by Rachel Hanna
"What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to reach out to you since I haven't had an appointment with you in the office. I want to provide the best healthcare possible to all the residents of Wisteria Island."
"I'm not sick."
"Of course. I can also help you improve your health. I had a health expo the other day where we talked about juicing, smoothies…”
"I'm not interested."
Danielle suddenly felt like she was a door-to-door salesperson being turned away.
"But wouldn't you like to learn about how to have more longevity?"
Dorothy laughed, more like a cackle. "Why in the world would I want to stay on this earth any longer than is necessary?"
"Excuse me?"
"Look, I know you're young, but I'm not. Most everyone I have ever loved is already dead. If I didn't think I might end up in the fiery pits of hell, I would exit the planet as quickly as I could."
Danielle had never been speechless, but she was right now. She had no idea what to say about that, and a part of her felt deeply troubled by what Dorothy had just said.
"Dorothy, are you at risk of harming yourself?"
She rolled her eyes. "If I wanted to harm myself, I would've already done so. I don't need you telling me what to do."
"I'm sorry about your losses."
"I also don't need your pity."
She had never seen someone with such a hard shell before. Obviously, a lot had happened to Dorothy in her lifetime that Danielle would probably never know. She was only there to provide medical care, and how could she do that if her patient didn't want her help?
"I don't pity you. I was just expressing condolences for your loss.”
“Look, I know you're trying to help, but I'm just waiting at this point."
"Waiting?"
"Waiting to die."
"Dorothy, there can be so much more to your life."
She looked at Danielle and laughed under her breath. "Very easy for a young person to say. I'm tired. Tired of being alone. Tired of having nothing to do. Just plain tired."
"Have you tried getting involved on the island? There's so much to do here."
"I don't want to square dance or play shuffleboard or go to bingo night. That's old people stuff."
"Old people stuff?"
"What you'll find out when you get my age is that your mind stays the same. I was something else when I was younger. Everyone looked up to me. Magazines took my picture. Directors sought me out for movie roles. So in my mind, that's who I am. When I look in the mirror every morning, I don't recognize who I see. She looks tired and worn and wrinkled."
"I wish I knew what to say."
"There's nothing to say. You see, this isn't about drinking a smoothie or finding a hobby. It's about living a life. When everyone you love is already gone or has abandoned you, and you're on an island full of people who are nothing like you, you find yourself unmotivated to do anything to change that."
"And your family didn't come to visit you."
"Yes, I have to say that was rather bothersome. They certainly enjoy spending my money, but they couldn't take time out to come see me. Most of my life, I was a commodity. I was never really seen for my true nature. I was pretty, and that was all anyone saw. I was a character, and I played that character well. It didn't exactly lead to strong relationships with people."
“Can I ask you which family members were supposed to come visit you?"
"I have two nieces. I thought they would come, even though they never responded to my invitation. I suppose part of it is my fault, really. I wasn't your traditional aunt.”
"Is there anything I can do for you, Dorothy?"
"I don't think so. If I have a health issue, I'll be sure to reach out."
"Okay. I'll leave you alone then. I do hope you'll take part in some of the activities on the island, though."
Danielle stood up and walked toward the door, Dorothy following her. "It's no use. People here already don't like me."
"I find that people here are very forgiving. They didn't like me at first either, and some of them probably still don't. Each person here has their own baggage, and it might take them some time to warm up to you. A little piece of advice from a younger person who probably has no business giving it, but maybe this is an opportunity for you to show people who you really are instead of playing that character you were talking about. You can change your life as soon as you change your mind, Dorothy.”
Dorothy said nothing and let her out of the front door, closing it quietly behind her. She wasn't sure that she had done anything of significance by going to visit, but at least it made her feel better that she had reached out. Still, she left there feeling sad for a woman who felt so alone and betrayed.
Chapter 13
Danielle sat nervously, her hands in her lap, as she waited for the doctor to finish writing his notes in the other room. Gladys, sitting next to her, also seemed a little more jittery than normal. Perhaps she understood the gravity of what the doctor was assessing with her brain health. A part of Danielle was worried she’d gotten Gladys’ hopes up.
They had spent most of the day over in Charleston at a specialist’s office. Her mother had put her in touch with someone who had put her in touch with someone else who had led her to a neurologist that specialized in the types of problems Gladys was having. It had definitely involved a long train of people to get to this point.
He had done many tests that day, including an MRI and some kind of new brain imaging that Danielle hadn't even seen before. He had also gone over the information about her medication, and in the next few minutes he would hopefully walk through the door and be able to shed some light on Gladys' situation.
"What if those tests show that I really am crazy?" Gladys said.
Danielle squeezed her knee. "Don't you be thinking like that. You're a smart lady, Gladys. You're most certainly not crazy."
