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Then I marched down the hallway and left him alone.
I went into the kitchen and started poking around at what to fix. I wanted a well-rounded meal that would give him a lot of the nutrition I knew he needed to be taking in. I pulled out two fresh slabs of salm
on with the skin on the bottom as well as some fresh vegetables. A red pepper. A head of broccoli. Some carrots and parsnips. And a beet to give everything a bit of color.
Then, I grabbed a couple of sweet potatoes and got to work.
I cooked the salmon in a pan with a bit of oil, salt, and pepper. Squeezed a bit of lemon onto it in the end and made sure the skin was crispy on the bottom instead of limp. I chopped up and tossed the vegetables right behind the salmon and let them sit, then I got to work on the sweet potatoes. I peeled them and divided them up before I boiled them. I was going to whip them up with some butter, a bit of honey, and a dash of cinnamon.
I plated everything and looked at the clock, then drew in another deep breath.
It was five until six, and I wasn’t hearing the faintest sound of Hayden moving.
I had my phone pulled out and ready to go. I had to keep my word if he didn’t show up. I would need help getting a man like him out of his home and back into the hospital, and my heart ached that it had come to this. But it was the truth. I wasn’t sure how clean he was getting himself and I was having a hard time keeping tabs on the food that was going missing.
Which meant I wasn’t sure what he was really eating and when.
I walked the plates over to the kitchen table and sat them down. Flowers surrounded the table and it almost felt like I was eating outside. I went over to the juicer and grabbed the oranges, then ran them through the juicer until I had two very large freshly-pressed orange juices.
Two minutes until six, and not a sound was heard.
I went and got some silverware and a couple of napkins. I wasn’t giving up on him until my promise forced me to. I sat down with my phone at my side, my finger ready to press down to call the nearest hospital. I had already alerted them to the troubles I was having with Hayden, and they were on standby in case I had to call them.
And I sighed with relief when I heard his door open.
I clicked my phone closed and slid it into my pocket. I could hear his wheelchair rolling down the hallway and through the living room, and I watched as his shadow began to appear. First his head, then his body, then his wheels.
I watched him come around the corner before his icy stare landed onto the table.
I was sitting there, trying not to rejoice at the fact that he had come. My heart was slamming in my chest as he slowly rolled up to the breakfast nook. He was staring down at his plate, taking in the food in front of him before his eyes rose to the glass of orange juice.
Then, he began looking around at all the flowers.
“Smells good,” he said.
I smiled as I picked up my fork.
“I’m glad you think so,” I said.
“Why are there so many?”
“Figured I would bring the outside to you.”
“What makes you think I enjoy the outside?”
“Besides the fact that you stare at it more than your own reflection?” I asked.
I looked up at him and I watched his eyes soften. Those icy blue eyes allowed a warmth to pour over them. Like he had remembered something dear to his heart. I watched as he nodded slowly before he picked up his fork, then he took a stab at his vegetables.
“Still a bit crunchy,” he said.
“Don’t tell me you like soggy vegetables,” I said.
“Does anyone?”
“I’ve met a couple.”
“Did they happen to wear dentures?” he asked.
