A Heart of Faith – Chapter Six

MapleInk62

Time. Some think it’s something of which they have lots. But we never can know how much we do have, until it becomes jeopardized. That’s a lesson the Meltsner learnt the hard way, when just that happens to Eugene Meltsner.

  All of a sudden, time seems to be slipping away for him, quicker than anyone could have expected. Will the situation be able to be turned around before time is completely gone for good? Only time and faith will reveal what God could possibly have planned for them—of what use the situation could be. And maybe, as the saying goes, “One man’s loss, is another man’s gain.”

  Although the events prove to be a fright for the family, and even their close friends, they are all able to find that they can have Hearts of Faith that God will take care of them and their every need.

 “We will now take a brief recess from this meeting,” Principle Vogler began, jogging his papers on the surface of the table. “And we’ll rejoin after lunch. Dismissed.” With that, the man stood up to go on his lunch break. Attending members of the meeting did the same, some taking a moment to simply stand and stretch their legs while others left the meeting room. Katrina was one of the first ones to leave, as she wanted to get her lunch from the breakroom before it became crowded.

  Stepping out into the hall, she began walking off towards the breakroom not far from the room they had been meeting in. It felt good to stretch her legs after doing nothing but sitting all morning. Katrina hardly ever sits so often while she’s teaching, as she usually paces slowly at the front of the classroom while she teaches and only ever sits when getting work of her own done.

  Entering the breakroom and heading for the counter she’d left her lunch bag on, Katrina felt her phone vibrate in his pocket—having set it to silent during the meeting. She figured she may as well check since she was having her lunch. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Katrina was pleasantly surprised to see that Connie was calling her. She pressed the answer button and held the device up to her ear. “… Katrina?”

  “Hi, Connie.” Katrina hummed, pulling an apple from her lunch bag. “How are you?” She wondered. “I’m… okay.” Connie answered, though something sounded off about her demeanor. “Can we talk…?” She then asked, and Katrina realized it sounded like something was weighing on her friend’s mind. “Sure, I’ve got a bit of time here. Talk about what?”

  “Eugene.” Katrina’s brow arched a little, confused. “Eugene? What about him?” There was a brief pause while Connie tried to both collect her thoughts and stay composed. “He… um, well… he…” Her stammering was another indicator that something wasn’t right. “Connie? What about Eugene?” Another short moment of silence, before Connie’s composure completely fell apart. “He’s being taken to the hospital. Whit’s with him!”

  “What?!” Other teachers in the breakroom looked over upon hearing Katrina’s accidental exclamation. She quickly excused herself and stepped out into the hall. “Connie, what happened?” She then asked, now very concerned. “I don’t know! He was fine when he came to the shop this morning, then he just, like, got super pale and dizzy and passed out!”

  “Passed out?”

  “Yeah! He barely got a word in before he collapsed,” Connie continued, her worried tone remaining prevalent. “We called an ambulance, and they just left with him now.” Katrina was anxiously fiddling with her wedding ring as she tried to process what she was being told. Connie also added, “He was still unconscious when the ambulance left.” That only made Katrina even more worried. She then asked, “A-And you said Whit is with him?”

  “Yes.” Connie confirmed. Katrina was quiet for a brief moment. “I’ve got to go.” She finally began. “I’m heading for the hospital.” She told her. “Okay… I’ll be praying!” Katrina thanked her, before hanging up. As she did, a fellow teacher passed her by. “Rhonda?”

  “Yes?” Katrina put her phone in her pocket, taking a steadying breath. “I-I need you to tell Vogler that I’m leaving.” Ms. Adelaide gave her a puzzled look. “Alright, but can I ask why?” She wondered. “I just got a call that my husband’s in the hospital…!”

  “Oh my!” Ms. Adelaide’s eyes widened upon hearing this. “I will tell Vogler, don’t worry! Go on!” Katrina gave her a grateful look. “Thank you!” With that, she went to retrieve her keys and hastily left the school.

•·················•·················•

  Seated in the waiting room for the outpatients, Mr. Whittaker was quietly praying in his seat. He hadn’t gotten any news since Eugene had been admitted upon arrival, and the man only continued to grow worried. He couldn’t think on his own what was possibly wrong with him. Eugene’s collapse could either be from something minor, some easily corrected, or could be a result of something much more serious. Whit prayed it to be the first option.

  Finishing his prayer, Whit was spotted by someone who had just hurried into the room. “Whit…!” He looked up, seeing a worried Katrina approaching him. “Where’s Eugene? What happened? Is he okay? Can we see him?” Whit held up his hands in a gesture for her to calm down. “Slow down! Just sit, and catch your breath. I’m still waiting to hear from Dr. Graham.”

  “Okay…” Taking a breath, Katrina sat down next to Whit. She held her hands in her lap, trying to keep herself as steady and calm as possible. “Have they told you anything…?” She wondered, looking over to Whit again. He shook his head ‘no’. “They rushed off with Eugene when we got here, and asked me to stay out here.” Katrina mouthed a quiet ‘oh’. “He was still unresponsive when we arrived.”

  “… He was?” Whit gave an apologetic nod. Katrina looked down to her lap. “This makes no sense…” She quietly commented, shaking her head a little. “Hopefully Dr. Graham can make sense of it for us.” The man said, leaning back a little in his chair with a sigh.

  The two fell silent, waiting patiently in their seats. Several minutes had passed before Dr. Lily Graham herself came out to the waiting area to find Whit and Katrina. She approached the two once she spotted them. “Hi, Dr. Graham.” Mr. Whittaker greeted, catching Katrina’s attention. She looked up, just as the doctor answered, “Hi, Whit. Hi, Katrina.”

