Page 26 of This Love
As soon as she chewed, she sank down in the chair, setting the book on the table. “That’s so good.” She ate several more cubes as fast as she could, then took a bite of the croissant. “So good.”
“Does anything hurt?” Marcus asked. “You didn’t fall or anything, but do you have any pain?”
She shook her head. “My back hurt when I was under the table, but it doesn’t anymore.” Crumbs fell out of her mouth as she spoke. Yeah, manners didn’t come naturally either. I couldn’t help but bite back a smile.
“I’ll get you some water,” Marcus said.
“Did you get to read some pages?” I asked her.
She swallowed her bite. “A few. I understand why I have the tattoo that mom is bad.”
Marcus set the glass in front of Ava. “I still don’t think she can be trusted. You stopped going to visit her a couple of years ago when she tried to convince you to stop taking your meds.”
Ava’s eyes went wide over the rim of the glass as she guzzled water. She started speaking before she’d completely swallowed. “But I only missed one day of meds, and I had a seizure. Why would she say that?”
Marcus rocked on his heels, hands linked behind his back. “She was frustrated with your medicines. She had you on medical marijuana.”
Ava’s face screwed up in confusion. “I don’t understand that.”
“It’s another type of drug,” Marcus said. “It goes in and out of being illegal depending on where you live. But it’s not reliable. There’s no quality control. No dosing. It did work, but it’s a very risky way to go. The med you’re on now worked beautifully until…” he trails off.
“Until I forgot it.” Ava stared at her plate. “I understand that I brought this on myself.”
“No,” I said. “You and I always look out for each other. I should have checked. You had a busy day.” And I should have. I should have verified she’d taken them before I left.
Except they were doing makeup in the kitchen. And Ava didn’t want me to see her until the ceremony. So, I didn’t go in there.
“Your condition isn’t your fault,” Marcus said. “Sometimes we have to work with the hand we’re dealt.”
Ava’s face screwed up at that.
“It’s a reference to a card game,” I said. “You can’t control the cards that come up in the deck.”
“Oh,” Ava said. “I get it.”
“Expressions like that will come back quickly,” I told her. “If you talk to people and watch some television, you start to get the references.”
She pushed the plate away. “I’m so tired. Can I lie down for a while before I do anything else?”
“Of course,” I said. “I’ll give you a tour of the house. I think you should probably take your missed dose, though.”
I opened the purple box and set a pill in front of her. “Do you know how to swallow it?”
“Of course.” She took the pill easily, unlike one of the times she’d lost her memory when I’d had to teach her.
“Ready?” I glanced at Marcus meaningfully, but he didn’t take the hint. And I supposed I understood. One of the times Ava had lost her memory, she’d bolted from me and run to her mother, not knowing that it was a terrible choice.
At least she wouldn’t do that this time.
I pointed to the hall. “You already saw the entryway with your photos. And the living room.”
She nodded.
“The kitchen is pretty straightforward. You found the bathroom.” I left the kitchen.
She got up, leaving the book behind. Marcus looked like he was going to nab it. I’d talk to him about it later.
Ava followed me into the side hall.
