September 11, 2001
Chapter 7
Early in the evening the hospital administrator met with the heads of all the departments to discuss the need to continue with the disaster plan. Although there had been few wounded survivors so far, and the outlook for more was dim, it was decided to continue for another twenty-four hours and then reassess. The staff was asked to stay. They brought extra cots into the lounge so that the staff could stagger "nap breaks" throughout the night. Because cell phones were not working and land line phones were overloaded, few people were able to contact loved ones. The hospital administrator offered to allow the staff to take turns using a few of the computers in order to access their e-mail.
Annie knew that her grandfather and the rest of her family must be worried. She didn't know how much information the Carmel Ridge staff was allowing Frances to have, but she would be worried also. When her turn came to use the computer, she sent a message to Janey first. She was worried about how the children were reacting to what was going on. She told Janey that she would be at the hospital for at least another twenty-four hours; she had not been able to contact Bobby, but to just tell the kids that he was working and would be home as soon as he could. Her grandfather didn't have e-mail, but she sent messages to her uncle and cousins telling them that she, Bobby, and the kids were all OK and that she and Bobby were working. She sent an e-mail to Carmel Ridge with the same information. She did not mention that she had not talked to Bobby since just after the second plane hit the south tower, or that she did not know where he was.
Around 7:00 PM, Annie was just discharging a little girl who had fallen off her bike and needed sutures on her leg, when she was called to the reception desk. Janey was there with Ally, Phillip, and Andrew. All three of the children ran to her and she knelt down, put her arms around them, and held them tightly. It felt so good to hold them.
The boys were excitedly telling her about their day and the games they had played in Janey's backyard. Annie noticed that Ally was quiet and that she was watching the TV at the desk with an anxious look on her face. So Annie told the receptionist that she was taking her dinner break and would be in the cafeteria. She herded the kids away from the TV.
Annie wasn't really hungry, but she bought a salad for herself. Janey told her that the kids had already eaten dinner, so she let them pick out dessert. As they sat at a table far away from the TV that had been brought into the cafeteria, she listened to more of the boys' stories. They were too young to understand the magnitude of what was happening, and found it a treat to be able to spend the night with their best friend on a school night.
Ally was quiet as she ate her ice cream and finally she asked, "Mommy, where is Daddy?"
"He's working, Sweetheart, like I am."
"Is he in his office?"
Annie hesitated and glanced at Janey before answering. "I don't know where he is exactly. But I don't think he is in his office."
Andrew spoke up. "Daddy is looking for the bad guys", he stated confidently.
Phillip said, "Yeah, Daddy always gets the bad guys."
Annie leaned her chin on her hand and smiled at their unquestioning faith in their father. Ally seemed to accept the boys' explanation about Bobby, but then asked, "Are all those people in the waiting room hurt?"
"No, most of them are just here looking for family that they think might have gotten hurt today."
Ally thought about this and then asked, "And you're taking care of the hurt people?"
She struggled with how much to tell them about the death toll. She was always honest with her children, but she didn't know how to tell them that most of the people in those towers when they collapsed had not been hurt, but had died. She decided now was not the time. Later, when she and Bobby were together, they would talk to the kids about how serious this was.
"Yes, Ally, we are taking care of hurt people who come here. The doctors and nurses at all of the hospitals are staying all night just like we are doing here, so that we can take care of any hurt people."
That seemed to satisfy Ally and she went back to her ice cream. Annie sat and talked with the kids and with Janey for an hour, then she knew that Janey needed to get them home so she could put them and her own kids to bed. They walked back to the ER and Annie walked outside with them to say goodbye. Ally noticed the wall where family members had been hanging missing person fliers, and stopped. She stared at the fliers solemnly and silently. Annie knelt down behind Ally and put her arms around her.
"You know that your Daddy is going to do his very best to help find those people."
Ally didn't answer, but she turned and put her arms around her mother's neck and buried her face against her. After a moment, Annie kissed the top of her head and told her that they needed to go. She kissed each of one of them and told them to mind Janey (she looked emphatically at the boys when she said that), and that she hoped to be home with them tomorrow night.
Annie watched them walk away to the car. Then she turned and looked at the wall of fliers. She fought back tears as she looked at all the pictures and descriptions. Finally she turned away from the fliers and looked in through the glass doors at the people sitting quietly in the waiting room, hoping to see a loved one being brought in by ambulance. She sighed deeply and walked back in and went to work.
