Lizzy slid her other arm into her jacket and shouldered her purse, her gaze never leaving Linda’s. And then she sat back down and listened.
“Through my clients, I have learned forgiveness. So many hours I spend sitting in this chair, wanting to tell someone what to do, but I sit quietly and listen because I know that if I can draw in my own thoughts and listen really well, I’ll be more helpful to them. I have learned over the years that we are all children at heart and that we all need to be heard and understood. I have carried hundreds of stories deep within and when my clients hurt, I also hurt. When they mourn, I mourn with them. And through it all, my heart has grown bigger and stronger and for that I am eternally grateful.”
“Thank you,” Lizzy said as she came to her feet once again.
“You’re welcome.”
Lizzy stopped at the door and said, “I’ll see you next week.”
“I’ll be here.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The only nursing home Kitally had visited in her lifetime was the one back east where she’d last seen her grandfather. It had been a happy place. There was always laughter and entertainment, piano music or singing. On one of her visits to see her grandfather, the staff had set up a little petting zoo outside, complete with miniature goats, rabbits, and sheep. They held classes—yoga and dancing. Even the people in wheelchairs used to dance.
But Shady Oaks Nursing Home in Orangevale was nothing like that.
One lady sat lopsided within her wheelchair, abandoned in the hallway, facing the wall. Kitally looked around. Would anyone notice if she walked over to the woman and turned her chair around so she could look at something other than a wall?
“Can I help you?”
The woman behind the front desk was looking her way. Her frizzy brown hair was clipped back. Her face was pinched.
“I called a few hours ago about getting a tour of Shady Oaks,” Kitally said. “My mom and I need to find a place for my grandmother.”
Exasperated, the woman picked up the receiver and said over the loudspeaker, “Janice Unger. Please come to the front desk.” After she hung up, she said, “Janice will be here momentarily. Please take a seat.”
Kitally grabbed a magazine and settled into one of the plastic chairs lined up against the wall. Her gaze promptly returned to the woman in the wheelchair. She had yet to see the woman move a muscle. Is she asleep? Dead? Does anyone care?
Figuring she could ask Janice about it when she arrived, Kitally skimmed through the magazine.
“CAW! CAW!”
Kitally jerked to attention.
The frazzled woman behind the desk merely groaned. “There she goes again.”
Kitally followed her gaze to the woman in the wheelchair. She wasn’t dead, after all. She came to her feet and did it again. “CAW! CAW!”
The call of the wild. Within seconds all sorts of animal noises erupted from different sections of the building. The distinct moo of a cow was followed by the neigh of a horse. Then came a meow and a dozen barking dogs.
What the hell is going on around here?
If the frizzy-haired woman didn’t look so thoroughly agitated, Kitally might have laughed out loud. By the time the animal noises began to die off, a very round woman with short stubby arms and legs waddled toward the front desk.
Frizzy-haired lady pointed at Kitally.
The woman waddled her way. “I’m Janice Unger. Nice to meet you. Let’s go.”
Kitally returned the magazine to the pile on the table, then hurried to catch up to the woman. She followed Janice to the left, away from where the woman sat in the wheelchair. “What was that all about?” Kitally asked.
“What?”
“The animal noises.”
“Oh, that was just Ms. Trumble having some fun. She loves animals, and I think it makes her happy to hear all the animal sounds.”
“So,” Janice said as they walked. “You’re looking for a place for your grandmother?”
“Yes.”
“How old is she?”
“Um, seventy-six.”
“She’s young. You realize we’re a full nursing-care facility, not just assisted living. She needs twenty-four-hour medical care to be admitted.”
“Yes, I know. Mom is taking care of her now, and it’s becoming too much of a burden for her.”
“Does she need long-term care or short-term?”
Kitally was at a loss. The truth was her grandmother had died when Kitally was very young. “I’m not sure at this point. If I could just have a quick look around, then report back to my mom, that would be best.”
Kitally followed Janice into a large room. “As you can see, this is the recreation room.”
Kitally couldn’t see that at all. There was no music. No life. Three women played cards, but that was the extent of the entertainment.
Next, she was shown the cafeteria, the kitchen, the outside area that consisted of two plastic chairs and a weathered bench. There wasn’t anywhere nice to sit and enjoy the day. The sound of the freeway was deafening. No birdsong. No greenery. She hadn’t thought about it before, but Kitally realized she didn’t like the idea of growing old. She thought of Helsie, the reason she was here. Dementia was an awful disease. If the woman had been abused, had she known what was happening to her? Were there moments of clarity where she knew exactly where she was and what was going on? Stuck in this place with no one to protect her. Not cool.
“What do you think about Shady Oaks?” Kitally asked.
Janice used her fingernail to dislodge something from her tooth. “It’s a great place. I’d bring my mother here if I could afford it.”
Kitally didn’t believe it for a moment. “Could I see the rooms where residents sleep and spend most of their day?”
“We’re all filled up at the moment. I’m not allowed to disturb our residents. I’m sorry.” She picked at a scab on her arm. It took every bit of restraint Kitally could muster to not make a face.
“Janice Unger,” a voice called over the loudspeaker. “Please come to the front desk.”
The woman glanced at her watch. “Oh, would you look at that. It’s time for my next tour.”
“I just need a little more time,” Kitally said, sniffling. “I just can’t imagine bringing my grandma to a nursing home and leaving her.” She wiped at nonexistent tears.
The woman shifted uncomfortably on her feet.
“Go on,” Kitally said. “I just need a few minutes to collect myself. I know the way out.”
“OK. If you’re sure.”
Kitally turned her back to the woman and sniffled again as she headed for the weathered bench. The moment she heard the door swing shut, Kitally stood up and followed her into the building. She headed back the same way Janice had brought her. In fact, she saw Janice talking to the new visitors. The frizzy-haired woman was no longer standing behind the desk, giving Kitally a chance to head the other way. The lady in the wheelchair was gone.
In the first bedroom she came upon, Kitally saw an elderly woman being spoon-fed her lunch by a middle-aged woman wearing a green Shady Oaks smock. Nobody noticed her standing a few feet from the door. Everything in the room looked neat and orderly.
The next room was empty, which was odd considering she’d just been told the place was full. She walked inside. It was a small room, twelve-by-twelve at the most. No windows. Claustrophobic. She stepped back into the hallway and continued on, peeking inside each room. Every other room was unoccupied. She had no idea what she was looking for or expecting to see. She just kept walking.