Songs of Christmas (10 page)

“I’m sorry. She can be very difficult, I know.” Emily followed her down the steps, trying explain. “I’ll talk to her. She’s just scared. She can’t stand losing her autonomy.”

Ms. Briggs shook her head. “I won’t be back tomorrow. I quit.” She adjusted the strap on her medical bag. “The agency will find someone. Call tonight. It’s not too late.”

Emily sighed and nodded. “I’ll do that.”

“Good night then, and good luck,” Ms. Briggs added in a tart tone. As if to say, “With your mother, you’ll need it.”

Emily already knew that. Well, the evening shift nurse would be around very shortly, she thought, checking her watch. Then the overnight nurse.

Her mother would probably run through all three of them and need replacements for tomorrow. She would call the agency right away and get to work on it. But she didn’t think this system would last very long, not more than another day or so. Then where would they be—back to square one?

* * *

LILLIAN HAD SEEN EMILY’S CAR PULL UP AND HAD PEEKED OUT THE
window, watching her daughter and that horrid health aide converse.

She was greatly relieved when Emily had not been able to persuade that Briggs person to stay. Once she was sure the annoying woman was gone for good, Lillian hobbled back to Ezra’s room and sat in a chair by his bed, her cross-stitch project in hand.

“Mother, what is going on here?” Emily turned to Ezra, remembering her manners. “Hello, Ezra. How are you feeling?”

“I’m coming along, Emily, coming along.”

“No thanks to that Briggs woman. He’d be dead by now if I let her have her way.”

Emily’s eyes narrowed. “Really? And how is that? Did she contradict you on something? Suggest you serve prune juice instead of orange?”

Lillian shook her head, pulling the thread through the taut fabric with care. “No need to be sarcastic, Emily. The buck stops here with Ezra’s health. I have to oversee his care. Anyone can put on a uniform and pump up a blood pressure kit. That doesn’t make you a genius in my book.”

“Oh, Lily, she was perfectly competent,” Ezra said. “So she disagreed with you a few times. She was doing her job. You were much too hard on her. I hope you find some manners and apologize tomorrow.”

“Ha!” Lillian replied, not even looking up.

“Well, that boat has sailed, Mother. Ms. Briggs will not be returning. She just quit. But I think you already knew that.”

Lillian glanced over her reading glasses at Ezra. “See? What did I tell you? Totally unprofessional.”

“For goodness’ sake, you show no mercy, Lily,” Ezra chided her.

“It’s all right, Ezra,” Emily said. “I’ll call the agency. They’ll send someone else tomorrow morning.”

“My, what a drama. You’d think I chased off Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton rolled into one. Nurse Briggs talked a good game, but she was quite incompetent . . . and cocky. I saved Ezra from a medical catastrophe, and this is the thanks I get.”

Emily wondered if she should bother asking for details. Of course that line of questioning was futile. Her mother could not be trusted to relay the truth; she would make up anything at this point.

The door chimes sounded then. The second-shift nurse, right on time.

Lillian looked up and dropped her stitching into her lap. “Did you call your sister already?”

“It’s the second-shift nurse, Mother. Don’t you remember? You need help around the clock. Nine, five, and midnight. We discussed this.” Emily sighed as she headed to the door.

“Oh, bother,” Lillian said with vehemence. “I just get my house back, and another stranger comes barging in.”

Emily let in the new health aide, a woman in her midfifties with a round, pleasant face and a warm smile.

“How do you do? I’m Nancy Ames, from the agency.”

“Nice to meet you, Nancy. I’m Emily Warwick, Mrs. Elliot’s daughter and Dr. Elliot’s stepdaughter. He’s the patient.”

“Yes, I know. I read the medical report before I came.”

She had removed her coat and hung it on the rack in the foyer. Just like Alice Briggs, she wore a neat uniform and carried a medical bag. “May I meet the patient?”

“Of course. Come right this way.” Emily led her through the house. “Dr. Elliot is a very easy patient. My mother, however, can be very demanding,” she said honestly. “She’s suspicious of anyone coming into the house.”

“Many seniors are like that. I understand,” she said calmly.

Nancy Ames seemed the opposite of Alice Briggs; soft-spoken, no hard edges or brassy confidence. Though she also seemed a solid, centered person, one who could stand her ground.

