The Weeping Widow

IV

By the time we got home Em was overly tired and irritable so I just gave her some fruit to eat before she went and took her nap. While she was asleep I headed back out and went to the school to pick up the things she would need for the next few months. Thankfully everything was ready so I just picked it up and headed back home.

I was gone for about 30 minutes before coming back home and checking on Emrys. She was still out cold so I went and sat in the living and watched some tv to keep my occupied. After about 15 minutes of me watching tv I got an unexpected knock on my front door.

I turned the tv volume down before getting up and walking over to the door. I looked out of my peephole and saw it was the officers who had questioned Emrys while she was in the hospital along with a woman in a suit, most likely a social worker. I straightened out my shirt before opening the door and greeting them with a smile.

"Hello Mrs Chisholm how are you this afternoon?" One of the officers asked.

"I'm doing well and yourself?" I asked before stepping to the side and inviting them in.

"So far so good. I woke up this morning so I can't complain." He replied with a smile.

"I know that's right. Glad to be able to wake up on this side am I right." I said as we all walked to the living room.

"Yes ma'am. This is Candace Smith, she's the social worker that will be working with Emrys throughout the trial." He said finally introducing the young lady that was standing beside him.

"Nice to meet you." I said with a smile as I reached over and shook her hand.

"Likewise. Is she around anywhere?" She asked as she looked around the living room.

"She's in her room taking a short nap. She had her first physical therapy session today and she was pretty tired." I answered as I pointed over to her room.

"Should I wake her up so you can talk to her?" I asked to which she shook her head no to.

"No it's fine. Let her rest but while I'm hear I do need to ask you some questions." She said as she pulled a portfolio out of her handbag. I simply nodded and led them into the dining room where we sat down.

She began to ask me basic questions like how my everyday life was and what my schedule looked like and if I was able to care for Em and other things of the sort. We were about half way through her questions when I heard Emrys call for me from her room.

"Apple Jack?? I need some help getting up." She called out from her room. The social worker looked back at the room before looking back at me.

"Alright sweetheart here I come." I said as I stood up and excused myself from the table. I walked down to her room. I opened her door and saw her sitting on the side of the bed rubbing her eyes.

"You alright?" I asked as I walked over to her.

"Yeah I just gotta use the bathroom but my hip is still hurting." She said with a slight yawn.

"You need to take some medicine if you want it to stop hurting." I replied as I set her walker to the side.

"I will before I lay back down." She replied as she set her hands on my shoulders. I bent down slightly and wrapped my arm around her torso before slowly lifting her up so neither one of us would get hurt.

Once she was up I let go of her and grabbed her hands to help her stand as I brought her walker to the front of her. Once she was up and situated I led her to the door and out into the hallway so she could walk to the bathroom. She had glanced over at the dining room and stopped for a second before waving to the police officer and social worker. They waved back at her and we continued our journey to the bathroom.

"Can you go by yourself?" I asked she stepped inside.

"If I need help getting up I'll yell for you." She said causing me to nod and close the door behind her. I waited for a few seconds to make sure she didn't fall or anything before heading back to the table.

"Sorry about that. She's been having a hard time getting up on her own today." I explained as I sat back down.

"It's completely fine. I'm actually done with my visit, seeing you help her answered the last few questions I had." Candace explained as she packed her things up to leave.

"Oh alright. Did you still want to talk to her or will you be coming by another day to do that?" I asked as I stood up to walk then out.

"I'll be by next week to talk to her. The trial s approaching quicker than expected so I'll be by quite a bit." She replied as she got up. I simply nodded and walked her and the officer to the door bidding them goodbye.

I closed and locked the doors after they left and went back over to the bathroom to check on Emrys. I knocked on the door softly before speaking loudly.

"You alright in there?" I asked.

"Yes ma'am I'm getting up right now." She yelled back. I waited for a few seconds to see if she needed some help and it sounded like she didn't.

I heard the toilet flush then the sink turn on and after about a minute she was opening the bathroom door with a goofy smile.

"See I did it all by myself." She grinned which made me laugh.

"Gone with ya bad self." I replied as I helped her back into her room.

Once she was sitting down on the side of her bed I moved her walker to the side and grabbed her pain medicine. I opened the bottle and poured one out into her hand before handing her the bottle of water that was sitting on her nightstand. She took the pill without protest before handing me the glass and moving to lay down. I helped her get comfortable before covering her up and turning off the light.

"Alright get some more rest. I'll wake you up for dinner." I said as I walked out of her room and closed the door.

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word count: 1,110
edited