  “Is Eugene okay?” Katrina hastily asked, completely forgetting to return the greeting. “We did a few different tests to try and figure out the reason for his sudden collapse.” Dr. Graham began. “I’m waiting for the lab to give me the results.” Predicting what the next question would be, she then said, “He’s awake, if you’d like to come see him.” 

  “Thank you.” Whit thanked, as both he and Katrina got up from their seats. “This way.” Dr. Graham gestured for them to follow her down a hall. It was a short walk to the room Eugene was in, and upon arrival, Dr. Graham gestured for them to enter, before she continued on—most likely to retrieve the lab results.

  Having been awake for a while now, Eugene was simply staring out the window while he waited for Dr. Graham to return. Though he was unable to see much in detail—thanks to his glasses being missing—Eugene was able to tell that it was still as bright and sunny outside like it had been earlier in the day.

  There was a light knock on the room’s open door. Eugene turned to look in the direction of the sound, seeing two figures entering the room. “Eugene!” Katrina quietly exclaimed, approaching to give him a hug. He reciprocated the gesture, just as the other person held a hand out towards him. “Here’s your glasses.”

  “Oh, thank you.” Eugene thanked, taking them from Whit’s hand. “I thought I’d lost them.” Putting them on, he was glad to see the lenses were smudged or scratched. “I kept them safe for you.”

  “Never mind your glasses,” Katrina began, bringing the conversation back to the situation at hand. “Eugene, what happened?” She asked, giving her husband a worried look. “Connie called to tell me you’d passed out at Whit’s End!” Eugene shook his head a little, trying to find a logical answer. “I’m… unsure what caused me to lose consciousness as I did.”

  “Well, what do you remember happening up until your collapse?” Whit questioned, remaining calm and collected as always. “I, well… I was simply taking Camilla’s ice cream order, when I suddenly began to once again feel dizzy.” Eugene began. “I was lightheaded, and was hardly able to take a deep breath… If anyone was speaking to me, it was difficult for me to hear them clearly…” Eugene paused for a moment, though Whit lightly pressed with, “Then what happened?

  “Miss Kendall approached me. I don’t recall what she asked me, but I do know I was going to tell her that I needed to sit due to feeling so disoriented and dizzy…” Eugene explained. He hummed, looking between Katrina and Whit. “That’s the last memory I have.” Whit gave a small nod, as he and Katrina considered all that Eugene had said.

  “Again.” Katrina said. Eugene looked to her. “You said you were feeling dizzy ‘again’. This wasn’t the first time?” She wondered, giving her husband a slight look of suspicion. “I had a similar, though much more mild and brief, experience yesterday morning, but I-”

  “Eugene!” Seeing his wife’s look of worry and concern grow upon hearing this, Eugene realized his error. “I apologize…” He began, putting his hands in hers as a gesture of comfort. “I had merely chalked it up to exhaustion as I’d gone to sleep late the night before… I didn’t wish to alarm you nor Buck of what might have simply been nothing.” Katrina sighed. “I understand your reasoning, and I forgive you… but, please tell me next time!”

  “Thank you, and I will make an effort to do so.” Eugene assured her, smiling a little to try and lift her spirits a bit. Whit shook his head, all the while Katrina gave her husband a brief peck on the cheek. “You were feeling fine earlier this morning though, Eugene?” The older man wondered. “Indeed, I was.”

  “Okay.” Eugene seemed to notice the dubious look on Whit’s face. “The symptoms leading up to my collapse came on rather suddenly, Mr. Whittaker.” He told him. The man sighed and nodded. “Don’t worry, I believe you.”

  “Sorry to interrupt.” The three turned to see Dr. Graham rejoining them—a file in hand. She took a brief glance to the folder, while closing the door on her way in for some privacy. “It’s quite alright, Dr. Graham.” Whit assured her. She gave a brief smile in return, as she stood by everyone. “The test results are back.”

  “Have you a diagnosis to explain my collapse?” Eugene asked. Dr. Graham nodded, as she gave him an almost apologetic look on her face. Everyone was giving her anticipating looks. “There’s no light way to say this, so I won’t beat around the bush.” Dr. Graham began. “Eugene, you have stage three congestive heart failure.” 

  “‘Stage three’?” Whit parroted curiously, while Eugene sat in a bit of a stunned silence. “What does that mean?” He wondered. “It means that, while we can treat the symptoms with prescribed medication, ultimately, a heart transplant is the only real course of action left.” Katrina’s gaze fell, as she tightened her grip on Eugene’s hands slightly. “So, he could have the transplant, then?”

  “Yes, but at the moment, we don’t have a donor with a compatible blood type.” Dr. Graham explained in answer to Whit’s question. “There’s only so long we have to find one, I’m afraid.” She added. Eugene slowly spoke up. “Erm… how long is there…?”

  “About two months.” Dr. Graham replied, sounding pretty certain. Eugene gave a small nod, before the room fell silent for a long moment. “… Will Eugene be able to come home?” Katrina quietly wondered. “I’d like to keep him over the weekend for observation,” Dr. Graham began. “If he doesn’t worsen, then yes, we’ll discharge him.” She explained, placing the file under her arm. Katrina gave a small nod. “Are there any more questions?” Answering for everyone, Whit shook his head ‘no’. “Thank you, Dr. Graham.”

  “Of course.