had ever made. Beautiful white roses created a backdrop for the hints of pink daisies and blue forget-me-nots. Baby's breath and greenery were inserted perfectly, and the card simply read, To Caitlin, with love from your mother.
The corners of her mouth turned into a sad smile as she gently caressed the flowers. Her nephew Noonie had left an hour before, promising to return to deliver her work of art, but Ella had shooed him away.
“ It's a nice morning for a drive,” she had said. “I'll take this one myself.”
True to her promise, Ella wrapped the bouquet carefully in blue, pink and white tissue, and set it in a box to her right. She tucked bubble wrap around the vase to make sure it wouldn't move inside the box.
Promptly at noon, she walked to the front of the store, locked the door, and flipped a sign that from the outside read, Closed, please come again . She returned to the back of the store, picked up the box, and exited through a side door. She popped the rear hatch on her Honda SUV and gently set the box inside, then returned to her bench for her purse, locked the side door as she had the front, and headed toward the hospital.
The roadways were laden with travelers enjoying the beautiful autumn Sunday. She glanced at the passenger seat from time to time, her eyes darting to the directions her nephew had printed from the Internet. Ella didn't understand the computer, and had no desire to learn. But, if she needed something, she knew who to ask. She arrived at the hospital and found a place to park with minimal distress, which surprised even her. Her nephew had warned her it might take longer to find a parking spot than it did to drive the entire trip from the shop in New Hope, Pennsylvania, to the hospital in Manhattan. As was her nature, Ella had shooed him off with her hand.
“ Don't be ridiculous, boy,” she'd said to her nephew, forgetting he had turned forty the previous month. “I appreciate your offer to take them, Noonie, but I adore Rita and Caitlin, so you know how important this is to me,” Ella said sternly.
“ Of course I do, Aunt Ella, and please call me Nathan,” he complained.
“ You'll always be my Noonie,” Ella said, and Nathan rolled his eyes.
She wondered what he would think now, seeing her expertly parallel park her SUV in the parking spot it had taken less than three minutes to find.
Ella proudly carried the flowers through the lobby, to the information desk.
“ May I help you?” an ancient volunteer asked.
“ Could you please see that these get to Caitlin Goodrich?” Ella asked, and the volunteer smiled and admired the arrangement through very thick glasses.
“ They're lovely,” the volunteer said appreciatively.
“ So is Caitlin,” Ella replied. She walked away with a brief wave, her eyes welling as she thought of Caitlin and her babies getting acquainted somewhere deep within the walls of the enormous hospital. She hid her tears behind dark glasses and pulled the SUV into traffic once more.
It only took six blocks for Ella to realize she was lost. She passed one one-way street after another, and became more and more confused as she drove. She looked away from the road for a mere moment, but the moment was too long. The driver of the truck never saw her, and Ella never saw him. She saw nothing, and only briefly heard the sound of the impact of the two vehicles, a horrifying medley of breaking glass and twisting metal, before everything went black.
E ight
Colin couldn't remember the last time he had been in a McDonalds, but it seemed like the right place. Mia could play on the indoor playground equipment, and he could provide the shoulder he knew her mother desperately needed. They could discuss things Mia didn't need to know, things she wouldn't understand, but would have to try to soon enough.
“ Can I play, Mama?” Mia asked. Rosario looked out the window. Only then did Mia turn to look at Colin with her huge cocoa eyes. “Doctor Colin,
The corners of her mouth turned into a sad smile as she gently caressed the flowers. Her nephew Noonie had left an hour before, promising to return to deliver her work of art, but Ella had shooed him away.
“ It's a nice morning for a drive,” she had said. “I'll take this one myself.”
True to her promise, Ella wrapped the bouquet carefully in blue, pink and white tissue, and set it in a box to her right. She tucked bubble wrap around the vase to make sure it wouldn't move inside the box.
Promptly at noon, she walked to the front of the store, locked the door, and flipped a sign that from the outside read, Closed, please come again . She returned to the back of the store, picked up the box, and exited through a side door. She popped the rear hatch on her Honda SUV and gently set the box inside, then returned to her bench for her purse, locked the side door as she had the front, and headed toward the hospital.
The roadways were laden with travelers enjoying the beautiful autumn Sunday. She glanced at the passenger seat from time to time, her eyes darting to the directions her nephew had printed from the Internet. Ella didn't understand the computer, and had no desire to learn. But, if she needed something, she knew who to ask. She arrived at the hospital and found a place to park with minimal distress, which surprised even her. Her nephew had warned her it might take longer to find a parking spot than it did to drive the entire trip from the shop in New Hope, Pennsylvania, to the hospital in Manhattan. As was her nature, Ella had shooed him off with her hand.
“ Don't be ridiculous, boy,” she'd said to her nephew, forgetting he had turned forty the previous month. “I appreciate your offer to take them, Noonie, but I adore Rita and Caitlin, so you know how important this is to me,” Ella said sternly.
“ Of course I do, Aunt Ella, and please call me Nathan,” he complained.
“ You'll always be my Noonie,” Ella said, and Nathan rolled his eyes.
She wondered what he would think now, seeing her expertly parallel park her SUV in the parking spot it had taken less than three minutes to find.
Ella proudly carried the flowers through the lobby, to the information desk.
“ May I help you?” an ancient volunteer asked.
“ Could you please see that these get to Caitlin Goodrich?” Ella asked, and the volunteer smiled and admired the arrangement through very thick glasses.
“ They're lovely,” the volunteer said appreciatively.
“ So is Caitlin,” Ella replied. She walked away with a brief wave, her eyes welling as she thought of Caitlin and her babies getting acquainted somewhere deep within the walls of the enormous hospital. She hid her tears behind dark glasses and pulled the SUV into traffic once more.
It only took six blocks for Ella to realize she was lost. She passed one one-way street after another, and became more and more confused as she drove. She looked away from the road for a mere moment, but the moment was too long. The driver of the truck never saw her, and Ella never saw him. She saw nothing, and only briefly heard the sound of the impact of the two vehicles, a horrifying medley of breaking glass and twisting metal, before everything went black.
E ight
Colin couldn't remember the last time he had been in a McDonalds, but it seemed like the right place. Mia could play on the indoor playground equipment, and he could provide the shoulder he knew her mother desperately needed. They could discuss things Mia didn't need to know, things she wouldn't understand, but would have to try to soon enough.
“ Can I play, Mama?” Mia asked. Rosario looked out the window. Only then did Mia turn to look at Colin with her huge cocoa eyes. “Doctor Colin,
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