“Are you sure you’re all right? And what about Watson?”
“Thank God he was with me. Sometimes he goes to bed before I do. If he’d been in the bedroom . . .”
This time, the sound River heard wasn’t from his coughing. She couldn’t help but cry along with him. “I’ll be watching for you. How long will it take you to get here?”
“Not long. I already loaded the car. As soon as the paramedics say I can leave, I’ll be on my way.”
“The paramedics? Oh, Tony, are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah, just some smoke inhalation.”
“Did they treat you? What do we need to do?”
“Listen, River. I’ll give you all the details when I get there. If you don’t let me off the phone, it will be next week before I leave.”
In spite of herself, she laughed. “Okay. Just get here as soon as you can.”
“I will.”
When she heard the phone disconnect, she put her phone down and began to cry. Then she prayed, thanking God that Tony and Watson were all right.
“Honey, are you okay?”
River looked up and saw her mother standing there. She tried to tell her about the call, but she couldn’t get the words out. Rose came over and put her arms around her. She let her cry while she stroked her daughter’s hair. When River could finally talk, she told her mother about the fire.
“I told him he could stay with us, Mom. Is that okay?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want him going anywhere else. We’ll put him on the couch tonight. I think we can fix up that extra room downstairs sometime in the next few days if he would prefer to stay down there.”
“That’s exactly what I told him,” River said. “Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it.”
“I love Tony,” Rose said. “I only have one question.” She dropped her arms and took a step back. “Just when are you going to tell him that you love him too?”
River could only smile at her mother. “Is it that obvious?”
“I may have Alzheimer’s, but I’m not blind. You tell him how much he means to you, River. I want as many of my faculties working as possible when you get married, you hear me?”
“Oh, Mom,” River said, not caring about the tears running down her cheeks. This was the mother she’d always wanted. “I’ll tell him soon,” she said. “And after I do, you’ll be the first person I share it with.”
It was her mother’s turn to cry. She sat down at the small desk in the kitchen that River used when she paid the bills.
“I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” Rose said. “I have something I need to say. First of all, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you after Joel left. I was just so . . . shattered. I thought I was a good wife. A good mother. I’d believed our marriage was ordained by God. When he walked out, I wasn’t certain who I was angrier with, God or your father. I felt so betrayed. Eventually, I blamed myself. I mean, there must have been something wrong with me, right? I was convinced your father was a godly man, so I must have been the problem.”
“Oh, Mom. That’s not true. You were a great wife. What he did wasn’t your fault. It was his. And hers. I hate that you believed that for even a moment.”
“Thank you, honey. Agatha has helped me so much. She reads the Bible to me and shows me Scriptures that prove how much God loves me.”
For a moment, River was confused about who her mother was talking about. Then she remembered that Mrs. Weyland’s first name was Agatha. She never called her anything except Mrs. Weyland. For some reason it seemed wrong to call her anything else. “I’m so glad,” River said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been more supportive, Mom. I’m going to try harder.”
“More supportive? Oh, my dear girl. You left your home and moved here to take care of me. What more could anyone do? I want you to know how much that means to me.” She paused for a moment and stared down at her hands, which were clasped tightly in her lap. “River, tonight, I feel like myself,” she said softly, her voice breaking as she spoke. “I want to talk to you about something, and I don’t want you to interrupt me, okay?”
“All right, Mom.”
“I know you’re praying for me. You and Tony and Agatha. You believe that God heals, and now, so do I. I keep hanging onto that Scripture that says we have the mind of Christ. But . . . Look, honey, if things don’t go the way we want . . .” She held her hand up when River started to say something.
She wanted her mother to stay positive. To believe she could fight this giant, but River suddenly realized that Rose needed to say what was on her heart, so she forced herself to stay silent. She simply nodded at her mother to continue.
“I want to add you to the title of my house, and on my checking and savings accounts. The house is paid for. It will just transfer to you. I want so badly to stay in my home.” Her voice cracked and she fought to continue to talk. “But if I can’t, I never want you to feel guilty about moving me to a facility that can care for me. I want you to live your life, River. I don’t want you to be tied down to someone who doesn’t even know who you are. You are never, ever to feel guilty about doing what needs to be done.”
“I understand, Mom,” River said, “but I’d hire round-the-clock help before I made a decision like that.”
Rose smiled. “I appreciate that, but . . .” Rose sighed. “I’m a proud woman, River. You know that. I don’t want to lose my dignity. Please, move me someplace if that ever begins to happen. Please. I don’t want anyone to see me if I’m . . . Well, if I’m not me. Promise me, okay?”
River was aware that if the disease progressed as it had for so many, putting her mother in a memory care center might happen at some point, but right now she couldn’t think about that. River was determined to keep her mother at home, but for Rose’s own piece of mind, she said, “All right, Mom. I promise. But my intention is to keep you at home as long as possible. And I’ll safeguard your dignity. You have my word.”
Her mother stood up. “Thank you, honey. Now you get things ready for Tony. I want him to feel comfortable here.” She started to leave the kitchen but turned back and looked at her daughter. “I love you, River. I always have. I need you to know that. Never forget it, okay?”
“I won’t, Mom.”
When Rose left, River grabbed a paper towel and dried her face. At that moment, she felt the kind of love for her mother that a daughter should feel. It was wonderful and awful all at the same time. Now that she and Rose had grown closer, the fear of losing her was so strong her body trembled, and she couldn’t seem to make it stop.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
Tony put his suitcases in the rear of the SUV. In the back seat were duffel bags full of the other possessions he was able to save. Files, records, photos, and a few knickknacks that meant something to him. The apartment owner was on site, making sure the building was secure. Tony still had things in his apartment that he didn’t want to lose, but as long as looters couldn’t get inside, he felt assured for now. The owner had advised him that he would need to put any furniture he wanted to save in storage while repairs were being made. Thankfully, he had good renter’s insurance. On Monday he’d call his agent.
He climbed into the driver’s seat. Watson was in his crate, which was balanced on the passenger seat. The way he looked at Tony made him emotional. The little dog looked sad and confused. When the explosion happened, Watson was on the couch. Tony immediately dove for him, covering Watson with his body. Thankfully, the flash from the fire didn’t burn his back, even though he felt the heat. He’d quickly found Watson’s crate, put him in it, and gotten him outside. He knew smoke could really hurt an animal. A kind neighbor who was already outside stayed with Watson while Tony ran back in to quickly grab what he could. After the fire department put out the fire, he was allowed to go back and pack anything else that wasn’t ruined. His bedroom was a total loss. All of the furniture. All the clothes in his closet. It was such a blessing that he’d just done a load of laundry and that there were clean clothes in the dryer. If it hadn’t been for that, he would have had to go to the local department store in his dirty sweat pants and FBI T-shirt to buy something to wear.
