Chapter Forty-Nine
It had been just over two weeks since Leonard had left me the cactus, and I hadn’t had a chance to go by and say thank you.
After setting up for his writing workshop last week, I had to skip for a staff meeting and only had a chance for a quick hello, so I was long overdue for a visit to Leonard and Patrick.
I walked past Ruby’s door, tempted to let myself in, but decided that probably wasn’t the most productive way to start my day or to mend that fence.
As I stood in front of Leonard’s door and knocked, I noted that his Stay Awhile (Until You’re Asked to Leave) doormat had been rolled up and was leaning against the doorframe.
My phone rang from the depths of my tote bag. I checked to see who was calling as I waited for Leonard.
Brody.
Immediately, I sent the call to voicemail, pushing away every possible reason why he could be trying to reach me.
I knocked again, more impatiently this time, and only after a moment did I hear footsteps approaching.
“You here for the donations?” a deep voice asked as the door swung open.
Standing there in Leonard’s partially emptied apartment was one of our managing custodians in his tan uniform.
“Vera, right?” the man asked. “Was there something you needed? I’m just finishing up this removal cleanup.”
Something in my chest cracked and the next words came out on a choke. “Removal cleanup?”
The man nodded as he stepped back into the apartment, leaving the door open for me to enter if I so chose. “The next of kin already came through yesterday and took what they wanted.”
Logically, I knew what all of this meant, but I refused to allow myself to even think the word before I had confirmation.
I peered inside, frantically searching for Patrick’s birdcage. “Stop.” I’d never heard my own voice boom with such force.
The man turned around slowly; confusion furrowed his brow.
“Just stop. Don’t move anything else. Not yet.” I didn’t know why that was my first inclination. I refused to name what I knew to be true, and something about keeping Leonard’s belongings in place allowed me to believe that this was reversible. That this wasn’t . . .
He waited for a moment for further explanation, but then he must have recognized something in my expression. Grief. Shock. Anger. It was all there. “Yes, ma’am,” he said.
I practically ran to the main building, leaving my bags right where I’d dropped them on Leonard’s doorstep, completely unaware.
I found myself breathlessly barging into Morgan’s office without knocking.
Before she even acknowledged me, the man sitting in the chair opposite her desk turned then immediately stood up and moved toward me.
Eli.
My resolve crumpled.
“Leonard,” I said on a sob. “No one told me.” I was nearly yelling now. “Neither of you told me!”
“I only just now found out,” Eli said, pulling me into his chest.
Over his shoulder, Morgan’s gaze met mine before wandering, like she was embarrassed to witness such an unguarded moment. The fact that she was even capable of embarrassment came as a shock.
And then I remembered that Eli had been off yesterday. He was on call, but they wouldn’t have called him for a resident’s death. There was nothing left that a doctor could do once they were gone.
A death.
Leonard’s death.
Leonard was dead.
“He went in his sleep,” Morgan said softly.
I stepped back from Eli, suddenly very aware of Morgan. I hated when people said that, like dying in your sleep was some sort of consolation prize. And maybe it was. But not for the living. “And his nephew already came by to collect his belongings?”
“Well, some of them,” Morgan answered.
Eli guided me to the other chair in front of Morgan’s desk and then sat down beside me.
With her hands folded on her desk, Morgan continued. “We contact next of kin with instructions based on the wishes of the deceased.”
“His name was Leonard,” I said. “You don’t have to call him the deceased. We all knew him. He’s not just some protocol.”
“Right. Sorry.” She nodded and took a breath.
“Sometimes it can take a few days to clear out someone’s apartment or room, but Leonard had said that his next of kin could take a pass through his belongings and then we should donate or dispose of the rest. What will likely happen in his case is that his belongings will be put in a storage unit while his lawyers settle the rest of his estate. ”
“What about Patrick?” I asked. “His bird.”
“His nephew took him for now.”
Morgan went on, sharing more details, but it was all white noise. Finally, there was a long-enough lull that I took as my cue to stand up.
My body guided me out the door and down the hall. I faintly heard my name being called and it wasn’t until I heard the fall of footsteps behind me and then felt a warm, cautious hand on my shoulder that I stopped.
“Where are you going?” Eli asked.
I shook my head even though it wasn’t a yes-or-no question.
“You don’t need to be alone right now,” he said.
And then I looked up to him and it felt like I was seeing him from underwater, the surface above me creating waves and distortions.
“I think I do, actually,” I found myself saying.
The worry etched in his brow sank past the waterline, filling me with guilt. “Just for a little while,” I added.
“Where are you going? Leonard’s?”
I hadn’t decided until that exact moment, but of course that’s where I needed to be.
Without a moment to even make sure we were alone, Eli leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Keep your phone on you, so I can check on you.”
“Okay,” my lips said. “Okay.”