Daleyza took the wallet held out to her, looked at the photo, then at the woman in front of her. It was the same woman.
“Can we go inside, please?” the woman asked.
With a single nod, Daleyza turned and headed into the house. Once inside, she led the marshal into the dining room. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Esmerelda set down her briefcase. “Do you have tea?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Daleyza went into the kitchen, and the marshal followed behind her. As she put the kettle on to boil, her visitor leaned against the kitchen counter.
“How are you holding up, Senora Ortiz?”
She shrugged as she reached up into the cupboard for two cups and two saucers. “As well as can be expected.” She handed one set to Esmerelda, noticing the black nail polish the woman wore, the ring fingers sporting hand painted yin/yang designs. Rather odd for a US Marshal. She also noticed an expensive looking ring in the shape of waves where a wedding band would go. “Do you take milk?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Crossing to the refrigerator, Daleyza retrieved the container and brought it to the counter, pouring some into a miniature pitcher, then returned the carton to the refrigerator. The two women stood quietly in the kitchen, waiting for the water to boil.
After a few minutes, the tea kettle whistled. Daleyza poured water into the two teacups, then put a tea bag in each. Grabbing the small container of milk and two teaspoons, she led Esmerelda back to the dining room, where they sat down on opposite sides of the table.
“You said you were here about Livia’s health.”
The red-haired woman bounced her tea bag in her cup. “We’ve been watching Livia’s condition. It’s worsening.”
She didn’t bother to ask how the US Marshals would have access to that information. “Yes. Testing showed that her condition has deteriorated exponentially since her last doctor visit.”
The marshal reached for her briefcase, opened it, and extracted a folder. After closing up the case, she slid the folder across the table.
Daleyza stared at it, and her stomach churned. Her hands retracted into her lap. Even though she was sitting against the back of the chair, she sank further into it. Something about the folder felt wrong.
“What’s that?”
“Livia’s care has been stressful.” Esmerelda removed the tea bag from her cup, poured in a small amount of milk, and stirred the mixture, all her focus on what she was doing. “You’re taking care of an elderly woman with dementia. Her condition is worsening and is going to require much more extensive care. You’re running a day care for cash out of your home, which means you’re pulling longer hours than what is technically allowed. Between the long hours you’re working and the physical care she requires, you’re burning the candle at both ends. The burdens are heavy.”
“Livia is family. Family is never a burden.” The words spilled from her mouth in quiet desperation. She loved the elderly woman, even though they weren’t blood relatives.
Esmerelda took a sip of her tea. After placing the cup back on its saucer, she folded her hands on the table in front of her. “Your desire to care for her is admirable. Truly. I respect it. But she needs more care than you can provide.” She gestured to the folder on the table. “The place you discussed with my predecessor last year has an opening, and I’ve secured her the spot. It’s the best in the state, and there she will get the round-the-clock care she needs. All you have to do is sign the paperwork.”
“I can’t afford that,” Daleyza said with a shake of her head. Not only that, to be separated from Livia? She wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she no longer had to care for the woman. Yes, she was tired. So tired that her body ached with exhaustion almost every minute of the day. But to allow others to care for her in these last days of her life? It would feel disloyal. Not to mention, the elderly woman was her last connection to the past. She wasn’t ready to let go yet.
“She’ll have the best of everything. Doctors and nurses on-site, twenty-four seven. You’ll never have to worry about running out of her medications or missing doses. In fact, she’ll have access to even better medical care as part of their patient roster. Everything will be taken care of as part of your protection plan, and you get a rest from caring for her.”
“Why now?”
“Excuse me?”
“Livia was already diagnosed with dementia before we were put into witness protection, Ms. Worth. Why wasn’t an offer for her medical care made back when we were placed?”
“When you first entered the WITSEC program, you were adamant that you and Livia stay together. She was in the early stages at that time, and her care was easier for you. With her diagnosis upgraded to the late stages, her care will quickly go beyond what you can provide.”
Daleyza tensed, the hand on the tabletop clenching into a fist. “I’ve done everything I can.”
Esmerelda reached across the table and opened the folder, pulling out a copy of a doctor’s report, one that Daleyza had already been given but refused to delve into. It hurt too much.
“No one’s calling you out. She’s uncommunicative, and she requires physical assistance at nearly every level. Soon she will be bedridden. It’s not a failing on your part. It's simply the progression of the disease.”
“It’s a monster. It takes away all of one’s dignity. I can’t imagine how frightening it is to not know what’s going on around you. Who people are. Where you are.”
