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So that’s what we do. We get the résumés for the in-home nurses and spend a couple days with Ella going through them all. We call the ones who seem like a good fit and organize interviews with them. Grams falls in and out of sleep constantly. She still doesn’t know who I am, and I’ve accepted that. It hurts, but the hurt lessens with every look, every smile I gain just from being around her.
The next few days after that go by in a blur. We interview nurse after nurse until they all blend together in a sea of credentials and experience. Ella sits with us through all of them while his aunt stays with Tommy in the apartment. Josh finds it necessary to remind me constantly that even though he has the power of attorney, I’m as involved in making the decisions as he is. We struggle, a lot, overwhelmed with the importance of the choices we have to make and aware of the time ticking by, getting closer and closer to the day I have to go back to St. Louis.
Grams has a lot of visitors, some she remembers, others she doesn’t. Josh’s aunt and uncle are a constant. Blake and Chloe come by once and take Tommy for the night. The one person I wasn’t expecting, though, was Chris, and going by the look on Josh’s face when he shows up, Josh wasn’t expecting him either.
Chris steps out of his car, or truck, or something in between the two. Whatever it is, it’s black and looks like it costs more than my dad’s house. He reaches inside and pulls out a bouquet of flowers approximately the size of the ozone layer. So maybe I’m exaggerating, and I’m also being a judgy mcjudgepants, but it’s not like I have a single reason to be happy to see him. He stops in his tracks when he sees me sitting on the porch with Tommy, then raises his free hand. “I’m just here to see Chaz,” he says in his defense.
I realize I’m glaring at him, my brows knitted, and a snarl pulling on my lips.
Josh stands between us, looking from one to the other. He doesn’t get a chance to speak before Tommy leaps off the porch steps and tackle hugs Chris, who smiles down at him. “Uncle Chris!” Tommy shouts, the happiness in his voice deflating my anger.
I stand, too, and slowly make my way to him, my pride being pushed away with each step I take. “I’m sorry about your grams,” Chris says. He grabs ahold of the flowers, and only then do I realize there are two bouquets. “I got these for you,” he says, handing me one. “I know it’s not much, and it doesn’t make up for the way I treated you last time—”
“Last time!” Tommy shouts.
Chris laughs at him, then goes back to me, a sincerity in his eyes that knocks me back a step. “My grandpa had dementia,” he tells me. “Would it be okay if I visited your grams for a while?”
A knot forms in my throat at his admission, and I nod while accepting his gift. I turn on my heels and lead him toward the house, smiling sadly at Josh when I catch him watching me.
Grams doesn’t recognize him, but Chris doesn’t seem at all surprised by that. Still, he sits with her, and he talks about Josh; something Grams is familiar with. I set our flowers in vases—a new set Josh went out and bought the day after she threw one at Dad’s head. Chris stays by her side until she tells me she’s tired. He steps to the side and allows me to settle her into bed. “Thanks for visiting…” Grams says, her voice tired. “What’s your name again?”
“Chris.”
“Right. I’m sorry. I’m so tired and it’s hard to remember—”
“I understand,” Chris cuts in. “Though, I’m pretty sure you don’t need any more beauty sleep.”
Grams giggles like a schoolgirl. “He’s charming,” she tells me. “Just like my Joshua.” And then she’s asleep, her breaths even and her mind at peace, no longer wandering through a life she’s trying to piece back together.
“I really appreciate you letting me see her,” Chris says from beside me, his fingers skimming Grams’s hand.
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. “Why wouldn’t I?”
He sighs. “Did Warden ever tell you about the time the team was here?”
I shake my head and look up at him. He deserves that much.
“Yeah, we were here for an appearance for the new storefront, and she invited us all over for dinner. First home-cooked meal the boys had had in a long time. She wouldn’t let us stay in a hotel, said her guest bedrooms were fine. Four boys, two beds… but we couldn’t say no. She had us going to church with her the next morning and then out with Warden working on her yard the rest of the day. She paid us with rose petals in lemonade. It was gross, but we took it like champs and downed it.”
