"I tolerate her," Laura offered grudgingly. "She's a bit with her, what you see is what you get. Aunt Helen doesn't hold anything back and she has an opinion on everything." Taking several swallows of coffee, more to collect her thoughts than to quench a thirst, Laura continued. "It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't against just about everything my parents were for."

"Does she get along with your mother at all?" Crystal asked.

"If they haven't seen each other in a long time, then yes for a little while they'll get along fine. They'll catch up on what's been going on with each other and then share the gossip about the rest of the family."

"That's not so bad."

Laura lifted her head. "No, that part's fine. It's when Mom nags Aunt Helen about her drinking or smoking or her endless stream of boyfriends or her quote unquote loose life," Laura made quote marks with her fingers. "Then they start going at it. When Dad was alive the three of them would always get into these huge debates about everything under the sun and then some. Last time she visited she told Mom she refused to stay at her house anymore." Her eyes widened at the horrid thought that came to her mind. "Oh God, I hope she's forgotten about that. She's not staying here. I'll go find a hotel."

"Ooh, she's really that bad, huh?" Crystal shook her head. "And I thought I drove you nuts. She must be something if she's worse than the roommate from hell." Startled by the comment, Laura looked over to see the blonde shrugging her shoulders. "I heard you talking to someone on the phone," Crystal revealed.

"I

" Laura looked down at her plate, truly regretful that the young woman had heard those words come from her. "I haven't said that in a while. Not the last few weeks at least."

Crystal shook her head dismissively. "Don't worry about it. You had a right to bitch. It's gotta be hard to live with someone who's "

"Such a slob?" Laura offered, earning a wry smile from her roommate.

"I was going to say someone who is so different from you," Crystal finished, looking at her pointedly. "It ain't easy living with Miss Prim and Proper but hey, we're getting there." She didn't appear as hurt by the overheard comment as Laura thought she would be and the writer decided Crystal must have forgiven her for it already.

"That's true," Laura agreed, at least to the getting there part. "I've been told there's nothing that with tolerance and patience can't be worked through if people are willing to work hard enough for it. Who knows, we could end up being the best of friends someday."

"Now let's not push it," Crystal warned jokingly, seeming much more relaxed and amiable than usual. "I still think you're a pain in the ass about everything being so spic and span." She rose to her feet and patted her pants pocket. "It's time for me to go catch a butt. Be back in a few minutes and if you want, I'll go with you to the hospital again. Bobby called too and he said he'd meet you there."

"Guess I was the last one out of bed this morning," Laura said. "Sure, you can come along if you feel like it. You'll have to ride with me to the airport to pick her up later though."

"No prob, from what she sounds like, it oughta be fun to meet her. Back in a few." With that Crystal opened the screen door and stepped outside to have a cigarette.

Laura turned her attention back to the plate of waffles in front of her although her appetite lessened with the mention of her troublesome aunt. She hoped Helen would be more concerned about how her own sister was doing than in bringing up any of the six thousand topics that invariably led to a verbal war. Who called her? she wondered. Probably Grandma Betty. Helen was one person who Laura couldn't reach the first time she made her calls, frustrated that her aunt's voice mail was filled up and she unable to leave a message. What's the point of having something take messages for you if you don't check it once in a while? Then again, maybe she does get that many calls a day. Laura mentally renewed her private plea not to have her aunt remember the fight about staying at the house and want to stay here instead. To Laura's dismay, a twinge in her temple signaled a headache on its way and the writer seriously doubted if it would be a good day at all.

Bobby had been waiting for them at the hospital, an amused expression on his youthful face. "'Bout time you got here. Mom thought you weren't showing up."

"She's awake?" Laura asked as they approached. Her brother was standing in the hall outside of her mother's room.

"Yes I am," her mother called out. Laura spared a quick glance at Crystal and entered the room, greeting her mother and apologizing for not being there sooner. She was sorely disappointed to find that her brother and Crystal had not followed her in, forcing her to deal with her alert and from the expression on her face, agitated mother.

