“How does it work?”
“Three days a week I’m here shadowing different nurses for ten hours. The other days, we’re in classes.”
“I like your outfit,” he said with just a hint of amusement. I glanced at the secondhand green scrubs and shrugged. I’d found them at a consignment shop, and despite a little wear and tear, they were my most complimented ones.
I smiled at him and continued walking at a brisk pace while pushing his mom. I wanted to ask him about her, the glazed look in her eyes and the sudden forgetfulness of why she was there. But it wasn’t my business, and we weren’t friends. Not really. “How you doing, ma’am? Comfortable?”
“It’s Tiffany, and I’m okay. The pain throbs with my heartbeat, but I can’t recall what I did. Nothing else hurts, so it wasn’t like I fell.”
Her voice sounded disappointed, as if the fact that her memory wasn’t great upset her, and another small crack formed next to the last one in my chest.Dementia.Brooks’ relatively young mother was showing signs of dementia, and I wanted to hug him. He looked a little broken if I studied him long enough, and I forced myself to lighten the mood. He was one of those people who was meant to wear a smile. The lines of his face framed it perfectly, and I needed to see it instead of the growing concern.
“You know, I find these bruises on my hips all the time, and I have no idea how they got there. It’s insane. I’ll be in the shower and look down to see a large purple circle there without a clue when it happened. “
“Yes! That’s happened to me too.”
“I think I run into things. It’s the only explanation.”
Tiffany laughed, and any leftover awkwardness evaporated. We arrived at the counter, and Brooks went into boss mode, explaining what had happened and asking for the right forms.
It appeared his mom hadn’t been paying attention and had tripped on a curb while she was staring at her phone. His mom winced when he told the receptionist the story, and I fought the urge to stop him. It was obvious his anger stemmed from concern for his mom. “Want me to hang around for a bit, Brooks?”
His gazed flicked to me for a second, relief evident in his dark eyes. “If you don’t mind. At least until we get called back in to be seen.”
“Of course,” I said, ignoring the guilt of missing my strict timeline. I’d be late to my shift, not have time to shower at my place, and have to stay up later to finish the reflection. But it was all worth it to help Brooks. “I’ll push her to an empty area.”
He nodded, and I gripped the handles on the wheelchair and moved toward a corner near a window. She had a blank look on her face, and she frowned when I came into view again. “Who are you?”
“I’m Michelle.”
“You’re my nurse?”
“No. Someday, hopefully. I’m going to school to be one and am an old friend of your son.”
She blinked a couple of times and looked down at her hands, wringing them together for a full minute of silence. She radiated confusion and sadness, and I asked the first thing that came to mind to distract her. “What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen?”
“Movies. Hmm.” She pursed her lips, and a little light came back to her expression. “Hitchcock is my favorite director.RebeccaorVertigo, probably.”
“Suspense fan, then?”
“Oh yes. I love reading thrillers and trying to figure out the big reveal before it happens.” She smiled just as Brooks joined us, and his shoulders relaxed when he saw his mom. “Do you remember watchingPsychowith me and pretending you weren’t afraid?”
“Psh, I wasn’t afraid.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes in a playful gesture. “What got you talking about movies?”
“Just chatting while you do the paperwork,” I said, admiring how Brooks sat down and started filling out forms for his mom without a single complaint. It was endearing and jarring to see the bond they had, when I hadn’t spoken to my parents in years. “So, Tiffany, are you a baseball fan?”
“Not really. I mean, I root for Brooks and watch his games, but sports aren’t my thing.” She gave a self-deprecating smile before talking about gardening and crystals she liked collecting. I listened and asked lots of questions before Brooks finished the forms and handed them back to the counter.
His gaze seemed softer when he met my eyes. “Nursing suits you.”
My entire body tingled and warmed at his compliment. “Thank you. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, so the fact I’m so close is surreal some days.”
Brooks patted his mom’s hands, his fingers lingering against her frail skin.
“Don’t let us keep you if you have something to do,” he said, his voice gentle, but edged with something else.
I didn’t mean to frown, but I felt it pull at my expression before I could stop it.
Brooks saw it immediately. His brows pulled together, his jaw tightening as his sharp eyes flicked to mine. “Wait, are we keeping you from something?”