"I'll be back in six months—is that too soon to get married?"
She couldn't answer because he kept kissing her. Finally she pushed him away so she could catch her breath.
"Six months? I think we can do that. I just want a small, simple wedding. Is that OK with you?"
"Whatever you want. Just tell me where and when. You know, I won't be able to help you much from Korea. But, I know my mother would love to help you, i..if you want, that is."
"Your mother knows?"
He smiled uncertainly, not knowing if she would be angry that he told his mother before asking her. "Those errands I had to run with my mother yesterday? We went ring shopping. She helped me pick this out."
Again she saw his insecurity in his eyes. Only with his family was he like this. She loved strong, confident Bobby. But insecure Bobby tugged at her heart, making her want to put her arms around him and tell him everything would be OK. She took his face between her hands and kissed him.
"The ring is beautiful and I would very much like for your mother to help me plan the wedding. I know the girls will help me, but I don't have a mother and if yours will stand in, I will be honored."
They sat on the bench until late that night, kissing and planning their future. The wedding would be in November. Six months after that Bobby would leave the Army. They discussed it and it didn't make sense for Annie to quit her job for nine months in order to join him in Korea. As difficult as it would be to be separated for so long after being married, they agreed that Annie should stay in her apartment until Bobby returned to New York. Annie suggested waiting to get married until he was discharged from the Army, but Bobby was emphatic that he wanted to marry her as soon as possible.
Bobby left for Korea the next day. Annie called her grandfather to tell him the news. He was ecstatic for her and said he was happy to welcome Bobby into the family. She told her roommates next and they squealed with joy. She didn't want to bother Janey on her honeymoon, but she knew she would never forgive her if she didn't tell her right away. Janey was thrilled and more than happy for this interruption. She promised they would get together as soon as she returned so they could plan. She called Frances the next day and nearly every day after that. They had lunch together at least once a week.
The next three months flew by. Bobby tried to call at least once a week and they continued writing long letters every day. The plans came together quickly. They would be married in the small church that Grandpa had attended his entire life and the reception would be held in the banquet room of a small inn. He asked her if she wanted to wear her mother's wedding dress. After trying it on, she decided she would wear it. It would need very little alteration. She felt that by wearing the dress, she would have her parents with her on her wedding day.
For several days in a row, Annie had been calling Frances. They were planning to have lunch on Annie's next day off. But each time she called, Frances seemed distracted and some of the things she said didn't make sense. She kept talking about bugs in her apartment. Annie suggested she call the super if she was having a problem, but Frances just said that she would find them.
On the day they were to meet for lunch, Annie went to Frances' apartment. She heard yelling coming from the apartment as she came up the stairs, and then a crash. She ran to the door and knocked. There was no answer, but she could hear Frances yelling inside. Annie tried the door and it was unlocked, so she opened it and went in calling Frances' name.
She couldn't believe what she saw. The apartment looked like a tornado had hit it. Papers and books were strewn everywhere. The coffee table and one of the chairs in the living room were turned on their sides. Cabinet doors were open and the contents lying on the floor. She didn't see Frances as she walked from the living room to the kitchen, where she saw the same mess. Cupboards open, dishes and cooking utensils strewn on the counters, table, and floor.
Annie called Frances' name again. Now she heard the yelling again, louder and distinct. "I won't have bugs in my home! I won't!" It was coming from the bedroom. Annie followed the sound and found Frances pulling shoes from the closet. The dresser drawers were open, and as in the other rooms, the contents strewn on the floor. Annie stood in the doorway for a moment before speaking.
"Frances? What is going on? What are you doing?"
Frances ignored her and continued to dig through the closet, muttering to herself. Annie went over to her and gently touched her shoulder. Frances whirled around and looked at her. Annie was shocked at her appearance. Frances, who was usually so meticulous with her grooming and her clothes, looked as though she had not bathed in days. Her hair was dirty and standing up as though she had been running her hands through it. She was wearing a nightgown and bathrobe that were wrinkled and looked like she had been wearing them for days. She looked at Annie with wide eyes.
"Did you find them? I can't find them. But I hear them, I know they're here. Bobby, where's Bobby? He'll find them. He always finds them."
