Complicated Care

by Denise M. Hartman

  “Where’s Arty?” came down the line closer but still muffled.

  AnaRosa came on the line. “Okay, Miss Blanche, we need to go.”

  “Wait. Can you get Shirley inside the Dementia Unit? In your cart or something? She could hang out with Janice if you get her a disguise. Janice could help her know when to hide.”

  “I feel bad. I do. It’s terrible what they want to do to her, but I cannot lose my job. I need this work. It pays my kids way to go to college. I put up with lots of trouble because it pays more than other places. It is, it is...muy importante.” She dissolved into muttering other things Blanche couldn’t follow.

  “Okay, okay. I understand. I don’t want to get you in trouble. Please send me the pictures of Janice’s papers.” She gave her email and blessed Seth’s goofy teenage head for making this possible. “AnaRosa, please...at least talk to Edna. She can help find a disguise for Shirley and we’ll try to think of a way to get her into the unit.”

  AnaRosa hung up without answering. Blanche tried to put herself in the woman’s shoes. A tentative grasp on a well paying if abusive job. Kids with needs. But when you’re up against despots, swindlers and abusers, you sometimes had to take risks. Blanche realized those were her own risks, and it wasn’t fair to expect others to risk it too.

  But, she swallowed hard, they might fail and Royale Cove Care Center would just sail on into the future with Janice in custody, bullying Shirley, and Frank and Tonio fuming. Famous folks getting quiet expensive fancy faces.

  Blanche wondered what that would mean for her in that scenario: no way to get Edna out and likely get herself banned from the island. If things went really badly, this could be the best case scenario. She felt a slight sweat starting to form on her.

  She shook herself. She had to have faith that good could and even would prevail. Don’t look fear in the eye. Just look at the truth. Keep planning. Keep working.

  Chapter Sixty

  Edna parked herself in the office lobby of RCCC near the secure door that led into the Dementia Unit. She turned her hearing aid as high as she could get without squealing. She listened while staring blankly at a magazine.

  Benita came out of her office to make copies. “Well. Mrs. Edna, how are we today?” She spoke loudly.

  “Fine.” Edna didn’t look up from her reading material.

  “What can we help you with today?” Benita’s over bright false smile pained Edna’s good sense.

  “I just needed a break from the oldies out there.” She inclined her gray head toward the glass door to the hallway.

  Benita blinked twice and her smile wilted. “We have so many salons and seating areas, I’m sure you can find one that suits you. This is the office.” Benita bit out the last sentence.

  “Yes, all the same I’m settled now. I’ll just sit. I won’t bother you.” Edna gave her best carry-on look.

  Benita returned to her office with undisguised irritation. As soon as Edna heard the clicking of computer keys, she saw AnaRosa pushing her cleaning cart down the hall through the glass door. Edna started her crippled process of standing. She glanced toward Benita’s doorway but couldn’t see her.

  AnaRosa passed Edna without saying anything. Edna crept as quietly as her walker allowed. AnaRosa slid her entry card through the door release for the Dementia Unit. A click followed and the two of them slipped inside.

  Edna hoped she wouldn’t be trapped.

  Without speaking, they turned into a patient room off the hallway.

  Janice sat in her wheelchair facing the window. AnaRosa closed the door behind them. The cleaning cart erupted. Towels and supplies fell. Shirley scrambled to an upright position with Edna’s help and panted.

  “Oh, man, I thought I was suffocating. Claustrophobia city.”

  “Where’s Arty?” Janice chirped as she turned her chair around.

  Edna pulled a house dress out of her walker seat and some old glasses just as thick as the ones on her face.

  Shirley-Veda adjusted her sunglasses in place even though she’d opted for just a lacy camisole and matching undies while hiding under the cleaning supplies.

  “You cannot for the love of Hollywood expect me to wear those.” She pointed at the house dress and glasses.

  Edna admitted to herself it was a little fun to see a super star squirm. “Blanche is right, you know? You’ve got to disguise yourself. If anyone is walking around the Dementia Unit with sunglasses and they can’t find you in your usual haunts on the other side...well it’s off to Señor you go.”

