Read Online Remember by Karen Kingsbury - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Karen Kingsbury
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remains of her life.
She struggled with when.
Chapter Seven
Ashley was never nervous.
But as she made her way through the hospital lobby and up the elevator to the third floor, she could barely keep her hands from shaking. It was time to talk to Landon, time to find out what was eating at him and why weeds of tension had shot up between them these past few days. Time to find out if what she guessed was true.
The dinner party at her parents’ house had been hard to leave. Conversations about Erin’s move had blended into talk about Luke and Reagan, which had led to more discussion about the blood bank at St. Anne’s Hospital. Apparently it was lower than it had been in a decade, and Brooke, the oldest of the five of them, was willing to take up the cause.
Ashley leaned hard against the elevator wall. Of course Brooke was willing. She was a doctor, after all—she and Peter both. By spearheading a blood drive, they would make the mighty John Baxter happy. They would be in tight, following in his footsteps, deserving his praise. Even if they didn’t go to church or believe in God.
Normally at a family gathering, Ashley would have been anxious to leave. But tonight she had taken it all in, studying the people who made up her family, wondering why she didn’t fit in, why she wasn’t like them. Before she left, the conversation had turned to Alzheimer’s. She told them Lu’s advice about keeping the patients in the here and now.
But Brooke had disagreed. “That works sometimes, but doctors today are talking more about distraction. That’s the preferred treatment now.”
“Distraction?” Ashley had been ready to leave, but if Brooke knew something that could help her at work, she was interested.
“Yes.” Brooke nodded, then added in her official doctor voice, “The moment an Alzheimer’s patient veers off the course of reasonable normalcy, distract them. Change the subject, introduce an idea or an activity, anything to deter them from their delusion.”
The idea sounded better than arguing with the old folks. “Why can’t I just agree with them, let them think their husbands are alive or that they’re visiting for a few hours instead of confined to a home for sick people?”
“That would never work.” Brooke’s laugh made Ashley feel stupid. “It’d be like pouring gasoline on the flames of dementia.”
The memory faded, and Ashley crossed her arms.
If anyone should be leaving town, she should. Certainly no one would be broken up about that the way they were by Erin and Sam’s leaving. That was something else. Ashley had actually felt sad at her sister’s announcement. She would miss seeing Erin once a week at the family dinners. Erin had always been the quietest Baxter, the simplest and the plainest. But Erin was genuine as a summer sunset, her smile enough to light the room. Ashley had visited her kindergarten classroom a few times and been amazed at the handmade decorations on every wall, the attention to detail in the learning environment her sweet sister had created for her students.
Erin was a stabilizing force, really. She looked like their mother, acted like her, and had the same calm demeanor. Erin’s life—even when she was younger—had never been anything but normal and good. At least it had always seemed that way. Erin’s presence in their lives was something Ashley had always taken for granted.
The same way she’d taken Landon Blake for granted.
Ashley closed her eyes for a moment. Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe he wasn’t upset by her lack of emotion. Maybe he’d fallen in love with someone else or had plans he wasn’t willing to share—that could be the reason he was acting so stiffly toward her. Whatever it was, Ashley knew she couldn’t wait any longer to find out.
She exited the elevator and nodded to the nurse on duty. They all knew her by now—Dr. Baxter’s daughter, the one who couldn’t stay away from the injured firefighter. Ashley was sure the
She struggled with when.
Chapter Seven
Ashley was never nervous.
But as she made her way through the hospital lobby and up the elevator to the third floor, she could barely keep her hands from shaking. It was time to talk to Landon, time to find out what was eating at him and why weeds of tension had shot up between them these past few days. Time to find out if what she guessed was true.
The dinner party at her parents’ house had been hard to leave. Conversations about Erin’s move had blended into talk about Luke and Reagan, which had led to more discussion about the blood bank at St. Anne’s Hospital. Apparently it was lower than it had been in a decade, and Brooke, the oldest of the five of them, was willing to take up the cause.
Ashley leaned hard against the elevator wall. Of course Brooke was willing. She was a doctor, after all—she and Peter both. By spearheading a blood drive, they would make the mighty John Baxter happy. They would be in tight, following in his footsteps, deserving his praise. Even if they didn’t go to church or believe in God.
Normally at a family gathering, Ashley would have been anxious to leave. But tonight she had taken it all in, studying the people who made up her family, wondering why she didn’t fit in, why she wasn’t like them. Before she left, the conversation had turned to Alzheimer’s. She told them Lu’s advice about keeping the patients in the here and now.
But Brooke had disagreed. “That works sometimes, but doctors today are talking more about distraction. That’s the preferred treatment now.”
“Distraction?” Ashley had been ready to leave, but if Brooke knew something that could help her at work, she was interested.
“Yes.” Brooke nodded, then added in her official doctor voice, “The moment an Alzheimer’s patient veers off the course of reasonable normalcy, distract them. Change the subject, introduce an idea or an activity, anything to deter them from their delusion.”
The idea sounded better than arguing with the old folks. “Why can’t I just agree with them, let them think their husbands are alive or that they’re visiting for a few hours instead of confined to a home for sick people?”
“That would never work.” Brooke’s laugh made Ashley feel stupid. “It’d be like pouring gasoline on the flames of dementia.”
The memory faded, and Ashley crossed her arms.
If anyone should be leaving town, she should. Certainly no one would be broken up about that the way they were by Erin and Sam’s leaving. That was something else. Ashley had actually felt sad at her sister’s announcement. She would miss seeing Erin once a week at the family dinners. Erin had always been the quietest Baxter, the simplest and the plainest. But Erin was genuine as a summer sunset, her smile enough to light the room. Ashley had visited her kindergarten classroom a few times and been amazed at the handmade decorations on every wall, the attention to detail in the learning environment her sweet sister had created for her students.
Erin was a stabilizing force, really. She looked like their mother, acted like her, and had the same calm demeanor. Erin’s life—even when she was younger—had never been anything but normal and good. At least it had always seemed that way. Erin’s presence in their lives was something Ashley had always taken for granted.
The same way she’d taken Landon Blake for granted.
Ashley closed her eyes for a moment. Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe he wasn’t upset by her lack of emotion. Maybe he’d fallen in love with someone else or had plans he wasn’t willing to share—that could be the reason he was acting so stiffly toward her. Whatever it was, Ashley knew she couldn’t wait any longer to find out.
She exited the elevator and nodded to the nurse on duty. They all knew her by now—Dr. Baxter’s daughter, the one who couldn’t stay away from the injured firefighter. Ashley was sure the
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