Page 64 of A Me and Him Thing
Ren doesn’t look my way. “Ready, kids?”
“Do I have to go in?” Ethan asks, a hitch in his voice.
Ren grips the steering wheel. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You know that, Ethan.”
“I want to go in,” sweet Kate says. “I colored a picture.”
Ethan gives in. “All right, I’ll go. I never know if she’ll be calm or if she’ll be scary. It’s just hard. Sometimes I wanna go, sometimes I don’t. It makes me feel bad.”
“I know, son, I understand. It’s okay, you’re allowed to feel that way.”
I remain quiet, letting Ren’s life unfold before my eyes.
Ren turns to me. “Bree?”
His mouth is a straight, thin line. I long for his tender smile. “Yeah, I’ll go in with you.” That’s why I’m here. To see what he wants me to see. I’m curious, but I’m dreading it, just like Ethan.
We exit the car, heading for the front doors. Kate runs to my side and takes my hand. I’m surprised by the show of affection and smile down at her. Oh my, she’s precious. I’m already in love with her. If Ren needs help with his children, I’ll give his parents a break anytime.
When Ren sees us walking hand in hand, it earns me a smile. I’ll take it.
When we enter, we have to sign in at the front desk. Then we’re let into a locked hallway with a nurse’s station immediately to the right.
“Hello, Mr. Chambers,” an older nurse says. She turns to the kids. “Hey, Ethan. Hey, Kate. Someone’s going to be happy to see your beautiful faces. But then, who wouldn’t be happy to see you two?”
The staff knows them all by name. They come here often.
As we walk down the hallway, Kate’s hand grips mine tightly. She seems nervous and edgy. Ethan is dragging his feet, lagging behind.
“Ethan?” I say, holding out my other arm, unsure how he’ll react.
He quickly walks forward, allowing me to wrap my arm around his shoulder.
We turn down another hallway and enter a room. A nameplate next to the door says, “Allison Chambers.”
I already know who she is. The clues have been there since I arrived at Ren’s home this morning. I suppose I’m just waiting for the truth to be spoken aloud, for it to be confirmed.
We enter a foyer where there’s another locked door that leads to the patient’s room. The foyer boasts a large viewing window with a couple of chairs, a nurse’s desk, a small refrigerator, and a microwave. The nurse on duty can survive her entire shift without having to leave her duty station. I should have known this was the type of place where each patient has a private nurse.
Beyond that, it opens up to a beautifully furnished bedroom with a small sitting area and a bathroom. If it wasn’t for the viewing window, it would look like a normal—albeit lavish—master suite, not anything like a hospital room.
Ren kneels down next to his children. “Stay behind the window with Bree until you’re ready to come in and visit, okay?”
Ren stands, locks eyes with me for a moment, and nods. It feels like he’s saying, “This is it. This is me.”
Kate and Ethan take their places behind the viewing window with me between them, Kate’s hand still tight in mine. Ethan sneaks his hand into mine as well. My heart nearly breaks in my chest. These kids need a mother figure—besides their grandmother—and I would love to fill the role.
A nurse is sitting in a corner of the room, a book in hand. “Hi, Ren.”
The sound startles me. There’s a speaker in the small foyer. We can hear everything that goes on in the bedroom.
“Hi, Patty. How’s she doing today?”
“She’s agitated. Take it slow.”
Not only is the patient in a private room that mimics a room in someone’s home, she has a private nurse, just as I thought. No expense has been spared for her care—and it must cost a fortune. The oval window is open, the sheer white drapes billowing in the fresh breeze, the view a picturesque willow tree.
I feel sick to my stomach as I watch Ren slowly approach the woman sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of the room. The TV is on with the volume low, but the woman isn’t watching it. Her face is utterly blank as she stares into space without blinking, her head hanging oddly to one side. Her coloring is slightly yellowish, and there are dark circles under her eyes.
