Fran Rizer - Callie Parrish 05 - Mother Hubbard Has a Corpse in the Cupboard by Fran Rizer Page B

come up to the conference room. We carried everything down to my work room.
    “Did you know what she wanted?” I asked.
    “Yes, but I thought it best to let her explain to you.”
    “Is the body prepped?” I asked him.
    “Odell stayed and took care of her last night. She’s ready for you now or you can go to the hospital to see Mrs. Profit so long as you’re back in time to finish with Miss Nina before Miss Nila comes back.”
    “Are there any more clients here today?”
    “Not yet.”
    “Then I’ll be back right after lunch to get started.”
     
    • • •
     
    When I entered Maum’s room, Dr. Redmond, the heart doctor, stood on one side of her bed and Rizzie on the other. “Her heart is responding to the treatment. If everything continues as it is, we’ll know about the hip surgery within a day or two.”
    “But what happens if she doesn’t get well enough for the surgery?” Rizzie looked calm, but her voice had a frantic edge.
    The doctor reached across the bed and patted Rizzie’s hand. “Now, let’s not cross that bridge until we come to it. I’m hoping and expecting your grandmother’s heart to respond well enough for Dr. Midlands to replace that hip soon.” He smiled and withdrew his hand. “Any questions?”
    “No, not right now,” Rizzie answered. The doctor left the room, and Rizzie turned to me.
    “Did you bring me anything to eat?”
    “By the time I left Middleton’s, the short order places had stopped serving biscuits. I brought you a chicken sandwich, a cup of carrot salad, and a Coke from Chick-fil-A.” I held the bag out toward her. Rizzie opened it as she sat down in the bedside chair. I remained standing by Maum and began stroking her arm above where the IV was inserted.
    “Did you get any rest?” I asked Rizzie.
    “This chair opens out to a recliner, so I tried to lie down, but I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I opened them again to be sure Maum was breathing.” She took a bite of the sandwich.
    “Too bad she doesn’t snore,” I commented. We both laughed.
    “Everything go okay with Ty?” Rizzie talked and chewed carrots at the same time.
    “Fine. I gave him lunch money for the week.”
    “What?” Rizzie hit the ceiling. “Did he ask you for lunch money?”
    “No, but I remembered when I was in school, we paid by the week.”
    “That boy’s double-dipping. Your money went in his pocket. I’ll make him give it back to you. I paid for his lunches for a month by check only last week. I have to do that to be sure he’s got food available at school. Otherwise, if I give him cash, he’ll spend the money on something else and go hungry.” She finished the salad. “I pay him well for the time he works at the restaurant, but teenagers have so many wants these days. He’s a good kid, but I don’t manage him as well as Maum does. Like the double-dipping, he tries to get things over on me, and since he started going to school in St. Mary, I think he resents having to live on the island.”
    “Boys his age are always a little nutty,” I said.
    Rizzie laughed, “That’s exactly what’s wrong with them.”
    Maum opened her eyes and moaned softly. Rizzie jumped up and pressed the call button. I leaned over Maum and spoke softly, “You’re in the hospital. Rizzie and the nurses are taking care of you to get you well.”
    “Hurt,” Maum whispered, and a tear slid down her cheek. “Cold,” she added.
    Rizzie tucked the blankets around Maum’s chin and said, “She needs something for pain,” to the nurse who came through the door at that moment.
    “It’s fifteen minutes before she gets anything,” the new nurse said, making me wish we still had that nice Kathleen. “Maybe I can make her more comfortable until then.” She leaned over, lifted Maum’s head slightly, and fluffed the pillow. “I’ll get her another blanket, too.”
    Rizzie’s voice rose. “Another blanket and her pillow aren’t going to make her feel any better. Her