Dear Mrs. Lindbergh by Kathleen Hughes

Author:Kathleen Hughes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 2012-04-18T04:00:00+00:00

DR. GREENE CAME BY in the late afternoon. Henry had dressed Ruth in a clean nightgown and he had helped her to the couch, where Dr. Greene examined her as best he could, concluding that she needed rest and then they would see. “In due time,” he said to Henry and Elizabeth in the kitchen, “we’ll know what she’s dealing with.” Then he explained about taking Ruth Anne’s body to Bob Martin at the mortuary and added that Bob would wait for instructions—but Dr. Greene couldn’t keep the child there in his office, his home, all day and night and he hoped they would understand. He gave them some pills then, to help with the sleeping, he said, which was more important than anything else, and he left. He’d return in the morning.

Henry mixed some broth with the medicine and tried to spoon it into her mouth. She wouldn’t take much, but there wasn’t much to give. After ten minutes and one or two chokings on the liquid, Henry gave up, hoping she’d gotten the medicine. Elizabeth stood in the kitchen with her arms holding her own waist, looking out the window at the fields beyond.

Paul pulled into the drive at about six and left John Henry in the truck, as he had fallen asleep on the ride home. Elizabeth met her husband outside the house and took his arm and led him through the kitchen to the back porch. As they passed by the living room, Paul Sheehan saw his daughter propped up on the couch, still staring vacantly elsewhere with a towel laid over her shoulders as a makeshift bib and Elizabeth tugged him on: “I have to talk to you,” she said. Henry could barely hear their voices out on the porch and then some silence before Paul’s one husky sob. And this, most of all, told Henry the gravity of the situation, told him that Ruth wasn’t likely to be okay. Her husband still hoped, and guessed, saying to himself, Maybe. But her father knew it with one look at her; he knew more.

They came inside off the porch and Henry came out of the living room, setting a bowl down in the sink. Elizabeth suggested taking John Henry to her house to sleep and Henry agreed. “I need a break, to tell you the truth,” she explained to Henry. “I’ll take the little one home and Paul will stay with you.” She kissed both men on the cheek and left.

Alone in the kitchen, Henry feared Paul was angry, ready to explode at him. But Paul looked at Henry until the younger man met his eyes, and then Paul looked into the living room, at Ruth, and back. “I’ve seen my father and my brother do this,” he said. “And I’m not going to watch my daughter, too.” His voice was slow and sad but sure, like it was something he would take care of, something he could take care of.

Henry nodded and looked down at his feet.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.