Page 13 of Before the Bond
Jake waited two seconds. "He's not always like that."
"He absolutely is," I said.
Jake stared at me. Then he laughed.
I spent a couple more hours with Jake before he apologized.
“I don’t like to doze off, but I can’t help myself sometimes,” he said.
I reassured him that he needed as much rest as he could get.
Maureen took this time to find me and show me my bedroom.
It was on the second floor, at the end of a hallway that ran along the east side of the house.
The room was wide, with a large canopy bed at one end with a quilted blanket and several pillows. Wide windows, no doubt the ones I saw earlier, showed the front and the way back into Greyhollow. There was a quaint desk and a large boudoir for an amount of clothes I’ve never personally had in all my years of being a travel nurse. Another door, on the opposite side, showed a private bath.
“I hope it’s to your liking,” Maureen said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t set it up earlier.”
“It’s beautiful,” I told her. “Is it really okay for me to be staying here?”
“But of course! You’re here to take care of one of our own, after all.”
I set my bag on the bed and didn't unpack it.
I never unpacked on the first day. An old habit — less superstition, more practicality.
Maureen stepped into the room and placed some fresh towels atop the bed. She didn’t immediately leave. Rather, she looked at me with a smile.
“It’s… a relief to have you here.”
I looked at her. "For Jake, right?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "Yes," she said. "Of course. For Jake."
Maureen excused herself.
I stood at the window and looked at the trees. I frowned, not unlike when I first arrived in Greyhollow. I drew the curtains.
I considered everything I experienced in the house. The people were nice, but I was still at someone else’s home. Rapport took time.
There was also the matter about Jake’s charts.
"You'll have what you need when you need it.”
What did that even mean?
I was aware of patients who didn’t like having their conditions announced for privacy’s sake. Especially if it was something controversial.
However, the Ashwoods were already a private family, and the way the town spoke about them suggested it wasn’t out of avoiding any scandal.
Furthermore, Jake’s condition was raising all sorts of warning flags. Pain management was one thing, but prolonged pain could be even worse. Everyone cared for Jake, from what I could tell. Why would they hold anything back?
I sighed.
I’d just have to take it one step at a time.
But something deep inside me told me that it wasn’t going to be easy regardless.
