Page 85 of Through the Snow Globe
“Merry Christmas.” She squeezed his hand and waited for him to squeeze back. When he didn’t, she continued to talk. “We’ve had an interesting few days, haven’t we? At least I have. All I know is December fourth will never be the same for me. Although I haven’t decided if it’s a good day or a bad one. It was definitely a strange one.”
She breathed past the ache growing in her chest like an unruly weed that needed to be plucked. “A few things have changed. Rochelle has a boyfriend now. And I think, maybe, I might have gotten the promotion at Powell Rehab. I guess I should be happy about that, but without you . . .” She trailed off as she held his hand and studied his face. “I didn’t know what I had before all of this happened. I was sleepwalking through life and letting all these fears and worries keep me from just living in the moment. A million tiny little moments in a day, all seemingly so unimportant, but they mean everything once they’re gone. Snow globes are great, but it’s those tiny, wonderful moments that I want to collect,” she whispered.
The door to the room opened and Diana quickly blinked her tears away. Then she turned, expecting to see Meeka. Instead, Joann stood there wearing a heavy wool coat with a red-and-white-striped scarf around her neck.
“Diana. You’re here early.”
Diana stood and went to greet Linus’s mother. She was just planning on a small hug, but Joann wrapped her arms around Diana in a huge hug and didn’t let go for a full minute. Diana couldn’t remember what had transpired from December 5th to the 24th, but based on this hug, maybe she and Joann had grown closer.
Joann pulled back and turned to look at Linus for a long moment. “I just want to shake him, you know? The boy I raised would never be sleeping in on Christmas morning.” She looked at Diana sheepishly. “Nothing would have kept him in bed on this date. He had the flu one Christmas, and he was still the first one up. Granted, he was throwing up as he opened his presents.” She chuckled softly, her gaze falling to her feet for a few seconds. Then she looked back up at Diana. “How long have you been here? Do you want me to leave so you two can have some private time?” Joann’s cheeks flushed as soon as the words left her mouth. “I mean, I know you don’t need private time. Not the kindthatsounded like, at least.”
Diana had never really realized the way Joann talked herself in nervous circles. It was endearing in a way that reminded Diana of Linus. “I don’t need you to leave. I wasn’t planning on visiting for long.”
“Well, neither of us can afford to, can we? Not if we want to eat this afternoon, right? You’re still planning to come, aren’t you? You’re my helper. I need you.”
“Oh. Yes. Um, remind me what you need me to do,” Diana said, feeling like she was the one who’d hit her head.
“Cook, of course. The family will be arriving promptly at two thirty and I always have the food done by arrival. I used to insist that I didn’t need help, but this year, with all that’s happened, I’m grateful you offered. I’m not too proud to accept help. Not anymore.” She reached for Diana’s hand and squeezed.
It seemed the last December 4th had bridged Diana’s relationship with Joann in a big way. Diana had opened up to Joann on that day and she’d told Joann about her own mother. Then she’d confessed that she always wanted a doting mother like Joann. And now they seemed closer than Diana could have imagined. What else had happened in the last three weeks? Diana wished she could remember. “I’ll be there to help you in the kitchen. Of course.” She shook her head. “I just . . . I didn’t get my first cup of coffee yet this morning,” she lied. It was just a small fib. She’d had only one cup and she could definitely use a second.
“You left the house without having coffee?” Joann practically gasped. “I’m not sure how you’re upright right now.”
Diana smiled. She really did like Joann. They could be friends, if not family.
Joann turned her attention to Linus. She stepped up to his bed, dipped, and kissed his cheek, leaving a plum-colored lipstick stain. “I love you, son. I miss you. Merry Christmas.” She watched him quietly for a beat and then turned to Diana. “What else is there to say at this point? I say the same thing every day when I come. He probably feels like he’s reliving the same day over and over again.”
Diana could relate. She looked at Linus as well. “I wish I knew what he was thinking.”
Joann gestured to the chair beside his bed. “Do you mind if I sit here?”
“No. Actually, I’m going to head out. I have a few things to do before I go to your place.”
“At noon,” Joann said, raising a finger.
“I won’t be late.” Diana left Linus’s room and passed the nurse’s counter. Meeka waved as Diana hurried toward the front lobby. When she stepped outside, she gulped the cold air into her lungs. She leaned over her knees, feeling like she might throw up or pass out—one or the other. Then she heard her phone buzz inside her purse. She took a few more breaths before reaching into her bag and pulling it out. The text was from an unknown number.
Unknown:He’s ready when you get here. The address is: 105 Sandy Run Road.
Diana stared at the screen, rereading the text a second time. Who was ready? She straightened and continued walking toward her car. She guessed she’d find out when she arrived at the given address.
Chapter 24
Diana turned onto Sandy Run Road and drove slowly until she reached the mailbox that read 105. She pulled into the driveway, wondering what to expect. For all she knew, the text was from a wrong number. Then again, she didn’t remember what had happened over the last twenty days, so it was a good bet the message was meant for her.
There was a child’s bike tossed on the ground in front of the small one-story house. One of the screens on the windows was torn and hanging down. Diana got out of her car and walked toward the porch. There was no Christmas wreath. No welcome mat at her feet. Instead, she saw a sign that read BEWARE OF DOG.
She didn’t hear a dog inside the home, though. Instead she heard a woman yelling. Diana froze momentarily. The woman didn’t sound like she was in danger. It wasn’t a call for help like Diana had heard from Maria on the original December 4th. This was more of an angry yell. Whoever was inside wasn’t having a merry Christmas so far.
Diana swallowed past a growing lump in her throat, climbed the porch steps, and pressed the doorbell. The yelling inside the house immediately stopped. Heavy footsteps approached the front door and then the door swung open and a woman who seemed to be in her forties, maybe late thirties, appeared. Her cheeks were still flushed with anger, but she tried to hide it with a smile.
Diana recognized the woman from the toy store. She was Dustin’s foster mom.
“Your timing is perfect.” She bent to grab a bag off the floor. Then she opened the screen door and heaved the bag in Diana’s direction. “Here you go. Everything he owns is inside.”
Diana blinked. She looked down at the black duffel bag with superhero iron-ons.What is going on?When she looked up, Dustin was standing behind the woman, his eyes round with an unmistakable look of fear. “I’m sorry. Remind me what’s happening right now,” Diana said, not for the first time this morning.
“Oh, I see.” The woman’s smile dropped quickly and she folded her arms over her chest. “Now you’re going to try to back out? You’re all talk until it’s time to act, huh?”
