Upping the Ante – Chapter Ten – emersli1

Reading Time:
7 Minutes

Eddie parked his truck outside his next stop and went inside.

A quick question at the front desk got him directions to the correct elevator.

Stepping off the elevator, he was met by a harried man … tablet in hand.  “Eddie Diaz?”

“That’s me.  You must be Josh.  Maddie’s told me a lot about you.”

Josh looked concerned immediately.  “How is Maddie doing?  We’re all worried about her.”  He dropped his voice as he gestured to a conference room at the end of the wide, busy room.  “Of course, most people don’t know why she’s been out.  Just Sue and I, but everyone likes her, and would like to know how she’s doing.”

Holding open the conference room door, Josh allowed Eddie to enter first, following quickly and closing the door behind him.  In the room, a tired, older woman stood to greet Eddie, hand outstretched.

“Hello, I’m Sue Blevins.  You’re Eddie Diaz?  You asked to speak with Maddie Buckley’s supervisor.  That would be me or Josh.  But without some sort of authorization…”  the woman trailed off doubtfully.

Eddie produced the Power of Attorney papers Maddie had given him.  After much discussion, everyone had agreed that Eddie would hold Maddie’s POA while she was hospitalized, since he was actually local and could respond quickly if need be.

Sue took the papers and looked them over, now appearing more worried than before.  “Is there a reason Maddie can’t speak with me herself?  My understanding was that she was out after her short-term stay and just waiting on her doctor’s final clearance to come back to work.”

Josh took the papers from Sue, going through them himself before passing them back to Eddie.  

Eddie took the seat Josh indicated as they all sat down.  “I spoke with Maddie last night specifically about what she wanted me to tell you.  At three o’clock this afternoon, she will be admitted into long-term care at UCLA-Resnick.  Her short-term stay unearthed some things that she and her doctor felt needed a more intensive treatment.  She completely understands if you can’t hold her position under the circumstances.”

Sue shook her head immediately.  “No, she’s on FMLA.  She has eight more weeks of that before we have to look at options.”  The woman looked sad and worried.

“I can’t imagine having to do what she did.  I understand completely why, and … well, that was the reason for the initial suspension instead of termination.  I was so relieved when she told me she’d decided on inpatient care.  And I don’t doubt that after years in that sort of relationship and then the trauma of her kidnapping and having to kill her husband …. After seeing him murder someone who tried to help her …”  Sue sighed.

Josh agreed completely.  “It’s so much.  We’re not angry with her.  We’re worried about her.  Can you make sure she knows that?  I hate the idea of her working through things while worrying about her job.  She just needs to focus on getting really well.  She’s always seemed …”

He broke off there for a moment and then continued.  “Maddie has always been so absolutely determined not to make any mistakes.  She takes every rescue, every situation so personally.  I know from experience what kind of environment produces that kind of neurosis … that kind of fear.  She doesn’t need to carry it any longer.”

“And she certainly doesn’t need to be afraid of what’s going to happen when she gets out of the hospital.  One way or another, if she wants to come back there’ll be a place for her.  Please make sure she knows that.”  Sue’s calm conviction eased a tenseness Eddie hadn’t realized he’d been carrying.  “And please tell her we’re proud of her.  And praying for her, if you think she’d be receptive to that.”

“I know she’d appreciate that.  She worked with her lawyer on a letter.  Maddie wanted you to hold it.  If Tara’s ever ready to leave, well, Maddie thought it might be helpful.  She doesn’t trust her own judgement in the matter, so she’d like to leave it in your hands.”  Eddie handed over the letter Maddie and Luisa had hammered out last night.

Josh looked sad for a moment, and Sue shook her head tiredly.  “It’s too late for that, Eddie.  Tara’s husband called 9-1-1 last week. He claimed his wife tried to shoot him and he was forced to kill her in self-defense.  I believe the case is with the LAPD now.”

Eddie’s heart sank.  “I don’t think … Maddie needs to know that right now.  I’ll talk to her doctor about it and follow his advice on when and how to tell her.  But for the moment I think I’ll keep that to myself.”

