Home Where She Belongs
When she returned from therapy, there was a cell phone on the tray beside her bed. A notification of a text message from Jorgen was on the home screen. It read, “Had to go take care of some business. Be back soon.” Her heart soared. He was coming back.
Then she received a call from Glenn Turner. He said that the house was livable, but it wouldn’t be in the near future. At the first signs of a snowmelt, the moisture would seep through the roof compromised by the tree damage. Until he repaired the roof, it was better for her to find more suitable accommodations. Glenn offered to help her move her belongings into an apartment. “I can have a crew of people when you tell us where you want it moved.”
Pam had hoped physical therapy was a sign of things taking a turn for the better. That what was happening in her body would materialize in the real world. Those woo woo people on the talk shows claimed it happened all the time. Apparently, it wasn’t her turn.
It was time for her to consider her options. There were some apartments close to the senior center. She wouldn’t mind staying there for a while. A familiar pattern of footsteps pulled her mind to the present.
At first, she thought she was mistaken. There was no way anyone from her family would be in the hospital in Montana. She blamed anxiety for getting the best of her. It was tricking her into thinking the moment she dreaded was about to make an entrance.
Nancy’s “She’ll be happy to see you,” added to the rising tension in Pam’s gut. Ready or not confrontation was about to make its way through the door.
All smiles, Nancy walked through the door. “You have a guest.” She stepped to the side and held her hand out Vanna White style to make room for Pam’s older brother Curtis.
“Hello, stranger.” The tight smile on her half-brother’s face gave no hints of why he chose to visit or how he knew to find Pam in the hospital.
She searched his eyes hoping there was something to help her determine his mood. His steel gray eyes only conveyed concern. “You’re looking cozy in those cute pajamas. I didn’t know hospitals had things like that.” He held out a vase of flowers. The leaves on one side were darker from being crushed. “I got these for you.”
“We can set them on the shelf.” Nancy took the vase from Curtis. He watched her set the flowers beside the bouquet Jorgen brought the day before. She made her way to the door. “I’ll let you have your privacy. If you need anything buzz.”
She loved her brother, but she hadn’t called anyone from home to tell them that she was in the hospital. How did he know she was there? “I am surprised to see you.” And she was. He was not happy about her leaving Oklahoma. When she said that he’d like Montana when he visited, her brother said that wasn’t happening, “in this lifetime or the next.”
His lips formed a crooked smile. “You’re not half as surprised as me.”
“Why are you here?”
His brows dropped, and the gray in his eyes darkened. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re in the hospital.”
“But I didn’t call. How did you know?”
“The hospital called your next of kin. But we knew something was up long before this.” Curtis moved the chair, so it was closer to Pam. He tested it with his hand before sitting. “Mark’s been back in town for three months. He told us you two broke up.”
So, her family knew. She could imagine the things they had been saying about her. “Poor Pam doesn’t want to come home with her tail between her legs. We told her this was going to happen.” Pam didn’t want to look her brother in the eye and see the confirmation of her family’s disapproval.
“He also said it was his fault. Why didn’t you tell us?”
The disappointment in his voice stabbed her in the gut. Avoidance fueled her intentions. She wanted to escape their judgment, not pass it on to them. Yet, she understood that silence leaves room for misinterpretation. She looked down at her hands. “You all knew it was going to happen. What was the point in telling you that you were right? Being the recipient of I told you so is not fun.”
“I can’t imagine it being any worse than our mother finding out when Mark came to the house to apologize.”
“He did what?” Indignation gave her the confidence to look her brother in the eye. Not only had the snake come between Pam and her family, but he also set out to drive a wedge between them. He accomplished the mission.
“Mark said that coming to Montana opened his eyes to how things were between you.”
Pam tried to keep her cool. She bit her tongue. She forced herself to make a pleasant expression.
“It was nothing like that,” Curtis explained. “Mark said he hadn’t done enough to prove himself to you. So, when things got rough, he didn’t have a leg to stand on.”
She waited for it. The part where Mark said she forced him away.
“He asked for Mom’s help to get you to give him another chance.”
There it was. If Pam said no, it was her fault that they fell apart. Then her family would hold it against her. “Why isn’t he here instead of you?”
“He’s getting things ready for when you come home.”
“I’m not going home.” Someone had taken Pam’s life and shaken everything out of place. Two days ago, she sought after excitement. Now she had her fill of it. In the recesses of her mind, she heard her mother’s voice, “Be careful of what you wish for because it always surprises you when it comes true.”
Three strong knocks preceded the door opening. “How’s my favorite girl doing?” Jorgen’s rich voice filled the empty spaces in the room and made them a little brighter. He halted and remained in place when he saw Curtis sitting in the seat beside the bed. A stoical expression replaced his smile. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No,” Pam scooched to sit taller. “This is my brother Curtis. Curtis—Jorgen.”
Nancy came up behind Jorgen, “Good news, the doctor is releasing you to go home.”
“Did you hear that?” Curtis replied, “I got here just in time.”
“Time for what?” Jorgen asked.
Curtis stood to shake Jorgen’s hand. “I’m taking Pam where she belongs. Back home with her family in Oklahoma.”
“I think there’s been a mistake,” Jorgen replied. “I’m here to take her home with me.”