Patterson, James - Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

I shook my head. Suddenly I felt more than a little embarrassed. “I had no idea. She told me she was feeling fine. There was a rough morning a couple of weeks back, but no complaints from her since.”

"She doesn't want you to worry about her. When she was at St. Anthony's we did an EKG, an echocardiogram, routine lab work. As I mentioned, her heartbeat is irregular.

“On the positive side of things, there's no sign of edema. Her lungs are clear. No evidence that she's suffered a stroke, even a slight one. Nana has very good general muscle strength for somebody her age, or even younger.”

“So what happened to her? You have any idea?”

“We'll have the test results in a day. Dr. Redd in the lab was in Nana's class, too. If I was to hazard a guess, I would say atrial fibrillation. This involves the two small upper chambers of the heart, the atria. They seem to be quivering, rather than beating effectively. There's some risk of clotting.”

“I take it she's okay to be here tonight,” I said. “I don't want her stubbornness to keep her out of the hospital if she needs to be there. Money isn't a consideration.”

Kayla Coles nodded. “Alex, my opinion is that it's safe for her to be home right now. She said her sister will be coming from Maryland tomorrow. I think that's a wise precaution. Someone to help with the kids and the house.”

“I'll help with the kids,” I said. “And the house.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I believe we've already established that you work too hard.”

I sighed and shut my eyes for a couple of seconds. The news was finally hitting me, sinking in. Now I had to force myself to deal with it. Nana was in her early eighties, and she was sick.

Kayla reached out and lightly patted my arm. “She's getting up there, but she's strong, and she wants to be around for a long time. That's important. Alex, Nana believes that you and the children need her.”

I finally managed a thin smile. “Well, she's right about that.”

“Don't let her do too much right now.”

“Hard to keep her down.”

“Well, tie her if you have to,” Kayla Coles said, and then she laughed.

I didn't, couldn't right then. I knew a fair amount about heart disease from my days at Johns Hopkins. I would definitely keep a closer watch on Nana. “What about you, Dr. Coles? What about your work schedule? Nearly ten o'clock and you still have more house calls.”

She shrugged, and seemed a little embarrassed by the question. “I'm young, I'm strong, and I believe the people in these neighborhoods need decent, affordable health care. So that's what I'm providing trying to. Goodnight, Alex. Take good care of your grandmother.”

“Oh, I will. I promise.”

“The road to hell,” she said.

“Paved with good intentions.”

She nodded and walked off the porch. “Say goodnight to everybody for me.” Dr. Coles headed down Fifth Street to her final appointment of the day.

Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

Chapter Eighty-Eight

I did some more background work on the Three Blind Mice the next day, taped notes to my wall in the attic, but I couldn't get into it, couldn't concentrate worth a damn. Nana's lab tests came back in the afternoon, and as Kayla Coles had promised, she did call the house. The two of us had a talk on the phone after she spoke to Nana.

“I just wanted to thank you for your help,” I said as I got on the line. “I'm sorry if I was rude the other night.”

“What makes you think you were rude? You were a little frightened is all. I don't think ”rude“ is part of your makeup. Anyway, let me tell you about your grandmother. She is suffering from atrial fibrillation, but given the options, that's not such bad news.”

Tell me why I should be happy about it," I said.

“Not happy. But the treatment is non-invasive and has a good success rate. I think we can treat her with a catheter ablation. We'll start there. She'll be able to go home the next day, and hopefully be her old self in a week.”

“When should she go in for the procedure?”I asked.

“That's up to her. I wouldn't wait more than a couple of weeks. She sounded a little stubborn when I brought up a hospital stay. Says she's too busy.”

“I'll talk to her. See if it helps. What do we do until then?”

“Just baby aspirin, believe it or not. One eighty-one milligram tablet a day. She also has to limit her caffeine -coffee and tea. And she should avoid stress-related situations. Good luck on that one.”

“That's it?”I asked.

“For now, yes. Please watch the stress on her. I'll stay involved if she wants me to.”

“I know she does.”

Kayla Coles laughed. “Good. She's a smart woman, isn't she? We're going to make sure she sees a hundred.”

I laughed. “I hope I get to see her reach a hundred. So, no special precautions until we go in for the procedure?”

“No, not really. Just try not to bring too much excitement into her life.”

“I'll do my best,” I said.

“You do your best and try not to get shot,” said Kayla Coles before she hung up.

Alex Cross 8 - Four Blind Mice

Chapter Eighty-Nine

No way I was going to get shot staying at home or so I believed. A couple of mornings after my conversation with Dr. Kayla Coles, I came downstairs to make breakfast for the kids. Nana was sitting at her spot at the kitchen table, a large brown mug steaming in front of her.

“Unh, uh. ”I wagged a finger at her.

“Decaffeinated,” she said. “Don't start in on me, Alex.”

“Nope. I won't even say that you're a little touchy this morning. Sleep okay?”

“Nobody my age sleeps okay. I did set up an appointment for the catheter ablation. I go in a week from today. Happy?”she asked.

“Very happy,” I said, then I went and gave her a hug, which Nana returned in kind. Dr. Kayla was right she was strong for her age.

Later that morning I had a pretty good talk with FBI Director Burns. He told me he had someone trying to track the e-mail from the Foot Soldier, but so far no luck on it. He asked if I'd given serious consideration to his offer to work at Quantico. I'd been expecting the question.

“I've thought about it some. My life is suddenly a little complicated. For one thing, I need to get some kind of closure on this case with the Army.”

“They helping or getting in the way? The Army?” Burns asked.

“A little of both. I've met some good people. Army's like everybody else, though. They want to solve their own problems. There's something incredibly nasty going on with this murder case. They know it, and so do I. I feel it in my bones. There will be more murders. That's my fear.”

“If I can help, ”Burns said. “No strings attached, Alex. This is a big case. I think it's important, too.”

“I appreciate that.”

After I got off the phone, I went in search of Nana. She was futzing around in the kitchen as usual. Her kitchen. Her house.

“I need a rest. So do you,” I said to her. “Where do you want to go after your procedure?”

“Paris,” Nana said without blinking an eye. Then maybe Rome. Venice, of course. Florence would be real nice. Then come home through London. Stop in and see the Queen. What do you think? Sound too rich for your blood? Maybe you were thinking of a train ride to Baltimore?" she asked, and laughed at her own joke. She was a funny lady, always had been.

“I have some money put away,”I told her.

“Me too,” she said. “Mad money. What about Jamilla? What about your job?”

“If Jamilla could take some time off, that would be great. She likes her job, though.”

“That sounds familiar, doesn't it? How's your marble collection? Maybe you should buy a couple of jars for her.”