Chapter 17

Dana

The last thing I wanted to do was go over to Mrs. Delmaz's house to find this Larry character, but there was no way I was showing up at the hospital empty handed. Her throwing a fit wasn't necessarily my worry, but her not trusting me would mess up everything. She needed someone at the hospital that she was comfortable with while she was slowly losing her memories. I wanted to be that person for her.

I walked up to her home and knocked on the front door. Nothing. I waited a few more minutes and knocked again. The hospital wouldn't approve of me coming to a patient’s house, and they had her keys locked up with the other things they'd gathered from her when she was admitted by one of her neighbors. The poor woman had been walking around in her nightgown in her front yard at three in the afternoon, lost as to where she was or who she was.

"Really?" I groaned and lifted to my toes to see if maybe there was a key above the front door. I yelped and moved back as something sharp stung my hand. I pulled it down to find a splinter buried deep in my skin. "Great."

I moved back and glanced around, making sure no one was watching me. The neighborhood was extremely nice, but there was no security gate upon entering, which was a bit surprising. After pacing in front of the door for a few more seconds, I finally decided to go around back. I could check for a dog before going into the backyard and if there wasn't one, then maybe there was a key hidden in a pot somewhere. The fear that I might find a dead man in Thelma's living room was the only thing that kept me moving forward, that and not wanting to disappoint her. Maybe Tensely was right. Maybe my empathy for our patients was going to become more of a detriment than anything else.

"Anyone back here?" I pulled myself up on the side of the fence that surrounded her enormous backyard and looked around. Everything looked as if it had been manicured that morning. Maybe Larry was inside, but just asleep. Or maybe he was out running errands. I'd leave a note if nothing else.

I hoisted myself over the fence, almost breaking my neck as I landed and walked up toward the back door. Something was moving inside, but I couldn’t really make out what it was.

"Larry?" I pressed my hands to the glass at the top of the backdoor and leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse of this mystery man. "This is so fucking stupid. Just go back to the hospital and tell her that Larry is on his way. Just lie."

As much as I wanted to, there was no way I could force myself to do it. By the looks of things, whoever this guy was, he was living high on the hog while Thelma was in the hospital. Why would he not come check on her? Was he her son?

I lifted to my toes and used my other hand to check for a key. Something fell in front of me, and I screamed and jumped back as a golden key hit the ground.

"Yes!" I reached down and grabbed it. Hopefully Larry wasn't dangerous. I paused as the thought ran through my mind. No one knew where I was. How stupid was I being? I pulled out my phone and shot off a quick text to Jackie that I was over at Mrs. Delmaz's place, looking for her friend.

"There. At least if I don't make it back alive-" I forced myself to shut the hell up. I was being dramatic, which wasn't at all my style. I popped the key in the lock and let out a sigh of relief as the door handle turned in my hand. I pushed the door open a little and stuck my face in the crack. "Larry? Are you in there? I'm a friend of Thelma's."

I smirked at the situation. I couldn't make this shit up and yet to tell anyone would be insanely embarrassing. The things I did for my patients.

"I'm coming in, so don't be scared. I'm a nurse at the hospital and Thelma just misses you."

"Larry misses Thelma." A bird squawked from somewhere in the house. "Larry misses Thelma."

"Seriously?" I walked around the corner to find a parrot sitting on top of a large cage, his beady eyes watching me closely. "You're Larry?"

"Larry misses Thelma." He squawked again and turned his head to the side. "The mail is late. The mail is late." Another squawk. "Larry misses Thelma."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "All right, well, I need to take you up to the hospital, Larry. Just a quick visit to see Thelma before I figure out who can take care of you, all right?"

I glanced around, looking for the bird’s cage and finally founded it sitting in the corner. The little turd had done a number on the kitchen, but with him being alone for five days, it was no wonder the whole damn house wasn't torn up. Mrs. Delmaz had a bird for a best friend. Was it too much to consider?

"Nope," I mumbled, then I picked up the cage and set it down on the counter. After opening the door, I patted the front of the cage and tried my best to get the bird inside. Nothing. The bastard wouldn't budge.

I looked around the kitchen and found a few snacks that looked like they might belong to Larry.

"You want a treat? Come get it, boy." I slipped the treat through the back of the cage and wagged it around. The bird flew right to it and landed on a limb that looked like it was growing out of the floor of the cage. I slammed the door and yelped like a girl before shivering. Birds were beautiful from afar, but having one so close was creeping me the fuck out.

"All right, man. We're headed up to the hospital." I looked around and found a blanket to put over the top of the cage. I wasn't sure it would work, but I'd seen it in the movies or somewhere before.

Lucky for me, the bird didn't make a sound all the way back up to the hospital. I walked in and rode the elevator to the top floor before anyone stopped to ask if I was all right. I must have looked a little out of sorts.

"Hey. What's going on?" Jackie moved in front of me and reached out to grab my arms. "You look upset."

"Nope. I just found Larry at Mrs. Delmaz’s." I shook my head in disbelief.

"Oh shit. Was he dead?"

"No, he's a parrot."

"Wait. What?"

"Larry is a parrot. I have him in my car. I'm going to get Thelma to get in her chair and I'll wheel her outside for a little while to see him."

"Oh my God. Seriously? That's insane." She dropped her hands from me as a smile lifted her lips. "You seriously did all of that for some old woman that's losing her mind?"

"Yes. I did." I moved around her and walked toward Thelma's room.

"Well, I'm proud of you. You're a good person, Dana, and a great nurse."

I smiled at her compliment and stuck my head into Thelma's room. A shoe came flying at me, and I moved back, barely missing getting smacked in the face with it.

"Where is Larry? You promised you would ask him to come visit." There were tears in her voice.

"I have him downstairs. If you want to get in your wheelchair, and you promise not to tell anyone that I have him with me," I leaned into the room and wagged my eyebrows at her, "I'll take you to see him."

"Really?" Her face lit up like a child during the holidays. "Oh my God. You really went to get him?"

"I did. Get in the chair and I'll take you to him." I moved into the room as she pressed her face to her hands and began to weep. "Hey... it's okay. He's in great shape."

"Thank you so much. He's all I have left in the world." She brushed away her tears and glanced up at me. "He's the only thing I can remember."