Ryn collapsed back on the sofa. “I don’t know if I can survive two more years of this.”
The letter fluttered in Henrietta’s trembling hand. “I know what you mean.”
Ryn eyed her. “You didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?”
“No.” But Henrietta didn’t look at her as she answered.
“I have a feeling you’re only telling me part of the truth.”
Henrietta’s mouth twitched. “Let’s just say I helped convince Leonard Croson to clear the path for you. You did everything else yourself.”
“I knew it!” Ryn punched the air. “You did do something.”
“All I did,” Henrietta said, seeming to carefully choose her words, “was to let Father Croson know how devastating it would be for the college if word somehow got out about that poor girl and her situation with your colleague.”
“Vanessa. I hope she’s okay.” Ryn reached for Henrietta’s hand again. “Thank you, Henrietta. For believing in me. For being willing to leave this village if we had to.”
Henrietta searched her eyes. “I told you. I don’t want to think about living here without you.”
Ryn wrapped her arms around Henrietta and pulled her close. Resting her cheek against Henrietta’s head, Ryn’s hands gently caressed her thin shoulders. She felt Henrietta melt into her.
“Meryn?”
“Hmmm?”
“I think we should celebrate.” Henrietta pulled away. “Call the nuns. Call Sandy and Maxine.”
“Pizza and s’mores?” Ryn said excitedly. “Down at the pond?”
Henrietta frowned. “What’s a s’more?”
Sparks flew into the night sky when Roberta tossed another log onto the fire. Ryn sat beside the fire pit, roasting a couple more marshmallows for Henrietta, who had discovered she loved s’mores.
“What’s up after finals?” she asked Roberta.
“Back to the motherhouse for us. We’re all scheduled for retreats in June. But we’ll be back in August.”
“This village won’t feel the same without you guys.” Ryn blew out a marshmallow that caught fire.
“What about you? Here all summer?”
“I’m going to go home for a couple of weeks after I turn in grades.” Ryn glanced toward Henrietta, who was engaged in conversation with Sandy and Stephanie. “I tried to talk Henrietta into going with me, but she doesn’t want to intrude.”
“You worried about leaving her alone?”
“Yeah. She’s been a little off lately. More tired. I hate to leave her, but I haven’t seen my family since Christmas.”
“We won’t be going right away. We can check in on her.”
Ryn pulled the charred marshmallows off the stick and tucked them in between two graham crackers. “That would be great, thanks.”
She delivered the treat to Henrietta. “I’m cutting you off at five, Hank.”
At the smile on Henrietta’s face, Ryn’s heart felt as melted as the square of chocolate.
Sandy chuckled. “This was such a nice gathering. And what a great reason to celebrate.”
“To Ryn,” Franny said, holding up a Coke.
“To Ryn,” echoed the others, raising drinks or marshmallows or whatever was at hand.
Ryn’s throat tightened. She lifted her own Dr. Pepper, her eyes locked on Henrietta. “To friends and home.”
Chapter 22
Muffled voices filtered through the bedroom door. Henrietta sat on the side of the bed, huffing as she fastened the straps of her leg braces. The young nuns hadn’t just checked in on her, they’d been rotating nights, sleeping in the spare bed in Meryn’s room.
Though Henrietta had protested that it wasn’t necessary, they’d insisted. The argument had been settled when Meryn took her hand before she left for Pennsylvania.
“Please, Henrietta. For me. It’ll be so much easier to be away if I know you’re not alone at night.”
She closed her eyes now, whispering a prayer of thanks for Meryn and her friends. Again, she was reminded how much richer her life was now. Every now and then, that old, familiar negative side of her broke through, taunting her that this wouldn’t last, that Meryn would leave, that these new friends would disappear. Sometimes, it was terrifying, letting herself feel so much.
“Stop,” she said. “She’s coming back. She won’t leave you.”
