Bitter Root (20 page)

Resolved to try to get Griffith to understand her situation and
what was at stake, Adi felt her whole being lighten. Her jog became even more
effortless as the tension fell away. She rounded a corner and headed back down
the trail toward the Pot. She hoped Griffith was still there. She needed to fix
this, so they could move forward, but Griffith had to want it fixed, and she
needed to meet Adi somewhere in the middle.

When she reached the back of the restaurant, she paced to cool
down. Bertie had hung her customary damp towel outside the door so Adi could
wipe down. She had often told T’Claude she was going to put in an outdoor
shower. This would’ve been a great day to have it.

After cooling down and wiping off, Adi went into the kitchen and
down the short hall to the office and the shower there. She had an extra
uniform in the closet for days like this. She washed quickly and dressed.

When she walked back into the kitchen, Bertie was standing at the
range with her hands on her hips.

“Hey, Bertie. Thanks for the towel.”

“Umm-hmm.”

“You mad at me?”

“What I got to be mad at you for? You want to be a fool, go on
ahead and be one.”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? I mean asking Griffith for help but having a
fight with her instead and making a right mess of things. How’re you supposed
to get her to help you when you go getting all mad and up in her face? You got
more sense than that. I know you’re scared, and rightly so, but this ain’t the
way to go about it, Dink. I know she’s been looking around for clues to your
past. That’s why you got to step up and let her know what she will find. You
got to be the one tells her, hear? She needs to know where that fear comes
from. And since she’s sniffing around, better sooner than later.”

“You’re right, Bertie. I was a fool. I’m sorry.”

“You bet I’m right. I know I’m right. You don’t need to be
telling me I’m right. Look here. You better get on out of here and go find that
girl. You need to make peace with her. She’s the best chance you’ve got.”

“I can’t leave now, you know that. It’s almost dinner time. I’ll
go as soon as the rush ends.”

“That ain’t going to work. You can’t leave that mess festering.
You got to deal with it now. The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to get.
That Griffith McNaulty is just about the nicest woman I ever met, and for some
durn fool reason, she happens to like you. You got to hold on to that. You hear
me?”

“I hear you. And I know you are right. I’ll deal with it, Bertie.
I promise. Before I lay my head down to sleep tonight, I’ll call her or go over
there and clear this up. I promise. Just let’s get through the rush. We’ve been
closed two days, and figuring how busy we were at lunch, we’re going to be
slammed tonight.”

“Well, I don’t like it, but I guess I’ll have to accept it. I got
the pork roasting. You better start prepping the fish. You making Oysters
Ernie?”

“Yeah. And Snapper Pontchartrain. I know, get busy.” Adi turned
to her prep counter. Bertie hadn’t spoken so strongly to her since she was a
teenager. She would call Griffith and set things right as soon as things slowed
down.

She loved the fevered pace of the kitchen when things really
started rocking. That was when Adi knew who she was. The plate was her canvas,
and she filled it with the bounty of her heart and her kitchen. This was her
element. Bertie was getting over being mad too. Adi could tell. She had kicked
the music on and was swaying as she prepped salads for the next order.

Life was back to normal. Everything would work out just the way
it was meant. She would apologize to Griffith. She just had to get through
tonight’s dinner service, and that was going well.

They plated seventy-seven dinners in an hour and a half before
things began to slow. Adi pulled off her toque and grabbed a water bottle as
she stepped onto the back porch. She slid her cell phone out of her pocket and
dialed Griffith’s number.

The phone rang and rang without answer. She had hoped to talk to
Griffith, but it seemed that wasn’t going to happen tonight. The phone went to
voice mail, and for a minute, Adi considered hanging up.
Be a grownup.

“Hi, Griffith. It’s Adi. I’m just calling to apologize for
reacting the way I did. I know it wasn’t easy for you to share that story about
Tabitha. But this isn’t the same thing. I want to trust you. I need you to
understand the danger of my situation before you dig anymore. This is life or
death. Please wait until you know who and what you’re dealing with. Call me
back as soon as you get this.” She hung up, then and took a long pull on her
water bottle. What if Griffith didn’t call back?

