A Sad Soul Can Kill You by Catherine Flowers

Author:Catherine Flowers [Flowers, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2015-04-20T04:00:00+00:00

Several hours later, Homer pulled his car into one of the patient pickup spots in front of the hospital. He turned on his flashers and got out of the car. It had been two years since he’d last seen his mother. He walked through the sliding doors and stopped at the information desk. A young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties addressed him. “Can I help you?” she said.

Homer stared at her. Her youthful voice and vibrant appearance distracted him.

“Can I help you?” she asked again.

He blinked. “What room is my mother in?”

The receptionist looked at Homer as if he were crazy. “Who is your mother?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Homer chuckled. “Francis Woodard.”

The receptionist looked at the computer as she moved the mouse slightly on the pad before clicking it several times. “Room 523,” she said without smiling.

As Homer rode the elevator up to the fifth floor, he wondered how it would feel to see his mother again.

He walked down the long corridor and found the door to room 523 ajar. He entered without knocking, and saw Franny sitting on the side of the bed listening to the nurse finalize her discharge instructions.

She had aged considerably since he’d last seen her, and she was almost unrecognizable to him. Her hair was now completely gray and stopped just at the base of her neck. The passing of time had altered his perception of how she would look, and her short and frail appearance was completely opposite of the image he’d had in his mind.

Franny saw him enter the room and tried to smile, but the hostile look in his eyes stopped her. She returned her focus to the nurse who continued going over the discharge instructions with her.

Homer fixed his eyes on the nurse’s back and tilted his head to the side. There was something familiar about her stance and the sound of her voice.

“Do you have any questions, Ms. Woodard?” the nurse asked.

“No, ma’am, I don’t,” Franny said softly. She looked past her shoulder and pointed to Homer. “My son’s here now to pick me up.”

The nurse turned to say hello. Her mouth opened, but the words came to a halt somewhere between her vocal cords and her tongue.

Homer struggled to greet her. “Hel-lo, Tia.”

Tia regained her composure. “Hello,” she said stiffly.

“Oh, you two know each other?” Franny asked.

“No,” Homer said quickly. He pointed to her name tag. “Her name’s right there.”

“Oh,” Franny let out a weak laugh, “that’s right. I forgot about that.”

“Are you ready?” Homer asked impatiently. “I have my flashers on.”

Tia looked at Franny. “I’ll send an assistant in to take you downstairs.” She glanced at Homer as she walked past him. “I’m all done here,” she said as she left the room.

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