Storms 01 - Family Storms

nurtured.
    “Here I am going off at the mouth when I have to get you upstairs,” she said, realizing the time. She pushed me back into the house.
    When we entered, I anticipated either seeing or hearing Mr. March, but there was no one around. We went directly to the elevator. I expected that I might meet him when we reached the bedroom floor, but again, the hallway was quiet and empty. I was a little tired and let Mrs. Caro help me into bed. She wasn’t gone two minutes before I did fall asleep. I didn’t wake up again until I heard the cart in the hallway. When Mrs. Duval entered, pushing it with my dinner tray, I sat up quickly. Why wasn’t I going down to the dining room?
    “Let me help you get up and to the table,” she said.
    “How come I’m not going downstairs for dinner?”
    “Dinner’s being served later,” she said. “The Marches don’t normally have dinner until eight-thirty, and Mrs. March said that would be too late for you.” She saw the look on my face and added, “That’s what she told me.” She said it the way someone who didn’t believe it might say it.
    I got into my wheelchair, and she pushed me to the table, where she had set out the dishes.
    “This is Mrs. Caro’s special chicken dish, and she prepared a pudding for you, too. Just leave everything when you’re done. Rosie will come to clean up,” she said. “I’ve got to get down to prepare for the Marches’ dinner.”
    Mrs. Caro’s food was delicious, but I didn’t have as big an appetite as I had expected. I listened for sounds of footsteps in the hallway but heard none. I had no idea where the Marches’ bedrooms were but imagined they couldn’t be too far away. This had been Alena’s bedroom. I was sure Mrs. March would have wanted to be close. Finally, I did hear a door open and close and some footsteps, but they weren’t heading in my direction. Moments later, there were more footsteps, but again, they didn’t bring anyone my way.
    After I finished eating what I could, I watched television but kept listening for someone coming. Finally, someone did, but it was only Rosie to clear away my dinner dishes.
    “You left a lot,” she remarked. “Mrs. Caro will be upset.” To my surprise, she began to eat some of my leftovers. “This is much better than what we get,” she told me. “Didn’t you like this pudding?”
    “I ate what I could.”
    “Can’t let it go to waste,” she told me, and finished it.
    “There,” she said. “Now Mrs. Caro won’t be upset. Just don’t tell anyone I finished your dinner.”
    She started to push the cart out and stopped.
    “So, how did you get hit by a car?” she asked. “What, were you running where you shouldn’t?”
    “No. I didn’t do anything wrong, and neither did my mother.”
    “Your mother? What happened to her?”
    “She was killed,” I said.
    “Where’s your daddy?”
    “I don’t know. He left us years ago.”
    She opened her mouth slowly and raised her head. “Oh. Well, now it makes sense,” she said.
    “What makes sense?”
    “Mrs. March has been sponsoring little girl orphans, sending tons of money to these worldwide charities ever since her daughter died. She sits in her office and studies the pictures of those poor kids and compares them with the picture of her dead daughter. I’ve seen her doing it. She only sends money to those who look a little like her. You don’t, but you’re about her daughter’s age and size, I guess.”
    She paused and looked at the doorway before turning back to me.
    “Don’t let her talk you into dyeing your hair.”
    “Dye my hair? Why would I do that?”
    She shook her head. I watched her leave and then turned back to the television, but it was as if I could hear nothing, as if Rosie’s words had put me into a daze. Hours passed. I prepared for bed and was just wheeling myself up to it when Mrs. March appeared.
    “Oh, you’re not asleep yet. Good. I’m so sorry I didn’t get up here earlier, but Donald came home unexpectedly, and I had to spend all my time with him. He’s always got a lot to tell me and new things for me to do.”
    I looked past her through the doorway but heard no one else. She saw where I was looking.
    “Oh, Donald had some work to do in his office. He’ll stop by some other time. Let me help you get into bed,” she said, and moved quickly to my side. “Did you enjoy your dinner? Mrs. Caro said you ate almost everything.”
    “Yes.”
    “Good. Dr. Milan will be stopping