“Adi, there’s a fool out there wants to send back your boudin. He
says it has too much rice in it,” Bertie said from the doorway.

“No way. Take it in the back, reheat it, and send it back out.
Bet he says it’s fine now.”

“Right on. Did you call that girl?”

“I tried, but only got her voice mail.”

“Did you leave a message?”

“I did. Come on, let’s finish this night.”

They worked until closing time with not much of a letup. People
had missed the Pot the last two days. It felt good to be appreciated, but better
to be closing. Jose was busy at the pot sink and Adi was wiping down the prep
surfaces. Bertie was putting things into the cooler for the next day’s service.
The weekend help, Ellen, was closing out the register. Another successful
night.

There was a loud crash from the cooler.

“Bertie? You drop something?” Her question was met with silence.
Adi rushed to check on her, worry quickly welling inside her.

Bertie was on the floor, bleeding from a small gash in her head,
and she didn’t seem to be conscious. “Bertie?” Adi felt for a pulse, trying to
ignore her own as it raced with panic, and finally, she felt the small pulsing
under her finger. Bertie’s breathing was labored, though. “Jose! Call 911.
Bertie needs an ambulance.”

Adi knew the best thing was not to move her. She didn’t know what
Bertie had hit, or how hard. She stripped off her coat and laid it on top of
her.
Keep her warm.
Monitor her breathing. Stop the bleeding.
The mantra from her first
aid class kicked in hard. She pulled a clean cloth from the hanger and pressed
it against the gash to stem the flow of blood.

“You’re going to be fine, Bertie. Help is on the way. Just hang
in there. You’re going to kill me when you realize we called an ambulance.
Don’t worry. All the customers are gone. Just hang in there.”

Adi’s heart was beating so hard it felt like it would come right
out of her chest.
She has
to be okay. Bertie is all I have
. She kept talking to stay calm. She
started telling her about watching Griffith crawfish. How cute she looked in
those hip waders. She kept talking until the paramedics arrived. They ushered
her out of the cooler so they could have enough room to work. They went
straight to it, putting on a pulse oximeter and starting an IV line.

While those two worked on Bertie, another two paramedics entered
with a transport gurney. One of them threw questions out to the room in
general.

“What alerted you to something happening?”

“She fell. I heard her fall.”

“Was she conscious when you got to her?”

“No.”

“Has she regained consciousness at all?”

“No.”

“Any medications she takes that you know of?”

“She takes Lisinopril for blood pressure.”

“No heart medications? Is she diabetic?”

“No and no.”

“Okay. Good. We’re going to load her up and take her to Iberia
Medical Center. Can you contact next of kin?”

“I’m her next of kin.”

The man stopped and looked at her. “You’re her next of kin?”

“Yes. She’s my mamma. You have a problem with that?”

“No, not at all. You can ride with her in the bus. We’re going to
need you to fill out paperwork when we get there.”

“Jose, call T’Claude and get him to meet us down at the hospital.
He has all the information on Bertie’s insurance, and I need to be with her.”

Fear flooded her now that she didn’t have to be the one in
control. Her whole body began shaking. Her knees were like Jell-O, and she felt
like she was about to fall. The paramedic grabbed her arm.

“Are you okay, ma’am?”

“I’m okay. Just shaky.”

“Well, sit down here. Once we have your mom on the truck, I’ll
come and get you.”

Adi slid down the outside wall of the cooler, far enough out of
the way not to impede the paramedics. She was cold and sweaty at the same time,
plus it felt like she was going to lose her lunch.

“Here, Adi. Drink this. You’ll feel better. It’s just the shock.”

Jose pressed a can of juice into her hand and wrapped his own
coat around her shoulders. She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“She’s going to be okay. She’s too tough to go out like that.
Don’t you worry. Everything is going to be okay. Mr. T’Claude is on his way to
the hospital now. I’ll lock up here and find you down there.”

Adi nodded and watched as the team of responders wheeled Bertie
carefully out of the kitchen area and to the parking lot. Soon she felt an arm
grip her above the elbow.

“Okay, time to go. Let’s take care of you too. Sam is going to be
in the back with you and your mom. I’ll be driving. We’re doing everything
possible for your mom. Come on. Time to go.”

