Compass Rose by John Casey Read Free Book Online

gnawing at either/or—either a heart attack or a stroke. Pallor, rapid pulse, breathing—could be either. She looked at Miss Perry’s eyes. The left eye was only half open. She leaned forward to look closely at Miss Perry’s eyes. Rose fussed louder. Miss Perry said, “What?”
    Elsie said, “It’s just the baby.” Miss Perry rolled her head. Elsie said, “We should stay still.”
    Miss Perry said, “What baby?”
    Elsie said, “It’s all right. I’ll take care of the baby.” But every time Rose made a noise, Miss Perry either rolled her head or raised her right hand. Elsie turned Miss Perry so that Miss Perry lay along the wide bottom step, the back of her head on Elsie’s thigh. Elsie pulled up her sweatshirt, opened her nursing bra, and lifted Rose to her nipple. She said, “It’s all right. It’s going to be quiet now. A doctor’s coming.”
    “Odd,” Miss Perry said, but she lay still.
    Elsie wasn’t sure if she should keep Miss Perry from falling asleep. In her mind’s eye she could now read some of the highlighted lines: comfort and reassure. That implied keeping her awake, didn’t it? Loosen constricting clothing. Remove all dentures and dental bridges or false teeth. Why? Maybe she was mixing in advice from the epilepsy chapter. Or was there a possibility of a convulsion? Didn’t look like it—Miss Perry was breathing fast but evenly.
    Elsie was pretty sure Miss Perry didn’t have dentures—wouldn’t she have noticed?
    Rose was sucking steadily, her plump legs light and loose. Elsie moved her so that the bottom of Rose’s blanket wouldn’t brush the top of Miss Perry’s head.
    “What happened?” Miss Perry said. “When it turns.”
    “Turns?”
    “Yes.”
    Elsie thought at first Miss Perry meant dialing, but when she looked at the phone she saw that it was new and had buttons. Dumb—she’d just pushed nine-one-one. Then she thought Miss Perry might be worrying about the key. “You called me, and I came. I found the key. I’ll put it back.” Miss Perry rolled her head to the right. Elsie noticed her left eye again. Another highlighted fragment: “unilateral weakness … mouth drawn to one side.” It was hard to tell, since she was looking at Miss Perry’s face upside down. Elsie got it then. She said, “Dizzy. You had a dizzy spell.”
    “Yes.”
    “It’ll be all right. The doctor’s coming. It’s all right.”
    Elsie looked out the open door. She couldn’t see the blinker itself, but she saw the light flash on the lower leaves of the copper beech. She said, “The leaves are turning. I mean, changing color. The ash, the sycamore by my pond.”
    “Yes,” Miss Perry said. “Trees.”
    Elsie went on. “Your red oak. All the maples.” Rose pulled away, made a face, but then nursed again. Miss Perry lay still but appeared to be listening. Elsie settled into a state of mind that could go on and on, as if she were a pond fed by a slow spring. Rose fell asleep.
    When the ambulance pulled up behind her car, she thought of getting up, looked around for a pillow, something to put under Miss Perry’s head. No need. The two men moved Miss Perry onto a gurney. One sat beside Elsie and took notes as she recited what she knew. Miss Perry’s head was toward the door, only a little higher than Elsie’s. Miss Perry turned her face to the right. Elsie added, “Maybe paresis. The left eye and cheek.”
    Miss Perry said, “Elsie, will you … Don’t go.”
    “Yes.” Take Rose along? Call Mary? Sally? She’d figure out something. “Yes. I’ll stay with you. I’ll have to see to the baby.”
    “Yes. Baby.”

chapter ten
    J ack asked Elsie to have supper at the Sawtooth Point cottage. Since it was usually Sally who invited her, Elsie guessed that it wasn’t to be a purely social occasion. Jack held off until they finished eating. Elsie nursed Rose and put her to bed in the portable car seat. Sally cleared the table. Jack stood up when Sally and Elsie sat down. He held