Sumter Point

by K. G. MacGregor

  Joel and Dwayne seemed to have a healthy relationship, but they were older than most of her friends, and theirs was the exception rather than the rule. From what she saw around her, the norm for relationships was more along the lines of what Beth had described with Shelby Russell. Two people hooked up. Then one turned into a gigantic human asshole and shit all over the other one. Where was the appeal in that?

  “Wake up, Tinkerbell. You’re home.”

  Dennis opened his eyes and looked about to get his bearings.

  “Already?”

  “I’ve been driving around all night, dickhead. You have to be at work in two hours.”

  “Don’t fuck with me, Audie. You know how I am when I’m fucked up.”

  “It’s a quarter after one. If you go straight to bed, you might be conscious by seven thirty.”

  Dennis groaned and got out of the SUV. “Do you have anything to eat?”

  “You’re not really hungry. It’s your brain playing a trick on your mouth. Just go to bed.”

  He nodded and shut the door. Audie waited at the curb until he disappeared through the door of his first-floor apartment. She had planned on smoking a joint once she got home, but she wouldn’t need it tonight. Not that she ever really needed it. It was just a nice way to relax. But tonight, she was too tired to truly appreciate it.

  And that stuff was too good to waste by falling asleep.

  Chapter 8

  Audie crammed the last half of the powdered donut into her mouth and wiped her hand on her shirt, leaving a smudge of confectioners’ sugar on her chest. Ever since Beth’s comment about her Grammaw thinking she was skinny, she had been trying to eat better… or at least eat more. It was paying off, she thought. Her ribs were no longer visible, which was good. But she was getting a slight pooch in her stomach, which was bad.

  If she were honest with herself, the real reason for the recent weight gain was the late-night munchies she got from smoking pot before bed. She was doing more of that now that Grammaw wasn’t at home. If she didn’t get a grip on it soon, she would be as big as a house.

  With that in mind, she folded the top of the bag over to take the remaining donuts in to a certain nurse. Beth looked fit and healthy, so she could probably burn those extra calories off in no time. Audie had noticed the other day at the river that the muscles in Beth’s legs and shoulders were well-defined, almost like an athlete’s. Her own legs had long since lost the muscle tone she had when she played basketball. The only real exercise she got these days was through her work activities or playing Frisbee with Buster.

  Audie smiled as she entered the building and heard a chorus of staffers down the hallway singing “Happy Birthday” to one of the residents in the sunroom. She continued in the other direction to her Grammaw’s room.

  “Sounds like you’re missing somebody’s birthday party down in the—”

  She stopped short, her knees nearly buckling at the sight of the oxygen tank and hose that looped around her grandmother’s head and into her nostrils.

  “What is this? What’s wrong?”

  Beth rushed through the door. “I just saw your car. I tried to catch you—”

  “What the hell is all this?”

  “Audrey!” Violet gasped harshly.

  “It’s just to help her breathe,” Beth explained calmly. “Dr. Hill came by this morning and checked her out. He believes she has a mild bronchial infection. He gave her a shot and prescribed antibiotics.”

  “But it’s serious enough that she needs oxygen?”

  “He just thought it would help her feel better.”

  Audie started to relax. “So she’s okay… except for a little infection?”

  “That’s right.” Beth started to back away. “Can I see you out here in the hall for a minute?”

  “Sure.” Audie followed her and leaned against the wall.

  “I just wanted to tell you I was sorry for not talking to you sooner. We had so much going on here yesterday that you were gone before I knew it.”

  “Yesterday?” Audie could feel a swell of anger inside, but she tried to maintain her cool. “This happened yesterday and I’m just now finding out?”

  Beth nodded casually, not grasping the seriousness of Audie’s reaction. “It was reported on the overnight shift, and I had Francine put in a call to Dr. Hill yesterday afternoon.”

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this! What the fuck were you thinking?”

  “Audie, we had it under control.”

  “I don’t give a shit what you had under control! You should have at least told me. I’m her only family, for God’s sake.” Audie could see the resentment building on Beth’s face, but she didn’t care. Beth had promised to take care of Grammaw and to keep her informed every step of the way. “What if something had happened?”

  “There was a problem and we took care of it.” Beth’s voice was like jagged ice. “The reason you were not informed was because we had an emergency yesterday while you were here. One of our patients went into cardiac arrest and that usually takes precedence over family updates.”

  Audie started to interrupt but Beth held up her hand and continued in a clipped tone.

  “I tried to call you at work yesterday but you were busy. I did not leave a message because I thought it was something we should talk about directly. Then I called you at home last evening, both before and after my class, and you did not answer. The best I could do under the circumstances was talk to you this morning.”

  No explanation was good enough for Audie as she imagined the possibilities of what might have happened. “I have a right to be informed about things. You’re the ones that made me sign the goddamned power of attorney. I’m supposed to make the important decisions, not you.”

  “Should we have held off on calling the doctor until we got your official permission, or can you trust us to do our jobs?”

  “If this is how you do your jobs, maybe Grammaw needs to be somewhere else.”