  Janice pulled a brand new package of grannie panties out of her dresser and a tank top that would swallow the petite movie star body of Veda Vespucci aka Shirley.

  “Not those too?”

  Janice said, “They are going to want to clean you up from time to time and you can’t have that on — they’d notice.” Janice pointed a crooked finger at the yellow satin that was all Shirley had on.

  Shirley snatched the homely items out of Janice’s hand and the dress draped over Edna’s walker and stomped off to the bathroom.

  Janice and Edna gave each other a big grin when she was gone.

  “Pride goes before a fall,” Janice said.

  “Your rooms aren’t much different than ours on the other side,” Edna said looking around.

  “No, it’s just that we can’t leave the wing or go outside. I mostly miss outside.” She patted her wheel chair. “I’m not going anywhere in a hurry.” Janice fished papers out of her caddy and handed them to AnaRosa who did as requested and quickly laid them on the bed and took pictures of the Medicare code sheets and Janice’s scratchy notes to send to Blanche. AnaRosa muttered in Spanish.

  Edna noticed AnaRosa’s hands shook. She felt bad but Edna knew those numbers might be her ticket out of RCCC and the evidence had to get out of here somehow. At least she hoped and prayed this would be her redemption.

  Shirley-Veda came out of the bathroom hesitantly.

  “Wow,” Edna said.

  Janice said, “That is the perfect disguise, except your hair.”

  The house dress dwarfed Shirley-Veda’s slim body. The thick glasses distorted everything around her eyes almost disguising her damaged face as well as the sunglasses. Her hand went up to pat her blond dyed hair.

  “Oops. Yeah, the diamond. You gotta lose the giant rock too,” Edna said.

  Shirley whimpered.

  “We will take good care of it for you.” AnaRosa said holding out a natty gray wig and extending her other hand for the diamond.

  “I’m going to ruin my hair and my vision with this get up. Where’d the wig come from?”

  “The lady....she doesn’t need it now.”

  “Oh my. Oh....she’s dead, isn’t she? Ewww. I don’t want...” Shirley-Veda shook it in mid air.

  “Look at it this way, you get a few days off from bopping with Carlos and no Mr. Rafael to tango with either,” Edna said.

  Shirley-Veda started pulling the wig on after another vigorous shake. “I’ve probably done worse men in my time.” She stood in front of the mirror shoving her smooth blond hair into the gray blob on her head.

  “We can just take you back over there, and you can get ready for a rendezvous tonight,” Edna said.

  A frowning Shirley picked up the thick glasses and put them on again. “No, I know you’re right. I also know I’m going to have to change my life somehow or this kind of treatment will go on until I die.”

  “Or they’ll kill you,” Janice said.

  Shirley looked over the top of the thick glasses. “You really believe they’d do that?”

  “Sure. Don’t you wonder what happened to Edna’s roommate, Lolita? And look what they’ve done to you already,” Janice said.

  “Miss Shirley, why don’t you move away? They’re not treating you in a good way,” AnaRosa still held naive views of the RCCC Edna noted.

  “I can’t. Long story.”

  Edna gathered herself and AnaRosa rearranged her cart while Janice began to explain
the routine in the Dementia Unit, so that Shirley could avoid the nurses who would be too savvy.

  “Hurry.” AnaRosa hissed at Edna. “I’ve got to keep this job. I can’t get caught.”

  Edna nodded pushing her walker. “Rolling as fast as I can.”

  AnaRosa led the way making the sign of the cross. They just had to hope and pray none of the guards watched the cameras for the Dementia Unit with any concentration and wondered about Edna slipping out with the cleaning lady. Edna felt her heart skip a beat and thought well, if this is what does me in at least it was more interesting than sitting home doing nothing.

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Blanche repeatedly hit the check for new email button as she knew it. She began to understand the screen addictions she’d heard of in young people.

