Okay, he had to see Gen stat, but couldn’t let his worries infect Bella’s own.“Can you show me where her room is?”
“Sure.”
She led the way to the small hallway which held four doors.Three small bedrooms and a bathroom, would be his guess.Bella pointed to the first room on the right, then pointed to the one next to it.“That’s my one.”
“Maybe you can show me your room once I’m done.”
“Yeah!I might need to tidy it, though.”
“We’ll clean the kitchen and living area first.”
She sighed.“Fine.”
He knocked on the door.“Hello, Gen?It’s Kyle.”
No answer.
“Gen?Are you awake?Bella is worried about you, and I just wanted to check that you’re okay.”
Still no answer.
He glanced at Bella and raised his eyebrows.
“You should go in,” she murmured.“When I was in there before she was just sleeping.Or maybe pretending to sleep.I don’t know.I feel like she just ignored me.”
He hugged her.“Hey, I’m sure it’s not you, sweet pea, so don’t take anything personally, okay?”
She nodded.
“Now go start cleaning up, and I’ll come and help in a minute.”
“Okay.”
As Bella slowly moved off, he knocked a third time, this time saying “Gen, I’m coming in, ready or not.”
It sounded like an old game of hide-and-seek they’d last played years ago.He twisted the flimsy handle—that would need to be repaired—and entered.
Then almost choked.The darkened room was warm, too warm, and layered with a multitude of odors like someone had been shut in for weeks.This did not compute with what he knew of Gen.Or Minnie, for that matter.
He moved to the bed, nearly tripping over a pile of envelopes on the floor.He glanced at them.Bills.Letters of demand.Oh no.Poor Gen.
He knelt by the bed, next to where she lay, and touched her forehead.“Gen?It’s Kyle.I’ve come to see you.”
She lay there, eyes closed, but fluttering every so often, and he could understand why Bella thought she might be faking sleep.She seemed alert, or at least aware enough that he was there.
“Gen, you don’t look well.”He placed a hand on her cheek.
She twitched, then slowly, very slowly, her eyelids lifted and she stared at him.“Go away.”
“No.”
She closed her eyes.“Please.”
“No.Something isn’t right and you need to tell me what it is so we can sort this out.”
“It… it can’t be sorted out.”Her voice was wispy, almost hoarse.“Go away.”
“Still can’t, I’m afraid.Your daughter—our daughter—is out there, frightened that there’s something very wrong with her mother, and she wants me to find out what it is.”Well, that had been the gist of that earlier encounter.
