"She's always upset. Been in a bad mood the last couple of years, ever since her husband left her, and now she's stuck taking me in. Don't mind what she said. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Now, when can you take me to the bookstore?"
"Maybe your granddaughter is right," Jax said. "Focusing on your health and your future is more productive than thinking about the past."
"At my age, I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do and think about whatever I want to think about. You don't want to take me there; I'll call a cab."
"We'll take you," she said quickly. They'd started this with Walter, and she was going to see it through. "Mrs. Danbury said she'll be there tomorrow after one, and we can check out the basement then. If that doesn't work, we can try for Wednesday or Thursday."
"I can do tomorrow. Got nothing else going on," Walter said. "I just wish I didn't have to wait that long."
"It's just twenty-four hours," she told him. "In the meantime, eat your lunch and stay on top of your blood sugar so that you don't have any issues before then." Maybe she could use the club visit as an incentive for him to focus on his health.
"All right." He gave them a dismissive wave. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Walter picked up his salad bag and took it to the kitchen table, while she and Jax made their way out of the apartment.
When they got back into Jax's car, he said, "Walter's granddaughter isn't too happy about our plan."
"I know, but I don't see the harm. Do you?" She felt like she needed a little reassurance.
Jax met her gaze. "I don't know, Kaia. But it's too late for second thoughts. We promised to pick him up and take him there tomorrow, so we're going to have to play this out."
"It will be okay," she said, trying to convince herself as much as him. "I still believe that having the chance to resolve the question he has in his head is better than him wandering around town."
"I hope you're right."
"Me, too," she muttered as he pulled away from the apartment building and headed back to Ocean Shores.
Chapter Eight
"You're wrong, Kaia. What you did is not acceptable."
Kaia stared into the annoyed eyes of her manager, Monica Richmond. She'd been called into the office as soon as she'd arrived for her shift at three o'clock on Monday afternoon. "I'm just trying to help someone. And I wasn't on duty when I went to Walter's apartment."
"But you met him in the course of your duty. And his granddaughter, Ms. Robbins, said you upset her grandfather today. That you're putting ideas in his head that are not good for his health. She believes you are overstepping and taking advantage of Walter's trust in you."
She was shocked Catherine had called her supervisor to report her for helping Walter.
"I'm not taking advantage of Mr. Cobb."
"From now on, you're to have no contact with Mr. Cobb unless you're called to his apartment for a medical emergency."
"I already promised to take him somewhere tomorrow."
"Then you'll have to cancel."
"Well, that would be difficult to do without making contact," she said sharply. "And I wasn't going to take him on my own. Ms. Robbins might be able to control me, but she can’t control my friend."
Monica let out a long sigh. "For God's sake, Kaia, what is this all about?"
"It's about an older man who is struggling with his memory, who is obsessed with someone from his past, and that obsession sends him out into the night, roaming around, almost getting hit by a car, which I'm sure Ms. Robbins didn't tell you about."
"She did not," Monica admitted.
"I saw it almost happen right in front of me. That's how I got involved with the rest of his story. I didn't go back to his apartment. I talked to him in the middle of the street when he was confused and desperate to find a building with a red door. My friend, the man who almost hit him, got caught up in his search, too, and together we figured out the building where the red door had once been. The owner agreed to let us bring Walter there tomorrow so he can see it. I promised him a ride, and I don't think that what I'm doing on my personal time, which is not related to medical decisions or treatment, should be a problem. I'm not acting as a paramedic, but as his friend."
"I'm not sure you can separate the two, Kaia. You met him while you were on the job." She let out a frustrated breath. "You're a good paramedic, one of my best. And I don't want to see any dings on your record, even if this is a gray area. When are you supposed to take him to the bookstore?"
"Tomorrow afternoon."
