Page 8 of Flamingo Christmas

“It is. I can feel it. Look at those lace curtains in the bay window. Your mom will be in her glory.”

An hour later, the girls left with papers in hand and a guarantee that the suite would be theirs if the new widow chose not to take it now that she’d be alone.

Margaret had cautioned them. “When I talked with Lilly this morning, she was still deeply grieving for her husband and couldn’t give me any firm answer to whether she would still be likely to come or not. I couldn’t force the issue, but I did remind her that we have all couples here. Which might be upsetting to her. I gave her until the end of the week to get back to me. But between us, she came across as a rather soft person who looked to her husband to make all their decisions. She didn’t seem all that excited to be moving, and it was his love of gardening that had made him decide on the change in the first place. Most likely, she’ll stay where she is now.”

Jacquie and Sue had politely agreed that the other woman had the first refusal. And their sympathies were with her for sure. But both understood Margaret’s position. Before leaving, Jacquie had reached out her hand to shake with Margaret. “Thank you for letting us take up so much of your time. I really appreciate it.”

“I’m glad to meet you, dear. I could tell on the phone that you were terribly worried about your parents, and after meeting you in person, it warms my heart, it really does. So many young folks turn a blind eye to the needs of their oldies, and that I find sad. Just because people get older, doesn’t mean they’re done. There’s a lot of living left once a person reaches their golden age. My plan here is to give them a safe environment where they can blossom and live out their time in harmony with others, doing whatever it is that makes them happy. And the more the youngsters stay involved, the better for everyone.”

As if solely by instinct, Jacquie reached out and hugged the kind, middle-aged woman in front of her. “You’ll let us know as soon as you can when we can bring Mom and Dad to view the apartment.”

“Of course, Jacquie. You have a good day now.” Margaret smiled warmly, waved when they got to the bottom of the stairs, and closed the door.

Sue gazed around her, spying a hand-holding couple sitting on a bench in the far corner of the yard, both wearing warm jackets and engaged in a happy conversation.

She turned to see a ramp on the side of the veranda, hidden behind the hydrangea bushes. Most likely it had been installed no doubt as a lifesaver for those in a wheelchair or who had trouble walking and climbing stairs. Sighing, she admitted to having a good feeling here and her fingers crossed as she surveyed the rest of the quiet neighborhood.

“I love everything about this place.” Jacquie’s enthusiasm was catchy. “I can’t wait for Mom and Dad to meet Margaret. She’s such a doll. And she’s a fully licensed nurse willing to look after her clients. When we examined the suite, I had a good feeling. Do you think that’s a sign?”

“I hate to rain on your parade, but I have to caution you that it’s not a for-sure thing yet. It’s probably a bad idea to say anything to your parents until you know for sure.”

“You’re right. It’ll kill me, but I’ll behave. I’m so thankful you were scrolling through the internet and found the ad.”

“Truthfully, I’d been looking for info on the hospitals, trying to come up with some way to reach out to Art and his daughter.”

“Well if you ever do find him, I will personally thank him for sending you that request.”

Chapter Seven

Day after day, Art slept, ate, and basically lived in the hospital as his princess hovered between life and death. She’d shrunk to the size of a sparrow in front of his eyes, and though he’d prayed more than he’d ever done before, nothing seemed to change.

Each day, the doctors told him that she could wake up, that the swelling in her head had receded quite well but still, she kept them guessing. Why didn’t she open her eyes?

Eventually, they moved her into a private room and though she still had tubes everywhere, the swelling on her face had receded. Her broken bones had started to heal, and she’d begun to look like his little girl again.

As he’d done a million times, Art moved over to stand by the window and stared out at the scene he’d memorized. This time of night, all he could really see were the lights of the city twinkling in the distance, and it popped into his head as it always did about how much Lisa would love to see them.

Clutching the book he’d been reading until his voice had thickened, he straightened his shoulders and turned to see his mother rushing in, flowers in her hands, and a bag filled with new books no doubt. His wonderful mom had provided them with so much reading material that he could start a library.

“Hi baby.” She leaned over the bed and kissed Lisa’s forehead before coming to him with her arms opened for his hug.

“You look exhausted, Art. You should go home and get a good night’s sleep in your own bed. I’ve brought my things and can stay with our girl. I really don’t mind.”

“Thanks Mom.” He hugged her close, hiding his face in her hair, then put her aside. “I couldn’t leave her for the whole night. I’ll just zip out and grab a change and a shower and be back. The sleeping chair they set in here is quite comfortable now that I’ve gotten used to it. I’ll be fine. Thanks for coming to stay with her while I’m gone. I’d hate for her to wake up without having someone she loves close by.”

“I know. It’s what you say every night. Okay, off you go. I’ll be here when you get back.”

Grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair, Art left the hospital and drove to his place. Once there, as he often did, he went into Lisa’s room and sat on her bed, imagining her snuggled against the pillows, her toys surrounding her, waiting for him to open the book of the night. She’d be as before… strong, healthy, and laughing at his teasing.

Looking around, he suddenly opened his eyes and remembered his earlier worry about Jingles, her favorite toy, that didn’t make noise anymore. Gosh, he’d forgotten how important it had been for him to replace that darned flamingo.

Suddenly, he realized the need was still there. When she woke up, it would be the first thing she’d ask for. He’d better get on it again. Taking out his phone, he went to his older messages and sure enough, he found the reply the nice woman from Flamingoes had sent him.

Hold it, she’d sent two messages, and he’d ignored them both. Not intentionally, but nevertheless, he’d put that emergency at the back of his mind, hadn’t he?

Maybe now it was time to get back to it. She’d asked for his input so she could make a replica. That was promising. Taking his phone, he clicked on the email and sent her a reply.

Hi Sue,

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