Henry never used his position in the family to advantage over Lee. This made decisions like this easy and Lee didn’t envy Henry in times like these. If anything, he envied his brother for his calm and composed approach that came so naturally to him. Lee may have been a lawyer and have given depositions in front of hundreds of people in his lifetime, but his brother’s confidence and composure were rock solid. It was something he admired and made him jealous of his brother his whole life.
Henry spoke. “Dad is stable. He’s had a severe stroke. He is alive but in a coma. The doctor said he doesn’t know if permanent damage to his brain occurred, but, given the severity of the blockage, it is likely. Tests to his brain show the blockage has impaired the left side of his brain. He has partial paralysis on his right side and decreased brain activity in his left lobe.“
Gwen spoke as Henry took a breath to let what he had just said settle in. “Is he going to be ok?”
Henry, taking a deep breath replied, “I don’t know, honey. He’s in an induced coma. The doctors put him in it to help with the swelling and inflammation in his brain. They have to follow standard protocols for stroke patients, and more will be known once the initial treatment is completed.“
Lisa, who was very confused, asked, “Daddy, what does this mean for Pop Pop? “
Henry looked into his daughter’s eyes with sincerity and confidence and said, “I don’t know, honey.” He looked up and addressed everyone. “We won’t know for a few days, maybe even weeks. They will slowly take him off the medication, keeping him in a coma, and see if he comes out of it.” He paused to let everyone let this sink in. He continued, “The doctor did say it was a severe stroke and many patients don’t fully recover. He suggested we go home, as we will not be able to see him today. He will let us know if anything changes and when we can visit.”
The adults said their goodbyes. Lee and Henry kissed each other’s wives on the cheeks and hugged their respective kids. Henry and Lee got in their cars with their families and drove home.
Henry, driving home, noticed it was 7:15 pm and asked the kids if they were hungry. Lisa was starving, so was Paul.
Paul said, “I am, I am!” with extreme gusto, not being totally aware of the sadness he should feel for Pop Pop, as he didn’t quite understand the severity of what was going on. No one in the family really did. Being only nine, Paul’s juvenile maturity wouldn’t allow him total understanding. However, age and maturity didn’t seem to help, because his parents felt as hopeless as their nine-year-old son. No one in the family knew what was going to happen to Pop Pop. All they knew was that he was alive but in a coma.
Henry pulled into a McDonald’s to appease their hunger. Gwen didn’t really like the choice but was a bit peckish as well, so only showed her distaste through her look at her husband, who knew, but felt quick and easy was more important than health at this time, which seemed a bit ironic, as it was possibly Pop Pop’s love for a Big Mac that had put him in the situation he was in. Pop Pop loved Mackie D’s, as he called it, and would only order one thing: a Big Mac meal. His eyes would shine more than usual after his first bite. He loved taking the grandkids to Mackie D’s and would take them there for small celebrations such as an A on a paper or goal scored at a game. If there were no special event or prize, Pop Pop would make up some sort of celebration of the mundane to allow him his second indulgence beyond Jameson. And he would find himself with a Big Mac and at least one grandchild in the playroom a minimum of twice a month. Gwen tried to be health-oriented and only indulge when Pop Pop wanted to go, which made the trip to McDonald’s even more poignant the day of Pop Pop’s stroke.
The family ate their meals hardly speaking. They drove to their home with the kids in silence, and, by the time they pulled into the driveway, the children were asleep. By the time they got home, it was close to 10 pm. Henry picked the boys up from their seats in the car as though they were bags of rice. Paul half woke up and stirred but went directly back to sleep in his arms as their father carried them to bed. Lisa was asleep until the bump pulling into the driveway woke her up. She got out of the car and slouched towards the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Lisa finished cleaning her teeth and spat silently into the sink. She turned on the taps and ran warm water and gently washed her face. She was very meticulous about this, as she had just recently got her first pimple. She did not fixate on her first blemish, as she was not a vain high-maintenance young woman. She knew that personality was far more important than looks. Pop Pop had emphasized this to her. But she did want to minimize the potential for zits, so she meticulously washed and treated her face. She had just recently been allowed to wear makeup and would hesitate, as she knew foundation could clog her pores and cause more zits.
She looked at her face in the mirror, drying the water off it. She lingered, staring at her skin, contemplating what had occurred. Her eyes were sad and confused. She pulled the plug out of the sink and walked to her room. She got into bed and turned off the light. She tried to force herself to go to sleep
Lisa could hear her dad in the next room putting her brothers to bed. She heard the mumbles of her brother’s voice, so tired that he sounded like he was whining. Paul would get very crabby when he was super tired. He’d been known to get so tired and cranky that he’d cry until his head hit the pillow, at which point he’d already be in deep sleep. It was something Pop Pop and Henry used to tease him about, now that he was a bit older and could take mild harassment about mild character flaws.
She heard her dad say good night to Paul and close his door. She was trying to sleep, even though she was wide awake. She lay with her eyes closed, listening for clues from her father, who was walking past her room. She was too old to be tucked in but just young enough that she missed the times her parents would and was almost jealous of her younger brothers for getting the attention while she had to say her prayers and go sleep on her own.
Henry walked by and opened the door a crack to see if she was asleep. He had not done this for a while, but he wanted to check on all his children tonight. Lisa heard the door slightly open, and opened her eyes, and sat up, supporting herself on her elbow in a body motion that encouraged her father to enter and tuck her in.
Henry realized this opportunity and said, “Good night, honey.”
Lisa