She finished getting dressed and emerged from her room to find Franny in the kitchen, talking to Bonnie.
“Well, good morning, Henrietta,” Bonnie said, pouring a cup of coffee for her and setting it on the table.
Franny poured milk into a bowl of cereal and joined her. “Sleep well?”
“Yes.” Henrietta reached for a slice of toast. “You really don’t have to do this.”
Franny shrugged. “We don’t mind. Your house is much nicer than ours. And quieter.”
“Well, I think it’s very nice of these young women to stay here,” Bonnie offered. “Saves me the worry of wondering if you’re all right through the nights.”
“I’ve survived by myself before,” Henrietta reminded her.
“Hmmph.” Bonnie shook her head. “Need I remind you that you barely slept during those times in between companions.”
She narrowed her eyes and peered harder at Henrietta. “Speaking of which, you look awfully tired for just waking up.”
“I’m fine,” Henrietta said firmly. But she knew better than to think Bonnie would let it go.
“Have you heard from Meryn?” Bonnie asked.
“Yes, she called to say she got home to Pennsylvania safely. It’ll be good for her to have a nice long visit with her family.” Henrietta spread jam on her toast, trying to feel as positive as she sounded.
Franny finished her corn flakes. “Do you need any help here today, Bonnie?”
“No, dear, but thank you. You run on.”
“How about you, Henrietta? Need anything from the village?”
“No,” Henrietta said. “I have an appointment in town, but I can’t think of anything we need.”
Franny took her bowl and coffee cup to the sink and washed them. “Steph will be with you this evening.”
“You really don’t have—”
“We promised Ryn.”
She met Henrietta’s gaze in such a frank way that Henrietta felt herself blush. She gave Henrietta’s shoulder a squeeze. “You know she’d never forgive herself if anything happened to you while she was gone.”
Franny went to get her overnight bag and then said good-bye. “Just call us if you need anything. We’ll all see you at church on Sunday.”
The warmth in Henrietta’s face spread all through her. It had been ages since she’d been so cared for, not since she lost her parents.
“Such nice girls,” Bonnie said. “I’m going to change your bed sheets.”
“Thank you,” Henrietta said. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
She pushed heavily to her feet and went to the garage. She had to sit for a few minutes in the car, waiting for her breathing to slow and her hands to feel steadier on the controls.
Downtown, she turned off Main Street, drove two blocks down Elm and pulled into Dr. McCourt’s parking lot behind the gray three-story Victorian that served as both residence and office. Inside, the nurse was waiting for her.
“Come right in, Miss Cochran.”
She took Henrietta’s vitals and jotted them down. “Dr. McCourt will be with you in just a moment.”
Henrietta sat nervously, suddenly feeling foolish for making this appointment. There was nothing wrong with her. She was just pushing to her feet when the door opened.
“Ah ha,” Gordon McCourt said, smiling. “I had a feeling you might be planning your escape. Sit back down, Henrietta.”
She lowered herself to the chair again, scowling at him. “What gave you that feeling?”
He laughed and pulled a rolling stool over. “Because I know you. You never come to see me as soon as something’s wrong. You always w
ait until even you can’t ignore it. So—”
He stopped abruptly, looking not at her face but at the rest of her. “You look lovely, Henrietta. It’s nice to see you in bright colors.” He got back to business. “So, if you’re here, something is up. Tell me. Still having chest pains?”
“No.” She hesitated. It all seemed so silly now. “I’ve just not felt well.”
“In what way?”
“I’ve been more tired, short of breath, weak feeling. I…” She paused again. “I fell the other day. In my studio. But I’d been working and forgot to eat, so I’m blaming it on that.”
“Hmmm.” He reached for his stethoscope and listened to her heart and lungs. He asked her to grip his fingers and push and pull against his resistance. With her legs, he asked her to hold while he pushed on her.
He did all this without speaking, turning to jot notes on a pad of paper.
“Well?” Henrietta asked impatiently.