Emily introduced her to her mother and Ezra and, a short time later, left for home. Ms. Ames was looking over the records Ms. Briggs had left and asking Ezra questions. Lillian was interrupting, answering for him, but Ms. Ames remained calm, practically blending in with the woodwork. How could her mother find fault with that? Maybe this nurse had a better temperament for the household and her mother had been right to let the morning nurse go.

Emily was fast asleep that night when her cell phone rang, buzzing loudly on the nightstand. As the town’s mayor, she was often called in the middle of the night to be informed about emergencies. She sat up in bed and snapped on a light. The number was unfamiliar—not the police or fire chief or even the sanitation department.

“Emily Warwick,” she answered quickly.

“I’m sorry to wake you. This is Nancy Ames. There’s a problem at your mother’s house. I think we need your help.”

“What sort of problem? Is everyone all right?” Emily jumped out of bed and grabbed her robe.

“Your mother and Dr. Elliot are fine. But it’s the end of my shift. The night nurse is here. She’s outside. Your mother is refusing to let her in. She says she doesn’t want anyone else here tonight, and she wouldn’t be able to sleep with a stranger roaming around and—”

“Yes, yes, I understand,” Emily cut in.

“I offered to stay,” Nancy Ames added, “but she didn’t want that either.”

“That was good of you, thank you,” Emily said sincerely. “I’m sorry for your trouble. Where are you now?”

Emily could hear her mother in the background, talking in a harsh tone, though she couldn’t discern her words.

“I’m in the mudroom. Your mother wants me to go, but I told her I wouldn’t leave until I called you.”

Cornered in the mudroom. Standing her ground, unwilling to abandon her post, poor woman. Emily could just picture it.

“Thank you so much. Could you possibly wait a few minutes? I’ll be there right away.”

Nancy assured Emily that she would do that. Emily was both relieved and totally incensed at her mother. She pulled sweats on over her pajamas, knowing she would be sleeping at her mother’s house for the rest of the night.

Dan had managed to sleep through the phone call, but now rolled over groggily. “Something going on at Lillian’s? Are they all right?”

“They’re fine, but my mother’s driving everyone else crazy. As usual.” Emily yanked on some socks and her sneakers. “She won’t let the night nurse in and is kicking out the evening shift. I have to sleep there again.” Emily pulled out a pantsuit and a sweater from her closet and some other items she would need in the morning, packing everything in a nylon tote bag. “You’ll have to drive Janie to school tomorrow. Make sure she takes her lunch. Have her call me when she gets up, okay?”

“Okay, honey. Will do. We’ll be fine.” Dan worked at home and had always taken a big interest in caring for Janie, much more than other fathers Emily knew. Which worked out well, since her job was so demanding. As the former owner and editor-in-chief of the village newspaper, he had put in his share of office hours. But that was behind him now. His second career was writing about local history and sailing his boat.

“Do you want me to go? You still have to get to the office tomorrow.”

Emily sighed. He was sweet to offer, but she was afraid her mother wouldn’t let him in either.

“Thanks, honey. I’d better do it. But this can’t go on for the next two months. Jess and I have to figure something else out. I just don’t know what.”

* * *

EMILY HAD SET HER PHONE ALARM THE NIGHT BEFORE AND WOKE AT
the usual time, seven a.m. It took her a few moments to realize that she wasn’t at home, but in the guest room at her mother’s house.

Lillian had been very blasé last night when Emily had arrived, acting as if she didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. As if this middle-of-the-night visit had been Emily overreacting and she’d had nothing to do with it at all.

Emily had expected that, too.

One in the morning had not been the moment to bring her sister into the situation. But Emily knew Jessica was up at seven, too, and she dialed her number before she even got out of bed.

“I’m at Mother’s again,” Emily reported. “She kicked out the evening nurse, who was very pleasant and easygoing, and she wouldn’t let the night shift in. I came over so they wouldn’t be alone.”

“I’m sorry, Em. Why didn’t you call me? Isn’t it my turn to sleep on that awful old mattress?”

“That’s all right. No reason for both of us to have a bad back this week.”

“Why are you talking so quietly? I can hardly hear you.”

“I think Mother’s still sleeping, and I don’t want to wake her up,” Emily said. Her mother’s room was next door. Lillian’s hearing could be awful—or sharper than radar, depending on the situation. Emily didn’t want her up until she and her sister had devised their next move.

