Dirty Secrets

Part 66

Operating on only two hours of sleep, and consumed with dread, Lyla dragged herself through the morning routine, in and out of Darcy's car, then into the hospital. The nightmare had ignited her fear receptors and chilling aftershocks lingered. But it wasn't about the snakes. It was the image of the weakened Packer that she couldn't shake. During their last phone conversation, his voice sounded thin and faltering. She needed to prepare herself for the possibility that his condition may have taken a major downturn, a post-surgical setback. In a few hours, she'd know.

It wasn't until after lunch that the darkness lifted and her focus sharpened. Making her way down the hallway with her group, she noticed Randall at the end of the corridor replacing the cover plate on an electrical outlet. As the girls filed into Matthew's room, Lyla kept her eye on the custodian.

AJ, Shaniece, and Lyla sat in the front semi-circular row. Maisie and Natalie sat at opposite ends of the second row, with a new girl in between them. She directed a perturbed look when the persistent click, click, click of Natalie's nail-picking became annoying.

"Is there a problem?" Natalie growled. The new girl turned her eyes to the floor.

"Okay," said Matthew running his fingers through his wavy cinnamon-colored hair. "How are we this afternoon, ladies?"

Crickets.

"A few of you will be leaving us next week." He addressed each girl as he said her name. "AJ,... Shaniece,... and Lyla. Which means that we'll be seeing a few new faces, like Naomi." He gestured toward the new girl whose cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Welcome to our group."

AJ applauded energetically, while the others offered obligatory polite clapping. 

Randall stuck his head into the room and let out a sigh at the sight of the plywood in the window frame. "They still haven't replaced that window. I'll give 'em another call."

"Randall?" Lyla whispered. "You the only custodian?" 

"On this ward, the only other maintenance tech is Jemila. She works nights. You looking for anybody in particular?"

"Lyla," Matthew interrupted. "Could I have your attention, please?"

Ignoring him, she asked, "Is there a Geno who works here or maybe used to work here?"

"Geno?" Randall shook his head.

"Lyla," Matthew's tone grew sharper. 

"You have my attention. Okay?"

Randall exited. Matthew pushed the door closed. "So..." He removed his glasses and spun them by the arm in small circles. "The group is in a transition phase. Some will be transitioning in, while others will be transitioning out. Our lives are stories of transition. We leave one chapter behind and move on to the next."

Natalie interrupted her nail-picking for a sarcastic golf clap. "Nice fortune cookie-ing."

Naomi cracked up.

........

Following Matthew's session, Lyla watched through the atrium windows for Ms. Packer. When the lustrous blue vehicle stopped at the end of the driveway, she gulped down her apprehension and soldiered out through the glass doors and down the sidewalk.

Halfway down the walkway, she heard something like a sob. Through the rush of pedestrians, she saw the devilish child standing in the lawn, her arm outstretched, the ring in the palm of her hand.  Lyla drew an uneven breath through clenched teeth and picked up her pace.

The BMW's back door eased open. Lyla slipped the bag from her shoulder, placed it on the back seat, then got into the car. She greeted Packer's mom with a smile. "I like your leather blazer."

"I made an emotional purchase while vacationing in Italy," said Ms. Packer. "But no regrets. I love this jacket."

"It's awesome." Lyla winced the moment she said it. Turning away, her eyes went to the hospital's lawn. Her tormentor was gone.

Ms. Packer smiled. "So, how are you doing, Lyla?"

"Good. How are you?"

"It's been a rough day. I'm glad to be out of the office." Her phone rang as she steered away from the curb.

"Hope I'm not getting you in trouble with your boss for leaving early," said Lyla.

"I am my boss." She glanced at the incoming number then groaned. "Sorry. I need to take this."

........

On their way out of the city, Lyla watched the world go by as Ms. Packer engaged in work-related conversations. It was apparent that she was on top of her game, offering solutions to multiple job-related entanglements.

To avoid the awkward situation of listening in on the work-talk, she texted Darcy for the daily update. The two major topics: Heartbroken Richie remained inconsolable, and Darcy was headed to the mall to exchange her mauve dress for a blue one. Small victory. She had taken Lyla's fashion advice after all.

They turned onto the newly-paved road where landscaping crews were dispatched to almost every property in the housing plan. Bandanas, sweat-soaked t-shirts, hedge trimmers and leaf blowers were as abundant as hibiscus and hydrangea shrubs. Orange and crimson leaves were raked into piles on canvas tarps.

"I'm sorry about all those calls," said Ms. Packer. "Work has been..." She stuck out her tongue.

A heavy-duty pick-up truck with a plow attachment rumbled around the bend in their direction. She steered as close to the curb as possible to allow the vehicle to pass. It slowed beside her car, brakes squeaking, and the driver waved.

She rolled down the window, looking up at a college-age kid behind the wheel.

"Hey, Ms. Packer," he said. A colorful bandana was wrapped around his suntanned forehead. "How's Packer?"

"He's recovering."

"I'm super sorry to hear about... all that."

She nodded.

"Tell him I said, hi."

"I will, Blair." She leaned out the window. "Isn't it kinda early for a snowplow?"

"Boss said we need to be ready for an early snow."

"In October?"

He shrugged. "I just do what I'm told."

When the pick-up drove off, she continued around the bend then piloted her car into the center garage of the stately stone home. They exited the vehicle and on their way to the mudroom she placed her hand on Lyla's shoulder and said, "He made me promise not to ruin the surprise."