But he pushed a button on his desk. The nurse appeared almost instantly.
“Yes, doctor?”
“I’d like to do blood work, Tina.”
She left and returned in a few seconds with a needle and several vials. Henrietta rolled up her sleeve with a resigned sigh.
When the samples had been drawn, the nurse left them again.
“Gordon, stop stalling and tell me what’s wrong.”
“Henrietta, if I knew what was wrong, I wouldn’t need to do blood work.”
“You’re not fooling me. I know you suspect something.”
He shifted from the stool to the desk chair and sat back, crossing his legs. “I can’t be certain, but the literature is beginning to document a phenomenon that we don’t fully understand.”
Henrietta frowned. “What kind of phenomenon?”
“Those of you who survived the worst years of the polio epidemic are all now approaching the same timeframe of having lived with the effects. About forty years, give or take.”
“It will be forty years for me next year,” Henrietta said. “So what?”
He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and staring at his folded hands. “It doesn’t seem to be dependent on age so much as that post-polio timeframe. A new or renewed onset of weakness.” He cleared his throat. “Almost as if it’s coming back.”
Henrietta blanched and gripped the arms of the chair. “Coming back.” Her voice was barely audible.
“Not completely,” he said quickly, reaching out to lay a hand on hers. “We haven’t seen anyone get to the point of having to be on a ventilator, not like the first time. But there have been too many of these cases to dismiss it as coincidence. They’re calling it post-polio syndrome, for want of a better term.”
Henrietta forced herself to meet his gaze. “And what’s the prognosis? How far does this syndrome progress?”
He sat back again. “We simply don’t know. You’re all hitting this stage at about the same time. We don’t have enough data to go on.”
“So, this… this weakness could get worse?”
“Yes,” he admitted reluctantly. “Or it could arrest and stay right where it is. We just don’t know.”
“So the bloodwork…?”
“Just a precaution, to make certain I’m not missing something else.”
Henrietta brushed her sweaty palms on her slacks. “Is there any treatment, if it is this post-polio thing?”
He shook his head. “Not that we know of. We could get you back into physical therapy to try and strengthen your muscles.”
Henrietta reached for her crutches. “I’ll think about it.”
“Henrietta—”
“Thank you, Gordon.” Henrietta stood. “Let me know when you get the blood work results.”
He opened his mouth but seemed to think better of whatever he’d been about to say. He got the door for her. “I’ll be in touch.”
She remembered nothing of the drive home. Bonnie greeted her when she came into the kitchen from the garage.
“I was just going to make tuna salad for lunch. Are you—” Bonnie stopped when she saw Henrietta’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Henrietta walked through the kitchen. “I’m not hungry. I think I’ll lie down for a bit.”
Alone in her room, Henrietta lay, staring at the ceiling. Her chin quivered, but she clenched her jaw, determined not to give in to the emotions roiling inside her. It was so damned unfair. She’d beaten it once. She shouldn’t have to do it again.
Maybe Una was the lucky one, after all.
Inching out along a stout tree branch, Ryn secured a new birdfeeder. “This good?”
Walt shaded his eyes with one hand. “Lower it a little.”
She fed out a little more chain.
“That’s about right,” he said, reaching up to test that he could refill it.
She fastened the chain and shimmied over the side of the bough, hanging for a second before dropping lightly to the ground. “That the last one?”
Her dad grinned at her. “For now.”
She shook her head. “You do know you’re also feeding every squirrel in the neighborhood.”
“Don’t tell your mom.” He draped an arm around her shoulders as they walked back to the garage.
“I’m pretty sure she knows.”
He gave her a squeeze before veering off to lie in his hammock and enjoy watching the birds—and squirrels—check out the offerings in the new feeder.
Ryn went into the house, pausing to wash her hands in the laundry room. She found her mom in the den, reading in the recliner, where she had a full view of the backyard and the tree Ryn had just been in.
