The Sibling

by Diane Moody

  “No, not specifically. When I gathered them to bring to you, I didn’t have time to look at them. Plus, she’s always been very private about that sort of thing.”

  “Then you may not know that one of her prescriptions is for an antidepressant known as Nardil. By itself, that is not a problem. But in that same bottle labeled for Nardil, were found some pills that looked similar to the antidepressant—same color and shape—but were instead an opioid known as Demerol. It’s a quite significant pain reliever that can be highly addictive. But according to her medical records, we found no such prescription. And we’ll talk about that in a moment.

  “But, as I’m sure you know, there are strict protocols in place to prevent what we call drug-to-drug interactions. Or a combination of drugs that can result in a laundry list of bad side effects—in some cases, even fatal. In your mother’s case, the combination of taking these two medications—Nardil and Demerol—have presented primarily in an altered mental status. The fact that she had good days and bad days makes me think she took them randomly—one on one day, the other the next, not knowing which was which if she simply shook one of the pills out of the bottle.”

  “I can’t imagine why she’d have those mixed like that,” she said. “Especially if she wasn’t prescribed the Demerol.”

  “Which leads to my next question. Is there anyone else in the home who might have had a prescription for Demerol? I’m assuming it’s not yours?”

  “No. But …”

  She turned to Peyton, the thought compressing the air in her lungs. “Dad … he had chronic back pain from all those years in the cockpit on international flights.”

  Dr. Stanton leaned back. “I had a hunch it might have been one of your father’s prescriptions. I understand he died a couple of weeks ago. Do you know of any reason your mother would have taken his medicine? Has she ever been careless with that sort of thing?”

  She shook her head, the implications darting a dizzying pattern in her mind. “No. I have no idea.”

  “All right. Then, unless you have any other questions, I’d like to have Faye join us so we can work through this together.”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll bring her in,” Geoffrey said as he left the room.

  “Are you okay?” Peyton asked quietly.

  “I … I’m not sure. My father would never …”

  Dr. Stanton leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. “Miss Evans, don’t jump to any conclusions. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for all this. I’m just thankful we found no evidence of dementia. As you’ll see, I think she’s going to be just fine.”

  As the door opened again and Faye entered the room, Aubrey was on her feet and wrapping her arms around her mother.

  “Oh Aubrey, I’m so glad you’re here! Isn’t it wonderful? I’m all right,” she said, stepping back. “Can you tell? I feel so much better since you and Peyton brought me here.”

  Aubrey couldn’t believe the transformation. “Mom, you look wonderful! I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  Peyton stood and gave her a side hug. “How are you, Faye?”

  “Peyton, I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

  “How’s that for a quick recovery?” Dr. Stanton said, pulling out a chair for her as the others took their seats.

  “Isn’t this the nicest place? Everyone here is so lovely, and they’ve treated me like royalty.” She patted Geoffrey’s hand. “Pastor, Geoffrey tells me you and he are friends. I told him that anyone who knows you is your friend, and how much we all love you.”

  “Yes, we go way back,” Peyton answered.

  “All right,” Dr. Stanton said, “Let’s get right to it. Faye, I’ve had a brief visit with your daughter and pastor about our findings, and I’d like to share those with you now.”

  “Of course,” she said, Aubrey’s hand in hers.

  He repeated what he’d said moments ago. But as soon as he mentioned her antidepressant, Faye turned to Aubrey.

  “Oh honey, I hate for you to find out like this that I’ve been struggling with depression.”

  “It’s all right, Mom. It’s a lot more common than you may think.”

  “I know, but you see, back when your father uprooted me from Memphis and all my friends and my clubs, I was so terribly unhappy. They had been my life for all those years he flew around the world. I couldn’t believe he would do something like that—buy the store here and our house without telling me. He thought I’d be so excited. Of course, I don’t fault him anymore. I know he was looking out for my best interest by detaching me from some quite unhealthy friendships. In the long run, I’m so very glad he brought us here. I love Braxton. I truly do. But it took me a long time to have that change of heart. I felt so weak at the time. I was so ashamed to go on those pills, but after a while, I could tell how much they helped.”

  “And that’s a good thing, Mom. Now let’s have Dr. Stanton explain what happened.”

  Faye listened as the doctor described the discovery of the drug-to-drug interaction and its resulting disorientation to her mental faculties. “Mrs. Evans, the pain medicine we found in your system is called Demerol, yet we have no record of a prescription for that particular opioid in your records.”

  A hushed gasp fell from her lips. “Oh dear Lord …”

  “Mom? What is it?”

  Faye closed her eyes and shook her head slowly back and forth. “I know what happened. It was … I think it was a couple of weeks, maybe three before Jed died? I was already in bed reading one night when he came in to take a shower. Afterward, once he put on his pajamas, he always took his pills before bed. I heard quite a clatter and asked what happened. He opened the door from the bathroom and said he’d accidentally knocked down the shelf in our medicine cabinet. It had always been a little wonky, not set quite right, but just one of those things you never think to fix.

