I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…”
“No need for apologies, I don’t have time to listen to you blather,” Mami replied sternly. “I sent this girl’s mother to either find some help or get me my medicine because I wasn’t able to breathe properly. We came out to see what’s taken her so long.”
Clarissa looked back at Mami in surprise. She wasn’t acting like the sweet grandma she had just helped down the hall. She was more like the principal at her school.
“You sent her?” Alicia asked.
“Of course I did,” Mami replied. “Do you think I could go and get my own medicine? I tried to have someone on staff help me, but they were all busy.”
“We had a Code Blue in the west wing,” Alicia explained.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” Mami replied. “But I still need my medicine. Have you seen this little girl’s mother? Did she get my medicine?”
Alicia turned back into the small room. “Did Mami send you in here for her medicine?” she asked.
“Excuse me, Alicia,” Mami said, rolling her wheelchair behind the desk and up to the door. “Are you doubting my word?”
“Well, not really…”
“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you look and see what she’s holding in her hand,” Mami insisted. “Theophylline for my breathing problems.”
The nurse marched forward, snatched the packet of pills from Becca’s hand and read the label. “Why didn’t you tell me you were helping one of the residents?” she snapped.
Becca took a deep breath, her face still pale and her eyes wide with fear. “Well, I...,” she began.
“I doubt you gave her a chance to speak,” Mami interrupted. “Now, can we finish with the interrogation and let Mrs. Newman give me the medicine I need? Or shall I pass out and then have an investigation into why I wasn’t given my medicine in a timely manner?”
“No, of course not,” Alicia stammered. “But I have to check your chart before I allow you to take it.”
“Of course,” Mami replied. “Please check it and then you will apologize to Mrs. Newman because she was just trying to help.”
The nurse hurried past Nadja and her wheelchair and typed into the computer at the desk. After a few moments, she looked up and nodded. “I apologize, Mrs. Newman, it seems that Mami indeed needed her theophylline. In the future, however, I must insist that you do not take it upon yourself to get drugs for our residents. You are not authorized to do so and you could be jailed for the unlawful distribution of pharmaceuticals.”
Becca nodded. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice dry. “I will never do it again, I assure you.”
Becca handed Mami the packet of pills and the old woman looked up at her and smiled. “I believe I would be much more comfortable taking them in my room,” she announced. “Would you mind pushing me there, Clarissa?”
Clarissa slid around from the other side of the nurses’ desk, where she’d been hiding. “I can push you wherever you want to go.”
Mami smiled. “Thank you, draguta, just push me up this aisle,” she said, pointing to the hallway on the left. “Becca, please join us. I want to get to know you and your lovely daughter better.”
In a few moments they were in Mami’s room which was decorated in rich, vibrant colors and was filled with beautiful dark wood furniture and upholstered chairs of rich brocade.
“This doesn’t look like a nursing home room,” Becca said as they entered.
Mami laughed. “Oh, no,” she said. “When it was decided I would live here, there were certain things that I was not going to do without. My furniture was one of them.”
She rolled further into the room and then slowly lifted herself out of the wheelchair. Grasping the edges of a bookcase, she made her way to an ornate dresser and opened the top drawer. Reaching in, she pulled out a plastic bag filled with more orange pills.
“I noticed you collected some of these the first time you came,” she said, pulling
“No need for apologies, I don’t have time to listen to you blather,” Mami replied sternly. “I sent this girl’s mother to either find some help or get me my medicine because I wasn’t able to breathe properly. We came out to see what’s taken her so long.”
Clarissa looked back at Mami in surprise. She wasn’t acting like the sweet grandma she had just helped down the hall. She was more like the principal at her school.
“You sent her?” Alicia asked.
“Of course I did,” Mami replied. “Do you think I could go and get my own medicine? I tried to have someone on staff help me, but they were all busy.”
“We had a Code Blue in the west wing,” Alicia explained.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” Mami replied. “But I still need my medicine. Have you seen this little girl’s mother? Did she get my medicine?”
Alicia turned back into the small room. “Did Mami send you in here for her medicine?” she asked.
“Excuse me, Alicia,” Mami said, rolling her wheelchair behind the desk and up to the door. “Are you doubting my word?”
“Well, not really…”
“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you look and see what she’s holding in her hand,” Mami insisted. “Theophylline for my breathing problems.”
The nurse marched forward, snatched the packet of pills from Becca’s hand and read the label. “Why didn’t you tell me you were helping one of the residents?” she snapped.
Becca took a deep breath, her face still pale and her eyes wide with fear. “Well, I...,” she began.
“I doubt you gave her a chance to speak,” Mami interrupted. “Now, can we finish with the interrogation and let Mrs. Newman give me the medicine I need? Or shall I pass out and then have an investigation into why I wasn’t given my medicine in a timely manner?”
“No, of course not,” Alicia stammered. “But I have to check your chart before I allow you to take it.”
“Of course,” Mami replied. “Please check it and then you will apologize to Mrs. Newman because she was just trying to help.”
The nurse hurried past Nadja and her wheelchair and typed into the computer at the desk. After a few moments, she looked up and nodded. “I apologize, Mrs. Newman, it seems that Mami indeed needed her theophylline. In the future, however, I must insist that you do not take it upon yourself to get drugs for our residents. You are not authorized to do so and you could be jailed for the unlawful distribution of pharmaceuticals.”
Becca nodded. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice dry. “I will never do it again, I assure you.”
Becca handed Mami the packet of pills and the old woman looked up at her and smiled. “I believe I would be much more comfortable taking them in my room,” she announced. “Would you mind pushing me there, Clarissa?”
Clarissa slid around from the other side of the nurses’ desk, where she’d been hiding. “I can push you wherever you want to go.”
Mami smiled. “Thank you, draguta, just push me up this aisle,” she said, pointing to the hallway on the left. “Becca, please join us. I want to get to know you and your lovely daughter better.”
In a few moments they were in Mami’s room which was decorated in rich, vibrant colors and was filled with beautiful dark wood furniture and upholstered chairs of rich brocade.
“This doesn’t look like a nursing home room,” Becca said as they entered.
Mami laughed. “Oh, no,” she said. “When it was decided I would live here, there were certain things that I was not going to do without. My furniture was one of them.”
She rolled further into the room and then slowly lifted herself out of the wheelchair. Grasping the edges of a bookcase, she made her way to an ornate dresser and opened the top drawer. Reaching in, she pulled out a plastic bag filled with more orange pills.
“I noticed you collected some of these the first time you came,” she said, pulling
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