Reborn by Melody Anne
Chapter Ten
Joseph was sitting in his office. It had been a long but satisfactory day. Things were happening in a very good way. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe it was an easy road they were going down with Anna Miller, but he was sure in the end justice would be served. He poured himself a nice shot of Scotch, then cut off the end of a cigar and warmed it to perfection.
Before he could take his first satisfying puff, his phone rang. Joseph thought about letting it go to voicemail, but his wife wasn’t home. She’d insisted on going to her doctor appointment by herself, telling him he hovered too much and made the staff at the hospital nervous. He only did that to make sure nobody screwed up. She was his world, and he needed to make sure she was treated like the queen she was.
“Anderson,” Joseph said in a gruff voice.
“Mr. Anderson, we have a little issue,” the woman on the other end of the line said, her voice timid.
“Who is this?” Joseph demanded, instantly sitting up, all thoughts of his liquor and cigar forgotten.
“This is Katie at the memory center in Dr. Ito-Rice’s clinic.”
Joseph felt sweat break out on his brow as his heart rate accelerated.
“What’s the problem?” he asked, trying to convince himself not to panic.
“We’ve . . . um . . . well . . .”
“Spit it out for hell’s sake,” Joseph snapped. He didn’t want to be a monster, but his wife was at that clinic and he wanted to know what was going on right now.
“We can’t find your wife,” the girl said in a small voice.
Joseph roared, pulling the phone from his ear. He had a million questions, but he knew there was no point shouting them at this girl. She didn’t have the answers and there was no way Joseph could sit there and wait to hear from someone else.
“Jeffery!” Joseph thundered as he tossed the receiver to his phone, not caring where it landed. He rushed from his office. He knew he was too upset to drive anywhere.
“Yes?” Jeffery said as he came rushing around a corner, knowing something was wrong. Joseph was always boisterous, but he must’ve looked like a crazy man at that moment.
“Get me to the clinic right now. They’ve lost Katherine and I’m far too upset to drive,” he said as he rushed down the hall toward the garage. He had no doubt Jeffery would follow.
“I’m so sorry, sir. I’m sure she’s safe, but let’s get you there to ease your fears,” his loyal employee said.
Joseph jumped into the passenger seat of the vehicle, not even noticing he’d forgotten his cell phone and wallet. When he looked down, he realized he didn’t even have shoes on. He didn’t care. All that mattered was he had to find his wife.
Jeffery spun out the driveway and took the quickest route to the hospital. It still took them thirty-three minutes. Joseph was a hot mess by the time Jeffery pulled up to the clinic. He was swinging open the car door before Jeffery came to a full stop. The man didn’t say a word as Joseph flung himself out and rushed through the medical center doors. He didn’t bother with hitting the elevator button; he just rushed to the stairs and took them two at a time.
By the time Joseph pushed through the doors on the clinic’s floor, he was well out of breath, his hair was wild from running his fingers through it on the drive, and he was sure his eyes were on fire. A woman was in his path and let out a squeak as she jumped back. He didn’t have the breath to apologize. He’d have to later once he knew his wife was safe.
“Joseph, I’ve been trying to call you,” Amira said as she rushed past her harried-looking nurse who’d scooted back as soon as Joseph approached the counter.
“Where is my wife?” Joseph thundered. The woman behind the counter jumped and looked down.
“She’s back, Joseph. She’s back,” Amira said, reaching out and touching his arm. “She’s safe. Let me get you to her so you’ll calm down, and then I’ll explain,” Amira said.
Joseph felt tears of relief sting his eyes and he looked away as he composed himself. Amira didn’t say anything else. She just took Joseph’s arm and led him down a hallway. She normally met with her patients in the room she’d created with items from her patient’s homes and private areas, so they felt comfortable.
There was a door at the end of the hall that Amira opened. Joseph stepped in with her, and much to his shock a tear escaped, rolling down his cheek as he looked at his beautiful wife who was wearing a smile on her pink lips while she sat across from Brooke Anderson, the wife of his nephew Finn, and the head provider for the Veteran’s Center.
“Joseph,” Katherine said as she turned and looked at him. “What are you doing here, darling?”
“I wanted to see you,” Joseph said, trying to control the emotion in his voice.
“Silly man, I just saw you a few minutes ago,” Katherine said with a chuckle. Joseph felt another pang at his wife’s loss of her sense of time. Each day he lost a little bit more of her, but he could make it through anything as long as he had even a small piece of her.
“I know, darling, but you also know I can’t stand even a minute apart,” Joseph said. It was almost true. He didn’t need time alone. He didn’t need space apart to appreciate his wife. He could be happy being at her side every single minute of every single day. She was his one obsession, and he knew that feeling would never go away. Katherine had taught him boundaries, but he’d now teach her patience, he’d show her it hadn’t only been words he’d been saying to her for their entire lives together, it was a conviction of his heart.
