I finally opened the curtain, then took nail clippers out of the backpack and started trimming her nails, though they really didn’t need it. One of the staff must have recently clipped them, but even the slivers I was able to gather were sufficient for what I needed. Mr. Roommate came back during that process and gave me an approving smile. I gave a small smile and nod back, and hid the fact that I was saving all the nail clippings in another small envelope.
I had just stuffed the little envelope with the clippings into my backpack when a young, slender redhead in a nurse’s smock bustled in. She gave Mr. Roommate a smile that could only be described as perky, but when her gaze shifted to me she blinked in what was obviously surprise.
“Oh, hi! I don’t think I know you,” she said with a bright smile. “Are you family?”
“I’m her niece,” I said, prepared to be defensive about how seldom I visited. “I’m Kara Gillian.”
“Oh, of course!” she chirped. “You’re the one listed on her chart.” As if to prove her point, she picked up the chart from the end of the bed, eyes flicking over it. “Well, Miss Kara, I’m Melanie.” She grinned and proudly pointed to the name badge pinned on her chest. It made me wonder if she sometimes forgot her name and had to look down and check. “And you can be assured that I’m doing everything I can to make sure that Miss Tessa is as comfy as she can possibly be!”
“I … uh, appreciate that,” I replied, feeling almost cowed by her exuberance.
“Well, I used to go to Miss Tessa’s store for lunch darn near every day,” she continued. “She would always put extra sprouts on my turkey sandwich, just the way I liked it, and never ever charged me a single dime extra. So I feel like it’s fate that she’s here for me to take care of now!” Melanie beamed at me while I struggled to think of some sort of coherent response. Behind her, I could see Mr. Roommate hiding a broad grin behind his hand. I gave him a despairing look, but he merely gave me a helpless shrug as if to say, She’s a nut, but she’s harmless.
I suppressed a sigh. “Well, Melanie, I’m sure she’s much happier knowing that she’s in such caring hands.”
Her smile grew even wider, if that was possible. “Oh, thank you for saying that! And I sure am glad to see y’all coming in. Maybe it’s my imagination, but she sure seems perkier after each visit.”
I blinked. “Wait. Is someone else visiting besides me?”
“Sure is! There’s a man who’s been stopping by late in the evenings. I figured it must be another family member, since visitors are restricted to immediate family only at that hour.”
What the fuck? “Can you describe him?”
She bit her lip. “Wow. Um … well, he’s older than me. And he’s kinda tall, I guess.” She shook her head and gave me a bewildered look. “I’m sorry. I tried to talk to him and introduce myself, but he just kinda looked at me and didn’t say much. I assumed it was her husband or brother or something.”
“She doesn’t have either,” I said with a frown.
Melanie’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, no. He must have lied about being family!” Then her face brightened. “Maybe it’s a boyfriend, and he lied so that he could be near her! Y’know, out of love. And he was so subdued and quiet and eerie and all because he was so sad she was here.” She put her hand on her chest and gave a tragic sigh.
I stared at her as Mr. Roommate was overcome with an inexplicable coughing fit that sounded suspiciously like laughter. There was a part of me that wanted to shake her and demand to know how anyone could be that na?ve, but a slightly more rational part of me pointed out that there was a dearth of innocent exuberance in the world, so physical violence probably wasn’t the best option here.
I cleared my throat. “Melanie. Is there anything at all that you can tell me about this other visitor? Can you describe him?”
She chewed her lower lip. “Hmm … he was tall, thin, super quiet. Didn’t smile. Just sat by her bed for a while, then got up and left.” She heaved another dramatic sigh. “I guess he was pining for her. The poor thing.”
I could feel a headache forming between my eyes. “Hair? Eyes? Anything?”
She gave a firm nod. “Yes, he definitely had hair. And his eyes were kinda light. I think maybe they were green. Or blue. Or they mighta been like a light hazel.” She beamed at me, clearly thrilled to have been such help.
I couldn’t make my mouth form words at first. “Your powers of recall are … amazing,” I finally managed.
She actually gave a small squeal of delight. “Oh! I’m so glad I could help!” She hung the chart back on the end of Tessa’s bed. “Well, let me get back to my rounds. Nice to meet you!” And with that she bustled right on out the door.
I stared after her for several seconds, then turned to look at Mr. Roommate, who had tears of laughter running down his face.
“Oh, God,” he gasped. “I’m sorry I laughed. But isn’t she a complete goofball?”
I grinned despite myself. “Hard to believe she’s for real. So, have you seen this mystery visitor?”
He shook his head as he wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t stay too late, so whoever it is, he must come in after I’ve gone. But maybe you can look for a name on the sign-in log at the front desk?”