Read Online Bone Dust White by Karin Salvalaggio - Free Book Online
Authors: Karin Salvalaggio
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hospital most days. Why don’t you call me if you need someone to talk to?”
She almost manages to say thank you.
Jared hides his hands away in his trouser pockets and gazes outside. His stare is vacant, but his jaw looks like it’s set as tight as a snare. “You know, you scared me out in the woods. You were so still, I thought you were dead. When you started screaming, I think my heart stopped.”
“I seem to have that effect on people,” she says, not meaning to be funny, but realizing how it must sound. She rubs her sore eyes.
He leaves her then, promising to visit when she’s feeling stronger.
“I’d like that,” she confesses in a low voice only she can hear.
Grace reaches forward to take her aunt’s book, but Elizabeth springs up from her chair just as Grace’s fingers touch the spine. The book falls, its flat cover slapping hard against the floor. Her aunt lets out a small cry, and her pale eyes dart about the hospital room as they try to find a safe place to land. The thread-like veins in her cheeks glow brightly against her ivory complexion. Behind her reading glasses her small cornflower blue eyes water. She calms down when she sees Grace but starts to panic all over again when she remembers why they are in the hospital.
“Oh, Grace,” she says, reaching out for her niece’s hands, rubbing them with her own because she always finds them cold. She breathes deeply again and presses the flat of a palm to her bosom. “Oh gosh, what a dream I just had.” She looks at her niece once more just to be sure. “But you’re okay. You’re still here. You’re okay.” A tissue appears out of nowhere. She lifts her glasses and dabs her moist eyes before blowing her nose.
Grace hands her aunt a paper cup filled with water and tells her to drink. “Do you remember your dream?” she asks.
Elizabeth’s brow wrinkles. “It was too upsetting to talk about,” she says. The cup trembles in her hands and some of the water spills on her lap. More water drips down her chin. Her stubborn mouth refuses to function as it normally would. “I think I need to eat something. It’s been a long time since breakfast.”
“I want to go home.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be possible for some time.” Elizabeth points at Jared’s hat. “It’s hot in here, why are you wearing that ugly thing?”
Grace’s voice goes up sharply. “It’s not ugly.”
Elizabeth places a hand on Grace’s arm. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long night. I couldn’t sleep so the doctors gave me something. I feel so groggy.”
“You look tired.”
“That’s because I am tired. How are you feeling?”
Grace thinks she should ask the same question of her aunt. She’s slowed down over the past few months. Some mornings she can barely get out of bed. Grace bites her lip. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Elizabeth breathes uneasily, rubbing her hand up and down the center of her chest as if pressing into the flesh would help the air move along. She shivers in the heat of the room. “I just can’t get it out of my head. You must have been terrified.” She lays a hand on one of Grace’s forearms but doesn’t let it settle. “Your mother and I had our differences but you must know how very sorry I am. I feel awful we never reconciled.”
“She sent her love.”
Elizabeth fingers the gold cross at her neck. “Pardon?”
Grace makes it up as she goes. “It’s one of the last things she said to me. Please tell Elizabeth I love her.”
“You have no idea what a relief that is to hear.”
“She looked ill. I didn’t recognize her.”
“We’ll know more soon enough. I imagine they’ll tell us everything soon enough.”
“I wish she’d told us she was coming back.”
Her aunt draws in a deep breath like she’s preparing to dive into a pool then she asks in that clear Methodist voice of hers, “Did you know him? The man who attacked your mother. Had you seen him before?”
Grace snaps her eyes
She almost manages to say thank you.
Jared hides his hands away in his trouser pockets and gazes outside. His stare is vacant, but his jaw looks like it’s set as tight as a snare. “You know, you scared me out in the woods. You were so still, I thought you were dead. When you started screaming, I think my heart stopped.”
“I seem to have that effect on people,” she says, not meaning to be funny, but realizing how it must sound. She rubs her sore eyes.
He leaves her then, promising to visit when she’s feeling stronger.
“I’d like that,” she confesses in a low voice only she can hear.
Grace reaches forward to take her aunt’s book, but Elizabeth springs up from her chair just as Grace’s fingers touch the spine. The book falls, its flat cover slapping hard against the floor. Her aunt lets out a small cry, and her pale eyes dart about the hospital room as they try to find a safe place to land. The thread-like veins in her cheeks glow brightly against her ivory complexion. Behind her reading glasses her small cornflower blue eyes water. She calms down when she sees Grace but starts to panic all over again when she remembers why they are in the hospital.
“Oh, Grace,” she says, reaching out for her niece’s hands, rubbing them with her own because she always finds them cold. She breathes deeply again and presses the flat of a palm to her bosom. “Oh gosh, what a dream I just had.” She looks at her niece once more just to be sure. “But you’re okay. You’re still here. You’re okay.” A tissue appears out of nowhere. She lifts her glasses and dabs her moist eyes before blowing her nose.
Grace hands her aunt a paper cup filled with water and tells her to drink. “Do you remember your dream?” she asks.
Elizabeth’s brow wrinkles. “It was too upsetting to talk about,” she says. The cup trembles in her hands and some of the water spills on her lap. More water drips down her chin. Her stubborn mouth refuses to function as it normally would. “I think I need to eat something. It’s been a long time since breakfast.”
“I want to go home.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be possible for some time.” Elizabeth points at Jared’s hat. “It’s hot in here, why are you wearing that ugly thing?”
Grace’s voice goes up sharply. “It’s not ugly.”
Elizabeth places a hand on Grace’s arm. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long night. I couldn’t sleep so the doctors gave me something. I feel so groggy.”
“You look tired.”
“That’s because I am tired. How are you feeling?”
Grace thinks she should ask the same question of her aunt. She’s slowed down over the past few months. Some mornings she can barely get out of bed. Grace bites her lip. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Elizabeth breathes uneasily, rubbing her hand up and down the center of her chest as if pressing into the flesh would help the air move along. She shivers in the heat of the room. “I just can’t get it out of my head. You must have been terrified.” She lays a hand on one of Grace’s forearms but doesn’t let it settle. “Your mother and I had our differences but you must know how very sorry I am. I feel awful we never reconciled.”
“She sent her love.”
Elizabeth fingers the gold cross at her neck. “Pardon?”
Grace makes it up as she goes. “It’s one of the last things she said to me. Please tell Elizabeth I love her.”
“You have no idea what a relief that is to hear.”
“She looked ill. I didn’t recognize her.”
“We’ll know more soon enough. I imagine they’ll tell us everything soon enough.”
“I wish she’d told us she was coming back.”
Her aunt draws in a deep breath like she’s preparing to dive into a pool then she asks in that clear Methodist voice of hers, “Did you know him? The man who attacked your mother. Had you seen him before?”
Grace snaps her eyes
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