He gently tugged, and Adi stood and walked out to the waiting
ambulance. An EMS truck was pulling out as she climbed into the back of the
ambulance.

“Thank you for getting here so quick. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. It’s what we do.” He closed the doors and soon they
were on the way to the hospital.

Adi struggled to come to grips with what was happening to Bertie.
She looked so small and frail strapped to the gurney.

“Is she going to be okay?” Adi said.

“She’s a little shocky right now, but we’re getting her
stabilized. She’ll be evaluated as soon as we get to the ER. Listen, Adi, is
it?”

“Yes.”

“Adi, your mom has probably had a major event. When we get to the
hospital, things are going to happen really fast, okay?”

Adi nodded.
A
major event? What’s that mean?
She couldn’t get the words out.

“Good. We’re focused on your mom. You’ll be able to follow us
into the emergency doors, but the hospital staff will keep you from following
us any further. Don’t freak out. That’s so the patient can remain our priority.
They’ll take you to a seating area to wait for news from the medical staff. Try
to stay calm and let everyone do their job. That’s the best thing you can do if
you want the best for your mom.”

“Okay.”

“Good. We’re pulling in now. If I see you on my way out, I’ll
give you any update I have.”

“Okay.”

The doors flew open, and in seconds, Bertie was whisked into the
emergency bay. Adi hurried to follow and wasn’t surprised when she was stopped
by the staff. She watched the doors swing closed behind Bertie. Her nausea was
receding, but the shaky feeling was still there.

“Ma’am, let’s get you settled in the waiting area.” The nurse had
kind eyes, and Adi followed without resistance. She sat in the hard plastic
chair as directed. There was a large clock on the wall opposite her, and she
noted the time. Eleven fifty. She wondered how long it would be before they
could tell her what was wrong with Bertie.

“Adi?” T’Claude entered from a different door. He was holding a
folder. “How’re you doing?”

“Oh, T. She didn’t wake up. She didn’t even seem to hear me.”

“I’m sorry, kid. She’s in a good place, though. They’ll fix her
up.” He wrapped a burly arm around Adi. She leaned into him, grateful for his
comfort.

“We have to call Jacques and tell him about Bertie. He’s her
brother; he should know.”

“I’m her kin.”

“Well, sure, Adi. I meant besides you. He lives in Tupelo,
right?”

“That’s right. I have his number in my phone. Shouldn’t we wait
until we can tell him what’s wrong? He’s an old man, T. We can’t just give him
a shock without information.”

“They might need to talk to him, you know, so they can do what
they need to do.”

“Listen. I am Bertie’s next of kin. I have her medical power of
attorney. We did that for each other long ago. She can make decisions for me; I
can make decisions for her. We made sure of it.”

“Oh, good. That’s a relief. I was worried. How about a Coke?
Something to keep us awake until we hear what’s up.”

“Okay.”

He got each of them a Coke from the vending machine and they sat
quietly, waiting to hear something. For a moment, Adi considered calling Griff.
But this was family business, and although she wanted to get closer to her,
this wasn’t where she belonged. Even if Adi really wanted to be in her arms.
She leaned against T and waited.

Griffith stood in the Boiling Pot parking lot wondering
where everyone was. She had decided to come here first, before heading to
Morgan City. Adi’s voice mail from the night before made this stop her
priority.

She wanted to clear things up with her, make sure Adi knew her
intentions, and get as much information as possible before making contact with
J.B. Nerbass. She’d left her hotel determined to get Adi to understand why she
had to do this and to acknowledge Adi’s request about not doing anything before
they talked again. Now she was here, and the place was deserted. By this time
on most mornings, there would be a steady stream of breakfast diners. Other
people came and went, seemingly as puzzled as Griffith. But the restaurant
remained locked. None of the staff vehicles were in the parking lot.

She glanced at her watch. Nine twenty. She needed to get on the
road. She had managed to get an appointment with Nerbass’s assistant at ten
forty-five, and the drive would take nearly an hour. She would have to catch up
with Adi later, since she hadn’t returned her call from earlier, and now it
went straight to voice mail.