Page 22 of Starved Until Sunset

“You know, it’s okay to stop talking sometimes,” Dave said.

Cody shot him a dirty look before turning his attention back to the nurse. “Was it sudden?”

She looked around before leaning in over the desk. In a lower voice, she said, “I’m not supposed to say anything like this, but I know you’re worried about your grandma. He’d been feeling tired the last few days, and then today…” She shrugged slightly. “He just never got up.”

“Well, hell. That’s too bad. He was a really nice guy.” Cody gave her a tight smile. “Thanks for telling us.”

“Telling you what?” She lifted her eyebrows and looked down at the desk where she had paperwork spread out.

Cody and Dave walked off down the hall.

“I know it’s a nursing home, but it seems like a lot of people have been dying lately,” Dave said.

“I’ve noticed that, too.”

Cody entered Felicia’s room. It was empty, the late afternoon sunlight slanting in through the windows and painting everything in gold. The bed was neatly made, and everything looked tidy. He checked in the bathroom, found it empty, and turned for the door, then stopped. The cross Demmy had mentioned hung above the light switch, gleaming in the sunlight.

“Did you hang that up?”

Dave came up beside him. “Nope. I don’t remember seeing a cross there before.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, huh.”

They stepped out into the hall and looked either way. A woman bent nearly in half from osteoporosis and using a walker for support speedwalked past them without a glance. The walker’s wheels made a long, drawn out scratching sound along the tile floor, and it sent a shiver down Cody’s spine.

After checking a couple of the common areas, they found Felicia sitting on a small padded bench by a side exit. She was staring at the window in the door, hands folded in her lap. Her Rollator was parked nearby, and Cody was amazed once again that at her advanced age she was still mobile.

“Hi, Grandma,” Cody said.

Felicia looked at them, her expression blank.

Dave approached and squatted before her. “Hi, Grandma. It’s your grandson, Dave.”

She stared at him but didn’t move or say a word.

Cody pulled the Rollator around and sat on the padded seat that also covered a storage compartment. “You doing okay today?”

“Hi,” she finally said, after giving him a long, searching look.

Cody smiled and leaned in a little. “Hi back. How are you?”

“Okay.” She was quiet, her eyes moving as she studied his face. “I know you.”

“That’s right, you do. But it’s okay if you don’t know my name.”

“It is?”

Cody gave a quick nod. “It is. I just want you to always know you’re safe with me. Okay?”

She looked at Dave. “I know you, too.”

“Yeah? That makes me happy. And like Cody said, you’ll always be safe with me.”

“I know that.” She looked between them. “I’ve always known that, haven’t I?”

“That you have.” Cody stood and moved the Rollator in front of her, then set the brakes. “Are you waiting for someone?”