“Hear me out, please, Savannah.” Ben continued. “Your father had all the symptoms of a heart attack, but luckily” —he stressed the word luckily and looked at Savannah as he said it— “what he actually suffered was a case of broken heart syndrome.”
“Okay, you know what?” Savannah rose to her feet and headed for the door. “I can’t listen to this nonsense anymore. Treat, get me when…just get me after, okay?”
Treat went to his father’s side. “I’m sorry, Ben. She’s apparently had a rough time lately. Please continue.” I think I have broken heart syndrome.
“Broken heart syndrome can mirror all of the symptoms of a massive heart attack, from difficulty breathing and chest pain to low blood pressure and even weakening of the heart muscle.”
“That sounds like a heart attack. What’s the difference?” Treat held his father’s wrist. Feeling his pulse helped to settle his increasing worry.
“Well, BHS is also called stress cardiomyopathy, because it’s caused by severe stress, usually emotional—extreme fear, anger, surprise. There are two major differences between a heart attack and BHS. The first is that most heart attacks occur due to blockages and blood clots forming in the coronary arteries. If those clots cut off the blood supply to the heart for a long enough time, the heart muscle cells can die, leaving the patient with permanent and irreversible damage. But with BHS, patients have fairly normal coronary arteries, like your father does, without the presence of severe blockage or clots.”
Treat squeezed his father’s wrist. No blockage. No clots. Good arteries.
Ben continued. “The second difference is that with stress cardiomyopathy, the heart cells are stunned by the adrenaline and other stress hormones, but not killed as they are with a heart attack. And as I’m certain we’ll find with your father, that stunned effect gets better very quickly, often within just a few short days. So even if a patient suffers severe heart muscle weakness at the time of the event, the heart completely recovers within just a few weeks, and in most cases, there’s no permanent damage.”
“And that’s what you expect with Dad?” That’s it. I’m definitely spending more time at home.
“Yes, exactly. And from what we’ve seen with BHS, there’s no pattern of recurrence. It can happen, but we’ve never observed a second recurrence.”
“So, you’re saying I was too emotional and had a fake heart attack that weakened the heart muscle, but it’ll repair itself and I’ll be fine?” Hal asked.
“Yes, sir. And the damage to your heart muscles was minimal, so you should make a full recovery.”
Hal started to get out of bed. “Well, then, I can go home and run my ranch.”
Ben put a hand on Hal’s arm. “Not so fast. We’re going to watch you for the next few hours. We gave you some medication to lighten the load on your heart while you recover, and I’ll go over the protocol with you before you’re released. I want to monitor you for the next few hours, but then you should be good to go.”
“So he should be okay?” Treat asked.
“Yes, but…” He looked at Hal. “Mr. Braden, you cannot go back to working the ranch like I know you want to right away. You should recover in a month or two, but during that time, I don’t want you to do any strenuous work. Treat, can I count on you to ensure that he complies?” Ben ignored Hal’s groan and the harsh stare he set on him.
“Of course,” Treat answered.
“He’s got his own life to lead, Benjamin. What kind of crap is that?” Hal lowered his voice to a grumble. “I’m a big boy. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Of course you don’t, Mr. Braden. I’m sure you’ll go home and do exactly what I advise, because you were always so compliant with my father.” Ben coughed and said, “Broken arm,” at the same time.
Treat cracked a smile at his friend’s levity and his father’s simmering anger. Years earlier, his father had suffered a fractured arm, and instead of listening to Ben’s father’s medical advice, he was back on his favorite horse later that afternoon—and was back in the doctor’s office two hours later, after the fracture had morphed into a full break and he’d needed a cast.
“Ben, thank you. I really appreciate you taking such good care of him.” Treat shook Ben’s hand.
“Do you want me to send Savannah in if I see her?” Ben asked.
“No need. I’m right here, and I heard all of it.” Savannah walked in with her cell phone in her hand and suspicious red rings around the edges of her eyes.