“A new feeder?”
Ryn kept a straight face. “I’m sworn to secrecy.”
June shook her head. “That man. He’ll never be able to retire at this rate. We’ll never be empty nesters.”
“A different kind of nest,” Ryn said, flopping onto the couch.
“But almost as expensive.” June watched him for a moment with a rueful smile.
Ryn bit her lip as she studied her mom. “I got my new contract for next year.”
June turned to her. “They’d be foolish not to want to keep you. The other situation, the girl your colleague got in trouble, has that resolved itself?”
“Yeah.” It seemed a lifetime ago that she’d spilled her guts to her mom about Vanessa’s situation. “He left. No idea where he went, but I’m so glad he’s gone.”
“And you want to stay?”
“Yeah. It’s a small college, but I’ve made some good friends there. I think I could make Bluemont home.”
June’s face darkened. “Are you going to look for a house or apartment of your own?”
Oh, crap.
“Nooo,” Ryn drew the word out. “I’ll stay with Henrietta.”
June took her glasses off and closed her book, shifting in the recliner. Ryn read the signals that a talk was coming and sat up.
“Henrietta is a very nice woman,” June said, “but don’t you think maybe you should have your own place?”
Ryn stared at her hands. “I thought you liked Henrietta.”
“We do. And it was one thing when you only needed a room. It’s just that, you’re kind of tied down while you’re with her, aren’t you? You can’t take off with friends to go to New York City or anything.”
“I don’t want to go to New York. And if I did, I’d go with Henrietta.”
She could feel the weight of her mother’s gaze. “But what if you meet someone?”
Ryn took a deep breath and forced herself to meet June’s eyes. “I have met someone, Mom. I met Henrietta. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
A flush suffused June’s cheeks. “Ryn, I’ve always known you were gay. We understood when you brought Ashley home with you. And I know it was hard on you when the two of you went in different directions. But I hoped you’d meet someone your own age. Henrietta is… she’s older than your father and I are!”
&nbs
p; “So what?”
“It’s not just her age.” June paused, obviously trying to remain calm. “Her health issues are a real concern.”
“They weren’t a concern when she hosted all of us for Thanksgiving,” Ryn said.
“Henrietta is a perfectly nice woman, and I meant it when I said she was part of the family,” June said, enunciating each word. “I didn’t mean as your lover!”
“We’re not—” Ryn felt the burn in her own cheeks. “It’s not like that. That part is no one else’s business. Not even yours, Mom.”
June pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re going to be tied down. By Henrietta’s handicap. By her age. By the health problems she will no doubt have.” She sighed and met Ryn’s eyes. “She gets a nurse and you get, what?”
A curious ringing filled Ryn’s ears.
“Ryn, honey, I’m sorry.” June’s eyes filled. “I’m just worried about you. I don’t want you to be saddled with—”
Ryn found herself on her feet. “I’m going for a walk.”
She heard her mom’s voice calling to her, but she almost ran for the front door. The sun was harsh and glaring, giving her an excuse to bow her head when a few of the neighbors called to her. She walked aimlessly, with no destination, and found herself at a park. A few mothers with young children were in the playground area.
She veered away from them, making for the covered bandstand. On Saturday evenings in the summer, local bands played free concerts, but now, on a Wednesday, it was empty.
Pacing around and around the circumference, she ran her fingers along the wooden railing, trying to calm her racing heart.
“You should have known…” she muttered aloud. “Just because our friends in Bluemont are happy for us…”
She hadn’t expected her mom to be happy, exactly. She slowed.
“I didn’t mean as your lover!”
Ryn groaned and dropped cross-legged onto the wooden floor, leaning against a round pillar. That’s what everyone would be secretly thinking and wondering about if they learned what she and Henrietta were to each other. She couldn’t blame her mom for worrying, but she sure as hell didn’t want to discuss her non-existent sex life with her mother.
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