  “If you aren’t satisfied with our care, then perhaps you should look into other arrangements.”

  Audie posed defiantly with her hands on hips as Beth spun and walked away.

  “Come here.” The raspy voice was her Grammaw’s.

  She returned to the room and knelt next to her grandmother, inspecting the workings of the tank and the tube. “I can’t believe they didn’t tell me about this.”

  “Audie, I’m ashamed of you. You weren’t raised to speak to people like that.”

  “I’m sorry, Grammaw. It’s just that sometimes you have to use rough language to get people’s attention. They had no right to—”

  “Be quiet and listen.” She looked directly into Audie’s eyes as she spoke. “I will not stand for you to talk to Beth that way, especially on my behalf. She treats me with care and respect and she deserves to be treated that way by you.”

  In her twenty-two years with her Grammaw, Audie had learned when it was best not to open her mouth. This was one of those times.

  “I will not consent to be moved to another place, and if I ever hear you say that again, I’ll tear up that power of attorney and sign it over to Clara Cummings. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I’m through talking to you today. Go on home, and don’t come back until you’ve apologized to Beth.”

  Audie stormed out, her face burning with both anger and humiliation. She couldn’t believe her grandmother was actually taking Beth’s side. She was just trying to stay on top of things so something bad wouldn’t happen like it had to Grampaw.

  Beth helped Mr. Wortman from his wheelchair to the bath chair and secured him with the straps. When he was in position, she pressed the controls to submerge him into a whirlpool tub.

  “Does the water feel good, Mr. Wortman?”

  The elderly man was non-verbal, but nodded his head without making eye contact.

  Satisfied he was comfortable, she busied herself with folding a basket of towels fresh from the dryer. I
t was mindless, allowing her too much time to dwell on her confrontation with Audie.

  Beth had expected Audie to be upset, but nothing had prepared her for the vicious outburst. Clearly, she was mistaken to have assumed their budding friendship had earned her a modicum of trust. If Audie didn’t trust her to care for Miss Violet, she probably didn’t trust anyone. And reaching out to her to prove otherwise would only set up more unreasonable expectations.

  She felt awful.

  If Audie made good on her promise to move her grandmother, it would be even worse. Miss Violet was happy, and she was thriving here as best she could.

  Beth knew she had screwed up this time. That’s why she hadn’t been able to sleep last night. No matter how personally insulting it had been to listen to Audie’s diatribe, she needed to apologize for not following up. She also needed to get off her high horse and start behaving like the professional Hazel expected her to be. She should have gone to look for Audie as soon as the situation with Mr. Skelly had been settled. At the very least, she should have left a message at her work. That would have been better than this.

  Anything would have been better than this.

  Audie rapped her knuckles on her boss’s door. “Hey, Oscar. Is it okay if I leave early, say… in about ten minutes?” It was only three o’clock.

  Oscar dropped his pen and looked up. “You might as well. Your head hasn’t been here all day.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Something up with your Grammaw?”

  “Nothing all that serious, really. She just had a little trouble breathing.”

  “Well go on if you need to. Just make a note on your time card. And tell her I said to feel better soon, okay?”

  “I will.” She felt guilty leaving Oscar with a false impression.

  “Oscar, I…”

  “What is it?”

  “Just… I lost my temper out at the nursing home this morning and pissed off a few people, including Grammaw. The reason I need to leave early is to go make it right.”

  “Okay.”

  “And I need to take BD. I’ll see that he’s neutered and gets all his shots this week.”

  “I hope you’re not using that demon as some kind of peace offering.”

  “Yeah, actually I am.”

  “You know somebody that likes bloody scratches and bite marks?”

  Audie shrugged. “We’ll see. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll keep BD myself.”

  Beth was shocked to see the yellow Xterra parked next to her car in the lot of the nursing home. As she approached, Audie got out and came around to the back.

  “Audie, I’m sorry.”

  “No, I’m the one that’s sorry. I’m an asshole. Even my own Grammaw thinks so.”

  “You are not. You’re just worried about her and I don’t blame you.”

  “No, she’s right. I’ve been thinking about it all day.” Audie’s look was truly contrite. “The truth is, I haven’t worried about her at all since she came here. I know she’s getting the best care possible, and we owe that to you.”

  “No, it’s not just me.”

  “But you’re the one I trust. And I was way out of line with everything I said this morning. I guess I was just scared or something because I didn’t expect it.”

  Beth walked closer and put her hand on Audie’s shoulder. “I appreciate you coming back today to tell me. I’ve had an awful day thinking about it.”

  “Me too.”

  “But I have to apologize too. I should have kept trying to reach you or I should have left a message or something. You shouldn’t have had to find out about it that way. I know it must have scared you half to death.”

  “I overreacted. I guess I—”

  “That’s enough. You’re forgiven. I hope I am.” Beth was thrilled to get a warm smile in response. “So how come you’re not still at work?”

  Audie drew a deep breath. “I had to make a delivery.”

  Beth was both surprised and intrigued when she felt Audie’s firm hand press against the center of her back to guide her around to the passenger side of the Xterra.

