Chapter Twenty
Glenn rang the bell but no one answered, so he let himself in. Mr. Linden, who’d been released from the hospital a couple of days before, had been installed in a hospital bed in the family room and Cassie and Shelly were in the process of helping him up. The room was warm, and the place had the stifling feel of a nursing home with pill bottles and Mr. Linden’s hospital ID bracelet littering the coffee table.
“Here, let me help.” Glenn set down the box of chocolates he’d brought and gently lifted the older man to his feet. Mr. Linden had been old before, but now he seemed ancient. The ordeal had taken it out of him. His cane had been replaced by a walker, and his hands shook as he took hold of it.
“One day at a time,” Shelly said. “That’s how we’re taking it here.” She resembled their dad, with his strong features, but you could tell she and Cassie were sisters. Their noses crinkled the same way when they smiled, and they had a physical ease with each other that only siblings possessed. Close siblings, anyway.
“How you doing, Mr. Linden?” Glenn said.
Cassie’s father looked at Glenn like he couldn’t quite place him.
“I thought I’d check on the bees today. You feel like getting outside?” It would do Mr. Linden good to get out of the house. Cassie too. She seemed exhausted, briefly touching his arm but not lifting her face for a kiss.
Cassie glanced dubiously at Shelly. “I don’t know. You think that’s a good idea?”
“It’s a nice day,” Glenn said.
Mr. Linden took a closer look at him. “You’re the bee man.”
“That’s me.”
“What do you want to do, Dad?” Shelly said. “You want to get cleaned up and go outside?”
Mr. Linden shrugged irritably. “Don’t need to clean up. I’m fine.”
They agreed that Mr. Linden could get some fresh air, but first Shelly took him to wash up. Watching him maneuver the walker was painful, and Cassie motioned to Glenn that they should wait outside.
She sat on the step with the breeze lifting her hair, and Glenn sat too. It felt good to be next to her. What with everything going on, they hadn’t spoken much the past few days.
“Sorry, it’s been a little crazy here,” she said.
“Don’t be sorry; you have a ton going on.” He kissed the top of her head and just for a moment she leaned into him. “Why don’t you go for a run or whatever you need to do? I can sit with him for a little while. You and Shelly should take a break.”
“He’s still so weak. He gets dizzy, and I’m afraid he’s going to fall but he doesn’t like us helping him.”
He slanted her a look. “I wouldn’t want you or your sister helping me pee either.”
She laughed, which seemed to loosen her up a little.
He twined his hand in hers. “Shelly’s here, can you get away for a couple of hours later? I’ll make you dinner. No meat, this time, I promise.”
She gave him a tired smile. “Believe me, I’d love nothing more than to chuck all this and crawl into a hole with you.”
He grinned. “That sounds promising.”
“But I don’t know when that’s going to be.” Her smile faded. “And there’s something I have to—” But she was interrupted by Shelly and their dad, who were making their way around the side of the house to avoid the front steps. Mr. Linden was hunched over the walker, wrapped in a sweater even though the day was warm.
Glenn stood to lend a hand, wondering what Cassie wanted to say. She seemed preoccupied but anyone would be.
“Where are my bees?” Mr. Linden was out of breath from the short excursion but had that determined look Glenn had come to recognize.
“Want to drive down and take a look?” Glenn said.
Cassie looked doubtful. “Getting across the field might be hard.”
But Mr. Linden was already creeping toward the truck.
“I can pull right up to the hives,” Glenn said, “if you don’t mind tire tracks on the grass.”
