87 - Premonitions

*There’s a lot that I can forgive. But you took advantage of when my husband and I had a hard time. You used him and betrayed me. We’re only family by blood. - Keisha*

Rosie brought home several boxes of masks that she had ordered through the local medical supply company and insisted everyone take a few. She had even sent a partial box with the Saints. Most of the men objected until the nurse lost her temper and set them straight.

Holding up her phone showing the daily cases and deaths, she told the clubhouse, “There have been over ten-thousand deaths from this disease, just this year alone. Over two thousand yesterday. Over three hundred just here in the states and about twenty in Louisiana.”

With tears filling her eyes and her voice cracking, she pleaded with the bikers and old ladies, “I don’t want to bury any of you. You assholes are my family. And if you die,” tears spilled out of her eyes and she took a shaky breath, “it will be alone, family cannot come see you. They will never see you again.”

“You can’t even have a fucking funeral.” Her last statement was said barely above a whisper as her emotions took over.

Surprising everyone, Danielle moved to comfort the other woman. She hugged her husband’s mistress who hugged her back and laid her head on Danielle’s shoulder. After a moment Rosie pulled away and apologized to the shorter woman.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for,” Danielle assured her. “You’re trying to take care of us, keep us safe, and we’re not helping you. Tell us what we need to do.”

Nodding, Rosie swiped the tears away from her eyes. “We need to limit who all is staying here. Candy and I are moving out and we’re going to stay with a few other nurses that we work with.”

“Why?” Gator asked.

“So we limit how much we bring in to our patients,” Candy explained. “They are some of the most vulnerable, because they're older and most of them have diseases that lower their immunity.”

Rosie looked at Darkness, “You need to go see Momma Dee. You won’t be able to see her again after five.”

“For how long?” he asked.

Both nurses shrugged and shook their heads as Rosie answered, “I really don’t know. We’ll keep you as updated as we can. You’ve seen the shit overseas; it’s hitting hard and there’s no vaccine or pill or magical shot. It’s just a slow, painful death.”

“Lonely,” Candy added. “A slow, painful, lonely death.” Rosie nodded in agreement.

“Ladies,” Stone said, “let’s set up calls, let’s say weekly for right now, so that we know how to adjust life here.”

Both nurses agreed and they moved to the large table in the dining room to hash out details for them to work on keeping the club and the families safe. Danielle moved to her husband and Gator pulled the attention of the gathered men.

“Cajuns, if you have anywhere else to stay, I think that we need to think out the numbers,” he said. “The bunnies with kids should probably go stay at home. We’re going to suspend church for now, if something comes up, we’ll call.”

“I want you all to get with me and let me know if there is anything that you or your family needs. Make sure that you have plenty to eat and to keep the kids out of trouble. Yourselves also.”

After Gator dismissed them, Darkness and Camille took Tink and went to see Momma Dee. He stopped at a store and bought a new large button phone with braille and a small screen. While Camille drove over to the assisted living facility, after a stop for a special smoothie, Darkness programed the important numbers into her new phone.

Darkness

Camille

Rosie

Zydeco

Nicki

Vin

Marty

Jasper

Reluctantly, he also added Keisha.

For the last several minutes, Darkness had been dismissing a call as he used his phone to pull the different numbers. Just as it finally fell silent, Camille’s phone rang, and JASPER – DARKNESS BROTHER appeared on the Jeep’s radio screen. She glanced at Darkness, and he nodded for her to answer.

Using the controls on the wheel, she answered the phone.

“Camille?” Jasper asked with a stressed voice. “Do you know where Amos is?”

“He’s here with me.”

“Why isn’t he answering his phone?” Jasper demanded.

“Because I was busy,” Darkness growled.

“Sorry, this is… well, this is difficult. The hospital director is making is set up power of attorney and custody agreements in the event…”

They all knew what the event that he did not say was. He was a surgeon specializing in cardiopulmonary diseases. His wife was an emergency room physician. They were both on the absolute front lines of the fight against this disease.

“What about Kiesha’s family?” Darkness asked.

“They refused to take Monique and I’m afraid of what they would do to Martin,” Jasper admitted, then he let out a long-suffering sigh. “He’s a... sensitive… child.”

“Hang on just a moment,” Camille said as she turned into the parking lot and aimed for one of the few empty parking spots. Once the Jeep was still and the engine in park, she told the phone to connect a three-way call to Celt.

“No, let me have him, I can – Hang on, Camille,” Celt said and then there was unintelligible mumblings that were partially muted, probably by a finger or thumb over the microphone.

“Okay, Camille,” Celt said as he moved around. “There you go, little dude, daddy’s going to be right here. Okay, Worm, what’s up?”

“Can you do power of attorney and custody in other states? Or just in Mass?”

“Depends,” he admitted as Nash squealed in the background. “Oh, good, the babysitter is here.” His voice rose and he began baby talk. “Yes, you’s a good girl. Yes, you is.”

“What’s up, Nugget?” Camille laughed and the dog barked at her name.

“Okay, good girl, go play with Nash,” Celt said and then turned his attention to the phone call. “What kind of P. O. A. do you need? And tell me about custody.”

“Jasper?” She said and he explained what the hospital director told them. He read off some of the details and Celt cut him off.

“Are you reading that from an official document from the hospital?” Celt asked.

“Yeah, it’s an email that all the employees received. I thought that we would have more time. I just… I don’t know. I didn’t think that it would be this serious.”

“I get that,” Celt admitted. “We’ve been watching all of this, but it caught us a little off guard, too. Give me your email address.” Jasper gave his email and Celt it read back, and it was confirmed. “I’m sending you some documents that I need you to read, sign and send back.”

“There’s also an ACH/EFT form that I need you to complete for legal reasons. You need to authorize a retainer to be withdrawn, typical retainer is $500, delayed retainer is a thousand. Delayed retainer means that we will withdraw fifty dollars today and at some time in the future, we will withdraw the remaining nine fifty. Just mark whichever one you choose.”

They went through a few more things and then Celt confirmed that he received the email. “You have my phone number, call me if you need anything. I’m going to get started on this and I’ll get back with you.”

Celt ended his side of the call and Jasper gave a small laugh. “You’re full of surprises.”

“You have no idea,” she laughed as they all said goodbye.

At the door to the facility, they were stopped and their temperatures taken. They were handed masks, given a dollop of hand sanitizer and Tink had to stay just outside the door. Each visitor was allotted 15 minutes with their loved one, no more than two at a time. And no children.

“Did you bring me a smoothie?” Momma Dee demanded before they reached the door.

With a small laugh, Camille kissed her temple and handed her the Styrofoam cup from Darla’s Daquiri Barn. “Of course, we did.”

The old woman took a long drink through the bright red straw. “You brought me one of those damned boxes, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Momma Dee,” Darkness admitted as he placed the phone in her hand. He explained how to activate the phone and which button to push to get it to activate.

The phone spoke in a computerized feminine voice and gave clear and concise instructions. By the time the special slushie was gone and she understood how to use the damned box, their fifteen minutes were up.

Pulling down their masks, they each kissed her temples and then they were ushered out of the room and building. Sitting in the Jeep, Darkness heard Nessie’s words from a lifetime ago.

*Yeh’ll need her more later.*