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I cut a worried glance at Tess as I put the car in park. Her face was turned to the window, as it had been for most of the drive to her father’s nursing home. As I unbuckled my seat belt, I exchanged a silent look with Erin in the back seat.
We’d brought her here to meet Tess’s father today. Tess had been stressed about it, so I’d offered to come along for moral support. Frankly, I’d been surprised she’d accepted my offer, but I was taking it as a good sign. It felt like she was starting to let me in more and more, instead of automatically putting up walls between us.
From the outside, the residential facility looked more like an apartment complex than a nursing home. There were gardens and fountains and a columned portico in front of the lobby. Some of the rooms even had balconies, although I doubted Tess’s father’s would. She’d told me he was in a special part of the facility designed exclusively for memory care patients, with round-the-clock care and tighter security to prevent them from wandering off the premises unsupervised.
I reached across the console and laid my hand on Tess’s leg. She seemed to startle a little, as if she’d been so lost in her own thoughts she’d forgotten I was there. When she turned to look at me, my heart ached at her haunted expression. But as her eyes met mine, I was gratified to see some of the shadows recede.
The tense set of her shoulders loosened a little, and she covered my hand with hers. “Thank you for driving.”
“Of course.”
Erin had already gotten out of the back seat. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving us alone in the car.
My fingers twined with Tess’s, and I lifted her hand to my lips. “It’s going to be fine.”
Her eyes closed briefly as she nodded. “I know.”
Leaning across the console, I stroked her cheek before brushing a light kiss against her lips. “You ready?”
After inhaling a long breath through her nose, she gave me a tight nod.
We got out of the car, and Erin and I fell into step on either side of Tess. As we crossed the parking lot, I brushed my fingers against Tess’s hand. She grasped onto them, interlacing them tightly with hers.
The lobby looked like a hotel but smelled more like a hospital. We all signed in, then followed Tess down a corridor lined with resident rooms to a nurse’s station next to a security door. The nurse behind the window recognized Tess and buzzed us in with a smile.
“How is he today?” Tess asked as the nurse came out from behind the counter to meet us.
“He’s been having a good morning so far.” The nurse gave Tess’s hand a squeeze as she turned a warm smile on me and then Erin. She was dark-skinned, nearly six feet tall, and wore pink scrubs with flowers on them. “It’s the perfect day for visitors.”
Tess let out a small, relieved breath. “This is Donal,” she told the nurse. “And Erin.” After a hesitation, she added, “My daughter.”
“I can tell,” the nurse said, beaming at Erin. “You and your mom have your grandfather’s eyes.” She looked me over, her eyes nearly level with mine. “And you must be Erin’s father. I’m Sonja.”
I swallowed thickly as I shook her hand. When she turned to greet Erin, I exchanged a look with Tess and we shared a small smile.
“He ate most of his breakfast today,” Sonja said cheerfully as she led us down the hall past more resident rooms. “Then he let us get him dressed and up into his chair so he’d be ready to receive his guests.”
“Has he been talking?” Tess asked, fiddling with the neck of her plain navy blouse.
“Not so much.” Sonja stopped in front of a door that was partially ajar. The murmur of a radio announcer’s voice drifted out of the room as she turned to smile at us. “He’s listening to one of his ball games. God almighty, he loves those things. They always put him in a good mood.”
She rapped loudly on the door as she pushed it open. “Joe? Your daughter Tess is here to see you. And she’s brought some special visitors with her.”
The only answer was the crack of a baseball bat and the tinny-sounding roar of a crowd.
Sonja held the door open and inclined her head for us to enter. Tess went first, followed by Erin, and I brought up the rear.
It was a small room, the decor landing somewhere on the coziness scale between a hospital and a budget-priced hotel chain. A few personal touches attempted to make it feel a little homier. Some framed photographs and mementos occupied pride of place on the dresser, and a collection of pictures that had been cut out of magazines were taped to the walls all around the room.
Joe McGregor sat in a wheelchair by the window. I remembered him as a stocky man with a flattop buzz cut and a friendly smile, but now he looked frail and stooped. His pale skin hung loosely from his once-thick forearms, what remained of his white hair stuck up in uneven wisps, and his face was slack and expressionless as he stared out the window, seemingly unaware of our presence.
Sonja gave me an encouraging smile before she slipped out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
Tess had knelt down in front of her father’s wheelchair, and she took one of his hands in hers. “Hi, Dad. It’s Tess. How are you doing today?”
He didn’t react or look at her. His hand lay limp and unmoving in hers.
Tess looked up at Erin, offering a strained smile as she beckoned her closer. “Dad, I brought someone to meet you today. This is Erin. I told you about her before. She’s the baby I gave up for adoption in high school. Look at her now, all beautiful and grown up.”
