He gave a slight nod as he gripped the steering wheel once again and kept his eyes on the road, the hint of a smile on his lips. “Yes.”
She jumped when her purse began vibrating and then the ringer started to sound. “Sorry.” She fumbled the phone with numb fingers and looked at the screen. “It’s Tristan. There are a bunch of missed calls from him. Hello, sweetie? I’m on my way.”
“Bunny, you gotta come quick!” Tristan whimpered into the phone. “Mr. Hank and Mr. Travis are here, and they said Grinnie’s really sick. I tried to call you, and call you, all night long! Where’ve you been?”
Her purse, containing her phone, had been in Joseph’s bedroom all night.
Oh no, no, no no! “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’ll be there as soon as I can—”
Her fingers were slick with her tears, and the phone slipped from her hands. Joseph deftly caught it and set it to speakerphone as he continued the swift drive to Divine. “Tristan, this is Mr. Joseph. I’m bringing your sister to you right now. Can you tell me what happened?”
She covered her mouth as the story unfolded, tears streaming from her eyes. Grinnie and Tristan had planned a Walking Dead marathon. After, three or four episodes Grinnie had fallen asleep in her recliner, so he didn’t disturb her and had even drifted off himself. When they’d gotten through the entire season and she still hadn’t woken up, he tried to wake her, unsuccessfully. He’d called Bunny right then, but she hadn’t answered.
“I tried and tried again, but you didn’t pick up the phone, Bunny. I couldn’t wake her so I went next door.”
Joseph blanched at that news and picked up his speed a bit more on a straightway.
“Miss Louisa answered when I knocked, and I told her what was wrong, and she came next door, and then she called Mr. Hank and the hospital. The hospital people won’t let me see her, Bunny. I’m scared. Are you almost here?”
Joseph said, “Tristan, we’ll be there in about ten minutes. You stay with Hank and Travis, and we’ll come find you first thing.”
She couldn’t even see to end the call. Through sobs, she said, “He tried to call me last night, and I didn’t answer. Every minute without treatment counts with a stroke and Grinnie sat there all night like that. Oh my God!”
The dawn sky glowed pale pink as they pulled into the emergency room parking lot.
Chapter Eighteen
Joseph stood to one side of the chapel with Samson and Hank Stinson as they waited for the funeral service to begin. As it turned out, Samson and Hank had known each other since their high school days in Divine. Bunny stood with her female friends and acquaintances from Divine, chatting quietly near Grinnie’s casket. Tristan stood beside her, holding her hand. He kept looking around the room, constantly glancing at the door at the rear of the chapel.
Right after they’d gotten there, before people had started arriving, Bunny had stood in front of Grinnie’s casket with her brother at her side. Her eyes were closed and her lips had moved as if she were praying. Joseph had remained silent, wanting only to be there in whatever capacity was needed. She’d leaned against him and then had reached out for Tristan’s hand. Looking uncomfortable, he’d said, “Sis, I’m too big for you to be holding my hand. I won’t wander off or anything.”
She’d squeezed her brother’s shoulder. “That’s not it, not by a long shot, little brother. Maybe I need you to hold my hand.”
Tristan had nodded and straightened up and stayed right by Bunny’s side. He’d glanced at her. “Dad’s not coming, is he?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. Maybe not.”
Attendees were still filtering in, but it appeared the gathering would be a small one. None of Bunny and Tristan’s family had shown up, even though Bunny had made the difficult decision to contact her father.
Privately, Bunny had told Joseph that when she’d asked her father if he would come to the funeral, he’d told her that his schedule was packed and he didn’t see what good it would do, since Grinnie wasn’t relevant in life and hadn’t been for years. Rendered speechless by such heartlessness, Joseph had stuck close to her from then on, supporting her in whatever way she needed.
Unsure about what she should do first, Bunny had asked if he would help her pick a funeral home and make the accompanying decisions, and he had been happy to help her.
The stroke had been catastrophic and there had been nothing the doctors could do, except to offer their sympathies since they had known Grinnie personally.
Bunny and Tristan had sat with Grinnie in the hospital room as her life signs slowly faded. It’d broken Joseph’s heart to see Bunny in such pain, blaming herself for not being there when the stroke had happened. Bunny was such a vital, lively person, and to see that effervescence be replaced with heartache was hard. But she was a rock for Tristan, who felt responsible for not realizing Grinnie had had a stroke. Joseph hoped time would ease the hurt for both of them.