Theo saw Dr. Gardner glance over at Indigo.
“I assume Birdie will be staying in Indigo’s room.”
“I don’t have a room there,” Indigo stated.
When Theo turned her head she saw that Indigo was still looking at the book. She’d opened the cover, and her eyes scanned the pages. Theo looked back at the doctor, not sure how to proceed.
“I’m sure you’re all very excited to have Patty come back home,” he said, continuing the conversation as if Indigo hadn’t spoken.
Theo took a breath. “It will be so good not to see her in a hospital room anymore. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I can’t help but think she might heal a little faster if she’s back in her own space.”
Dr. Gardner nodded his head. “I agree. I definitely think there’s some truth in that. I know she’s been away from home for more than three months. That’s a long time. I know you haven’t spent much time at the hotel either.”
“No, I haven’t,” Theo told him. “When Patty bought the Madeleine, she kept the previous owner there to help her manage it.” Theo decided not to share with Dr. Gardner the perhaps not so above board way her sister had gone about purchasing the property. When she’d shown up to Indigo’s therapy session with a cast on her leg, she’d shared with him briefly how she’d broken it which meant he knew that Ruthie Coleman’s employment had been terminated. Some of the details Theo had kept to herself. If she ever decided she needed to speak to someone about what had happened, she’d find her own therapist.
Again, the doctor nodded. “But you’ve since hired someone else to step in.”
“Yes. And that’s going really well. It will be interesting to see how things go once Patty comes back home and she’s there every day. She loves the Madeleine. She’s been powerless these last few months. My guess is, even though she’ll still be incapable of doing what she wants, just being back at home will empower her and she’ll be very difficult to deal with.”
Dr. Gardner smiled. “And what are your plans as a family?” he asked. “I remember talking to Patty about the meals you all shared there.”
“On Wednesdays,” Theo filled in. “That started before Indigo was even born. I started joining them when I came back to town.”
“When Patty comes back home, perhaps that would be a way to begin incorporating the hotel back into your weekly lives.”
“I’m not going back to the Madeleine,” Indigo said, making both Theo and the doctor turn to look at her. She was still holding the book, but she was looking at the adults.
“Can you tell us why not?” Dr. Gardner asked.
“I don’t like the Madeleine anymore.” Indigo’s eyes became glassy, and her voice faltered.
“But your mom is coming back home. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to see her there again?”
“No!” Indigo yelled, surprising Theo. She threw the book on the ground and her tears began falling in earnest. The tone in her voice sounded less angry and more afraid, and it hurt Theo to hear it.
“You realize that Carys is no longer at the hotel, right, Indigo?” Dr. Gardner asked her.
“It’s a bad place,” Indigo said, her emotion rising. “I hate the Madeleine and I’m never going back there!” She blinked her wide, seafoam green eyes, and Theo could see the terror that resided inside. “You won’t make me go back, will you, Antee? I want to stay with you! I don’t want to leave the barn!”
Theo opened her arms, and the child nearly flew across the room and landed in her aunt’s lap. Theo hugged her tight and kissed the side of her wet face. She looked up at Dr. Gardner who gave her a nod.
“I’m right here, blue bird,” Theo soothed. “I’m not going anywhere.” She was careful not to make promises she might be forced to break. That had been one of the things that had been discussed during one of the many conference calls she’d shared with the psychiatrist and her sister. She didn’t know exactly what the future held, and as much as she wanted to promise the child that she could live with her at the barn until she’d graduated high school and was ready to leave for college she refrained. Theo knew Indigo wasn’t her child. Ultimately, it was Patty’s place to make decisions for her daughter, and Theo wasn’t about to say something she’d have to go back on. She couldn’t imagine being the one to break Indigo’s heart.
The child clung to Theo and continued to sob. Dr. Gardner watched the two of them for a moment before he picked up the notebook that sat on the coffee table and began to scribble notes on it. Going to therapy with Indigo had always been a difficult thing for Theo, not because she disliked the doctor, but because she hated the fact that something so traumatic had taken place in Indigo’s life that made the visits necessary in the first place. The sessions had taken their toll on the already strained relationship Theo shared with her sister as well.
“Is three o’clock still good for tomorrow?” Dr. Gardner asked. He was talking about their bi-weekly conference call, and Theo nodded. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was that the doctor was going to tell them about Indigo, but she knew what Patty would have to say once the doctor hung up the phone. She’d heard it at least half a dozen times already.
Patty’s voice played in Theo’s head as Indigo slowly calmed down in her lap.
“I’ll never get my daughter back again. She hates me because I was the one who lost her. I was the one who allowed Carys to put her in danger, but you … you risked your life to save her. You found her again. You made her world safe. You’re a real-life superhero, and I’ll never be able to compete with that.”
That cold, miserable night on Darby Lake six months ago came back and flooded Theo’s memory, suddenly making it hard for her to breathe. Without realizing it, she hugged Indigo a little tighter. She hadn’t felt like a superhero then any more than she felt like one now as the two of them sat on Dr. Gardner’s soft leather couch. All she knew for certain was that since the day she found out that Indigo existed, the child had become one of the most important people in her life, and she was willing to move heaven and earth to keep her safe from harm. Even if it meant that it made Cleopatra hate her even more than she had before.
4. THE BIG CLEAN OUT
Theo used her key to unlock the door of Bungalow A. She turned the handle and pushed the door open with her hip, the stack of folded boxes shifting in her arms.
“Hey.”
Theo turned to see Delaney walking toward her. Her long, thick braids were twisted up in a bundle that sat on top of her head like a beautiful crown. She wore her black rimmed glasses and the blue inner lining of her parka. Her arms were filled with empty boxes as well.
“Hey yourself.” She gave her friend a smile. “Thanks for helping me with this. I know Patty won’t be coming home for a little while, but I figured it would be better for me if I did what I needed to do right away.”
“Keeps you out of Mamie’s crosshairs that way,” Delaney nodded. “I totally get it. No explanation required.”
The women got all their boxes inside, both of them dropping their loads on the living room floor.
After Patty’s accident, Theo came and cleaned out the fridge and washed the few dishes that were lingering in the sink. Housekeeping had come in and cleaned the place like they normally did. Theo found a small bit of solace knowing the bungalow was clean and waiting for Patty to return. At that time, no one was sure if Patty would be returning, but Theo acted as though it was a foregone conclusion. She’d heard Glory say “we shouldn’t borrow trouble” on several occasions. As a child, the saying had never meant all that much, but it seemed to fit this circumstance perfectly. She figured if she acted like things might fall back into place that eventually that very thing would come to pass.
“You do realize that I still expect lunch, right?”
Theo reached up and brushed the hair away from her eyes. “Definitely,” she smiled. “I’ll even throw in dessert.”
“Lemon meringue pie from Denver’s Diner?”
“If that’s what you want, my friend, that’s what you shall have.”
