Page 18 of Love’s Harvest (Lilace Lake #3)

As the days moved closer to Thanksgiving, Sarah and April worked to get holiday merchandise displayed.

Winter snows had yet to come to the town, but those days were not far off.

It was a family tradition that the store window was changed the Friday before Thanksgiving, so visitors to Lilac Lake would have the chance to do some Christmas shopping at the store while they were in town.

Mia and Emily were thrilled to be able to be with Sarah as she worked in the evenings after the store had closed to do a few displays.

And when it came time to dress the window, the girls played with the fake snow Sarah used and helped spread it around on the floor of the display area. She’d finish without their help.

###

She’d just climbed into bed that night when the phone rang. Her mother .

“Hi, Mom! What’s up?”

“It’s your father. He’s not feeling well. I think he may be having a stroke.”

“Have you called Dr. Chambers?” Sarah asked, sitting up.

“Yes, he told me to call 911 and he’d be on his way. But I thought you should know.” Her mother’s voice shook.

Aware she couldn’t leave the girls alone, Sarah said, “I’ll get a sitter and be there as soon as I can.”

She called Hazel and asked if she’d come to the house.

Hazel sleepily said, “Of course. Give me a couple of minutes to get dressed.”

Sarah ended the call and hurried to get herself dressed, her heart pounding with alarm. Her mother would not have called unless it was a true emergency. She was a very strong woman who sounded scared. That worried Sarah most of all.

She met Hazel at the door, gave her a quick rundown of the situation, and said, “I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

###

At her parents’ house, Sarah saw Emmett Chambers’s car and an ambulance in the driveway. Sarah parked in front of the house, got out, and ran to the front door.

Her mother rushed to greet her. “Thank God, you’re here. Your dad’s worse. They’re confirming he’s had a stroke. They’re preparing to take him to Portsmouth now. We can follow.”

Crystal’s husband, Dr. Chambers, came over to them. “It’s a good thing the EMTs got here so fast. Timing in these situations is so important. I’ll follow them to the hospital and make sure everything is right there before returning home.”

“Oh, thank you,” said Sarah’s mother, throwing her arm around Sarah’s shoulder and squeezing hard. Sarah knew her mother was as grateful as she that Lilac Lake had a small-town doctor who would give such kind service.

She went over to her dad lying on a gurney and with a nod from one of the EMTs, took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze. “You’ll be all right, Dad. Love you.”

Watching him be placed inside the ambulance, Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. Her father was much too young to die.

After saying goodbye to her husband, her mother came up beside her. “Are you able to take me now? Are the girls taken care of?”

“Hazel is with them. Let me tell her what’s going on, and we’ll be on our way. If she can’t stay, we’ll ask her to get one of the Gilford women to take over for her. I know they will. I don’t want you to worry about it.”

Minutes later, after confirming with Hazel that she would stay, Sarah and her mother headed to the Portsmouth Hospital.

“How did you know what was going on with Dad?” Sarah asked her mother.

“I recently read an article about the symptoms of stroke. They call it the ‘FAST’ check. Face, arm, speech and time. Can the person smile? Can the person raise both arms? Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say? If any of these signs fail, call 911.”

“Can they tell how bad Dad is?” asked Sarah, fighting tears.

“They’ll be able to assess him at the hospital. I’m praying it will be a mild stroke. We’re supposed to start our semi-retirement this winter.” said her mother, battling tears of her own.

With little traffic on the roads, Sarah made excellent time to the hospital and pulled up to the Emergency Room to let her mother out.

“I’ll be right there,” said Sarah.

Minutes later, Sarah rushed into the waiting area and found her mother sitting there. “The nurse said they’re checking him in now. We’re to wait here while they do a number of tests on him.”

Sarah sat next to her mother and took hold of her hand. “Hopefully you assessed the symptoms early enough to make a difference. Dad’s a strong, active man.”

“Yes, maybe too active. I’ve been trying to get him to slow down. It’s been a godsend to have you home helping to run the store. Five months in Florida this winter was going to be the beginning of transitioning the store over to your control.”

“That seems so final. I guess it’s time to get real about it. I wasn’t sure that’s what you really wanted.”