"Bobby's in Korea, Frances, you know that. What are you looking for? I'll help you."
Frances looked at her blankly, then said, "No, no, no, no. Bobby finds them. Frank can't ever find them, but Bobby knows where they are. Tell Bobby, just tell Bobby. He knows how much I hate bugs. He will come, he'll find them."
She went back to digging in the closet. Annie wasn't sure what to do. She went to the bathroom, which was in the same shape as the rest of the apartment. The medicine cabinet was empty, so she searched through the mess on the floor and found a bottle of medicine, an antipsychotic. She looked at the date on the bottle, the directions, and then she opened it and counted the pills. It looked as though Frances had not been taking her medication for at least two weeks. She rolled one of the pills into her hand and went to get a glass of water.
Back in the bedroom, Frances had moved from the closet and was digging through all the clothing on the floor. Annie squatted next to her and said as gently as possible, "Frances, I need you to take this pill, OK? Then I'll help you find the bugs. Please take this."
Frances looked at the pill in Annie's hand for a moment and then hit her hand, knocking the pill to the floor. "No, no, no, no, no! Get it! Get that bug! Where's Bobby? He knows how to find them! Where is he?"
Annie sighed and picked up the pill. She went to the living room. She found the phone and looked for an address book or list of phone numbers. Frances went to the kitchen. Annie could hear her rummaging through the mess on the counters and the floor, yelling about bugs. She dialed the phone number for Bobby's small studio apartment on the base, but there was no answer. She looked at her watch. It was 12:30 PM, which meant it was 1:30 in the morning in South Korea. If he wasn't home at that hour, he must not be on base. She knew that sometimes he traveled during an investigation.
Annie finally found a list of phone numbers on the floor and there was a number listed for Frank. She hoped it was a current number, since Bobby had told her Frank moved around a lot. She called the number and Frank picked up on the third ring.
"Yeah?"
"Frank?"
"Who wants to know?" He wasn't sounding very friendly.
"Frank, this is Annie Paine, Bobby's fiancée."
There was silence for a moment, and then he said, "Annie? Oh sure, Annie. How are you? Hey, Bobby told me you guys are getting married. Congratulations."
"Thank you, and I'm fine. Frank, I'm with your mother right now. It looks like she hasn't been taking her medications and she's hallucinating and tearing the place apart looking for bugs and I don't know what to do for her." She knew she was talking too fast. She paused and took a deep breath.
Frank told her, "Hey, whoa there, slow down! Just give her a pill. She'll be fine."
"I tried, but she won't take it. She thought it was a bug. I just….I don't know what to do, Frank."
"Aren't you a nurse or something? You must have something you can give her."
"Yes I am a nurse, but I don't carry drugs around with me. I only give what is prescribed by a doctor—in the hospital. I'm out of my element here. Please Frank, can you come over? I don't know what to do."
Annie hadn't heard Frances come into the living room, so it startled her when she began yelling, "No, no, no, no, no! Frank doesn't know! Bobby, I need Bobby! Where's Bobby?"
Frank told Annie, "I'd like to help, but you heard her. She wants Bobby, not me. She always wants Bobby when she gets like this."
Annie was getting frustrated with his attitude and Frances' constant yelling wasn't helping. "I know she wants Bobby. But you and I know he can't be here. Please, please come over here and help me."
"Hey, she doesn't want me there, OK? She wants her precious Bobby. It's not my fault he decided to join the Army and 'see the world' and leave me here to take care of our crazy mother. I can't do anything with her when she's like this, and she doesn't want me around. So I stay away. If Bobby cares so much, let him come back and take care of her."
Annie's temper flared. "So you can't 'handle her' when she's not worshipping you as the perfect son? When she gets difficult to handle, you just bail? How many times has Bobby sat and listened to your mother recite the litany of your accomplishments and what a perfect son you are—and yet he manages to stick around and help her when she needs it!"
Frank was yelling now. "You don't know what you're talking about! You think because you screw my brother and go to lunch with my mother that you know anything about my family? You don't know squat!"
The line went dead. Annie hung up the phone and turned to look at Frances, who was now pulling the cushions from the couch while continuing to yell. There was a loud knock at the door and she went to the small foyer. She had left the door open and there were two uniformed police officers standing there. Before she could get to the door, Frances screamed and pushed past her. She ran to the front door and tried to slam it shut. One of the officers put his hand up and kept it from shutting. Frances kept trying to close the door.