  “All our pill bottles came crashing down into the sink and onto the counter. I got up to help him, but he insisted he’d take care of it. But …” she paused, closing her eyes for a moment. “I’ve always had a bad habit of not quite twisting the caps back on my pill bottles. I have a little arthritis in my hands, and it was just easier to leave them loose.”

  “And Dad, not noticing the difference in the pills, inadvertently mixed them up before he put them back on the shelf?” Aubrey asked quietly.

  “Yes,” Faye whispered.

  Suddenly, Aubrey turned toward Dr. Stanton. “We didn’t have an autopsy on Dad after he died. Is it possible he could have … you said it could be fatal, right? Because his bottle would have had mixed pills too. Did it … is that what could have killed him?”

  A moment of silence passed before the doctor answered. “It’s possible. The combination can be lethal in certain circumstances, caused by tachycardia. An electrical signal misfires and causes the heart to beat too fast, restricting blood flow to the rest of the body. But, of course, there’s no way of knowing.”

  “Oh Jed … my dear, sweet Jed.” Faye leaned her head on Aubrey’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

  “But you heard what Dr. Stanton said—there’s no way of knowing. But either way, it wasn’t your fault, Mom.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” Dr. Stanton affirmed. “Let’s just be thankful these two brought you here in time so we could figure all this out.”

  “Yes, I don’t know what I’d do without them. To think I was off my rocker all this time and putting you through the wringer. I’m just so sorry.”

  “We’re just glad you’re back to being yourself, Faye,” Peyton said.

  Dr. Stanton answered more of their questions before signing the release for Faye to go home.

  Later, as they took the exit for Braxton, Faye announced she wanted to treat them both to lunch at Denton’s.

  “Wouldn’t you rather go home and rest a while?” Aubrey asked.

  “No, thank you very much, but I’ve had enough rest the past few days. Besides, I want my friends to know I�
�m not crazy after all.”

  “No one thought you were crazy, Faye,” Peyton said with a chuckle. “They were just concerned when you went missing.”

  “And I suppose that means you told no one about the orangutan in the ER?”

  Aubrey and Peyton laughed out loud and assured her the orangutan story remained a secret.

  “Well, be that as it may, I for one would like a cheeseburger at Denton’s.”

  “Then Denton’s it is,” Peyton said, turning onto the town square.

  Aubrey couldn’t hold back her smile as she watched her mother work the crowd at the town’s diner. She floated from table to table, telling them about the mix-up in medications, though careful to leave out any of the specific details.

  “We’re just so glad you’re all right,” Sarah Denton said, delivering their order—three cheeseburgers in Faye’s honor.

  “Mom, you probably don’t remember, but Sarah sent over lots of food while folks kept vigil with us when you were missing.”

  “Hey, that’s what we do in Braxton,” Sarah said, leaning over to give Faye a hug. “We take care of our own.”

  “That we do,” Faye added. “And that’s why I love this little town with all my heart.”

  Chapter 34

  On Friday morning, Aubrey was dressed and ready to go before seven-thirty. She’d been surprised by Peyton’s invitation for an early drive for breakfast in light of everything else going on. But she’d eagerly accepted, grateful for a breath of fresh air after the exhausting week.

  Her mother continued to improve, the sparkle in her eyes reflecting the lights coming back on in her spirit. She even agreed to keep the shop closed for another week as she recovered. Still, Aubrey hesitated to leave her alone for several hours, so she asked Faye’s friends Kitty and Sheila to keep her company. Faye was still asleep when they arrived.

  “I can’t thank you enough for coming over again.”

  “No bother, Aubrey,” Sheila said. “You and the pastor go have a lovely time together, and don’t you worry about a thing.”

  “How sweet of him to ask you out,” Kitty added, her smile a little too cheerful.

  “Yes, isn’t it?” Aubrey felt her cheeks warm as she walked toward the hall tree mirror to tie the plaid scarf around her neck.

  “Please don’t hesitate to call me if anything comes up,” she called out as she slipped on her black quilted vest. “You’ve got my cell phone number, right?”

  “Yes, but we’ll be fine.”

  When she spotted Peyton’s car rolling to a stop out front, she said her goodbyes and hurried out to meet him.

  “Good morning,” he said, stepping out of his car dressed in faded jeans and a navy sweater. “I would have come to the door, you know.”

  She twisted her smile to one side as he opened the car door for her. “Less of an audience out here if you catch my drift.”

  Naturally, he glanced over his shoulder and noticed the two ladies standing at the front window, their smiles beaming. He returned their wave as he closed the door and walked casually back to the driver’s seat.

  “Yeah, they’ll be on the hotline before we get to the end of the street.”

  Aubrey groaned as she buckled her seatbelt. “Am I supposed to believe you’ve never had a date since you came to Braxton?”

  “Well, actually …” His shoulders rose in an awkward shrug. “You might be the first person I’ve gone out with since I moved here.”

  “Might?”

  “Okay. Yes, you’re the first date I’ve had here.”

  She stared at him with a grin. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or very, very afraid.”

  “Why would you be afraid?”

  “What did you call it? The Sugarland Express?”

  “Oh, right.”

  “Not to change the subject—”

  “Please do.”

  “—but where are we going?”

  “I thought we’d just take a drive and see where we end up.”

  “Really?”

