The Memory Keeper of Kyiv (32)

“What's wrong?”

Birdie jumped up and down, pointing toward the living room. Cassie looked down the hall and saw the front door swinging open. Birdie grabbed her hand and dragged her toward it. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she reached back and grabbed Bobby’s old pink housecoat off the bathroom hook.

“Where’s Bobby?” Cassie asked as she pulled the baggy garment around herself. “Did she go out there?”

She nodded, her little face twisted into a frown, and Cassie realized Birdie must have overheard her and Anna talking about Bobby wandering off.

“You did the right thing by telling me. Now, you stay here. Do not leave the house!” Cassie grabbed Birdie by the shoulders and gave her a shake before she ran out the front door and scanned the street. After her behavior this afternoon, Cassie didn’t want Bobby out by herself.

Bobby had almost made it to the street corner, and now stood looking around.

“Bobby!” Cassie called. “Wait there for me! I’m coming!”

She turned to go back inside to grab her shoes when she saw Bobby start to move again out of the corner of her eye.

“No! Wait!” Cassie yelled, but Bobby didn’t hear her. She shuffled toward the busy intersection. Clothes forgotten, Cassie sprinted barefoot down the sidewalk. “Bobby! Stop!”

A gray truck pulled up next to Bobby, and a man jumped out of it. He ran around to Bobby and took her by the elbow.

Panic coursed through Cassie. Not even a week here and she’d already let her grandmother escape, and now she was being abducted.

“Hey! Leave her alone!” Fear propelled her as she ran, oblivious to the hard pavement bruising her feet or the housecoat flapping against her legs.

The man glanced up and smiled as Cassie reached them.

“Hey, Cassie. I was just helping her across the street,” the man said at the same time as Cassie breathlessly demanded, “What do you think you’re doing with her?”

“You don’t remember me, do you?” he asked. His eyes twinkled, as if he was amused by her thoughtlessness.

“Um…” Cassie stared at him through narrowed eyes, her chest still heaving from the exertion of her sprint. “Oh, right. From the hospital. Mick.”

“Nick, actually,” he chuckled. “Glad to see I made an impression.”

“Sorry. Nick. Of course.” Cassie pushed wet hair off her cheeks. “You look different without the uniform.”

Nick glanced down at her housecoat. “I could say the same about you.”

Cassie’s face flamed. “Look, I’m sorry about this. I’m not sure if she’s sleepwalking or what, but she was napping when I jumped in the shower. She wandered outside, and I didn’t have time to get dressed.”

“I’m not sleepwalking, and I’m not deaf,” Bobby snapped, but confusion clouded her eyes. “I am a grown woman, and I wanted to go for my walk. I always walk in the afternoon. I went a little early today because I couldn’t sleep. What’s the fuss?”

“The fuss is you’re not supposed to go for a walk without telling me, and you almost walked out in traffic again,” Cassie said.

“I did not!” Bobby stamped her foot. “I was waiting for the cars to pass. Don’t overreact, Cassie.” Her whole demeanor changed as she smiled at Nick and patted his hand. “It’s so good to see you again. You must come over to eat with us soon, yes?”

Cassie scowled at the rebuke and Nick grinned. “Sure, that would be great. How about we get you home now?”

Cassie took one of Bobby’s arms and Nick took the other and they guided Bobby back into the house where Birdie stood at the door, clutching her stuffed puppy dog and watching.

“Do you want to try to lie down again, Bobby?” Cassie asked. “Maybe you’ll be able to sleep now that you’ve had some fresh air.”

Bobby nodded, so Cassie walked her back to her bedroom and got her settled in. Not wanting to face Nick in a housecoat again, she stopped by her bedroom and threw on a T-shirt and shorts.

At the entrance to the living room, she paused and listened, surprised to hear Nick reading aloud. Birdie sat in the far corner of the room, her back to Nick as he used silly voices to differentiate the characters. Birdie wouldn’t look at him, but her shoulders shook with silent laughter at the comedic delivery.

Cassie softened at the sight of his big hands holding the small board book, a hopeful look on his face as he directed his voice toward Birdie. She walked into the room as he finished a page and sat in the chair across from him.

“This isn’t your first time reading Dr. Seuss, is it?” Cassie asked as Birdie crept closer to Nick.

He blushed. “Of course not. Me and the Doc go way back. Sorry, I saw the book sitting here, so I thought I’d read it. For nostalgia’s sake.”

“Right,” Cassie said, a small smile playing on her lips. “Out loud. With voices and everything.”

“Well, if you’re going to do something, you should do it right.” He set the book down. “But now that your grandmother is safe here, I should probably get going.”

Birdie, still facing away from them, but now almost next to the couch, spun around and grabbed the book, then pushed it back into his hands.

Shocked, Cassie held her breath. Since the accident, Birdie had become a shy, frail shell of her formerly vivacious self. She never attempted to communicate with anyone other than close family members.