Page 13 of Aaron's Patience

I frowned at the female voice I heard on the other end. It wasn’t a familiar one.

“Who is this?” I questioned, sharply.

“M-my name is Wilhelmina.”

“And how did you get my personal cell number?”

“It’s Thiers. He’s had a heart attack.”

I paused from following Joshua, right before we stepped into the elevator. “Is he still alive?” In my peripheral, I saw Joshua glance over at me.

“Yes, thank God. He is alive. The doctors say he may need surgery. He asked that I call you. He wanted you to come see him at your earliest convenience.”

“What hospital is he in and what is his room number?”

“He’s in Williamsport General. Room four-twelve.”

“Is his situation dire?”

“Not at the moment. The doctors believe his prognosis is good.”

“I will make arrangements to see him as soon as possible.” I ended the call without waiting for her response and began texting my senior assistant instructions.

“Thiers?”

“Making arrangements to visit tomorrow.”

Josh nodded and proceeded to the elevator.

I explained everything the woman, Wilhelmina, had just told me over the phone to Josh as we got in the awaiting car to head to lunch. Throughout our meal I did my best to keep my mind off Thiers… and who else I might run into at the hospital.

****

Patience

“Kyle, stop jumping on the couch please!” I admonished my son who was shrieking and laughing while he watched one of his favorite cartoons.

“Mommy, I’m hungry!” he whined, plopping down on his butt on the couch.

“I’m making breakfast now. Do me a favor and go wake your sister, and the both of you go brush your teeth.”

He blew out a breath. “Okay.”

It was a busy Thursday morning, and as usual Kennedy was the last in the house to wake up. Kennedy was like me when it came to sleep. Until I had kids, I hated getting up early in the morning. Now, the only time I could get a little quiet time was early mornings, so I made due.

I whipped the pancake mixture some more before dumping a packet of fresh blueberries into the batter and folding them in. Next, I ladled a couple of spoonfuls of the batter onto the griddle, and waited for the bubbles to appear before flipping them. By the time the children came running up the hall after brushing their teeth, I had two pancakes for each of them on their plates.

“Kyle, slow down. The food isn’t going to run away.”

That caused Kennedy to giggle.

“Thank you, Mommy!” Kyle said through a mouthful of pancakes.

“You’re welcome, baby.” I pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“How’d you sleep, baby girl?” I asked Kennedy while sitting down with my own plate. I tried to make it a point to slow down and eat with the kids whenever possible. Mornings could be busy but I wanted to savor the time I had with them first and foremost.

“Good!” Kennedy nodded in response to my inquiry.