  “Remember that I told you I’d let you know when I got in a cat that I thought was right for you?”

  “A cat?” Beth didn’t remember actually saying yes… but she hadn’t said no either.

  Audie opened the car door and turned a blue plastic crate to the side so its contents could be seen—a small black cat with wide yellow eyes. “He was found in a dumpster behind the grocery store.”

  Beth leaned closer to peer into the crate. “This isn’t a joke, is it? You really brought me a cat.”

  “It’s not a joke. He needs somebody special to see past his wild side. There’s a sweetheart in there, I promise you.”

  Beth fingered the edge of the crate, causing the cat to hiss. “I don’t think he likes me.”

  “He’s just afraid. Give him a little time.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “We call him BD, but you can name him whatever you like.”

  “What does BD stand for?”

  Audie gave her a sheepish look. “Baby Doll?”

  “Now why don’t I believe you?” Beth peered back into the crate and started to smile. “I don’t know what you’ve gotten me into, but no way am I taking BD home by myself. You’re coming with me.”

  Audie grinned in return. “You’ve got yourself a deal. I need to stop off and pick up a litter box and some food.”

  Beth reached into her purse. “Let me give you some money.”

  “I’ll get it. With all the business I send their way, they’ll give me a discount.”

  “Do you know where Rock Creek is?”

  Audie nodded.

  “Building C. Upstairs on the left, number five.”

  “I’m thirty minutes behind you. First I have to go say hi to Grammaw… and tell her that I apologized and you’re not mad at me anymore.”

  “Tell her I did the same.”

  As promised, Audie arrived at Rock Creek thirty minutes later. She tucked the large plastic bag of cat supplies under one arm and grabbed the crate with the other. BD hissed in response to being moved.

  “Chill, BD. Your new mother’s nice. You’re going to end up fat and lazy, and probably sleeping in her bed. You could do a lot worse.”

  As she climbed the stairs, she heard the door above her open.

  “Are you ready for your new baby?” she asked.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Beth led her into the condo and closed the door behind her.

  Audie glanced around at the décor and a single word popped into her head: neat. Everything was in perfect order all through the kitchen, the dining area, the living room, even the porch, which she could see through the sliding glass door. She would have said comfortable, but it looked almost as though no one lived here.

  “This is nice.”

  “Thank you. I’ve had it for a couple of years.”

  Her guy friends would replace the beige walls and carpets with vibrant colors, and toss out the traditional upholstered furniture for something made of modular cubes. None of it mattered to Audie. A sofa was to sit on, not to look at.

  “Okay, where do you want his litter box?”

  “In the guest bathroom, I suppose. I hate to subject my company to it, but I’d hate it worse in the master bath.”

  “Good thinking.” She clipped the plastic parts together and handed it to Beth. “Put it where you want it and I’ll fill it up.”

  When they were finished, they returned to the living room, where BD cowered in his crate.

  “The first thing we should do is feed him so he associates being here with something he likes.” She opened a small can and put it in the plastic bowl she had bought. “And his dining room will be where?”

  “The kitchen floor.”

  “Ah, the best table in the house.” She set the bowl down and started for the crate. “You ready to meet your new baby?” All along, she had noticed Beth sneaking peeks at BD.

&
nbsp; Audie opened the crate and reached inside to pull the cat out.

  She held him close to her chest and stroked his neck as she talked softly. “He might feel more secure in the crate for a while, so don’t be worried if he runs back inside. You can set it next to your bed if you want him to get used to being with you.”

  Beth reached out to gently scratch BD beneath his chin. “Is that purring I hear?”

  “Barely.”

  “He’s adorable. Do you think he’ll let me hold him?”

  “It’s going to take him a little while, but I know he’ll come around.” She set him on the floor between them and rested a hand lightly on his back to keep him from running off. BD trembled, his eyes wide with fright.

  Beth began to stroke his head. He was perfectly still, but Audie could see that he was far from relaxed. Suddenly he swiped at Beth’s fingers.

  “Ow! He scratched me.”

  Audie took Beth’s hand in hers and turned it over, inspecting it for blood. “He didn’t break the skin. That means he likes you.”

  Still holding Beth’s hand, she used it to stroke BD softly. “You can’t let him reject you. Stay after him and he’ll eventually give in. He just needs to be sure you won’t hurt him.”

  “How old is he?”

  “About eight months, I think. His teeth are clean.” Audie was growing self-conscious about having her hand on Beth’s while they both petted the cat but she liked the way it felt. “By the way, he needs to be neutered and get his shots this week, so if you want, I’ll take him to the vet for you.”

  “Will he have to stay?”

  “No, but he won’t be very happy when he comes home.”

  “He doesn’t seem very happy now.”

  “He will be. I promise. I wouldn’t have brought him for you if I thought he wouldn’t like you. And I know you’re going to fall in love with him.”

  “Poor thing. I bet he really is a sweetheart.”

  “When he starts to trust you, you won’t be able to get away from him. He’ll be in your lap whenever you sit down, sprawled in the middle of your Sunday paper, and probably asleep on your pillow.”