“We need a new plan, Jess. The agency won’t send an endless stream of aides.”

“I have some news. I was talking to Molly last night, and she gave me the name of a woman who sounds perfect. Someone who worked in her shop while getting a home health aide certificate. She’s actually a professional nurse with a specialty in cardiac care in her own country. She’s moved here from El Salvador and needs to be recertified before she can work in a hospital again. Molly says she’s terrific and can get along with anyone. And she would be willing to live in and do the cooking and cleaning.”

Emily felt suddenly awake, a jolt of hope coursing through her like a cup of hot coffee. “That sounds too good to be true. What’s her name?”

“Estrella Salazar. Molly couldn’t say enough good things about her, and you know how tough my sister-in-law can be.”

That was true. Molly was no pushover. Her recommendation went far with Emily.

“Is she available? When can we meet her?” Emily sat up, searching for something to write on.

“I sent her an email last night, and she just sent a note back. She can come to Mother’s house this morning for an interview. I told her ten o’clock. What do you think?”

“Perfect, Jess.” Emily felt like giving her sister a huge hug. “I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

“I know what you mean, but let’s be optimistic. Seek and ye shall find, right?”

Emily smiled. That was one of her favorite verses, too. “Right. And the person for this job will have to be heaven-sent. I don’t know how else they would manage it.”

* * *

“ESTRELLA? WHAT SORT OF NAME IS THAT?” LILLIAN FACED HER TWO
daughters, her back up like a cat’s.

“She’s from El Salvador. She’s trained as a cardiac care nurse but can’t work in a hospital here yet. She needs to get recertified,” Jessica explained.

“Right, and I’m actually a brain surgeon in my native land. Didn’t I ever tell you that?”

Emily smiled tightly, forcing herself to remain calm. “She’s bringing her references, Mother. We’ll check everything. She is certified in home health care in Massachusetts. There’s no question of that.”

Lillian sighed and sipped her coffee. Though Emily and Jessica had warned her that Estrella was coming at ten, she had made no effort to get dressed. And it was nearly ten.

“And she’ll take care of the housework, as well?” Ezra asked. Emily had fixed him breakfast on a tray, and they were all in his room while he ate. “That would be a help.”

“She’ll live in and take care of everything, just like Mrs. Fallon. It would be best to have one person here around the clock. Not three,” Emily added.

“How about zero?” Lillian countered. “Annoying busybodies. They hardly give him a moment’s peace, justifying their own existence.”

“Come now, Lily. Look at me. I can’t even get out of this bed without a crane. We definitely need some help. But I vote for just one. One good person whom we can get to know. Three is a little overwhelming,” Ezra confessed.

“Then I hope you like her, Ezra,” Emily replied sincerely.

Before they could ask any more questions, the doorbell chimed. Jessica jumped up. “Right on time. I’ll bring her back so we can all talk together.”

“I can’t meet anyone. I’m not dressed.” Lillian tightened the belt on her silk robe for effect. “Ask her if she’ll come back later. If she’s unemployed, she must have all day free.”

“We made the appointment for ten, Mother, and we’re going to have the interview as planned,” Emily said firmly.

“Just freshen up and throw something on, Lily. We’ll chat a little until you come down,” Ezra suggested.

Lillian stood up from her chair, looking miffed. “I can’t just
throw something on
. And I won’t entertain in this state of
déshabille . . .
”

“Oh, brother, she’s talking French. Watch out, ladies.” Ezra rubbed his cheek, looking distressed. He was an expert at reading the signs of Lillian’s temper by now.

“Suit yourself, Mother,” Emily stated flatly.

“Fine. I’ll be in my room. I can see I have no say any longer about what goes on under my own roof. You two have reduced me to the state of a powerless child. With the help of that turncoat.” Lillian swung her cane in Ezra’s direction, balancing herself with the other hand on the back of her chair.

“Lily, don’t flounce off like that,” Ezra said, clearly not offended. “Stay and meet this new helper. What do we have to lose?”

But her mother was already at the door and didn’t even turn to glance back. “If you don’t know the answer to that question, Ezra, you don’t deserve to know.”

What is the answer?
Emily wondered. Her mother feared losing her independence, her autonomy—and believed Ezra should fear it and fight it, too. That had to be it.