After locating the towels, Theo put one in the seat of Ashley’s wheelchair. She then helped Ashley into it and stripped the bed. She dumped all of the soiled linen into the washing machine, noticing that there was a stench coming from the stack of dirty dishes that were piled in the sink. Her anger toward Wyatt grew the longer she was in the house.
She took Ashley to the bathroom and stripped her of her wet pants. She moved her carefully to the toilet, then looked around the room, spotting a stack of folded washcloths. She soaked one in warm tap water, then handed it to Ashley so she could clean herself up.
“How do you feel about coming and staying with us at the barn for a while?”
“You don’t need me there,” Ashley said. “You’ve already got so much going on. I knew I was hurt,” she said, her voice trembling, “but I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be just doing the most mundane things.”
“Where’s Wyatt?”
“Work.”
“When did he leave?”
“About six this morning.”
Theo checked her phone. It was almost two o’clock. “Have you eaten?”
“There was a sleeve of saltines on my nightstand.”
“That’s all you’ve had in your stomach today?”
“I hurt, Theodora,” Ashley told her, squinting to keep the tears at bay.
“Okay. I’m sorry. I’m in problem solving mode. I’m not scolding you.” She took a breath. “First things first. I’m going to get you something to eat so you can take your pain meds. Then I’m packing up some of your stuff. I can’t leave you here like this, Ash. I need to know you’re being taken care of.”
She found Ashley a pair of clean underwear and some more sweats. She got her dressed, grabbed the dirty towel from the seat, and moved her back into the wheelchair.
“You probably don’t want to hang out in the bathroom,” she said, wheeling Ashley back into the bedroom. “Come on, Indie,” she told her niece. “Let’s find Ashley a snack.” Theo expected Jupiter to follow them, but the dog had moved to sit next to Ashley. She had her fingers buried in the fur at his neck, and it looked to Theo as if he was protecting her. “Good boy,” she told him.
In the fridge, Theo found some turkey that had been purchased from the deli at Lowell’s Supermarket just a few days previous. There was also some provolone cheese and half a loaf of white bread. The tomatoes that were sitting in a hanging basket by the kitchen window felt soft, and Theo couldn’t find any lettuce. She made a sandwich with multiple layers of turkey and cheese, then grabbed one of the small bottles of apple juice that sat in the door of the fridge.
“There are cheese crackers,” Indigo said, surveying the pantry.
“That sounds good,” Theo told her. “Grab those. Do you see anything else?”
“There’s lots of cereal.” Indigo tilted her head to the side. “They have the sugary kind that I like.”
Theo peeked in over Indigo’s head. She could see boxes of rice, instant potatoes and stuffing. There were canned vegetables, tomato sauce and olives.
“I think we’ve got enough. We just don’t want her tummy to be sick. Thanks, sweetie.” Theo carried the sandwich and the juice and Indigo followed her with the box of crackers. “And I’ll buy you some of that sugar cereal.”
“You will?” Indigo asked, surprised.
“You’ve been a big help to me today. You deserve way more than cereal.”
While Ashley ate her sandwich, Theo found a duffel bag and began packing some clothes. She found Ashley’s medication and read the instructions. She shook two of the pills into the woman’s hand, then reached out to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“We’ll get through this, Ash. I promise you we will.”
The front door opened and all three of them turned toward the sound.
“Wyatt’s home,” Ashley said.
“Perfect,” Theo told her. “He’s just in time. He can carry you out to the Jeep.”
“Ashley?” Wyatt called. “Where are you at?”
“Well,” Ashley replied, “I can’t go anywhere on my own, so I’m exactly where you left me.”
Theo stepped back into the bathroom. She saw several bottles of shampoo and conditioner sitting in the shower. She shook her head, deciding against taking any of them. She had plenty of that at the barn.
“Oh,” she heard Wyatt say. “Hey.”
Theo knew Wyatt had seen her Jeep out front. She guessed he’d expected to see her, not Indigo and Jupiter.
“Hi,” Indigo responded. Jupiter chuffed quietly.
Theo glanced at the vanity. She wasn’t sure which toothbrush belonged to Ashley and didn’t want to take the only tube of toothpaste she could see. Again, she was well stocked. She did grab Ashley’s makeup bag, a jar of face cream and a large brush that had long black strands of hair wrapped around the bristles. She put everything in the bag and stepped into the bedroom.
“Hello, Wyatt,” she said.
“Hi, Miz Murphy. I’m surprised to see you here. What’s going on?”
“Well,” Theo began, “Ashley has two broken legs and a broken arm, which makes it very difficult for her to get in and out of her wheelchair. She was stuck in bed for eight hours without anything to eat but a few saltines and no way to take her pain meds without throwing them all back up again. She called me, told me she needed help, so here I am.”
Wyatt turned and looked at Ashley. “I got your calls, too,” he told her. “You know I can’t talk at work. I can’t get fired, Ash. I need this job. We both need this job.”
“It’s okay,” Theo said. “She’s going to be coming to live with us for a while. I tried to make sure I didn’t take anything that might belong to you in the bathroom. The sheets were wet,” she paused. “Ashley had an accident. She couldn’t make it to the toilet on her own. All the bedding is in the washer. Don’t forget to switch them to the dryer when they’re done.” She zipped the bag and shouldered it. “Oh,” she added, “and since the driveway and the walk haven’t been shoveled, I won’t be able to get her wheelchair down to the curb. I’m gonna need you to carry her to the Jeep, please.” Theo’s face felt flushed with anger, but her voice was level, if not a bit gravelly from the trauma she’d suffered to her throat.
