“I’ll fix us some lunch,” Ric said.
After Debbie cleaned Gini and changed her clothes, they went and sat on the lounge. Gini was calmer, but still thrusting her tongue. Ric brought in two plates with a sandwich, carrot sticks, and potato chips on each plate.
“Just put them on the side table.”
“Sweets, you look so pretty. Just think how comfortable your bed is going to be.”
“No… uff… moo.” Tears started rolling down her cheeks.
“I love you, Gins. Please be happy. Don’t cry.”
She leaned over to Debbie’s shoulder.
Ric left and went to the kitchen to eat his lunch. He wasn’t expecting that reaction from Gini. He thought she would be happy to be back in her home. The place she had made so comfortable and lived in for years. Why was she so upset?
Debbie couldn’t get Gini to eat. She ended up cradling Gini in her lap until she fell asleep.
Ric peeked in the room. “Are you done with lunch?” He could see both plates still had food on them.
“Yes, you can take them.”
“You sure? You didn’t eat anything.”
“Please, just take them.”
“Tell me what I can do to help.”
“We need a camera in here, so I can monitor her when she’s sleeping.”
“Okay, good, I can do that.”
Ric took the food away and then grabbed his coat. He felt relieved that he had an excuse to leave. His emotions were churning. Gini acted like a baby; how could a grown woman act so childish? He didn’t understand any of it. She should be thrilled to be home, able to sleep in her own bed with him. Hadn’t they both been waiting for this? Hadn’t they both wanted privacy in each other’s arms, no longer on display for the entire staff to watch their every move? She must just be tired. Once she was awake, she’d feel the same as him, eager to be together again.
When he got back, Gini was still in Debbie’s arms, asleep, her head back, and saliva trickling out.
“I’m going to hold her until she feels comfortable,” Debbie told him.
He quietly installed the camera, got the monitor up and running, and then fixed dinner.
When he went back to the bedroom, he carried in a surprise for Gini. Gini was awake but clinging to Debbie. He put the long-stemmed flower in her hand then helped her close her fingers around it. “I got you a yellow rose.”
Gini pulled it to her body, slightly bending the stem, but had no response or reaction.
Debbie got her to eat a little, then bathed her and put her to bed. Ric retrieved the dinner dishes and picked up the wilted rose Gini had clutched until her bath. A couple of petals were loose, and one fell to the floor. He trimmed the stem, found a vase, and put the rose back in the bedroom on the side table of the lounging couch. He took a deep breath and left the room. Debbie would take care of Gini that night. He would sleep in the guest room.
Debbie didn’t come out for a long time. Ric could see on the monitor her lying on the bed with Gini. When he was ready to go to bed, he walked to the back of the condo. For some reason, he opened the door to the smaller room first, thinking there was a twin bed in there he could sleep on, but was shocked when he saw the two air balloons painted on the wall with Jennifer printed on one and Jason printed on the other. His sorrow took him to his knees. There next to the wall was a small balled-up pair of baby booties. He picked it up, squeezed it, and carried it to his chest. He couldn’t control the tears streaming from his eyes. His children were gone; they never had a chance in the world. How could everything be so wrong? How could he go on, when there was nothing right in his life?
He slowly stood and went into the other bedroom, still holding the booties, and sat on the bed. He couldn’t stay there. There was just too much pain, too many memories—bad memories. He gathered his things and went to tell Debbie he was leaving. She was asleep with Gini. He texted her:
I’m sorry, Debbie, I can’t stay. I’ll be back in the morning. Ric.
The next morning, he was there bright and early to fix breakfast. Debbie came out about seven-thirty.
“Smells good,” she said. “Do we have a monitor for the camera?”
He showed her the monitor and how to use it. Other cameras could be added, and the monitor was capable of split-screen display.
Debbie picked up her phone and saw his message. She didn’t know he had left for the night.
When Gini woke, she cried out again over and over, “No… uff… moo.” Debbie told Ric she would be living in the bedroom with Gini until she calmed and was comfortable living there.
“Why is she acting that way?”
“I guess I didn’t realize how traumatic the move would be for her. She had been isolated at the hospital for so long. She doesn’t remember anything outside of living there with people around her she knows. It will take her a while, but with us here to support her, she’ll come around. We just have to be patient.”
Ric fixed the meals, shopped, and did laundry for three days. Each night he went to his house. He tried to talk to Gini and wanted to hold her, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Each day, his sadness deepened. Life wasn’t going to be like it was before. The more he realized that, the more depressed he got.
The fourth day, he never showed up. A few days