Annie tried to talk to Frances, but she wasn't listening. So Annie put her arms around Frances' waist and pulled her away from the door. Frances turned and ran back to the living room. Annie opened the door and the officers came in. They introduced themselves as Officers Randall and Johns.
Officer Randall told Annie that there had been several complaints from neighbors about yelling and crashing noises for two days. Annie led them to the living room, where Frances was standing in the middle of the room. When she saw the officers, her eyes widened with fear and matters went from bad to worse. Frances began yelling again and throwing books and other items at the police officers. Annie tried to get to her to stop her, but the officers were quicker.
They grabbed her on either side and pulled her arms behind her. Officer Johns handcuffed her wrists behind her. Frances was hysterical now, screaming incoherently and crying. Annie tried to get to her to comfort her, but Officer Johns warned her to stay out of the way as they pushed Frances towards the door. Annie was crying now as well.
"Please let go of her! She doesn't know what she's doing. She's schizophrenic and I think she's off her meds. Please! You're scaring her!"
Officer Randall told her, "You need to stand back, Ma'am. She just assaulted two police officers. We are going to take her to Bellevue for a seventy two hour hold. You can see her there once they get her admitted."
Annie watched helplessly as they half dragged Frances out of the apartment. She followed them out to the street where they put her in the back of a squad car and drove away. She was shaking as she went back to the apartment and looked around at the devastation. She wasn't sure what to do. She called Frank again and told him what had happened.
"They took her to Bellevue for seventy two hours. Frank, she's really scared. I think it would help if you would go see her."
Frank laughed bitterly. "She's spent so much time there they probably have a room with her name on it. She'll be fine. They'll have her so full of drugs pretty soon that she won't even know if I'm there or not."
"Frank, please…..", but he had already hung up. Annie sat down on the couch and put her face in her hands for several minutes. Finally she sighed and got up. She searched until she found Frances' keys, used them to lock the door as she went out, and then she headed for her car. She drove to Bellevue and asked to see Frances. But after keeping her waiting for two hours, they told her that only family would be allowed to see her until the next day.
Not knowing what else to do, Annie drove back to Frances' apartment and let herself in. She tried calling Bobby's apartment again, not really expecting him to answer. Then she called the base switchboard and left a message for him to call her as soon as possible, either at her apartment or his mother's.
She spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening trying to put the apartment back together. She was able to finish the living room and kitchen before going home for the night. She would return the next day to work on the bedroom and bathroom. Bobby didn't call that night. Back at her apartment she told Sue and Emily what had happened, and called Janey to talk to her. Janey wasn't working the next day and promised to help Annie finish cleaning Frances' apartment.
In the morning, Annie drove to Bellevue again. They let her see Frances, but she was medicated. She sat in a chair in her room, staring out the window. She barely acknowledged Annie's presence. Annie sat with her for an hour then kissed her cheek and promised to come back in the afternoon.
When she let herself into Frances' apartment, she found Frank there going through the desk. He turned when she came in and smiled.
"Hey Annie. Bobby's 'little woman'. How ya doin'?" She looked around at the living room that she had cleaned the night before. Papers from the desk were spread out haphazardly on top of the desk and on the floor. Frances' purse was empty and lying on the floor, the contents had been dumped on the sofa. She looked at Frank, saw that his pupils were dilated, and realized that he was high on something. Bobby said cocaine was his drug of choice lately and she assumed that was the culprit. He seemed friendly and happy at the moment and she didn't want to provoke him, but she was irritable from worry and lack of sleep.
"What are you doing here, Frank? If you are looking for your mother she's at Bellevue. Or did you come to help clean the apartment?"
"Hey, the apartment doesn't look so bad. I don't know what you were all upset about yesterday."
"It doesn't look bad in here because I cleaned up", she said looking pointedly at the mess Frank had made. But he seemed oblivious, so she went on. "Have you been in the bedroom or bathroom? That is how the entire apartment looked yesterday. I could use some help getting it cleaned up before your mother comes home. I'm going to take her some clothes and something to read when I go back this afternoon. Would you like to go with me?"
