Chapter 71. EVERYTHING CHANGES

Gretchen

"G'morning, Alex," I greet my baby brother. He's just waking up. Mom and Dad are

still asleep, but I've been up for ages, well, maybe forty-five minutes. I want

to record more of Alex asleep and awake with the Vidcapture I got for my last

birthday. Pictures for Mom, of course, because she still hasn't seen him and

he's changing every day.

I remember when Mom brought Dad pictures of me as a baby, and how much he liked

that. He didn't say so, of course. Dad hardly ever admits when he likes anything or even anyone.

So, I'm putting together a disk with moments from Alex's life. But right now I

put down the camera to pick him up 'cause I know he needs to be changed. He

doesn't have to cry, we just know. As I lift him, he stares at me with his blue

blue eyes and reaches out a chubby little hand, grabbing a bit of my hair. I

laugh at him. "You're too young to start pulling girls' hair."

I place him on the changing table, taking my hair out of his grasp. Once I've

changed his wet diaper, I sit with him in the rocker for a couple of minutes.

"Are you getting hungry?" I ask him, knowing he is but won't answer. "Well, I

sure am." He's getting to be almost too heavy for me to carry, but I take him

into the kitchen and buckle him into the baby seat that sits on the table.

Junior joins us, so I guess I'll have to feed them both. I take a bottle out of

the refrigerator and put it in the warmer, then fill Junior's bowls as he

watches me anxiously. Now how can I take Alex's picture while I'm feeding him

the bottle? I guess I'll have to hold the bottle in my left hand and the

Vidcapture in my right. See, I can multitask just like Mom.

"You really are hungry this morning, little brother," I tell him. He tries to

put his hands around the bottle. It seems everyday he's trying something new.

I can't imagine how many changes we'll see him go through over the next year.

Life changes for everyone, I suppose. Watching all that my friend Audra has gone

through in the past few months showed me that. Most of the changes for her came

after she moved in with Aunt Nancy.

The Monday after that, when Ruth got on the school bus and saw me sitting alone

she came over to sit with me. "Where's Audra?"

Audra wasn't always on the bus after her grandmother went into the hospital, but

now she might never go to school with me again.

"She's living with Nancy Lloyd now," I told Ruth. "Her grandmother is still in

the hospital and her grandfather can't take care of her."

"Does that mean she won't be in our class anymore?" Ruth asked. I knew she

really liked Audra.

"She's worried about that, too." Mom told me that Aunt Nancy didn't want her

to change everything at once. "She'll still be in our class until the end of the

school year," I said. "But I don't know about fifth grade." I was already forming

a plan in my head, but I didn't want to tell anyone just yet.

"Oh!" She sounded sad.

"But we'll still see her," I told her. "At sleepovers and parties and things."

"I guess."

We'd reached the school and got off the bus just as Aunt Nancy pulled up and

parked her car. She and Audra got out and came towards us.

"Hi!" I said, smiling at them. "Aunt Nancy, you know Ruth, don't you?" I didn't

remember if they'd ever met.

"Hi," she said. "I've got to go in and talk to someone in the office to let them

know that Audra's staying with me, that they should call me for any emergencies.

Audra, I'll pick you up at 3:15."

"Couldn't I go home with Gretchen?" Audra requested. "Then you can pick me up

there after work."

"I've got softball practice after school," I said regretfully. "But maybe you can

come and watch."

"Or you can come home with me," Ruth said.

Aunt Nancy seemed to take a long time deciding but finally asked Audra to choose

where she wanted to go. Audra looked at each of us, deep in thought. I knew she

wasn't too interested in softball, but she also knew Ruth had to take care of

her mother, and that would only remind her of her grandmother.

"I guess I'll go home with Ruth," she finally said.

"I live just off Appleton Boulevard," Ruth told Aunt Nancy. She pulled out a

sheet of paper from her notebook and wrote her address on it.

"OK. I'll be there between 5:30 and 6:00," Aunt Nancy said. "You girls have a

good day at school."

The three of us walked to our classroom. Tommy and Nelson were just ahead of us.

I suddenly realized something. "Audra, if Nancy and Marty get married and adopt

you, then you and Tommy will be cousins!"

"Huh?" She looked at me as if I was rushing things. It was a lot of 'ifs', but

it was true, wasn't it? I think it finally dawned on her what I was saying

because she said, "I've never had a cousin."

"I've got two, and they're fun, even if they're younger. It'd be awesome to have

Tommy as your cousin."

We took our seats just before Tara wheeled in. She always had to make a grand

entrance after everyone else. Then Mrs. Bean called for our attention.

"I know it's still April, but we have to begin planning for our year-end school

carnival. Those of you in the orchestra, band and chorus will be performing,

but there are lots of other activities so everyone can take part. Over the next

week, you'll each have to pick something to work on. I'll put sign-up sheets

on the class online bulletin board. You'll have plenty to choose from but

everyone has to choose something."

My friends and I looked at each other. This was my first year in this school

and I'd never done this before at my old school. But I was excited. It would be

lots of fun. I hoped I could do something besides play in the orchestra. I

didn't realize how much hard work it would be.

Chapter 72. REACHING OUT

Nancy

"Ready?" I ask Audra. "Tie your sneakers."

"Ready," she says, smiling at me and doing as I ask. "I bet Grandfather will be

surprised."

We'd decided to pay her grandfather a visit. He'd been back to work for several

weeks. She'd spoken to him on the phone a few times and he'd seemed happy to

hear how well she was doing.