  “Finally.” Something appeared from an address she didn’t recognize. Sure enough AnaRosa sent the images. Blanche downloaded and printed the pages as Seth had showed her. What a smart kid. She hoped he’d continue keeping his mouth shut.

  Blanche quickly transcribed the shorthand from Janice into a document. She snatched up the Dragon cellphone and wondered how she had gotten by without one previously. She dialed Al’s little cellphone. His phone had no fancy pictures like the one she was using.

  He didn’t answer so she called back immediately thinking of how he had to fumble with his canes and his hat and get situated. He picked up.

  “That you, Blanche?”

  “Sure it is. Listen...”

  “No, I’m with our auditor friend now. Best if we talk later.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m calling about. I’ve got something for him to take a look at.”

  “Oh?”

  “On Medicare out at RCCC”

  “Oh! But how can we get it?”

  “Can I send it to your phone?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Al said.

  “So your phone isn’t the smart kind?”

  “You don’t even have your own so don’t make fun.” Al snarked

  “I’m not, oh never mind. Does Lois have email?”

  He covered the phone and muttered. Lois’s breathy voice came on the line.

  “Blanche?”

  “Tell me your email and I’ll send you something for Chuck the auditor to see when you get back to the apartment.”

  “Okay, I hope my email is working. I bet Chuck can help.” Anyone under 50, Blanche thought regretting her own technology resistance. From her past, Blanche took lightening fast messages accurately and so listened as Lois painfully and slowly said and spelled her email.

  “Okay, got it. Tell Al to call me after you guys take a look.”

  “Well, I will but I don’t want to run up my bill...”

  Blanche hung up on Lois’s dithering voice. She could explain a dropped call later. Sadly she couldn’t find the document she’d typed out and had to call Seth upstairs to help her find it.

  She wanted to pace beside the computer and the phone until something happened, but she knew from 76 years of life things seldom fell together all at once and rarely in the moment you wished it.

  What she needed was some fresh air and exercise. She convinced middle child Micah to walk around the yard looking at the flowers and Blanche named them for her little buddy.

  “I’m gonna chop them with my pocket knife,” Micah declared brandishing said tiny weapon.

  “No, Micah, sometimes you have to just appreciate things where you find them and let them be.”

  A tantrum loomed so Blanche distracted him by a walk around the block. She started thinking about that tiny pocket knife and Frank making do with anything for a weapon.

  Blanche hadn’t left things alone at all. Could she have just admired RCCC and left it alone? No, not once Edna had called for help.

  Shirley needed a way out. Blanche knew one solution might be to offer up Antonio on a platter to the newspaper. But Antonio might be able to cut his own deal if he could get more info out to John about Señor Rafael. The more she thought about it the more it seemed like it could work with some finagling. She couldn’t somehow go back in time and make Antonio clean as the day he was born, not for her to do, but she didn’t have to drive over him with the bus as Seth said. Or something to that effect.

  She wished she could talk to Antonio. She didn’t know the number of the disposable phone his nephew had sent via Blanche. Why had she not thought to get it?

  They were almost to the house and her cellphone chimed in her pocket. Blanche answered quickly hoping it was Al.

  “Oh Diane, how are you? No, I’m still in Missouri.”

  “Look, Blanche Binkley. We’re going to need some action on Veda Vespucci pronto if you want to see any of the honorarium I promised.”

  Blanche licked her lips, here goes nothing. She’d use the IRAs to fix the Lincoln and kiss any honorarium relief goodbye.

  “Veda seems to have some offer to pay her for a story from a tabloid, so I don’t think she’s going to talk unless she gets something out of it. How much do you expect to make on your,” Blanche searched for a word since she didn’t know what it was exactly that Diane the Dragon was up to trying to get Shirley-Veda’s story on the down low. “Exposé?”

  “Who said it was an exposé?”

  Blanche decided to use a debate weapon that was terribly powerful but took great discipline for her. Silence. She waited.

  After a lengthy pause, Diane said, “I want an exclusive.”