Josh looked like he wanted to protest, but then thought better of it.  Moving on to another topic he asked, “And how is Evan?  I was the one who took your call, and I’ve been wondering … Maddie would be devastated if something happened to her brother.  She was a complete mess when we were watching the truck bombing.”

Eddie smiled a little.  “Evan’s fine.  He’s actually getting the rod and screws removed as we speak.  Maddie’s at the hospital with him now.”

He thought a moment more.  “I can tell you that as part of that whole sorry situation, Howard Han hit Maddie in the face.  Slapped her, blacked her eye, sprained her neck, gave her a concussion.  He’s been evaluated and found to have a terminal deteriorating brain condition related to his accident three years ago.”

Josh looked dumbfounded.  “Man, she can’t catch a break, can she?  Well, you tell Maddie her dispatch family is thinking about her and wishing her well.  And when she gets back, we can just be tragically single together and talk about everything people are missing out on by being jerks we don’t want to date.”

Eddie laughed.  “Yeah, you might need room for one more in that club.  Buck has a coworker whose love life sounds even worse than yours.  Something about a symbolic sacrifice to the Moon Mother?  It apparently came with poor costuming and a worse script.  The cops were eventually involved.  And the Moon Mother probably nearly died laughing.”

Josh laughed as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, guiding Eddie back to the elevators.  “I don’t think I’ve ever had someone try to sacrifice me, symbolically or otherwise.  But I should definitely put that on my Dates from Hell bingo card.”

Sue smiled softly.  “There are good ones out there.  Someday you’ll find someone capable of appreciating your finer qualities.  And so will Maddie.  I believe that wholeheartedly.   Tell her we’re pulling for her, and if there’s anything we can do… well, just let me know.”

The elevator doors opened and Eddie stepped in.

“Thank you for being her friends.  She doesn’t have many of those, so I know she’ll be relieved not to have to worry about losing you or her place here.”

Josh nodded firmly.  “It’s an honor.   Please keep us in the loop, as much as you can.”

The doors closed on Eddie’s assurance that he would, and the ride down was quiet.

His last stop was Maddie’s apartment, to pack a bag of clothes and toiletries for her since she was waiting at the hospital with Buck.  Eddie planned to be there when Buck’s surgery was done, so he’d better get a move on.

When Maddie checked in this time, it was so different.

Last time she’d honestly been a bit resentful.  Resentful that she couldn’t handle things the ‘easy’ way.  Resentful that her partner didn’t support her.  Resentful that her life had put her in this position in the first place.

This time … she was grateful. 

Grateful for the opportunity to get the help she needed to get better.  Grateful for the people with the training and compassion to guide her healing journey.  Grateful for the family that had gathered to see her off … and for the family and friends wishing her well even though they couldn’t be there.

Her face and her psyche were both bruised and battered.  Her soul felt the same way, hurt and tired in a way that should probably scare her.  Goodness knows it seemed to scare everybody else.

But Maddie’s heart felt full.  Lifted up on the faith and support of the people crowded behind her, she turned in her admissions paperwork and waited for the doors to open. 

She took one last look over her shoulder at her family.  

Her brother Evan, front and center, a grown man … well able to stand on his own.  His partner, Eddie.  A man who had had every reason to turn her away, but instead had stepped in as a brother so smoothly she almost didn’t know how it had happened.

Their child Christopher, who lit up all the dark places in her heart with his sunshine smile … so much like the little boy she remembered from long ago.

And behind them … a devoted aunt and uncle, willing to stand up or throw down.  A younger cousin with an awful sense of humor.  A tiny but fierce grandmother, ready with a hug, a bowl of soup, or a terrifying slipper.

Off to the side were the lawyer and the lawman.  Protecting, guarding, watching over everyone.

The elevator doors opened to spill out a dark-haired man, looking ruffled in a way he never did.

“Did I miss it?  Oh, thank God!  Traffic was such a bitch … I finally just got out and ran the last two blocks.”  Josh rushed over and gave her a quick hug.  “You’ve got this!  We’ll all be waiting for you when you’re ready.”

Maddie smiled at her family.  “Take care of each other.  I’ll see you soon.”  

She went through the doors to face her demons, met by a kind nurse ready to show her to her room.

The doors closed behind her softly.