“Oh, Joseph, it’s good to have some time with other people,” Katherine told him with a giggle.
“Well then, I’ll let you and Brooke visit while I go and find a coffee. Then I want to take you out for a romantic dinner and give you a foot rub while you watch 90 Day Fiancé,” he said, finding himself choking up again.
She chuckled as if she were a blushing bride, who she’d be forever as long as he was concerned. He stepped from the room and Amira shut the door behind them as they both walked down the hallway.
“Let’s go outside and get some air,” Amira said.
Joseph stopped. He was torn on whether he wanted to be that far away from his wife.
“She’ll be fine, Joseph. Brooke won’t let her out of her sight. You know she or I won’t let this happen again.”
“What happened?” Joseph asked.
Amira sighed as they reached the stairwell. They began their decent much slower than how Joseph had come up them.
“Katherine was in the bathroom and the nurse with her had a patient’s daughter approach and ask her a question. She turned away for only a minute, but that’s right when Katherine came out of the bathroom. She was gone so quickly the nurse didn’t have a chance. She somehow found the elevator and ended up on the second floor. It took us forty minutes to find her. My nurse called you after seven minutes. We decided to be safe rather than sorry.”
“I’m glad you did,” Joseph said. “That makes me sure that I can trust you.”
“Of course you can, Joseph. Not only do I have great respect for you, but your wife’s very special to me. I care about your entire family.”
They made it outside and moved to the path for the walk around the hospital grounds that had been so well maintained it felt as if you were in a park. For those patient’s family members who needed a space to pray, grieve, or clear their heads, it was the perfect setting. The cool grass gently falling under each step Joseph took washed away much of his pent-up stress away. He was still barefoot and had completely forgotten until his adrenaline had dimmed down.
“How much longer do I have with my wife still knowing who I am?” Joseph asked. He stopped in front of a small pond, not able to look Amira in the eyes. He was too close to losing it.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a definitive answer for you, Joseph. There’s no set time. Every patient is different.” Amira paused and Joseph wasn’t able to say a word. “I do want to warn you, though, that Katherine’s progressing rather quickly. I don’t know if it’s because of the surgery she had this year, or if something else exasperated it, but it does concern me. I don’t want to say this to you, but I want you prepared. These will be hard times for both you and Katherine, and the entire family.”
Joseph hung his head as he stared at the ground. He had to clear his throat before he was able to speak again.
“How long can she survive with this horrific disease?” he asked. This was the one thing he’d never asked. He didn’t want to be told he could lose his wife in months, or even years. He wanted at least twenty more years with the woman he loved. He wanted to beat the odds and live with her until they were two-hundred years old.
Amira placed her hand on his arm again and squeezed. “Unfortunately, I can’t really answer that either. She’s healthy, Joseph, minus the Alzheimer’s. She could live another twenty years. But she could be taken home sooner as well. Just keep bringing her to me, keep reminding her of who she is, and keep family around her. The more her mind’s stimulated, the better chance you have of keeping her mind with you a little longer.
“I don’t know how I’ll make it through this,” Joseph said, this time not trying to stop a couple of more tears from escaping.
“You’ll make it through this because you’re the strongest man I’ve ever met. Don’t tell Smoke I said that,” she told him with a chuckle.
“I’ve always felt strong, but right now I don’t feel that way at all,” he admitted. He honestly couldn’t remember ever saying that, much less thinking it.
“It’s okay for us to have human emotions, it’s okay for us to admit we are sometimes weak. I don’t worry that you feel weak; I’d worry if you thought you could get through this without help. You will need to lean on all of the people who love you more than they love themselves. You need to admit when you need a friend. You need to tell them when you need a hug. You need a shoulder to cry on. If you admit that to yourself and you utilize those who love you, then you’ll make it through this because I’ve never seen a love story as beautiful as yours and Katherine’s. I will be with you the entire time. I’ll never deceive you, and I’ll never give up,” Amira promised.
One more tear fell from Joseph’s eye, and he swiped it away and squared his shoulders. He would make it through this because there was no other option.
“Thank you, Amira,” he said. He normally referred to her as doctor because she’d earned the respect of being called by her title. But in this moment, she was truly his friend, and it was more respectful to call her by her first name. “I do love my wife. I love her enough to be her anchor in any storm. Thank you for reminding me of that.”
“I will do it each and every week if that’s what you need,” Amira told him.
“I might,” he admitted. “Right now I need to see my wife.”
“Then let’s get you back to your love,” she said.
Joseph smiled as he looked to the sky and thanked God for all of the time he’d already had with Katherine. He then prayed God would give him a lot more time. He felt peace in his heart. God hadn’t failed him yet, and Joseph knew He never would, even if He put some bumps in the road that had to be leapt over.