Lauren shifted around in her chair, but her lips remained flat. “Did you go to church?”
“Yes.” She crossed the room and took an adjacent seat. “Reverend Baker sends his best wishes. Mr. Howard does too. I stopped in at the hardware store yesterday, and he asked me to tell you he was thinking about you. He also sent these.” She retrieved the hard candies from her purse and passed them to Lauren.
The strain in her sister’s features eased a hair. “I used to go there with Dad. Those were happy days.” A sheen appeared in her eyes, and she sniffed. “Nothing stays the same, does it?”
A rhetorical question that didn’t require an answer.
Nevertheless, Devyn responded. “No. Life has a way of throwing curves and disrupting plans.”
“Not for you.”
“I’ve had a few unexpected challenges.” She tapped the walker and changed the subject. “What’s with this?”
Lauren made a face. “The aide was too busy to walk with me, and she said if I wanted to go alone, I should use this.”
“Do you think you need it?”
Her sister shrugged. “I’m a little unsteady sometimes. And I get tired fast. I only made it this far before I had to sit and rest.” She huffed out her disgust.
“Dr. Sherman told us to expect that. She also said it wouldn’t be unusual to experience headaches or have difficulty concentrating. Remember?”
“No.”
“Also normal. Memory issues can persist too.”
“I hate how my brain feels fuzzy sometimes. And my coordination is off.”
“You were in a coma, Lauren. There are going to be residual effects. But Dr. Sherman says you’ve made excellent progress, and all your symptoms should dissipate with time.”
“How much time?”
“I don’t know, but considering where you are today versus a week ago, I have to believe you’ll be feeling more normal soon.”
“I hope so. I have to go back to work.”
“The dental office said they’ll hold your place until you can return.”
Lauren set the candies on her lap, then picked one up and attempted to unwrap it. When her fingers fumbled, her breath hitched and she threw the sweet back down. “This is pathetic.”
“Let me help.” Devyn took it, dispensed with the wrapper, and handed it back. “I think Dr. Sherman is planning to discharge you in a day or two.”
“She is. She stopped in this morning.” She put the candy in her mouth. Sucked on it. “I tried to talk her into letting me go home on my own, but she said if I don’t have someone in the house with me round-the-clock, she’s going to send me to a rehab place for a couple of weeks.” Lauren glanced at the walker. “I can’t argue with her. I don’t feel very strong, and I think it might be scary to be by myself.”
Devyn’s pulse picked up.
Was her sister going to relent and accept the help she’d been fighting since regaining consciousness?
“You know I’ll be happy to stay.” She tried to keep her tone casual and conversational. “I have the whole summer free this year. Plus, I have a job offer for the next few weeks here.”
Lauren’s head snapped her direction. “Doing what?”
“Choreographing a show.” Devyn passed on the news about the Helping Hands fundraiser. “It could be fun to volunteer. And if I hang out over the summer, I have no doubt you’ll be back to 100 percent before I have to leave.”
“I hope it doesn’t take me all summer to get there.”
“Me too. But if I commit to helping with the show, I’ll have to stick around even if you don’t need me. It seems like a worthwhile cause, though.”
“It is—and they’ll love having your name associated with it.” A touch of resentment crept back into her voice.
