.
"Mama?" Ronilyn used the familiar term she had called the other woman as a child.
Sarah Huntley sat tall in her chair, her robe wrapped securely around her, eyes staring straight ahead.
"Mama? It's Ronilyn. Veronica Lyn. Do you remember me?" Ronilyn tried again, this time touching Sarah's hand with her own.
The woman slowly turned her head to look blankly at her.
"I need to talk to you, Mama."
"She's doing a little better now." A voice from the doorway drifted into the room. Ronilyn turned to find Dr. Mitchell walking toward them. "She still doesn't speak, but she does understand that someone is speaking to her. She's adapted to the daily routine of meals..."
"Doctor," Ronilyn said, frowning. "I came to see her. If I wanted an update on her progress, I would have made an appointment with you to discuss it."
"Well, I assumed while you were here..."
"You assumed I would want to waste the precious time I have to spend with her by talking to you?"
"With all due respect, Ms. Huntley," the Juniper House psychiatrist replied, "you haven't been to see your mother in a long time."
Ronilyn slowly rose from the seat she had taken next to Sarah and approached the doctor. "I know exactly how long it's been," she said, biting off each word. "Two years. Two years since I've been back home. Two years since my father died. You have no idea what that's like. If you're implying I've been neglecting my mother..." She let the unspoken threat hang in the air.
Dr. Mitchell took a few steps backward. "Uh, no." He glanced at his wristwatch. "Will you look at the time? I'm late for rounds." He moved toward the doorway. "You can have one of the nurses page me if there's anything you'd like to discuss."
Ronilyn smiled and nodded. "I'll be sure to do that."
The psychiatrist turned back just before stepping into the corridor. "Were you expecting the sheriff to meet you here today?"
The smile vanished from Ronilyn's face. "Why? Is he here?" she asked, practically leaping across Sarah's room to peer into the hospital corridor. There was no sign of Lucas anywhere.
"Well, he usually stops by to see your mother when he comes to Juniper House," Dr. Mitchell said, frowning at Ronilyn's actions.
She looked at him. "He visits my mother?" When the doctor nodded, she took a deep breath and asked, "How often?" Maybe that was why Sarah hadn't yet recovered after all these years.
Dr. Mitchell shrugged. "It depends. He's been coming by every so often to visit another patient and he usually checks on your mother while he's here."
Ronilyn frowned. Banning Lucas from visiting Sarah would require explanations that she didn't care to give. And knowing Lucas, she had a feeling the ban would be next to impossible to enforce. The doctor fled from the room before she could ask him who else Lucas visited in Juniper House.
She turned back to Sarah, still sitting by the window. The afternoon sun shone down on the older woman and for a moment Ronilyn thought she saw a spark of life in her eyes.
"Mama?" She again sat down next to Sarah and held out the letter she'd received last week. "Do you remember this letter? You put it in an envelope and gave it to the lawyers after I was born." She placed the paper in Sarah's lap. "Do you remember?"
Sarah looked down at the paper and one finger slowly began tracing the handwriting.
"It was almost thirty years ago. I need to know more, Mama," Ronilyn said. "I need you to tell me about you... and Aunt Hester."
"Mama?" Ronilyn used the familiar term she had called the other woman as a child.
Sarah Huntley sat tall in her chair, her robe wrapped securely around her, eyes staring straight ahead.
"Mama? It's Ronilyn. Veronica Lyn. Do you remember me?" Ronilyn tried again, this time touching Sarah's hand with her own.
The woman slowly turned her head to look blankly at her.
"I need to talk to you, Mama."
"She's doing a little better now." A voice from the doorway drifted into the room. Ronilyn turned to find Dr. Mitchell walking toward them. "She still doesn't speak, but she does understand that someone is speaking to her. She's adapted to the daily routine of meals..."
"Doctor," Ronilyn said, frowning. "I came to see her. If I wanted an update on her progress, I would have made an appointment with you to discuss it."
"Well, I assumed while you were here..."
"You assumed I would want to waste the precious time I have to spend with her by talking to you?"
"With all due respect, Ms. Huntley," the Juniper House psychiatrist replied, "you haven't been to see your mother in a long time."
Ronilyn slowly rose from the seat she had taken next to Sarah and approached the doctor. "I know exactly how long it's been," she said, biting off each word. "Two years. Two years since I've been back home. Two years since my father died. You have no idea what that's like. If you're implying I've been neglecting my mother..." She let the unspoken threat hang in the air.
Dr. Mitchell took a few steps backward. "Uh, no." He glanced at his wristwatch. "Will you look at the time? I'm late for rounds." He moved toward the doorway. "You can have one of the nurses page me if there's anything you'd like to discuss."
Ronilyn smiled and nodded. "I'll be sure to do that."
The psychiatrist turned back just before stepping into the corridor. "Were you expecting the sheriff to meet you here today?"
The smile vanished from Ronilyn's face. "Why? Is he here?" she asked, practically leaping across Sarah's room to peer into the hospital corridor. There was no sign of Lucas anywhere.
"Well, he usually stops by to see your mother when he comes to Juniper House," Dr. Mitchell said, frowning at Ronilyn's actions.
She looked at him. "He visits my mother?" When the doctor nodded, she took a deep breath and asked, "How often?" Maybe that was why Sarah hadn't yet recovered after all these years.
Dr. Mitchell shrugged. "It depends. He's been coming by every so often to visit another patient and he usually checks on your mother while he's here."
Ronilyn frowned. Banning Lucas from visiting Sarah would require explanations that she didn't care to give. And knowing Lucas, she had a feeling the ban would be next to impossible to enforce. The doctor fled from the room before she could ask him who else Lucas visited in Juniper House.
She turned back to Sarah, still sitting by the window. The afternoon sun shone down on the older woman and for a moment Ronilyn thought she saw a spark of life in her eyes.
"Mama?" She again sat down next to Sarah and held out the letter she'd received last week. "Do you remember this letter? You put it in an envelope and gave it to the lawyers after I was born." She placed the paper in Sarah's lap. "Do you remember?"
Sarah looked down at the paper and one finger slowly began tracing the handwriting.
"It was almost thirty years ago. I need to know more, Mama," Ronilyn said. "I need you to tell me about you... and Aunt Hester."