Something in her face eased, though only a little. “I’ve had men come with business cards. They always want something signed. I’ve learned to check the back of the card.” “I don’t have one on me,” Miles said. “First time in 40 years.”
Marisol stepped in, her voice low and even. She spoke to Miles, but kept her eyes on her patient. “Naen’s lungs do poorly in the cold. That’s all I’ll say about it here. Her care plan is solid, and she follows it, but she cannot safely go through another week of this. I’ve told her so.” “I’ve told her, too,” Ida said. “The part for the burner control is specialized. I called every supplier in the tri-state area. Back ordered early January, if we’re lucky.”
Nobody spoke. The concentrator hummed down in the walls. The old pipes gave one weak tick and went quiet. From the doorway, in a voice so small that Miles almost lost it beneath the hum, Holly said, “I didn’t tell anybody.”
Everyone turned. Winnie’s hand was on the girl’s shoulder. Holly stood with her hat still on, her knuckles pale on the strap of her backpack. “I heard the nurse say it might be her last Christmas,” she said. “And it was cold, and I didn’t tell Mrs. Ida or my teacher or anybody because if you tell they say you can’t stay, they take the kids somewhere else.” She looked at the floor. “I thought if I was really good and really quiet, it would be okay.”
Naen’s whole face changed. She pushed the blankets aside. Marisol reached for her arm, but Nadine shook her head gently and rose and crossed the kitchen on unsteady legs. She knelt in front of her daughter, one hand on the wall for balance.
“Look at me, baby.” Holly looked. “Nobody is taking you anywhere. Not ever. Do you hear me?” Her voice cracked and held. “Somebody was talking about what happens when a person gets sick and you heard half of it. That’s on the grown-ups, not on you. Nobody told you the rest. So, I’m telling you now. You stay with me. I stay with you. Stay with that’s the only plan there is.”
Marisol quietly took Naen’s elbow. “That’s enough standing,” she said. Naen let her lead her back to the chair. She kept hold of her daughter’s hand the entire way and Holly did not let go either.