  “On what aspect of her life exactly?” It would be interesting thought Blanche if any of them knew about Shirley’s damaged facelift attempt or if they hunted something else.

  Diane covered the phone or laid it down. Blanche heard a scratching around, papers moving. She felt a gentle breeze against her skin ease the summer heat and gestured for her grandchild to run inside the house.

  “I believe she or her mother killed her abusive father before they moved to Hollywood. People love that stuff. Traumatized child overcomes crap.”

  Surprise hit Blanche. She hadn’t been anticipating that. Nor had they discussed it. “What’s that worth?”

  “I’ll have to talk to my people. You get your you-know-what back out to that island and I’ll give you a price for Veda.”

  Score, Blanche thought. Finally she had money on the table from the Dragon for Shirley-Veda. If the auditor told her what she hoped he would, she’d have some traction with moving Edna back to the mainland and her condo too.

  A dark shadow crossed over her hope. She knew she had to get out to the island, but Carlos wanted pay offs if he caught her out there. He was one creepy guy. Or maybe she was just adding what she knew he did to Shirley to his menacing attitude when he’d caught her in the shrubbery.

  “I need a way out there and some money.”

  “I told you we’d talk money when you got there.”

  “Listen!” Blanche tried to shake Diane the Dragon from her own always self focused reverie. “An aid out there is bribing and bullying old people. The guy somehow got a bead on me that I’m not supposed to be in the center. He wants $500 to make up for last week or he will bust me to the administration and then I can’t get in at all. If I don’t give him money, I’m out. I don’t have $100 bills lying around to share. He wants more on top of the $500 for the next visit.” A shiver went down her spine. Next visit. Preferably she’d avoid Carlos altogether but paying him off might be important if this was going to end well. Maybe she should consider a disguise of her own?

  “I have the keys to Greg’s boat. He came by on his way out of town after you scared him so bad. What was that about? Anyway, you can take the boat back out there.”

  Blanche tried to picture herself navigating the intercoastal and a touch of open sea in that big boat. The noble seafarer. But she drove and navigated by landmarks. The ocean was a bit light on those.

  Diane said, “I’ll send a limo to the airport and he’ll have a package with $800 and the keys. He’ll take you to the marina.�
�� Blanche found it interesting Diane didn’t flinch at bribe money in the least. Nor did she mention her mother.

  Blanche rang off and thought either she was going down in flames or it was possible the whole of RCCC would go down with some of these revelations, depending on what happened the next few days. She frowned wondering about people who needed jobs out there like AnaRosa. What would become of them? Jobs didn’t pay as well on the mainland it seemed. Too many complications.

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  “What do you mean you’ve lost her?” Bruce bellowed at Carlos. He had a despot in Unit 2 who needed female company. In this posh old person island kingdom, the options were limited.

  Rafael’s face change had gone fine, but the man and his people had been a huge pain since before he’d even arrived on the Royale Cove Care Center grounds. Especially the guy in the purple suit. Bruce was pretty sure they’d lost Lolita the Cuban singer because of some weird double dealing between the Cuban handler and Carlos. The administrator had not looked too closely.

  Bruce almost wanted to swear off the secret face modifications. Doctors and staff had gained enough riches by now it wouldn’t matter. It’s hard to stop easy money though. This time the money wasn’t easy.

  Defensiveness came into Carlo’s tone. “I’m looking everywhere. I’ve asked the staff. No one has seen Veda since lunch. I’ve checked the grounds. I’ve had others looking, so she wouldn’t know I was coming. Nothing. It’s not possible she’s left the grounds.”

  “Go down and wait for the last boat. Make sure she’s not trying to make a break for it.” The idea made stomach acid slap the back of his throat.

  “She’d have to have a pass and they would call us. Security would catch her leaving here. I’m sure we’ll find her in a few minutes. She can’t disappear.” Some of Carlos macho bravado flared in reaction to Bruce’s tone.

  “You’ll go down to the dock and watch with your own eyes or I’ll feed you to Señor’s guys for lunch.”