Frank snorted derisively. "Like she would even know I'm there. No thanks. The crazy thing just doesn't appeal to me. I'll come see her when she gets home. Well, I gotta go. Supposed to meet someone. See ya."
Frank paused at the front door and turned back to her. "Lucky Bobby, marrying a nursemaid for our crazy mother. Good deal."
Annie didn't reply, she just watched him leave. She sighed and turned back to the mess. She checked the contents of Frances' purse and wallet. There was no money in the wallet. She didn't know if it was empty before Frank came in or not. But her checkbook was there and all the checks seemed to be accounted for. As she was cleaning up the desk there was a knock at the front door. It was Janey and Annie was so happy to see her that she hugged her. She told her what had happened with Frank. Janey had no problem believing he had taken money out of his mother's purse. They finished cleaning the apartment. It went quickly with two of them working.
After putting together some clothes and books to take to Frances, they got ready to leave. They were planning to get some lunch before Annie went back to Bellevue. She considered the possibility of Frank coming back and this time possibly taking Frances' checkbook. She thought it would look bad if she kept the checkbook herself, so she took it out of the purse and found a hiding place for it in a box of pictures in the back of a closet.
When Annie arrived at Bellevue, Frances was in bed. She opened her eyes and watched as Annie showed her the clothes and books she had brought and hung the clothes in the small closet. She kept up a steady stream of chatter, telling Frances stories about the people she had seen at lunch and in the hospital. Frances didn't respond but she kept her eyes on Annie. Annie raised the head of the bed so that Frances was semi-reclining. She sat in the chair next to the bed and began to read one of the books she had brought, a book of poetry by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
She sat and read for the most of the afternoon. She made Frances get up and walk with her to the activity room, and told her more stories. She helped her back to her room and read to her until supper was brought to her. She sat with Frances and made sure she ate at least half of her food. After supper, she helped Frances to dress for bed, then sat and sang softly to her until she fell asleep.
The doctor came in once to check on Frances. He wouldn't tell Annie anything about her condition because she was not family, although he assured her that Frances was receiving the treatment she needed.
Annie got home around 9:30 that night. Although it wasn't late, she was exhausted. The drama of the day before, the sleepless night, cleaning Frances' apartment, and spending long hours with her talking and reading nonstop were taking their toll. Emily had made spaghetti for dinner and she and Sue insisted Annie eat something. Then she went to her room and lay down on her bed, too tired to change into her pajamas. The phone next to her bed rang and she picked it up.
"Annie?"
"Bobby!" She sat up on the bed. "Bobby, I'm so glad to hear your voice."
"I just got back on base and I had an urgent message to call you. What's wrong? Are you alright?"
She was so relieved to hear his voice she almost began crying right then. But she kept control as she briefly explained what had happened with his mother, and where she was.
"Oh, Annie, I'm so sorry you were caught in the middle of this. She's been doing so well….I guess I just….I thought maybe this time it would last. You shouldn't have felt like you had to handle it. I should have made sure you had Frank's phone number. I'm sorry."
"I did call Frank. When I couldn't reach you, I found his number in your mother's desk and called him. But he wouldn't come over. He said that she only wants you when she gets like that. She was asking for you. She said you knew how to find the bugs."
Bobby sighed. "Bugs. That's an old one. Its been around since I was a kid. I can't tell you how many times I've crawled around on the floor catching 'bugs'. Are you OK?"
"I'm fine. I just didn't know what to do. I tried to give her one of her pills, but she wouldn't take it. Then she started throwing things at the police officers and everything was so out of control. They took her to Bellevue on a seventy two hour hold. She's sedated, but this afternoon she was at least awake. The doctor won't tell me anything because I'm not family."
"I'll call them and see what I can find out. If they can keep her long enough to get her medication regulated she should be OK—until next time. But you don't have to worry about this. I'll call Frank and he'll take care of getting her home and settled."
"Frank?! I don't see him helping. I couldn't get him to come over yesterday, and today he refused to even go see her in the hospital. He was high when I saw him today, how is he going to take care of her?"
"Yeah, I know he doesn't like going to the hospital. We spent a lot of time when we were kids visiting her there. I'll talk to him. It'll be OK."
