Lena touched one of the leaves, and it crumbled like the plans she’d had. Tears burned in her eyes. She wanted to curse, to cry, to fling the bucket into the damned tangle of branches. She clutched the bucket harder to ward off the impulse.
Take a deep breath. Focus on the positive.
But as much as she tried, she couldn’t find even the tiniest ray of sunshine in the bleak storm her life had developed into.
“What the fuck?” In a move that surprised no one, Jess showed no restraint and kicked a branch. “Hey! Some idiot has cut the roots.”
“Oh. The neighbors must have done it.” Maybe that was the positive side of this. Someone else was getting their fence back. It wasn’t so easy to feel happy for them when unpaid bills were stacking up and she needed the blackberries to replenish her preserves or she would be sold out soon.
“Is there another place we can get them here?” Jess rose and brushed dried leaves and dirt from her jeans.
“No. It’s all private property. Let’s go home, and I’ll think of something. Make a few calls.” But she didn’t move. She couldn’t yet.
Jess stopped to rub a stain above her knee, then walked over to Lena. Her eyes reflected the clear azure sky and held a rare warmth. Tentatively, she put her arm around Lena’s shoulder as if she expected resistance. “We’ll find you some other blackberries. They grow like weeds. The whole state must be full of them.”
Lena leaned against her, allowing herself to soak up the solid strength for a moment. She didn’t need Jess’s support; since she’d been a teenager, she had learned to rely on herself and her own resourcefulness. But it felt good. If only for a moment, she’d relish the feeling of having someone on her side.
Just as they were about to cross Lake Washington, Jess’s phone rang through the speakers of her car. Lena hadn’t even seen her hook up the phone, but she guessed a fancy car like that had Bluetooth.
Jess never even took her eyes off the road as she pushed a button on the steering wheel to accept the call. “Riley.”
“Hi, it’s Diana. Sorry to bother you when you’re on sick leave, but I saw a patient who had a note in her file to call you anytime she’s admitted.” Diana’s voice was different from the last time they’d met at Cashew Cult, more serious, more professional.
Lena glanced out of the side window, wanting to give Jess the illusion of privacy. Gray clouds covered the sun, but it didn’t seem to deter the boats out on the water, enjoying the afternoon.
“That’s okay. Who is it?”
“Alberta Jameson.”
“Oh.”
That one syllable carried so much emotion that Lena had to look at Jess. She’d paled, and her right hand clutched the wheel with white knuckles.
“She’s eighty-four, has a history of congestive heart failure due to aortic stenosis, and—”
“I know.” Jess interrupted with an impatient gesture as if they were speaking face to face. “Why is Mrs. Jameson in the ED?”
“She was out of breath in the supermarket, collapsed, and they called an ambulance. She’s…” Diana let out a sigh. “Her heart failure is decompensated, and she has pulmonary edema. She’s refusing intubation or intensive care treatment. She’s a little better now with diuretics and morphine, but I called her daughter to come and see her. I’m not very optimistic.”
“Her daughter lives in Portland. It’ll take a while. I’m coming over.” A muscle in Jess’s jaw twitched.
“You don’t need to. I’ve got everything covered. I just wanted to let you know.”
“That’s not why I’m coming. I’m not far—maybe ten, fifteen minutes.” She quickly looked over her shoulder, then accelerated and changed lanes.
“Okay. See you soon.” Diana hung up.
The speaker crackled with static for a few seconds before the Bluetooth realized nothing further was coming.
“Are you okay?” Lena had no idea who Mrs. Jameson was, but she obviously meant a lot to Jess.
Jess kept her gaze glued to the road. Her jaws worked, but she didn’t say anything. They were going faster and faster.
“Jess?”
Seventy. Seventy-five. Lena grabbed the handle of the door. A sign for a park and ride appeared like an oasis. “Jess. Get off the highway here. Now!”
That seemed to break through her trance. “What? No. I don’t have time to stop.”
“We’re not stopping for long. Just to change seats. I’ll drive.” Lena put all the authority she didn’t feel into her voice. “Think of Ella.”
That seemed to do the trick. Jess decelerated to a reasonable speed and signaled to get off the highway. At the first opportunity, she stopped the car, jumped out, and stalked around the front.
Lena met her halfway. “Thank you for letting me drive.”
“Please hurry.” Jess nodded once and pressed her lips together.
The SUV drove smoothly, with much more power under the hood than either Lena’s old Ford or Maggie’s cute Prius. Lena remembered the general location of the hospital from her last visit, but she wanted to make sure she was driving the best route. “Will you tell me where to get off the highway?”
“Yeah. I have staff parking, so we don’t need to look for a free space.” Jess’s voice was clipped.
Lena didn’t dare to look at her as she concentrated on driving. “Do you want to tell me about Mrs. Jameson?”
“She’s the unofficial helper, motivational speaker, and cookie supplier to the team at the free clinic. All the staff and the patients love her; she has a way of setting everyone at ease.”
“She sounds like a wonderful person.” Lena took the exit to merge onto I-5 North. “Have you known her for long?”
“Three years or so. She was my first patient at the free clinic, and I might have been a bit nervous.” Jess chuckled. “It was her first time too, and we kind of bonded over it. Afterward, she always insisted on coming when I was there.” Jess hit her thigh with her fist. “Oh fuck!”
“What?” Lena had
