Page 61 of The Lady on Esplanade
Cooper moved to the side of my bed, and I reached for his hand.He looked exhausted, the pallor of his skin highlighting the pink scar on his chin.
“Are you mad about your car?”
Cooper sighed, sat down in the chair vacated by Mimi, and put his elbows on the edge of the bed, momentarily holding his head in his hands.“I don’t care about the car.It’s insured and replaceable.You’re not.I have no idea what happened, but it wasn’t your fault.I’ll let the insurance adjusters figure out what went wrong.All I care about is that you’re okay.”
“I know what happened,” I said quietly, pulling him closer.“There was someone—”
The nurse reappeared, interrupting me.“Okay, everyone.Time to give the patient some privacy and rest.You can visit again later.”
I started to protest, but I stopped when I saw what the nurse was carrying.I squinted at it, trying to figure out why he might be holding the doll that I remembered Cooper sticking under the car seat before the accident.
“Where did you get that?”Beau asked, holding out his hand.
The nurse eagerly relinquished it.“It was propped up outside your room.I thought one of you had left it there.It’s scaring the other patients, so I was hoping one of you could take it when you go.”
“It was in the car,” Cooper said.“Maybe one of the EMTs brought it in?”
The nurse shrugged.“That’s possible.I just need to make sure it goes away.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mimi said.“It’s an old Madame Alexander doll and might be quite valuable.Here, let me see it.”
She put down her needlework bag and reached for the doll, grabbing it before Beau could stop her.Mimi froze in place with her fingers clutching the doll’s arms.Her eyes rolled back in her head before she sank to the floor, still holding the doll, its eyes wide open and staring directly at me before it uttered the only word it knew.“Mama.”
CHAPTER 19
“It’s a good thing Bubba has such a big backseat,” Jolene said, looking at me in her rearview mirror.“Beau suggested putting you in the bed of his truck, but I thought you’d be more comfortable in here.”
“I was joking.”Beau turned around to look at me in the backseat, where I sat sidewise to keep my leg elevated.“But not about you laying off of Jolene’s muffins.It’s going to be a struggle getting you up the front steps.”
“Don’t make me stop this car, Beau Ryan,” Jolene said from the front seat.“If you can’t be nice, I’m going to let you out on the side of the road.”
“Again, joking,” he said.“I thought we all could use a little levity right now.”
He turned around while I studied the back of his neck, noticing that he’d had a haircut, the paler skin on his neck making him look somewhat vulnerable.
As if reading my mind, he rubbed his neck.“Mimi asked me to cut it for the funeral.”
With an eyebrow raised in question, Jolene looked at me in therearview mirror and I shrugged.Even I couldn’t understand the weird connection Beau and I seemed to share.It was better left unsaid.
“Has the date for the funeral been set?”I asked.
“Yes,” Beau said.“Mimi said that the coroner expects to release the body later today, so she’s scheduled the funeral for Wednesday.”
“What about the wedding rings?Has she…?”
“No.She goes today to pick them up.Felicity and I are going with her.Camille wanted to go, too, for moral support, but I told her it should be just family.”
“I really wish you’d take me to my apartment.I’ll be fine there.Really.I’m a runner, so I’ve got great quads and can hop around until I’m allowed to put weight on my foot.Uber Eats and Jolene’s stockpile of food in the freezer will ensure that I don’t starve.And Cooper and Jolene will both be back on Sunday, so it’s not like I’ll be alone for very long.”
“You need one of those ‘Help me; I’ve fallen’ necklaces—you know, like in the commercials?”Jolene’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror.“My grandmama has one just in case she gets too deep of a whiff of formaldehyde and falls onto the embalming table, or worse, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how much peace of mind that gives us.”
“I’m sure.But I’ve got my Apple Watch, so I can just call for help if I need it—which I won’t, because I know how to be careful.I wish you’d talk to Mimi again.”
“Have you ever tried arguing with my grandmother?”Beau asked.“She’s insisting that you’re better off with people around to help.”
“But I don’t need any…”
He held up his hand.“I know.You don’t need any help.I tried to tell her that.It’s like arguing with a brick wall.”
