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“What’d you bring me?” he asked, eying the paper bag in her hand with interest.
She set it on the rolling table beside his dinner tray. “A cherry Danish.”
He perked up as he peeked into the bag. “From Antidote?”
“Of course.”
The balloons Penny had brought were holding up well. They sat on the ledge along the window beside a couple bouquets of flowers and a stack of DVDs.
“You know the way to an old man’s heart.” He took the Danish out of the bag and broke off a piece as he shot a longing look at the coffee in her hand. “No coffee for me?”
“I didn’t think you were allowed.”
“I’m not.” He waved her over. “Let me at least sniff it. All they’ve got is decaf in this joint. Tastes like bilge water.”
Penny took the lid off her coffee and held it under his nose. He’d shaved and combed his hair, and if it weren’t for the hospital setting and the wires still attached to his arm and chest, he’d almost look back to his old self. “Smells like heaven. Did Caleb make it?”
“No, he’s not working tonight.” Penny moved a stack of newspapers so she could sit in the chair beside the bed. “Roxanne made it and she said to tell you she misses you.”
“She’s a good kid. I’m sad I won’t get to meet her rugrat.”
“Of course you will. Aren’t you getting out of here soon? You’ll be back at Antidote before you know it.”
George shook his head. “They’re moving me up to San Jose. Mike and Jennifer don’t want me living down here alone anymore, and I guess they’ve got a point.”
“Oh,” Penny said, feeling bereft. George really was leaving too.
“They’re moving me into some kind of special apartment complex for ‘active seniors.’” He emphasized the last two words by making disdainful air quotes with his fingers. “It’s a fifty-five and up community. Wall-to-wall geezers like me.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Penny said, thinking of the nursing home where she volunteered, which was essentially a hospital with a dreary rec room in the middle of it.
He scowled. “I hate old people. All they do is complain.”
Penny smiled into her coffee cup. “They’re not so bad. You get used to the complaining.”
“I like being around young people. Keeps me from feeling old and decrepit.”
“You’d prefer a youth hostel, then? Or one of those Silicon Valley rental houses full of brogrammers mainlining Red Bull and Cap’n Crunch all hours of the night?”
He took another bite of Danish and chewed thoughtfully. “Maybe. At least they won’t die on me left and right.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it. Guzzling all that 24-Hour Energy can’t be good for them.”
He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t like change.”
“I don’t either,” Penny said, feeling a sharp stab of sympathy. “Won’t it be nice to be closer to your family though? You’ll get to see your grandson more often.”
“That part’s terrific. It’s everything else that’s the pits. Los Angeles has always been my home.”
“You’ll make new friends in San Jose, just like I did when I moved here from DC. Maybe even a few who aren’t geezers.”
“Sure.” He nodded, looking unconvinced. “Mike’s already talked to a real estate agent. We’re signing the papers to put my house on the market tomorrow.”
Her heart gave a little squeeze. “That’s fast.” She’d thought it would take longer to get everything arranged. That she’d have more time before he left.
He picked at the crust of his Danish. “I lived in that house for forty years. Barbara and I bought it when she got pregnant. It’s where we raised our family.”
“I’m sorry.” Penny swallowed the lump stuck in her throat. “That must be hard.”