Jeremy, the island’s resident boat captain, had taken Gladys and Danielle over to the mainland earlier in the day. From there, a rental car was waiting so that Danielle could drive them into Charleston. It was a long drive, but she and Gladys had made the most of it by listening to music and a little bit of talk radio.
It had actually been pretty fun to listen to Gladys' thoughts on the different topics that came up on those talk radio shows. She was a lot smarter than her niece was giving her credit for, and she just didn't seem like somebody who was losing her mind at all.
Still, Gladys had a vivid imagination, and she apparently saw things that weren't there sometimes. That was the problem. Her niece could definitely use that to have her deemed unfit to care for herself so that she could take control of the money.
Bennett had offered to come with them, but Danielle didn't want it to appear that she was spending a lot of her free time with her boss. The whole thing was making her more uncomfortable, but that was probably because she felt an attraction to him. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, it was there, it was real, and it was overwhelming at times.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies," the doctor said as he walked into the office. He set a file on the desk, turned on his iPad, and then sat down in the chair across from them.
So far, Danielle had found Dr. Lambert to be highly qualified, professional, and very kind. Even when Gladys explained the aliens to him, he sat there with a straight face like nothing strange was going on.
"No problem. We don't have anything else to do," Gladys said offhandedly. Danielle thought about all the appointments she had canceled that day just to be with Gladys for these tests. She definitely had things to do, but Gladys was always at the top of her list.
"Well, let's start with your MRI. Everything was normal. I saw nothing out of the ordinary for someone your age."
"That's wonderful to hear. Isn't it, Gladys?"
"I kind of feel like he might have just called me old," she said, squinting her eyes at him.
Dr. Lambert chuckled. "Not intended that way,
Gladys. So the other brain imaging scans we did showed over activity in certain parts of the brain related to creativity and anxiety."
"What does that mean?" Gladys asked.
"Well, it seems like your brain is fighting itself sometimes. You are extremely creative, but the anxiety centers in your brain are also trying to be the star of the show, so to speak. So I think you're getting your wires crossed when you get anxious, and you get these overly creative visions in your head."
"So I am crazy?"
"No, certainly not. When I looked at the medication interactions, it seems very clear to me that this could be caused by those medications. So what I'd like to do is take you off of these two medications," he said, pointing to his notes as he slid them across the desk. "We have some better options that will not result in these kinds of interactions and symptoms. We will give those a try for a couple of weeks and see how you do."
"So you feel like this might be reversible?" Danielle asked.
"I feel very confident that it is reversible. So you might not see your beloved aliens much longer, Gladys," he said with a wink.
"Oh, that's good. You know, they're quite ugly."
"I'll have my nurse write out the prescriptions for you. For now, completely cease those two medications. You can start the new thyroid medication today. Definitely don't take any more of the sleep medication."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Lambert. This gives us a lot of hope that Gladys' life is about to get better."
He smiled and walked out of the room. Gladys looked at Danielle and grinned.
"So does this mean that my niece isn't going to make me move?"
"If we can get you feeling better, there's not a lot she's going to be able to do because you are completely in your right mind. In fact, I bet the doctor will write us a letter to that fact."
Gladys hugged her tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much for helping me."
“So, it looks like Gladys might get a new lease on life?" Bennett asked as he took another bite of his shrimp.
After Gladys' doctor appointment, Bennett had called and asked if Danielle might want to meet for dinner at a restaurant in Seagrove. It sat right on the water overlooking the marsh, with plenty of outdoor dining. She sent Gladys back across to the island with Jeremy, and then Bennett met her a little later.
"I think so. The doctor sounded really hopeful."
"That's amazing. You've really made a big difference in her life, Danielle. I'm proud of you."
Something about that struck her. Very few people in her life had ever really been proud of her, and it warmed her heart to hear him say it.
"I hope it all works out. Gladys is a wonderful person. She tells it like it is," she said, laughing before taking a bite of her grilled chicken. Danielle wasn't a big fan of seafood.
"So, when are we going to plan the date for Berta and Edwin?"
She smiled. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about that. I was thinking maybe tomorrow night?"
"Okay. I'll have Naomi pick up the groceries that we need and take them to my house. If you want to come over after work, we can start setting everything up and then get the two lovebirds together."
Danielle rubbed her hands together. "This is going to be so fun!"
At that moment, she realized just how much her personality had changed since she had come to Wisteria Island. When she worked at the hospital, she was a much more serious person. Never would she have thought about fixing two people up on a date. She was far too busy just trying to keep her head above water.
With a relationship that was faltering, and a job that had her working at least sixty hours a week, she hadn’t had much time for joy. Wisteria Island allowed her to have a little joy each day.
"You have a pretty smile," he said softly. Then, his face fell a bit.
"Thank you."
"I don't know why I keep saying things like that. I'm really sorry."
Danielle started laughing. "Are you scared I'm going to take you to court or something?"
"This is hard."
"What's hard?"
