“This could get a little interesting.”

Suzie turns to Alex and me and begins to explain the screening she has just completed and Mom's likely progression from Cardiac Care to the Rehabilitation unit. I nod, “I understand. I have a background in rehab and actually did my first traineeship here many years ago when you had about half the hospital that you do now. This place looks great!” I sweep my arm toward the new wing visible through the hospital window.

“Oh! Then you know all this! Great. I’ve been here about 5 years so it’s always looked this way to me,” she nods, her gaze following my arm.

“Are Dr. Fitzpatrick and Dr. Angotti still here?”

“I’m on Dr. Fitzpatrick’s team,” Suzie beams at me. “. Dr. Angotti has a private practice but he still consults here.”

“I worked with them both when I was here. They’re great! In fact, the whole team I worked with was great.”

"They are, indeed. I've got some great mentors here. People tend to stay here for a long time. Angela Sims in Occupational Therapy has been here for nearly 20 years. Tony Andrews in P. T. has been here over ten."

"Angela is still here?!"

"Sure is. We're both on Dr. Fitzpatrick's team."

Considering Suzie was assigned to do Mom's bedside evaluation, I wonder if this means Mom has already been assigned to her rehab team. “Will Dr. Fitzpatrick be my mother’s physician when she is transferred to rehab?”

“I’m not sure. We also have Dr. Wong and Dr. Masters.” She furrows her brow, considering, “I suppose you could request a certain doctor”, she trails off ending the comment with a question in her voice, unsure whether that would be considered an appropriate request.

"Dr. Masters. Steve Masters?"

"One and the same. Do you know him?"

"He was on his residency during my training here. I didn't realize he had stayed on staff afterwards."

“He’s a great doc. Who knows? We haven't made the team assignment for your mom yet, so it's possible he may take over her care. We’ll see when she’s ready for that.”

Suzie smiles, agrees and rips off a piece of paper one which she pens her name and number. “Call any time you have questions.”

“Thanks, Suzie,” I fold the paper and place it in my front jeans pocket.

She leaves and I return to my mother’s side.

“Do you remember that name, Ma? Steve Masters?”

My mother looks at me fuzzily, a slight shake of her head.

“Think back” I peer into her eyes. “This is a cognitive test.”

She looks up, searching her memory, then a dim light seems to emerge. Looking back at me she whispers, “The amputee?”

I nod.

She leans back into her pillow, nodding slightly with a half smile that would have been a half smile even without the droop of her face. “Small world.”

She is tired now and we haven’t eaten since breakfast.

“Ma, we’re going to let you get some rest and go get some dinner. We’ll be back in a bit.”

She nods, eyes closed, already drifting off.

Alex and I make our way down the brightly lit hall of the new-to-me hospital wing. “They have any sushi in this town?”

Alex has a chronic, serious sushi jones. His wife, Rosalie is decidedly not a fan of raw fish so any outing with me is relished as an opportunity to for him to satisfy this guilty pleasure.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this town. “I think so. Hmm. I’m trying to remember where it is. We’ll head north.” I’m feeling a little distracted.

As we head out of the main entrance toward the parking lot, I decide I need to get this over with.

“This could get a little interesting.”

Alex gives me a sideways glance, shifting slightly into cop interrogation mode.

“How so?”

Squirming a bit, I start to crack up. How perfect. I mean what are the odds?

“Weeeelllll, Dr. Masters and I had...um...a…well...a relationship.”

Slowly the light dawns. “Ah, I thought they were unusually friendly here!”

Needing no more encouragement from me, Alex has all he needs. In his best lounge guy voice he croons at me, “Well, helllooo. Nice to see you again.”

“No!” I smack him in the arm. “He wasn’t like THAT!” I protest, desperately trying to figure out how I was going to maintain any shred of dignity now that I had exposed myself as such prime material for my brother’s next act.

Chuckling to himself and shrugging, he goes on, “You know, I know you had some indiscretions in your first marriage. I don’t really have any opinion on that, but I gotta say, I don’t really think of you as a sexual person,” he holds his hands in front of him, palms out as though subconsciously trying to push away any further images that may have crept in.

“You don’t?!” I huff, a little offended. I mean, sure, I’m 43 and all, but should the thought be that foreign? That alien?

“I mean, you’re my sister.” He shudders with an exaggerated wince.

I concede the point and have to admit it’s probably better that way.

“An amputee, huh?”

Shit. Here we go. I knew I wasn’t going to escape that easy.

“So you like to get all freaky, don’t you? Now, let’s see. There was Bobby Smith. That was your jungle fever phase. And an amputee. Any midgets?”

I can’t help it. I don’t want to encourage him but I have to laugh.

“No. But there was a Christian Scientist.”

Alex loses it. He’s dying. “Oh, that’s PERFECT!”

We’re both laughing hard now and again, I realize how grateful I am to have him with me.

“There it is!” I pull in to the parking lot of Sushi Palace.
Alex is delighted.

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