he’d been alone here, he’d come to treasure these nighttime walks. No matter what went wrong during the day, he had this solitary peace at the end to make sure everything was sealed up tight and all was right in the little kingdom he ruled.
When Patricia moved back, he’d worried she would change his habits by coming and going at all hours, but she didn’t. If she wasn’t on call at the hospital all night, she was home and in bed by eleven. She probably didn’t even know he checked all the doors at eleven thirty every night. Tonight, she had made him a little late, but that didn’t matter because the little snot-nose hadn’t gotten any place. He grabbed the front doorknob, and it twisted in his hand.
He frowned. She might have been so tired she forgot to lock it when she came in, but that wasn’t like her at all. He pushed.
A muffled shriek sounded, and the door jerked open. Patricia stood just inside the foyer like she might leap at him. She was still wearing the floaty summer dress she’d been wearing earlier. Ryan wondered if she’d been leaning against the door since David left.
“RYAN. WHAT ARE you doing?” she demanded.
“Checking the doors.”
Patricia stared at the door. Then she sighed and chuckled. “Of course. I’m sorry. I just got in and hadn’t locked it yet. I just thought David…” She trailed off.
“Was forcing his way through the door?” Ryan finished for her. He wouldn’t have thought the snapping poodle she’d introduced him to before had it in him, but maybe he’d misjudged the boy. Ryan wondered if he should get a shotgun and sit at the front door, guarding her. It was overkill considering that if anyone tried to get in now with the perimeter alarm set, the entire city police department would be here in minutes, and he could get to her from his house in seconds at a run.
“I don’t know what I was thinking.” Patricia shook her head. “Do you do this every night?”
“Yes. I make sure the gate is closed and check the house.” Something about her seemed wrong. He wondered what David might have said that left her thinking he would barge through the door. “Are you okay?”
She laughed again. “You always seemed to be asking me that.”
Ryan shrugged. His natural instinct to leave before she could lash out at him with her sharp tone warred with the desire to find out what happened and fix it. “You seem upset.”
“Is it that noticeable?”
He shrugged again.
She closed her eyes and put her hand over her mouth. “I may have killed a patient.”
“How?”
“She came to me complaining of headaches, and she had ovarian cancer.”
Ryan swallowed. “It’s all right, Ry,” he heard. “It’s just a little headache. Be a good boy and go to school.”
“I should have done a complete physical on her when I saw her the first time,” Patricia continued. “If I had, I would have felt the bloating in her abdomen, or if I had ordered a blood test, I could have caught it a long time ago. Now she’s had a complete hysterectomy, and she might lose part of her small intestine, and who knows what else Dr. Radesku will find when he opens her up tomorrow.”
“But she came to you for headaches,” Ryan said. “Did the headaches have anything to do with the cancer?”
“No, it had more to do with the fact that her husband had been out of work for three years and smoked around her, and neither one of them eats very well. There were a lot of factors. Headaches serious enough to get her into the clinic should have told me something. I should have given her a complete physical. I was negligent.” Fat tears rolled down her cheeks.
Ryan gathered her in his arms. She clung to him, sobbing. He closed his eyes against tears he thought he was past shedding. “It’s just a headache, Ry. Just a headache.” He could almost feel his mother’s hand tousling his hair as she shooed him out the door. “It wasn’t your fault,” he told her, ignoring the ghost. “If
When Patricia moved back, he’d worried she would change his habits by coming and going at all hours, but she didn’t. If she wasn’t on call at the hospital all night, she was home and in bed by eleven. She probably didn’t even know he checked all the doors at eleven thirty every night. Tonight, she had made him a little late, but that didn’t matter because the little snot-nose hadn’t gotten any place. He grabbed the front doorknob, and it twisted in his hand.
He frowned. She might have been so tired she forgot to lock it when she came in, but that wasn’t like her at all. He pushed.
A muffled shriek sounded, and the door jerked open. Patricia stood just inside the foyer like she might leap at him. She was still wearing the floaty summer dress she’d been wearing earlier. Ryan wondered if she’d been leaning against the door since David left.
“RYAN. WHAT ARE you doing?” she demanded.
“Checking the doors.”
Patricia stared at the door. Then she sighed and chuckled. “Of course. I’m sorry. I just got in and hadn’t locked it yet. I just thought David…” She trailed off.
“Was forcing his way through the door?” Ryan finished for her. He wouldn’t have thought the snapping poodle she’d introduced him to before had it in him, but maybe he’d misjudged the boy. Ryan wondered if he should get a shotgun and sit at the front door, guarding her. It was overkill considering that if anyone tried to get in now with the perimeter alarm set, the entire city police department would be here in minutes, and he could get to her from his house in seconds at a run.
“I don’t know what I was thinking.” Patricia shook her head. “Do you do this every night?”
“Yes. I make sure the gate is closed and check the house.” Something about her seemed wrong. He wondered what David might have said that left her thinking he would barge through the door. “Are you okay?”
She laughed again. “You always seemed to be asking me that.”
Ryan shrugged. His natural instinct to leave before she could lash out at him with her sharp tone warred with the desire to find out what happened and fix it. “You seem upset.”
“Is it that noticeable?”
He shrugged again.
She closed her eyes and put her hand over her mouth. “I may have killed a patient.”
“How?”
“She came to me complaining of headaches, and she had ovarian cancer.”
Ryan swallowed. “It’s all right, Ry,” he heard. “It’s just a little headache. Be a good boy and go to school.”
“I should have done a complete physical on her when I saw her the first time,” Patricia continued. “If I had, I would have felt the bloating in her abdomen, or if I had ordered a blood test, I could have caught it a long time ago. Now she’s had a complete hysterectomy, and she might lose part of her small intestine, and who knows what else Dr. Radesku will find when he opens her up tomorrow.”
“But she came to you for headaches,” Ryan said. “Did the headaches have anything to do with the cancer?”
“No, it had more to do with the fact that her husband had been out of work for three years and smoked around her, and neither one of them eats very well. There were a lot of factors. Headaches serious enough to get her into the clinic should have told me something. I should have given her a complete physical. I was negligent.” Fat tears rolled down her cheeks.
Ryan gathered her in his arms. She clung to him, sobbing. He closed his eyes against tears he thought he was past shedding. “It’s just a headache, Ry. Just a headache.” He could almost feel his mother’s hand tousling his hair as she shooed him out the door. “It wasn’t your fault,” he told her, ignoring the ghost. “If
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