“If your father survives this and does well enough to continue with our plans, we are going to be making more changes more quickly than we thought,” said her mother. Her eyes filled. “I can’t lose him or lose the life we’ve planned.”

Sarah handed her mother a tissue. “Dad’s in excellent hands, and it’s a blessing he was with you when it happened. Hopefully, that saved a lot of time in getting help.”

It seemed hours before a nurse came to them. “Mrs. Bullard?”

Sarah’s mother stood. “How is my husband?”

“We’re waiting for the results from all his tests. Your husband is being taken to a room. We’ll be able to give you his room number soon and you’ll be able to visit him. He’s awake. He’s fortunate you called for help right away.”

“And the doctor? When can we see him?” asked Sarah.

“He’ll meet with you shortly,” the nurse said. “We didn’t want you to worry.”

A short while later, a man wearing green scrubs approached them. “Hello, I’m Dr. Shipman. I’m the one who oversaw your husband’s arrival. Lucky man to have someone with him when his stroke happened.”

“Can you tell us about his condition?” Sarah asked.

“It appears that he’s had a mild Ischemic Stroke which occurs when a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain is obstructed.

In his case, it appears that it wasn’t for too long, which means a quicker recovery.

He’s been given a thrombolytic or what we call a “clot-busting” drug to break up blood clots.

He’ll be prescribed blood thinners going forward.

Right now, he’s in acceptable shape mentally, and aside from some numbness in his hands and feet, he seems not to have had much damage.

We will keep him here in the hospital for the next day or two to make sure there are no reoccurring symptoms.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” said Sarah’s mother.

“Will he see a therapist of some kind?” asked Sarah. “You said he had some numbness.”

“Yes, we have a Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center here in Portsmouth. One of two in the state and the only one on the seacoast. We will assign a physical therapist to work with him to see if those symptoms can be reduced. You should be aware that frightening episodes like this can affect people in different ways. He might become depressed, have difficulty expressing or controlling his emotions, become easily agitated. We have staff prepared to help him in this regard, if needed.”

After Dr. Shipman left, Sarah went over to the desk to see if her father had been assigned a room, and returned to tell her mother he was on the second floor.

Sarah took hold of her mother’s cold hand and knew how tense and upset her mother was. “It’s going to be all right. Dad’s had a mild stroke. No matter what, it could be worse.”

“I know. It’s just that I hope it doesn’t change his personality like the doctor mentioned. He’s always been easy-going.”

“One day at a time,” said Sarah trying to be encouraging. The thought of her father becoming depressed scared her. She didn’t want to go through that experience again.

###

When they reached her father’s room, Sarah followed her mother inside and paused, giving her parents a private moment before she went and hugged him.

Her father was a big, fit man with a jovial personality perfect for selling wares in town. Now, he lay on the bed looking dazed.

Her mother’s eyes overflowed with silent tears as she hugged her husband. Sarah felt a sting of tears but thought it best to appear upbeat.

“The doctor says you are a lucky man, that not much damage was done because Mom called for help so quickly.” Sarah turned as Dr. Chambers came into the room.

“Hello, Bob. I’ve been checking on your treatment. Edie is going to be able to have you come home in a day or two. And Sarah, I know you’ll be a help.”

“Thank you, Emmett,” said Sarah. “Thanks for making the trip here.”

“Of course. Bob was one of my first patients in town when I was called upon to stitch up a cut finger.” Emmett checked his watch. “I’m leaving you in superb care. If anything needs to be coordinated with home treatment, please let me know.”

After he left, Sarah walked out of the room to search for some coffee, leaving her mother talking quietly to her father.

Later, while her mother talked to a nurse in the hallway, Sarah gave her father a hug. “How are you, Dad? Are you going to be okay?”

He looked at her with a new uncertainty. “I’m going to do what the doctors and nurses tell me to do. And I’m going to follow your mother’s advice and do some of the recovery in Florida where I won’t have to worry about the store.”

“Yes, Mom has indicated that’s what she wants.” Sarah hid the fact that she didn’t feel ready to take over the store. Somehow, she’d figure everything out. Because she’d do anything to keep her parents happy and healthy.