Her fatigue and the stress of the last two days made Annie's tone sharp. "I don't think you're getting this Bobby. Frank bit my head off yesterday. He said you joined the Army so that you wouldn't have to take care of her, that you left him to do it. He called her crazy. He yelled at me, said I didn't know anything about your family, and he hung up on me." Reliving that phone call made her angry and her voice became louder. "I'm standing in the middle of his mother's apartment that she has torn to pieces, she's totally out her mind, yelling about bugs, and he just hangs up on me!"
Bobby's voice was soft and persuasive. "Annie, I know he's got a problem with drugs. It hasn't been easy for Frank."
"Now you sound like your mother. 'Poor Frank, nothing ever goes right for him.' Maybe you and your mother need to stop making excuses for him. Why are you defending him?"
Bobby's voice was tinged with anger. "I'm not defending him and I'm not making excuses for him. I'm just saying you don't know Frank, you don't know what it was like for him, for us."
"I know a junkie when I see one! And I know what codependency looks like. He isn't going to lift a finger to help your mother because all he cares about is himself and where his next fix is coming from."
Bobby's voice was angry and harsh this time. "Stop it! Frank was right, you don't know anything about this family. He was taking care of Mom when he was just a kid, and he was taking care of me, too. Who do you think got me up and made me get ready for school when our mother was crawling around her room looking for bugs? Or when she would really go crazy and get locked up? He was the oldest and he was the one that it all got dumped on. Dad wasn't around to help, but he sure was around to yell at Frank if he got a B instead of straight A's. It wasn't easy for me, and it sure wasn't easy for Frank. Who can blame him for not wanting to come running every time she gets like this? You've seen her like this one time, Annie, one time. Do you know how many times Frank was the one to call the hospital and watch her get dragged away? You don't have any right to judge him."
Hot, angry tears were running down her face. "No right? You and Frank wouldn't even know where your mother is right now if it weren't for me. The police would have taken her away and you just wouldn't have gotten an answer when you called. And how long would it have taken Frank to figure out she wasn't home? I'm the one who was here, Bobby. I'm the one who had to stand there and watch her get handcuffed and thrown in a police car. I'm the one who spent yesterday and today cleaning her apartment. I'm the one who spent a good part of today reading to her and keeping her company."
She took a deep breath and went on, "I'm sorry Frank had such a crappy childhood, but it doesn't excuse abandoning his mother now. She is sick and she needs someone to be there for her when she gets like this. Frank needs to get over himself and take some responsibility for his own life. And you need to stop being your mother's whipping boy and stop letting your brother and your father treat you like crap!"
"Don't tell me what I need, or what my family needs. You've known them for, what? Three months? And now you're an expert on what we all need? You think that because you were able to charm my mother into liking you, now you can save our whole family. You're just going to tell us what we've been doing wrong and how to fix it, is that right?"
"Now you sound like your brother. Do you know what he said to me, Bobby? Do you want to know? He said that I think I know all about your family because I'm 'screwing' you and because I've had a few lunches with your mother. He said you joined the Army so you could stick him with taking care of your 'crazy' mother. He said you are marrying me so you will have a nursemaid for your mother. Do you know he was at her apartment today when I went to clean it? And he sure wasn't there to help clean. He made a mess going through her desk and her purse. What do you suppose he was looking for, Bobby? Her wallet was empty. Do you think it was empty when he got there?"
"Stop it! Just stop. Do you think you're telling me anything I don't know? I know my brother's an addict. I've been there. I've seen him when he's high; I've seen him when he's trying to kick it. You don't have any proof that he took anything from her wallet or her apartment. And you don't have to worry about my mother anymore. I'll call the hospital and take care of arrangements, and I'll call Frank and work things out with him."
"Fine, you 'work things out' with Frank, since you two are the experts and I don't know what I'm talking about. It's getting late here. I need to go."
Bobby's voice softened. "Annie, I didn't mean…."
"Don't. Just don't. I need to go. Goodbye."
"OK. I….OK. Goodbye."
After she hung up Annie took a long, hot shower so that her roommates wouldn't hear her crying. She didn't sleep very much for the second night in a row. She lay awake thinking about the phone call. She and Bobby had never had a fight before, only good-natured debates about art or movies. She didn't like ending the call while they were both still angry, but it was difficult to resolve things when they were thousands of miles apart. She finally fell into a restless sleep just before dawn.
End Chapter 7