  “No. I’m taking you to breakfast in Leiper’s Fork.”

  “Is that some kind of restaurant?”

  Peyton snorted. “Good one, but no. That reminds me of an idea I once had. A great name for a restaurant—The Slotted Spoon. What do you think?”

  “I think you should keep your day job.”

  He laughed. “Probably.”

  “So, what is Leiper’s Fork?”

  “The better question is, where is Leiper’s Fork. You’ll just have to wait and see.

  “Are you always like this?”

  “Like what?”

  “Happy. Upbeat. Maybe a tad silly.”

  “Sadly, no. You’re just lucky this is one of my happy-upbeat-a-tad-silly days. You’ve seen enough of my other side. But how are you? How is Faye?”

  Aubrey leaned her head back on the headrest. “So much better. I honestly cannot believe the difference. She’s herself again. She’s relaxed and … well, I think she’s even at peace. We had such a good conversation last night. She told me about the last couple of months with Dad before he died and some of the fun things they did together.”

  “Like what?”

  “They took one of the cooking classes at Braxton House. The Art of Italian Cooking. She said Dad had such a good time, trying his hand at making some of the dishes he’d learned to love whenever he had layovers in Italy. She said one of his favorites was the rosemary focaccia. Apparently there are still some loaves in the freezer, he made so many. They were also learning Italian together and planning a trip there after the first of the year. She’d never wanted to travel before, but he’d finally convinced her. They were to spend a whole month there in a small village in Tuscany. I think it’s the same place Gevin and Emily went for their honeymoon.”

  “That’s so sad that he died before he could take her.”

  “I know.”

  “A good lesson for all of us. We think we have all the time in the world to do the fun things.”

  She glanced at him, stealing a subtle peek from behind her sunglasses. The morning sun highlighted his chestnut hair and Saturday stubble, a more casual look she found exceptionally appealing. When he suddenly turned his baby blues at her, she resisted the urge to pretend she wasn’t staring by returning his boyish smile.

  “It’s nice to see you happy, Aubrey. The relief after the past couple of weeks is written all over you. It suits you, by the way.”

  She inhaled, widening her smile and soaking in the moment. “It’s nice to feel happy again. And thank you for today.”

  A few miles later, they took the Leiper’s Fork exit which wound through farmland and homesteads and some rather grand estates before entering the quaintest little town Aubrey had ever seen.

  After a hearty breakfast at Country Boy’s Restaurant, they strolled the eclectic gift shops, picked up a few small treasures, and joined others in the Adirondack chairs around a fragrant fire pit alongside the David Arms Studio. While Peyton chatted with some tourists, Aubrey savored the scent of wood burning as bluegrass played from speakers hidden in the tree limbs above. Guitars, mandolins, and banjos plucked a hauntingly beautiful tune as Aubrey watched the smoke and embers drift and disappear in the crisp and clear blue sky above the tree branches. She closed her eyes and couldn’t help wondering if this tiny dot on the map didn’t possess secrets of a life less stressed. She found it absolutely intoxicating.

  Reluctant to leave, they finally headed back to Peyton’s car and made their way along Highway 96. A few miles later, Aubrey stared at the yawning spans of a concrete bridge high above the ground.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s the Natchez Trace Parkway.”

  “It’s massive.”

  “Wait until you see the view from up there.”

  He turned left then slowly made the curve onto the parkway. “Not bad, eh?”

  A breathtaking landscape rolled out beneath them on both sides of the grand bridge. A handful of stately homes a
nd ranches appeared here and there, tucked against the forested palette of autumn colors.

  “Oh Peyton, it’s stunning. Can you slow down?”

  “We’ll park in the area just ahead then walk the bridge.”

  “Walk it?” A pinprick of angst pierced her heart. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

  “Hey, you handled the Braxton water tower. This will be a cakewalk in comparison. You’ll see.”

  Moments later they parked the car and headed toward the bridge.

  “Come on, Brooklyn,” he said, taking her hand in his. “You’ve probably walked the Brooklyn Bridge a hundred times. What’s to fear of this little ol’ Tennessee bridge?”

  She said nothing as they continued on the bridge’s walking path that stretched over the valley below.

  “Not too scary, is it?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Not as long as you hold onto me.”

  Aubrey winced as the needy words fell from her mouth as if by their own volition. He slowed his pace and glanced sideways at her with a smile that deepened his dimples.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he answered softly, squeezing her hand.

  When they reached the center of the bridge, they stopped to admire the majestic vistas rolled out in shades of green and orange, yellow, red, and rust. Peyton wrapped his arm around her waist.

  “Not bad for rural Tennessee, is it?”

  “Not bad at all,” she answered, her arm finding its own way along his waist.

  How natural it seemed, standing here with him. Still, a hint of warning skittered through her as feelings long kept at bay started to make themselves at home. For the first time, she realized she might be fighting a losing battle.

  Peyton lifted his arm to wrap it over her shoulders, pulling her closer still.

  “I need to tell you something, Aubrey,” he said, his tone strangely ominous as he fixed his gaze in the distance.

  She hadn’t a clue what might be on his mind, but her instincts flashed another warning. “All right,” she offered.