The Cartel Lawyer by Dave Daren (ebook reader below 3000 TXT) 📕

she was in the hospital, and she sat with her back straight thanks to the pillows stacked behind her.

“You should be more careful,” my ama muttered.

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it?” I teased as I lifted an eyebrow at her.

“You do what I say,” the Cuban woman warned as she narrowed her eyes.

“Hi,” I said as I turned away from the frustrating woman to the doctor who stood silently to the side. “I’m Roberto Torres, her son.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” the man said with a slight inclination of his head. “My name is Dr. Nguyen.”

He was shorter than me, but he had an air of confidence that came from making life and death decisions every day. But he was missing the haughtiness that so many doctors seemed to carry around, and I took that as a good sign.

“Do you know what happened?” I asked as I laced my fingers through my mother’s.

“Your mother’s collapse was a side effect of her medication,” the man said with a solemn look.

“So it’ll happen again?” I questioned.

“I’ll be fine, mi hijo,” my mother said with a tired smile.

“We suggest that your mother have an in-home care aid until we find an acceptable dosage for her medication,” Dr. Nguyen said.

“That’s too expensive,” my ama huffed as she shook her head.

“We’ll do it,” I responded. “Don’t argue with me, Mama. I will take care of this. Remember, you promised to listen to the doctors.”

“I said I would think about it,” the stubborn woman countered. “Mi hijo, that will cost a fortune. Laura can just come stay with me.”

“But she has to work,” I said.

“Yes,” her best friend agreed. “Necesito work y no puedes estar alone.”

“Exactly,” I said with a nod. “You can’t be alone. You need to have someone there just in case this happens again.”

“I’ll go make the arrangements,” the doctor said with a reassuring smile to my mother and an approving nod to me. “Your son is doing what’s best for you.”

“Bah,” my ama huffed as she pulled her hand away from mine. “You are spending too much money on this old woman.”

“Never,” I said with a grin. “It’s just payback for all of the times you’ve helped me.”

“That’s what familia es for,” she said.

“Exactly,” I countered.

“You,” she grumbled as she narrowed her eyes at me for catching her in a trap. “Fine. But they will only stay until I have gotten used to my new medication.”

“I can agree to that,” I said.

I was pretty sure she would need the live-in aid until well after her chemotherapy was complete, but that would be a battle for another day. For the moment, she had agreed to have someone come help, and that was at least a foot in the door.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” my mother muttered as she folded her hands in her lap. “You are a good son.”

“I have a good mother,” I told her. “I’m glad that I can finally help you.”

I leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, and I had to push down on the wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm me. I cleared my throat and stood as I looked around for the doctor.

“We’ll go back a casa in tu carro?” Laura asked as she sat in the chair next to my mother’s bed.

“Yes,” I said. “Though the old Honda may be a tight squeeze.”

“It’s okay,” my mother’s friend grinned. “We’re pequenos.”

“You are very small,” I teased. “You could both fit in the trunk.”

“Mi hijo!” my mother exclaimed as she swatted my arm while Laura burst out laughing.

“Just kidding, Mama,” I said with a grin. “Mostly.”

“Everything has been arranged,” the doctor said as he came in with a clipboard and a nurse right behind him. “Amy will have you sign all of the paperwork, and tomorrow we’ll send someone out to your house.”

“Laura, can you stay with mom tonight?” I asked.

“Yes, of course,” the Cuban woman said with a nod of her head.

“Great,” I replied. “Then let’s get this done and get you home.”

“I understand you’ll be paying?” the nurse, Amy, asked me as the doctor left us with a small wave.

“Yes,” I said. “I believe you have my card on file.”

“We do,” the woman said. “From when your mother visited the oncology clinic.”

“Perfect,” I responded. “So we just need to sign the paperwork?”

“Yes,” Amy answered as she turned her attention to my mother. “If you could just sign the highlighted areas. I understand you’ll have someone with you tonight?”

The nurse handed the clipboard and a pen to my mother before she showed the Cuban woman where she was supposed to sign.

“Yes,” Laura said as she stood. “I’ll be there.”

“Good,” the nurse said. “You’ll need to make sure that she doesn’t walk around too much. The dizziness will still be present for the next few days.”

“What time will the nurse be there tomorrow?” I asked.

“She should be there by nine a.m.,” Amy replied as she double-checked all the places my mother needed to sign.

“Great,” I said. “So we’re good to go?”

“Yep,” she gave me a bright smile. “I hope you all have a wonderful night.”

“Thanks,” I replied and then waved as the woman walked away. “Alright, mom, where are your clothes?”

“Oh, I put them over aqui,” Laura said as she went to fetch the garments. “I’ll help her get dressed. You wait outside.”

“Sure,” I said with a nod.

“I don’t need help getting--” my mother began to protest as I shut the door behind me.

It took a few minutes, but just as I started to worry, the door opened, and the two petite women shuffled out with their arms interlocked. My mother stood under her own