"How are you feeling? You gave us all quite a scare."

Gail Taylor waved her hand dismissively, not caring that the intravenous tubes were attached to it. "You can't get rid of me that easily. I plan on being around to aggravate you for quite a while." Despite the bravado being shown, Laura was certain her mother had been shaken up more than was being let on.

"Has the doctor been in to see you yet?"

"Oh yes, that's all they've been doing. The nurses wake me up at all hours to take my blood pressure and I've seen a doctor from just about every department so far." The older woman held her hand out, showing a very distinct indentation around the base of the third finger. "They had to cut my rings off because of all the swelling," Gail said solemnly. "Those rings never left my hand since your father put them on there thirty years ago."

"I'm sure we can get them repaired," Laura offered.

"That's not the point," her mother said sharply. "Doctor Stevens said this could happen again. He wants me to get one of those panic buttons you wear around your neck that alerts the ambulance."

The thought her mother could need such a device scared Laura more than wanted to admit. It was bad enough her mother looked so puffy, cheekbones practically nonexistent in roundness of her face. That such a thing could happen again with little to no warning downright terrified her. "Mom" Laura took a deep breath.

"Oh no you don't," Gail shook her head vehemently. "This may be serious but I'm not going into some kind of nursing home."

"I wasn't going to say that," Laura replied although if forced to admit it the thought had crossed her mind. "But you should consider maybe having an aide come in to help you. I don't want you to exert yourself."

"Nonsense. You are only a phone call away and I know how to dial 911."

"But what if you fall and can't get to the phone?"

"You make me sound like your grandmother. I'm not helpless, Laura." The tiredness was beginning to show on Gail's face. "Now let's just drop it. The doctors say I'll be out of here by the end of the week. We'll see how things are then."

Laura nodded, not wanting to upset her mother and not in the mood to push the point. "I can always come stay with you until you feel better if you want." To anyone else, it would seem the most natural of offers but to the strong willed Taylor women, it was a magnanimous offer to the extreme. Laura loved her mother deeply and the feeling was mutual but there was only so long they could be in other's company. The thought reminded her of the relative currently flying in the skies overhead. "Um, Mom Bobby tell you who was coming?"

"Not Helen?" her mother asked hopefully. Laura nodded, wishing silently her brother would stop sneaking off to have a cigarette with her roommate and get back in here. "She's not staying at my house," Gail said firmly. "I'm too tired out to put up with her."

"You won't be getting out of here few at least a week or so, right?"

"When I do I don't want to put up with her," her mother insisted. "There's plenty of hotels here. Let her stay at one of them." Gail huffed and her face showed the effort she was making. Alarmed, Laura reached for the call button only to be waved off. "No, there's no need for that. I'm just getting tired so easily now."

Relieved but still concerned, Laura pulled her hand back, letting it wrap around the bed railing instead. "All right," she said, not wishing to upset her mother any further. "I'll find her somewhere else to stay." Moving up to the head of the bed, she reached over and adjusted the pillow behind her mother's head. "Is that better?"

"Much." Gail favored her daughter with an approving smile that seemed odd on familiar features puffed by the edema. "You always were a good girl."

"I had good parents," Laura countered, patting her mother's shoulder before moving back to a position where they could see each other. "You may not have always agreed with everything I've done but you've supported and loved me." To Laura's surprise, she thought of Crystal and a shot of empathy went through her, wishing her roommate could have grown up with parents as good as her own. "I love you Mom," she said, giving her mother's hand a squeeze.

"All right, enough with the mushy stuff," Bobby said as he entered the room. Behind him Laura could see Crystal standing awkwardly out in the hall and waved her in as well.

"It's about time you came back," his mother admonished before giving Crystal a glance. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Crystal replied politely. "I hope you're feeling better."

"Much better," Gail answered, pausing to take a few breaths. Laura decided her mother needed to rest and she needed to deal with the relative who would be arriving soon.

"Mom, we're going to leave and let you get some rest," she said, pulling the blanket up around her mother's shoulders. "You relax and get your rest. I'll be back later."