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My eyes bug out. “What?”
“The lid was stuck, and when I was trying to get it open, it flew out of my hand.”
This doesn’t make sense. I move past my mom to go into her bathroom and sure enough, the bottle of medicine is in the toilet. Open. With all the pills sitting at the bottom of the bowl. She comes in behind me, looking unsure of herself, and I force myself not to lose it. Breaking down in front of her will only make things worse.
“I put all your pills in your daily organizer. Why did you need the ones from the bottle?”
She shrugs. “I can’t find my organizer.”
“What do you mean? I put it on the counter.” I motion toward the spot where I always put her medicine organizer. Only, it’s not there.
“I’m sorry, Janet. I couldn’t find it. I’ll run to the pharmacy and get a refill. It shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve had to do it before.”
My chest tightens, and that stupid lump returns. What kind of daughter am I? I’ve let my mom suffer alone, doing who knows what every day, and something bad could have happened. Even with me here, she’s still struggling.
“Okay. I’ll tell you what. I’ll go to the pharmacy and get your medication. It’s cold and snowy, though, so I need you to stay inside so you don’t slip and fall. Can you do that?”
She seems to think about it for a moment before she nods and heads back toward the living room. I don’t know how she was planning to get to the pharmacy in the first place. When I got back home, I took her keys away when I realized how much she was forgetting things.
After I get dressed in a pair of leggings, a thick, slouchy sweater, boots, a hat, and Dane’s jacket he never took back last night, I head toward Main Street. Some roads have been plowed but not all of them. I’m pretty sure the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end the entire drive.
I get in and out of the pharmacy within a few minutes. Thankfully, the pharmacist knows my mom and is able to get an authorization to fill her medication early.
It’s snowing again. I wish I could build a snowman or make snow angels and have a fun day playing outside—with hot chocolate breaks. It’s a selfish thought, and I feel guilty for it. My mom needs me, and I keep thinking about what I want.
When my car is warmed up again, I head for home, going even slower this time. The flakes are thick and coming down fast, making it hard to see the road. At least there aren’t many people out, so I don’t have to worry about other cars.
I turn off Main Street and am about to turn again when the car hits a pothole I can’t see. I yelp from the impact. Then the sensors on the dash start flashing, telling me I have a flat tire.
“No, no, no!”
Slowly, I pull to the side of the road to park, then climb out of the car and walk around until I find the flat tire. It’s not just a little flat. Nope. It’s destroyed.
“Shit!” My bottom lip trembles, and my cheeks burn as tears fill my eyes. I look around, but I’m on a side street and there’s no one else in sight. Pine Hollow is a small town, so pretty much everywhere is within walking distance, but in this weather, it’s not going to be an enjoyable one.
I don’t have any other choice unless I want to call someone, so I grab my purse and my mom’s medication and start trudging through the snow. I let my tears fall freely as I go. No one is around to see them, so what does it matter?
I’ve only made it a half a block, and I’ve already tripped three times. I’m one stumble away from a full-on meltdown, but I keep going.
The sound of a truck engine grows louder but I don’t have it in me to care or look to see if it might be someone who can give me a ride. I’ve been away from Pine Hollow for so long that I don’t know as many people as I used to.
“Summer! What the hell are you doing out here?”
Crap. Of course it would be Dane. Why does he keep finding me when I’m at my worst? Why couldn’t I be dressed up with makeup on and look hot?
Dane hops out of his truck, jogging over to me, his eyebrows furrowed. “Little girl, what are you doing? You’re going to freeze.”
His concern only makes me crack more, and I let out a sob. Without another word, he grabs my hand and leads me to the passenger side of his truck, then effortlessly lifts me up and buckles me in. I sniffle and watch as he rounds the truck to the driver’s side. As soon as he gets in, he turns the heat up to full blast.
“Baby, what’s going on? Why were you walking in the snow? Why are you crying? You’re killing me here.”
Using the backs of my hands, I wipe my tears away. “I had to go to the pharmacy to get my mom’s blood pressure medication because she dropped the bottle in the toilet, and I was driving home, and I hit a stupid pothole and got a flat tire, and all I could think about was wanting to play in the snow and what kind of daughter am I that I want to play when I need to be focusing on my mom?”
He stares at me with a blank expression until I stop rambling, then without a word, he puts the truck in drive and heads toward our street.
“Here’s what’s going to happen when we get to your house. You’re going to go in, get your mom situated so she’s good to be by herself for a bit while I go tow your car. Then, when I get back, I’m going to help you set up some cameras in your mom’s house so you can monitor her from your phone. After that, you’re coming to my house, and you’re going to spend some time in Little Space.”
My mouth falls open, and I stare at him for a long moment before I finally process what he said. “But?—”
