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It was Kent. She was certain.
She waved again, and instead of waiting for him to return to her apartment, she went to him. Thankfully, the elevator was already on her floor, and the ride down to the lobby was quick. When she stepped off, Kent was there. It was like he’d known she was coming to him.
“I’m sorry,” she said as soon as she saw him. “I’m not used to people doing things for me, and your offer seemed so generous it didn’t really make sense.”
“You said you had no one, right?”
She nodded and looked around the lobby. “I grew up in the system.” Palmer hated saying “the system” because everyone knew what it meant.
“Right, I remember from the other day.” Kent stepped closer. “May I ask how you plan to . . .” He paused and shook his head. “I don’t want to say—”
“It’s okay.” Palmer reached into her pocket and pulled out a small container. After her last visit to the hospital, she was determined to die on her own terms and had sought out the necessary pills. Walking down the back alley was the scariest thing she had ever done, at least until she’d started making her way home. She’d looked over her shoulder every ten seconds, expecting to find the police following her.
Palmer held it in her hand for a moment, knowing the pills inside were a means to an end. A quick, painless way to go out. She’d simply fall asleep. But then what? How long until someone found her body? She wouldn’t want her neighbors to smell her rotting corpse. No, she’d take the pills and then call 911 and make sure they knew not to resuscitate. Of course, in order for that to happen, she needed to fill out her DNR paperwork, and she had yet to do that.
Kent’s idea intrigued her. She liked the idea of taking mini vacations, if her health allowed, and seeing a couple of the things she had on her list. He was willing, so why was Palmer so hesitant?
Palmer held her hand out, with the tin box sitting there. She met Kent’s gaze for a brief moment and then looked away in embarrassment. Kent’s fingers grazed her palm ever so lightly, sending the tiniest of tickles through her hand when he took the box from her. Palmer winced when she heard the metal lid open.
Kent lifted Palmer’s chin, so she’d look at him. For the first time, she noticed his blue eyes. They were sad, almost as if he hurt for the pain she was going to endure. “Where did you get these?” he asked quietly. He closed the lid and then slipped the container into his pocket. She wanted to protest, but held back. Those were her easy way out.
“I don’t want to say.”
“California allows death with dignity, Palmer. Your doctor can prescribe you the right drugs,” he told her. “There are programs in place now to help people who have a terminal illness. I wish you hadn’t shown these to me. I can’t give them back to you.”
“I know.”
“Do you know what they are?” Kent asked. Palmer shook her head. “You don’t want to do something like that alone. So many things could go wrong. This option isn’t the only option, though. Have you considered . . .” Kent’s brows furrowed in frustration.
Palmer took a resounding breath. “I’ve reached out to some hospice homes. I have a couple of meetings set up. They want to offer me a tour. I guess it matters where I spend my last days, and I figured dying with strangers around me is better than dying alone.”
Kent closed the distance between them again. “I know this seems unconventional, but I want to be your someone. I want to help you live out your days the way you could’ve lived your life.”
“And what do you get out of this?”
The lobby of Palmer’s complex had a seating area, which the management company used mostly for prospective clients, and while she thought they should go back upstairs to her apartment, Kent motioned for her to sit down on the leather sofa. There was a light chill in the air, and Palmer shivered. Kent went over to the gas fireplace, which was directly across from them, and turned up the heat. He faced Palmer and pulled his leg underneath him.
“You asked what I get out of this. I get a chance to escape,” he told her. “Do you remember when I saw you in the cafeteria and I told you my girlfriend was in the hospital?” Palmer nodded. “She’d been in an accident earlier that day. My partner and I were first on the scene. When I got to the car, I saw her in there, unconscious and with another man. Turns out, she was having an affair.”