We drive to Lemon Tree Court. Audra hasn't been back since we collected her

clothes and her few personal belongings when she moved in with me. The place

still looks the same, except no one's been taking care of Ingrid's flowers. The

rosebush Lars damaged when he tried to drive off looks pretty bad. But the lawn

is neatly mowed so the house doesn't look completely abandoned.

"I hope he's home," Audra says, suddenly afraid he might not be. "Maybe we should have called after all."

We park on the driveway and walk to the small porch. I ring the bell.

"I still have a key, but I'd feel funny using it," Audra says as we wait. We soon hear footsteps coming to the door.

"Audra!" Mr. Swenson says as soon as he opens it and sees us. "And Dr. Lloyd.

It's...it's good to see you." He can't hide his delight with our visit. "Please, come in." He seems unsure about where we should go but in the end leads us into the kitchen.

The room is clean and tidy with just a single plate, fork and coffee mug on the

table top, along with today's newspaper.

"I hope we aren't interrupting you," I apologize.

"Oh, no," he replies. "I've been reading the paper and was just about to cleanup

my breakfast dishes. So. Audra. You look well, and happy."

"Oh, yes, Grandfather," she tells him. "We went to a baseball game last weekend

in Philadelphia."

He seems to be trying to decide whether he approves, but sighs and says, "I hope

you enjoyed it."

"Oh, I did. And the next day we went shopping for dresses for Dr. Palmer's

wedding. My dress is soooo pretty!"

He smiles at her enthusiasm. "Well, I'm forgetting my manners," he says. "Can I

offer you a drink? Or perhaps something to eat?"

"No thank you," Audra says, and I add "We're fine." But I feel awkward. What do

we talk to him about?

"I've missed you," Audra tells him.

He seems surprised, but very pleased. "I've missed you too, my dear. But you

have a new life. Your grandmother would want you to enjoy it."

"I know," she says. "But I worry about you." I know this is true. He might have

been too strict with her, but she appreciates all he did for her through the

years, and I think she loves him very much.

I see his eyes mist over. "Oh, Audra, I'm fine. I'll be just fine." He sounds so lonely. I know that I will have to include him more in Audra's life, in our lives.

On impulse I say, "Would you like to have dinner with us? You can come see where

Audra is living and I'll make us all some dinner."

Audra smiles at me, very pleased. "Yes, Grandfather, please come!"

"How can I refuse two such lovely ladies?" Mr. Swenson says, smiling too, and

Audra giggles.

We arrange for him to come to my apartment at four in the afternoon, and I give

him the address and directions.

I remembered another time I was in this neighborhood.

I'd arranged to pick Audra up from her friend Ruth's house after work. The

Schultz's lived just off the main road in the area where Allison and House

lived and Audra used to live. The house was near the mansion occupied by the

Appletons, the family that owned the land before it was sold to the housing

developer. It looked like it had originally been an outbuilding of the mansion,

perhaps a groundskeeper's home.

An old Ford sat on the driveway. The sparse landscaping was well-trimmed and

the house itself was freshly-painted. When I rang the bell, a teenage girl who

looked a lot like Ruth, answered.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Lloyd," I told her.

"We didn't call for a doctor," she said, a frown on her plain face.

"No, I'm here for Audra," I explained.

Her face brightened. "Oh, Ruthie's blond friend. I suppose you can come in. I'll

call them."

The entryway was empty except for a little table that held some keys and a small

stack of what looked like bills.

"Ruthie!" the girl called, not too loudly, but then the house appeared to be

compact. From the entryway I could take in a living room with an old couch and

two armchairs.

Audra and Ruth appeared from the back of the house. "Dr. Lloyd, I mean Nancy,"

Audra said, smiling at me. She was still getting used to calling me that.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"I think so. Just let me get my school pouch." She went back the way she'd come.

"Well, I'd better leave. I'm late for work," the older girl said.

"I tried not to block your car," I said.

"The old Ford? That's not mine, it's Mom's. I work up at the big house," she

said, grabbing some keys from the table. "Ruthie, you'll remember to give Mom her

seven o'clock pills?"

"Yes, Jess," Ruth said in an exasperated tone. "Do I ever forget?" But it seemed

like a ritual they had, because Ruth smiled at her sister and added, "Don't

forget to clean the mirrors."

"Do I ever forget?" Jess said with a grin, and then left.

Audra returned. "OK, I've got everything. Ruth, thanks for letting me come over

today."

"I'm glad you did," Ruth said. "You were a big help with Mom."

"What's wrong with your mother?" I asked.

"MS," Ruth said. "It's gotten worse during the past two years so she had to quit

working."

"Who's her doctor?" I knew quite a few doctors specializing in autoimmune

diseases like Multiple Sclerosis.

"Collins," Ruth replied. "He's been our family doctor like forever."

"Max Collins?" I asked and she nodded. Collins was an internist. "Hasn't she

ever seen a specialist?"

The girl shook her head. "I don't think so."

I'm not an immunologist like Allison. My specialty is infectious diseases,

specifically bacterial infections, but still I asked, "Do you think she'd let me

see her, talk to her?" I knew without a referral I probably shouldn't examine

her.

"She's finally asleep, but maybe next time you're here," Ruth added hopefully.

"Do you really think you could help her?"

"I don't know Ruth," I said. "I don't want to promise anything." I was already

thinking about how I could get Allison interested in helping, too. As if I'd

have to ask once she knew. I just wondered why she didn't know about Ruth's

mother already.