The wrapped box is tucked under my arm as I walk into Meadowbrook. I’m practically giddy imagining her reaction when she opens it. It should earn me at least a year of exclusive gossip, though, knowing Florence, she’ll expect another trinket the next time. I might tease her about it, but I’ll happily bring her as many presents as she wants if it makes her happy.
I immediately sense something is off when I enter the lobby. There’s no classical music playing in the background, no cookies at the reception desk, and most importantly, Florence isn’t inherchair.
It’s still early, so maybe she slept in or took a nap before all the action starts.
I stride to her room with a bounce in my step, eager to find her. Her door is wide open, but I knock anyway.
“You in here, old bat?” I holler, stepping inside when I’m met with silence.
Since Florence is usually in the lobby, I rarely visit her here, so I take a moment to look around. A corner curio cabinet is filled with shiny trinkets, and a large jewelry box sits on her dresser, with several dishes beside it for her overflowing collection of necklaces, rings, and bracelets. There’s also a partially quilted pink blanket draped over the back of her armchair.
It brings a smile to my face knowing it’s for my little peanut.
I scrunch my nose, confused when I notice Florence’s bed has been stripped and her walker is parked nearby. She never goesanywhere without it, which sets off alarm bells ringing in my head.
“Hi there, are you lost?” A nursing aide I don’t recognize asks from the doorway.
My brows knit tightly. “No. I’m looking for Florence. Do you know where she is?”
Her expression softens with concern. “Uh… are you family?”
“Yeah,” I state.
“And no one called you?” she asks softly.
I shake my head, sighing in frustration. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but if you could tell me where Florence is, I can go find her myself. I brought her a special gift.” I nod to the box under my arm.
A somber look crosses the aide’s face, making me take a cautious step back.
“Why don’t we go to the administrator’s office and she can explain everything,” she suggests.
There are only two reasons staff defer families to the administrator, and in this case, it’s obviously not related to a late payment.
“Th-that’s okay,” I stutter, gripping the gift box tighter with shaky hands. “If you can just tell me where she is, I’ll be on my way. I’m sure she’s waiting for me to share the latest gossip, and I don’t want to keep her waiting.”
The aide steps closer, her eyes soft with empathy. “I’m so sorry, but Florence passed away last night. The administrator should have reached out to everyone on her emergency contact list, so I’m not sure why you weren’t notified.”
I blink, frozen in shock. “What? No, that can’t be right. I saw her a couple of days ago, and she was perfectly fine.”
My mind races as I think back to us sitting in the lobby, sipping iced tea and talking about baby names. Her hip had been giving her trouble, but aside from that, she was in great spirits,teasing me that I’d better bring a better gift next time if I wanted to hear the latest scandal about a new resident who moved in this week.
“I’m truly sorry for your loss.” The aide’s voice sounds muffled as I stumble backward and sink into Florence’s armchair.
I sit there with the box clutched to my chest, vaguely aware of her walking out, leaving me alone in the empty room, the silence getting heavier by the second. A part of me is convinced there’s been a big mistake, and Florence is going to barge in any minute asking why I’m sulking when I should be in the lobby with her, handing over her latest sparkly acquisition.
I lose all sense of time as I’m eventually pulled out of my shocked state by a pair of gentle hands covering mine.
“Charlie, honey.” Grams’s voice makes me lift my tear-filled eyes. “There you are. I was beginning to worry.”
“Is she really gone?” I choke out.
Grams nods, tears falling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way. If I’d known you were coming, I would have been waiting in the lobby for you.”
As the fog lifts, I take in Grams’s appearance. Her usually neat, coiffed hair is down in a tangled mess, secured by a headband. Her eyes are swollen and red.
“What happened?” I whisper.
She sits on the edge of the chair beside me. “Florence wasn’t feeling well yesterday and said she was going to take a nap before dinner.” She briefly pauses, glancing at the empty bed. “When I checked on her a few hours later, she was gone.”
