Nora sat up gingerly. Slowly she swung her feet over the edge of the bed. She wasn't dizzy. In fact she felt damned good. As if she had had a wonderful long rest. She was past questioning what had happened, or if The Channel was real. She had a part to play now, and she had to remember that she was supposed to have absolutely no idea of what had happened to her. A call bell. There must be a call bell. She looked about. There it was. Reaching for it, she pressed it and waited. And while she waited she put her feet on the ground and began to walk around. She wasn't in the least fuzzy in her head, or unsure on her feet. She drew the IV on wheels along with her.
The door to the room opened, and a woman in a uniform stepped through. "Mrs. Buckley!" she exclaimed. She hurried over to Nora and attempted to put an arm about her waist. "You shouldn't be up like this!"
Nora pulled away from the woman. "I am fine," she said, "but you will understand I am somewhat confused. Where am I?"
"Please sit down, Mrs. Buckley," the woman in the uniform said. "You're at Shorecrest."
"The nursing home? What in heaven's name am I doing here?" Nora demanded.
"What do you last remember, Mrs. Buckley?" her companion asked.
Being in the arms of the sexiest man you could ever imagine, Nora silently thought, but then she said, "Ordering a cable movie, and sitting down to watch it," she told the woman.
"You obviously had some sort of seizure, or brain incident," the uniform began.
"How long have I been here?" Nora said.
"You were at the hospital for ten days, and then moved here six weeks ago. What is the last date you remember?"
"It was New Year's Day," Nora said. "What is today's date, please?"
"It's March first, Mrs. Buckley." She took up Nora's wrist in her hand to check her pulse. "I'm Elda James, the night nurse on this wing. Well, your pulse is quite normal. Would you mind sitting back on the bed. I want to check your blood pressure, and the cuff is over there. I'll also unhook you from your IV."
Nora got up and walked across to the bed to sit down. The nurse fastened the blood pressure device about her right arm and quickly pumped it up. When she had her answer, she unfastened it and put it back in the holder. Then she undid the IV.
"What is it?" Nora asked her quietly.
"One fifteen over seventy-five," the nurse said. "Very normal. Normal on the low side." She made a notation on the chart at the foot of Nora's bed. "This is amazing, Mrs. Buckley. You seem to be absolutely fine. When Dr. Seligmann comes in he is going to be very surprised, and delighted. Would you like me to call your husband?"
"No. I'm not certain where he is," Nora answered the nurse. "Let's wait for Dr. Sam, and let him do it."
"Please get back into bed now, Mrs. Buckley. I know you feel fine, but just as a precaution. Are you hungry? The kitchen is just getting going for the day, but I could get you some tea and pound cake from the nurses' room."
"That would be lovely," Nora agreed. A mirror. She needed a mirror. She wanted to see what she looked like now. She watched the nurse bustle out, and then slipped from the bed and went into the bathroom. She stared at her face in the glass. She looked fine. Younger if anything. But her hair had faded. She'd have to have it colored this week. She found a brush in the medicine cabinet, and brushed the hair out. Then she braided it into a single plait. Yes. Her face definitely looked younger. And it was stress free after how many years? She left the bathroom, and climbed back into bed just as Nurse James came back into the room with her tea and a plate with a slice of pound cake on it.
"I didn't want to give you too much," she said. "We've been feeding you with the IV twice a day." She set the plate and mug down on the side table. "I'll have to leave you. I have patients waking up, and rounds to make before the seven a.m. shift comes in. I hope you won't mind."
"What time is it?" Nora asked.
"Almost seven now. I'm kind of behind with you, but oh, Mrs. Buckley, this is really a miracle!" And with a smile she hurried out.
A miracle. Nora wondered if such a word would really apply to what had happened to her. To them all. The kids! She had to call the kids.
She missed Kyle. She missed her apartment. She missed the endless and delicious sensuality she experienced when she was in The Channel. It had become a part of her, and she was irritable now not being a part of it. Can something like The Channel be addictive? But she already knew the answer. The Channel was like a narcotic, which was why once you were introduced you kept going back. And I have lived for weeks in The Channel, Nora considered. I'm suffering withdrawal. But it won't be forever. I just have to get through today and tomorrow.
Chapter Ten
Dr. Sam Seligmann stepped into Nora's room.
"Sam!" Nora threw back the coverlet and came from the bed.
"Elda stayed to tell me you were awake," he said, "but sweetheart, you've been out like a light for eight weeks. Take it easy. Sit down before you give me a coronary." He almost pushed her into the chair, his fingers reaching for her wrist.
"I'm fine," Nora insisted. "I want to go home, Sam."
"Yep, pulse normal." He took the chart from the foot of the bed and scanned it, shaking his head. "Everything is normal," he said, almost to himself. Then sitting himself in the second club chair, he told her, "All your vitals have been normal since you were brought into the hospital, Nora. But you were unconscious. Actually it was more like you were sleeping. Do you remember anything?" He peered through his glasses at her.
"I remember ordering a cable movie. That's it. Oh, my God! I was supposed to sign the settlement papers. Jeff must be furious."
"He'll live," Sam Seligmann said.
"When can I go home?" Nora demanded. "I feel fine, and I really do want to go home, Sam. And the kids must have been frantic all these weeks. I need to call the kids."
"Frankly I'd keep you under observation for a couple of days," Dr. Seligmann said, "but now that you're conscious, I know your HMO will start screaming because they know that other than being out for these past weeks, you haven't shown any signs of trauma or illness. I'm going to keep you a day, Nora. Just today. You can go home tomorrow, okay? But I don't want you to do anything strenuous for quite a while, sweetheart, and I'm going to check on you myself twice a day."
"You're going to make house calls on me?" Nora grinned. "Why, you old sweetie, you have been worried."
"Don't tell on me." He grinned back, then he grew serious. "Whatever felled you, Nora, I don't want you to relapse by flinging yourself back into your life too quickly."
"I don't have a lot of time, Sam. I'll have to sign that divorce settlement, and that means the house goes on the market April first."
"I'm going to talk to Rick about that," the doctor said. "Under the circumstances we should be able to get an extension. I mean would it kill Jeff to wait till May first?"
"I don't know," Nora replied. "He's been carrying a bridge loan on that co-op he bought. Jeff isn't a man who likes wasting money."
"Listen, Rina says that Carla told her the girlfriend is paying the bridge loan. Your husband isn't out of pocket a penny on this," Sam Seligmann replied. There came a high-pitched sound, and he looked down at the pager on his belt, eyebrows lifting. "Excuse me, Nora, while I make a call." He pulled out his cell and punched in the numbers. "Dr. Seligmann here. Yes. What? You're kidding! I'll be right there." He stood up. "Gotta run. Stay here today. I'll release you tomorrow, and I'll be back later."
He stood up, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and was gone.
Nora smiled to herself. Mr. Nicholas had been right. Everything was going to be just fine. The door opened again, and an aide came in carrying a tray.
"Dr. Sam says you get breakfast, Mrs. Buckley. Glad to see you awake. I'm Chrissy. I went to school with Jill."