Page 80 of Hard Hat Hottie

Moments later, I’m back on the Florida Scenic Highway south, relieved when I see the little white apple light up my screen. “Thank you, Jesus.” That’s one less thing to worry about. Now if I could only make it over forty miles per hour. But this wind and rain are only getting worse with time. And as much as I want to be there already, crashing this car would solve nothing. I need to focus on something else.

Keeping my eyes trained on the road ahead of me, my mind wanders back to my text to Harlow last night. Had she seen it? Hell, I haven’t checked since my phone’s been down. Had she replied? There’s no use looking now. It’s too dangerous. Not to mention, the last thing I need riding in the passenger seat is the regret I’d feel if she responded that my meager attempt was too little, too late.

Hours later, I pull into the drive and drop my head against the steering wheel. It’s almost noon. A drive I can usually do in under four hours took nearly twice as long. I can’t wait to get inside, take a long, hot shower, and get a nap.

It isn’t until I try to open the garage door, I realize something isn’t right. Reaching into the back seat for my bag, I exit and make a mad dash for the front door, keys in hand. It appears the power is out, as I can hear the generator humming in the distance. We don’t use it often, but it was a great investment for when we do need it. If nothing else, for peace of mind.

Dropping my bag by the door, I shake my head and walk into the den. As I approach, I notice Joyce is leaning on the kitchen island.

“Hey, I’m here. You okay?” I forget Joyce isn’t a spring chicken. She’s likely got ten years on Mom.

As she turns to look at me, my heart starts to race.

Hell, is she having a heart attack?

“What’s going on? Do I need to call some?—?”

“She’s gone, Harry.”

My steps halt, trying to change gears at her words, bile rising to my throat. “Have you called the police?” I try to remain calm. This isn’t the first time this has happened. I’d nearly forgotten that. Matt had come to stay, not realizing just how bad things had gotten with Mom’s cognition. He’d fallen asleep and assumed she was tucked away in her bed, only to find her missing the following morning.

We were very fortunate that day. Joyce managed to find her not too far away from home. But it illuminated the potential safety risks of keeping her here. We came up with as many security measures as we could find to keep it from happening again. And between the alarm on her bed, which signaled if she got up, and the security system in place on the house, we could breathe a sigh of relief.

Yet, I’d never considered whether either of those received power from the generator. And Mom has never been a fan of Florida’s storms, even when she was clear minded.

“How long has she been missing?” I don’t blame Joyce for not going out in this weather to look for her. But is someone out there trying to find her? The blood is starting to pulse in my ears so loudly, I can barely make out her next words.

“No, Harrison. Honey, your mother isn’t lost.” The tears I hadn’t noticed in her eyes moments ago begin to trickle down her face, and I just know.

From this day forward, my life will never be the same.

The tattered look about this otherwise polished woman now makes sense. Darting to Mom’s bedroom, I barely make it five steps before I hear her behind me.

“She’s not there.”

My knees buckle, and I grab ahold of the wall, attempting to ease myself to the floor. “What do you mean? Where is she?” I cry out. She can’t be gone. She just can’t.

“Harry, we tried to call you. First, the calls went to voicemail. Then we lost cell service here, and we couldn’t call out at all.”

I’m trying to wrap my head around this. Nothing makes sense. There’s no way this is really happening. And here I was worried about this storm.

Had this been what Jo meant when he said a storm’s a coming?Why hadn’t I checked my phone? Shit. That would’ve been worse.

“I don’t understand. If you didn’t have cell service, how did you call anyone? How is she not here?”

Joyce slowly walks over to where I’m crouched on the floor and lowers herself down beside me. “I can’t explain it, Harrison. But I had a feeling something was wrong and woke up at about 4:00. When I checked on her, she was already gone. She wasn’t breathing.” She lets out a sniffle, then a forceable inhale, before pushing on with her story. “Her skin was cold. I knew she was gone, but I wanted to assure you I’d done all I could, so I called 911. We still had power at that point. They arrived and confirmed there was nothing more that could be done. The paramedics said they suspected she may have died from a blood clot, due to her appearance. But there was no way to know for sure.”

She drops her hand over mine, takes an audibly shaky inhale, and continues. “I debated whether to call you, given you were driving here. I called a few times before we lost cell service, telling myself you’d want to know. But there was no answer. Tom had noticed the ambulance in the drive and came by for a while. Until… well, I’ve only been alone here for a few hours.”

I look up at this saint of a woman, my heart breaking for her as well as myself. There was nothing more she could’ve done.And it’s probably best I wasn’t driving with this news in my head. I can barely breathe sitting here on the floor. How would I have managed a vehicle?

“Where is she?”

“I think she’s with the medical examiner.”

I nod, still too in shock to carry on a reasonable conversation. “Does Matt know?”

“No. Harrison, I didn’t feel it was right anyone else knew until you arrived. I’m happy to call him, so you don’t have to do it. But I needed to tell you first.”

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