Winning Team

My cell rang as I was walking onto mom's hospital floor. I was so tired of seeing "St Vincents" come up on my display.  The nurse informed me that my mom was refusing any more tests.  That if she refuses, they cannot do more to help her.  That I need to come talk to my mom.  "I am almost there," I told her and turned the corner to her desk with a big wave.  She told me the  attendant had come to get mom for a catscan and she had sent him away.  I walked into mom's room loaded for bear. 
"So that's it?  You're giving up?" 
"What are you talking about? I am not giving up." 
She informed me then that they just keep coming to get to her for more tests and she told them she was not taking another test until the doctor came to talk to her about all these tests.  Wow, did I have pride at that moment.  These people didn't want me to talk to my mom because her health was at stake.  They wanted me to calm her down so they could do their job without her being a pain in their butts.  And yet, what she was asking was so reasonable and she had the stuff.  The stuff that says, "I am a fighter and dammit you won't just do whatever you want." 
I walked back to my friend at the nurse's station and told her I spoke with my mom.  "Oh good, I will reschedule the catscan."  "Um, not exactly," I said with pride in my voice.  "We need to talk with a doctor before mom has any more tests.  She wants to know what is going on."  "But we have to go on doctor's orders."  I told the nurse we understood that she has to go on doctor's orders but she would need to tell the doctor that the patient was refusing until a doctor spoke to us that day.  It was the shortest time frame it ever took for the doctor to get to us.  Unfortunately, she was in a quandary because she was giving a bunch of tests not really knowing what was wrong.  Also for the insurance to keep paying for the hospital stay the doctor has to keep ordering tests.  Welcome to frigging America!
The best was seeing mom's smug little smile at the end of the visit when she said, "I will take the catscan now. Thank you for coming to tell me what was going on with my health."  ZING! 
The spunk she showed that day was one of the best times I had in the hospital with her.  The  nurses wanted me to talk some sense into her.  Instead she and I teamed up and staged our demonstration.  It was nice to have a win as a team.  I miss that.