He sighed and put down his fork. "I'm not going to lie. I am attracted to you, Danielle."
Her heart rate quickened. "Oh."
"And I know it's not okay because I'm your boss, and I'm coming from this level of power over you as an employee…"
"Bennett, I'm not being held hostage or anything."
"I know. I just don't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable."
"I appreciate that. I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to you as well."
"Really?"
"But…"
"I figured there was going to be a but."
"I just got out of a really rough relationship that messed me up. I'm just getting on my feet again, so I don't think it's a good time to…"
He held up his hand. “Say no more. I get it. I do. That's not why I wanted to have dinner. I just enjoy your company."
She smiled and nodded her head. "I feel the same way."
As they finished eating dinner, chatting about this and that, Danielle wondered if she was making a huge mistake not pursuing something with Bennett. Maybe he was her soulmate, even though she didn't believe in that sort of thing. There was a part of her that felt like there was a lock on her heart and somehow he had the key. It sounded cheesy, even when she thought about it, but it sure felt true.
Bennett unfolded the large red and white checkered picnic blanket. "What about this?"
Danielle stared at him. "Do you really think Berta is going to get down on the ground and back up again? You know she has a bad knee!"
He nodded. "You're right. I totally forgot. I think I have a little folding table in my storage closet. Let me go check," he said, walking to the other side of the cottage.
"I'm going to step out onto the deck and get some fresh air."
Danielle had been at his house cooking all morning. So far, she had made fettuccine Alfredo, side salads and sweet tea. Now she was starving and had no dinner plans. Maybe she’d go home and make a sandwich.
As she stared out at the ocean, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. It was hard to imagine living somewhere that didn’t have that view. How had she lived so many years staring out her window at a sea of high-rise buildings and shopping centers?
“How about this?”
She turned around to see Bennett standing there with a table in one hand and two folding chairs draped over his other arm.
“Perfect!”
“They should be here soon. We’d better finish getting everything set up.”
They had to work quickly, and just as Edwin arrived, Bennett put the last fork on the table. Danielle was pretty proud of what they’d done. There was the table, outfitted with the picnic blanket as a tablecloth, white plates, wine glasses, and two tiki torches lit beside the table.
“What’s all this?” Edwin asked as he walked onto the beach.
“I told you I was inviting you to dinner,” Bennett said.
Edwin walked over and looked at the table, his hands on his hips. “With candles?”
Bennett laughed. “I might have lied a bit.”
“What?”
“You see, Edwin, we heard that someone likes you and has been afraid to tell you.”
“Who?”
“Berta.”
He sucked in a breath and thought for a moment. “Berta? Really?”
“She’s got a bit of a crush. So, we invited her to dinner, and we were hoping you two might hit it off,” Danielle said.
“She is a pretty lady…”
“So you’ll have dinner with her?”
“You know, I haven’t been on a date since before I married my wife, God rest her soul. She died three years ago, and we were married for forty-one years. I’m not sure I know how to do this.”
Bennett put his hand on Edwin’s shoulder. “It’s like riding a bike.”
“Here she comes,” Danielle whispered when she saw Berta walk over the dunes.
&
nbsp; “What’s going on?” Berta asked nervously.
“Well, I… I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me?” Edwin said.
Bennett and Danielle stepped back a bit to let them have their moment.
“Really?”
“Sure. What do you say?”
She beamed. “That sounds nice, Edwin. Thank you.”
He pulled out her chair before sitting down himself. Danielle had never seen anything so cute in her life.
“We’ll start bringing your food out shortly,” Bennett said as they quickly made their way into the house.
“Oh, my gosh! Was that not the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen?” Danielle gushed after making sure Bennett had firmly closed the back door.
He laughed. “I have to say it was pretty cute.”
“We did it!” Danielle said, hugging him without thinking. Once she had her arms around his shoulders, his arms slid around her waist. Then time stood still. Neither of them moved. It was the best hug, if not the most awkward, she’d ever had. “Sorry,” she said, pulling away.
“I’m not,” he said softly.
“We’d better get this food out there.”
“Right.”
For the next half hour, they served the food, overhearing Edwin and Berta’s conversation. They talked about growing up, their marriages, their kids and their grandkids.
Turned out, Edwin’s grandson was a fairly famous Hollywood actor, and Berta used to do modeling in her teenage years. Danielle was learning a lot about them, but it was also a great way of distracting herself after hugging Bennett.
“Here’s dessert. I hope you like peach cobbler,” Bennett said, setting their plates down.
“My favorite,” Edwin said.
“Mine too,” Berta replied, looking at Edwin. Yeah, this was a definite love connection.
“Do you need anything else?” Danielle asked.
Edwin cleared his throat. “I don’t want to be rude because you two have done so much, but can we be left alone now?”
Danielle stifled a laugh.
“Of course. You two crazy kids behave yourselves,” Bennett said, laughing. “Care to take a walk?”