as Sharon had requested—and had just begun to munch on a mouthful when the room phone rang.
“I know it’s not for me,” she said.
“I guess Robert’s calling to say good-night.”
I got up from the sofa and hurried to the phone. Sharon paused the DVD.
“Hello?” I said.
“Oh, darling.” He seemed a little breathless. “I’m glad I reached you.”
Instantly, I was alarmed. “Robert, what’s the matter?”
“I don’t know…but I haven’t been feeling well for the last couple of hours.” He sounded as if it hurt to talk. “I…”
“What hurts? Your head? Is it stomach pains again?”
“My…chest.”
“Oh, my God.”
Sharon flashed me a look of concern.
“All the stress of this week… I think it’s gotten to me.”
“Oh, Robert.”
“I need you, Elsie.”
“Of course.” My heart pounded against my rib cage. “Oh, my God.” I spoke hurriedly, my own breathing ragged. “You have to hang up and call 911. Get to a hospital, Robert.”
“All…right…I will.”
Sharon got up and moved to stand beside me. “You’ll be fine, sweetheart,” I told him. He had to be. “You’ll be fine.”
“I need you, Elsie.”
“I’ll leave right now. Have the hospital call me when you get there, so I know which one you’ve gone to.”
“Elsie… If anything happens, I love you. I want you to know that.”
“Don’t talk like that! You’re going to be fine. But please call for an ambulance. Now.”
My hands were shaking as I replaced the receiver. I met my friend’s concerned gaze. “We have to go. Right now.” My hands began to shake. “Oh, Sharon.”
“What?” she asked. “What’s going on?”
“I think Robert might be having a heart attack!”
Fear unlike any I’d ever experienced before gripped me for the entire drive home. Even if I’d taken my car to Charleston, Sharon would have had to drive back. I was far too shaky to control the wheel.
With each passing second, I grew more and more terrified. I’d called every hospital in the Cornelius area, and even within Charlotte proper, but couldn’t confirm that a Robert Kolstad had been admitted to any of them. If he wasn’t in the hospital, did that mean he was dead on the floor of our house? “Why does no hospital have any record of him being admitted?” I asked. My voice was shrill, laced with panic.
And I was also feeling guilty. Guilty that I’d entertained, even for a minute, the idea of leaving Robert.
“Maybe it’s too soon,” Sharon said. “Or maybe there was an error when they put him in the system.”
“Or maybe he’s dead on the floor!”
“He’s not dead.” Sharon reached for my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “I know he’s not. Don’t start thinking the worst.”
“I should call Olga!” I exclaimed, remembering our housekeeper. “She’s not normally in on the weekends, but—”
“Olga’s out of town for her daughter’s wedding this weekend, remember?”
“Oh, shit. That’s right.” I pressed a palm to my forehead. “Shit, Sharon. He mentioned he wasn’t feeling the best. I shouldn’t have left him. I shouldn’t have…”
“Don’t blame yourself. He’s okay. I know it. And we’re almost there.”
My phone was sweaty in my hands. “I’m going to try the hospitals again.”
Calls to all area hospitals produced no results. I would make the rounds of every one if I had to, but first I needed to go home and see if Robert was there.
If he was…
No, he’s not. He can’t be.
As Sharon pulled into my driveway, I drew in a gaspy breath and wiped away tears. I wasn’t sure how she’d been so strong after the death of her husband, but I was already an emotional wreck, anticipating finding Robert’s lifeless body in the house.
“Don’t do that,” she said. “Don’t fall apart yet.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Sharon.” I reached for the car door. “Thank you.”
“You think you’re going inside without me? Not a chance.”
I pulled on
“I know it’s not for me,” she said.
“I guess Robert’s calling to say good-night.”
I got up from the sofa and hurried to the phone. Sharon paused the DVD.
“Hello?” I said.
“Oh, darling.” He seemed a little breathless. “I’m glad I reached you.”
Instantly, I was alarmed. “Robert, what’s the matter?”
“I don’t know…but I haven’t been feeling well for the last couple of hours.” He sounded as if it hurt to talk. “I…”
“What hurts? Your head? Is it stomach pains again?”
“My…chest.”
“Oh, my God.”
Sharon flashed me a look of concern.
“All the stress of this week… I think it’s gotten to me.”
“Oh, Robert.”
“I need you, Elsie.”
“Of course.” My heart pounded against my rib cage. “Oh, my God.” I spoke hurriedly, my own breathing ragged. “You have to hang up and call 911. Get to a hospital, Robert.”
“All…right…I will.”
Sharon got up and moved to stand beside me. “You’ll be fine, sweetheart,” I told him. He had to be. “You’ll be fine.”
“I need you, Elsie.”
“I’ll leave right now. Have the hospital call me when you get there, so I know which one you’ve gone to.”
“Elsie… If anything happens, I love you. I want you to know that.”
“Don’t talk like that! You’re going to be fine. But please call for an ambulance. Now.”
My hands were shaking as I replaced the receiver. I met my friend’s concerned gaze. “We have to go. Right now.” My hands began to shake. “Oh, Sharon.”
“What?” she asked. “What’s going on?”
“I think Robert might be having a heart attack!”
Fear unlike any I’d ever experienced before gripped me for the entire drive home. Even if I’d taken my car to Charleston, Sharon would have had to drive back. I was far too shaky to control the wheel.
With each passing second, I grew more and more terrified. I’d called every hospital in the Cornelius area, and even within Charlotte proper, but couldn’t confirm that a Robert Kolstad had been admitted to any of them. If he wasn’t in the hospital, did that mean he was dead on the floor of our house? “Why does no hospital have any record of him being admitted?” I asked. My voice was shrill, laced with panic.
And I was also feeling guilty. Guilty that I’d entertained, even for a minute, the idea of leaving Robert.
“Maybe it’s too soon,” Sharon said. “Or maybe there was an error when they put him in the system.”
“Or maybe he’s dead on the floor!”
“He’s not dead.” Sharon reached for my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “I know he’s not. Don’t start thinking the worst.”
“I should call Olga!” I exclaimed, remembering our housekeeper. “She’s not normally in on the weekends, but—”
“Olga’s out of town for her daughter’s wedding this weekend, remember?”
“Oh, shit. That’s right.” I pressed a palm to my forehead. “Shit, Sharon. He mentioned he wasn’t feeling the best. I shouldn’t have left him. I shouldn’t have…”
“Don’t blame yourself. He’s okay. I know it. And we’re almost there.”
My phone was sweaty in my hands. “I’m going to try the hospitals again.”
Calls to all area hospitals produced no results. I would make the rounds of every one if I had to, but first I needed to go home and see if Robert was there.
If he was…
No, he’s not. He can’t be.
As Sharon pulled into my driveway, I drew in a gaspy breath and wiped away tears. I wasn’t sure how she’d been so strong after the death of her husband, but I was already an emotional wreck, anticipating finding Robert’s lifeless body in the house.
“Don’t do that,” she said. “Don’t fall apart yet.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Sharon.” I reached for the car door. “Thank you.”
“You think you’re going inside without me? Not a chance.”
I pulled on
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