We ate for a bit, and then Ezra pushed his plate away and toyed with the straw in his soda. “I’m glad Nettie is better. Do you think she’ll be able to come home soon?”
I finished a fry, exhaustion hitting me like a lead weight. “Yeah. She’ll need therapy and all, but the signs look promising. They don’t keep patients in the hospital long anymore.” I wiped my hands on a wad of paper napkins. “She asked about you. The stroke impacted her short-term memory, and she thinks it’s over twenty years ago…and that we’re together.” I wouldn’t mention what else she said—that Ezra was in love with me.
“Do they think she’ll come out of it eventually?”
Weary, I rubbed my face. “I don’t know. They’re hopeful. But the doctor said with her heart also, we have to be careful not to upset her. So it’s delicate.”
Ezra said nothing, and I chalked up this lunch to another missed opportunity to regain our footing with each other. Depressed, I stared at my sandwich, no longer hungry.
“You’re really out of it, aren’t you?” Eyes focused on me, he propped his chin in his hand.
I forced a smile. “What was your first clue? The bloodshot eyes or my inability to speak a full sentence without yawning?”
“Why don’t you try and get some sleep? You were with her half the night and I’m sure all morning too.” Caring and concerned, Ezra could read me, and one might’ve thought we’d been lifelong friends instead of intimate strangers.
I shrugged. “Yeah, we got to the hospital around eight this morning. But I’m afraid I’ll miss their call if something happens and I’m asleep.”
“Come back to my apartment and rest.” The words sounded like a command rather than a suggestion.
“Thanks, but I have a perfectly good apartment waiting for me.”
“Fine, then let’s go there.” He pulled out his wallet and laid some bills on the table for a tip.
Now amused, I signaled the busboy. “Can I have a bag to put this in? I can’t leave all this food. I’ll bring some to my mom and grandmother. They’ll love it.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
Ezra watched me wrap up the sandwich and close the paper bag. “Ready?”
We left the restaurant and stood outside. The line of hopefuls stretched down the block now.
“Thanks for this, Ezra. I appreciated the break.”
“You’re not going to rest, are you?”
Something inside me urged me to go back to the hospital. “I need to go see her.”
“I’m coming with you, then.”
“Don’t you have work? I’m sure you have priorities other than keeping me company.”
“I decide my priorities, and right now you’re my only one. So stop arguing with me, and let’s get out of here. It’s cold.” He called for a car and walked to the curb, leaving me to wonder why I’d ever wanted to say no to him.
Chapter Thirteen
Was I being too pushy? Climbing out of the car in front of the hospital, I zeroed in on the back of Roe’s head, where the thick dark hair curled around his jacket collar. He pulled my scarf a little tighter around his neck, and an odd little something tugged in my chest. I liked that he wore an article of mine wrapped around him. I wished I could be the one to help him through this. I wished I had the freedom to wrap myself around him and hold him tight.
We entered Nettie’s room, and seeing her lying in the bed so frail and helpless hurt me as deeply as if she were my own family. Without realizing, I took Roe’s hand and held it tight as we sank down into the two chairs set by her bedside. He sent me a look, but my focus remained on Nettie.
She opened her eyes, and after some squinting and rubbing, cocked her head. “Monroe? Is that you?”
Roe put her wire-rimmed glasses on and kissed her cheek. “Hi, Grandma.” She gave him a smile.
“Hello, sweetheart.” She craned her neck, and the smile broadened when our eyes met. “And you brought my other sweetheart. Come give me a kiss. You look so handsome.”
“Nettie,” I said, bending over to give her a gentle kiss. “Are you flirting with me?” The slurring wasn’t too bad, and I had no trouble understanding her.
“I know you’re with Monroe, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the view. I’m not dead yet.”