Treat immediately knew his sister had been crying. He put his hand protectively on the small of her back when she came to their father’s bedside.
“I’m sorry if I upset you, Savannah,” Ben said.
She nodded, then took her father’s hand. “So basically Dad needs to stop talking to Mom and stop worrying about us?”
Ben smiled. “Well, given that I don’t think your father will ever stop doing either one of those things, no. For now we’ll just go with something a little easier, like maybe talking out some of his frustrations instead of holding them in.”
“I’m not talking to a therapist, if that’s what you’re saying, Benjamin. Your father would never ask me to do that,” Hal said.
“Dad, you’ll do whatever he tells you to do,” Savannah said.
“No, Mr. Braden. I would never think of advising such a thing. My father schooled me well in the way of the Bradens. What I recommend is that when you are worried—or your wife is worried”—he ignored Savannah’s eye roll and continued— “about something like your children, talk to them about it. Don’t keep it inside. And if there are troubles with the ranch, talk it through with Rex.”
“Or me,” Treat added.
“Did I hear my name?” Rex came through the door, his eyes locked on his father’s, then slowly met Treat’s. “Talk what through with me?”
“I was telling your father that he needed to stop holding things inside, and if he has issues with the ranch, to talk them through with you…or Treat, I suppose,” Ben said.
“Treat’s never here,” Savannah argued.
“Of course, Dad.” Rex kept his eyes locked on his father. “You can count on me, and Savannah’s right, Treat’s never here.”
“I will be from now on,” Treat retorted. Rex, my ass.
Chapter Thirty
I SHOULD NEVER be allowed to drink again, Max thought as she reached for her throbbing head. It took only a few seconds for her to recognize Chaz and Kaylie’s guest room. The combination of the pictures of the twins on the dresser and their happy little voices filtering into the room were hard to miss.
“Don’t wake up Auntie Max,” Kaylie warned them.
Max sat up with a groan. Flashes of Taylor’s Cove came back to her, and she sifted through them and put the pieces of the previous night back together. She stood and held on to the dresser for support while the room circled her for a few seconds, then finally righted itself. She made the bed and straightened the throw rug that she must have pushed to the side.
Still wearing the same clothes she’d worn the night before, she went across the hall, washed her face, and rinsed out her mouth. She missed waking up with Treat’s heart beating beside her, his strong arms enveloping her. “Damn it,” she muttered. She looked at herself in the mirror and fixed her ponytail, making a disgusted tsk sound at her puffy face. Then she said to her reflection, “No more of this. You made your decision, and it was the right one. Now hold your head up high and get into work. Do something productive.” Like pick up your car. She groaned. She couldn’t believe she’d put Kaylie out like that last night. With another irritated tsk, she went in search of Kaylie.
She walked down the hall in her stocking feet, and two adorably rambunctious toddlers raced toward her.
“Auntie Max!” Lexi said as she jumped into Max’s arms.
“Auntie Ma-Ma-Max.”
Max scooped Trevor into her other arm, then realized that either they’d both gained weight in the last month, or she was really worn out. She set them both down with a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the tush.
“Auntie Max needs coffee,” she said, holding the side of her head.
“Lover girl walks,” Kaylie teased. “Here. I heard you in the bathroom, so I was prepared.” She handed Max a warm mug of coffee, which only made her miss Treat even more, and then two aspirin, which made her love Kaylie almost as much as she loved Treat.
The kids ran to their playroom, and she and Kaylie sat in the living room.
“How badly did I embarrass myself last night?” Max asked.
“Well, if you call telling my husband that you once thought you were in love with him but then realized you really just loved him like a brother embarrassing, then I’d say just a little. I found it hilarious. I have never seen Chaz unable to respond to someone before.” Kaylie laughed.
Max covered her face with her hands. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry, Kaylie.”
“For what?”
“For saying that. For Joe calling you to come get me. God, Chaz must hate me.” I ruined my career.