Fallen Woman(39)

“You guys stay in here and start to clean up your blankets and stuff, okay?” I asked, to which Megan and Trace nodded. I heard Derrick and Emmy, but they weren’t directly in front of me, so I just kept moving toward my friend.

I tapped my knuckles lightly on the bedroom door, but she didn’t answer. Slowly, I pushed the door open and allowed my eyes to adjust to the lack of light in the room. The curtains were drawn and offered little sunshine to pierce through their fabric. As the space finally came into focus, I saw Pearl lying on her side on the bed with a trash can sitting on the floor. There was bloody tissue in the wastebasket, and Pearl barely seemed conscious.

Gently, I tried to wake her, arouse her to speak to me, but when she finally focused on me, her eyes were glassy and her words we slurred and confused.

“Miss Pearl, can you talk to me? Are you feeling bad?” With each question, I raised my voice, perplexed by her lack of response. “Can you shake your head yes or no?” I asked, wondering if she couldn’t speak. There was a tiny motion of her head, but overall, she was relatively unresponsive. “Miss Pearl, I need to know what’s going on. If you can’t talk to me, I’m going to have to call an ambulance to get you some help.” I was trying not to scream and frighten the kids, but my voice trembled, and no matter what I did, my tone got louder and more acute. When I sat down on the bed to call 9-1-1, her hand grabbed my wrist.

Her breaths were labored as she tried to speak. “I’m just tired, baby.” That was her telling me not to hit send. She was a feisty old goat.

I slid down off the bed and onto the floor to kneel in front of her. “Miss Pearl, I need you to talk to me so I know you’re okay, or I’m going to have to call the ambulance.”

“Jus’ lemme sleep a bit.” Her hand lightly patted my wrist as if she was telling me to be a good girl and run along.

“I think you should go see a doctor. Where did this blood come from?” I nodded my head toward the trash can filled with red tissues.

“I had a bit of a coughin’ fit. Kept me up all night. I’m too old for all-nighters. You watch them babies and let me close my eyes. I’ll be fine.”

I didn’t have a clue what to do. I knew calling the paramedics would upset her, especially if she really did just need to sleep, but I didn’t want to live with the regret of not having called if her condition was life threatening. I smoothed her hair back from her face and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead as I stood up. When I left the room, I quietly closed the door behind me and stepped out front to call Jase. I didn’t know who else to contact and needed someone to help me make this decision.

“Hey, guys, sit on the couch and watch TV while Mommy goes outside to make a phone call, okay? Don’t make any noise—you don’t want to wake up Miss Pearl.” They nodded at me and took their respective seats on her old, worn couch. I watched as Emmy snuggled up to Trace with her blankie in her hand and rubbed her nose with the end of it. He put his arm over her lap like a good brother. My heart was full for just an instant before Megan pulled Derrick’s hair, and I had to roll my eyes at their ability to always be kids.

He didn’t answer the first time I called, but with back-to-back phone calls, he picked up on the second ring. “Hey, babe. What’s up? I was just getting out of the shower.”

I gave him the rundown on what I’d found this morning when I came over to Miss Pearl’s to get the kids, and the condition she seemed to be in. He argued with me about calling the ambulance but finally agreed it was an expense she would be unhappy about if she truly was just in need of sleep.

“Why don’t I come get you and the kids, and we can give her the house for a couple of hours. She can sleep, and they can play. I’ll pick you guys up in about thirty minutes, okay?” His soothing voice calmed my frazzled nerves.

“I’m really worried about her, Jase. Do you think we should leave her alone?”

“Do you want to watch her sleep? If so, I’ll take the kids, and you can stay there.” He wasn’t being a smartass; he truly was trying to offer another option, but I warred with which one was right.

“I think someone should stay here in case she needs anything.”

“Sounds good. I’ll come get the rug rats, and you can play house nurse.”

I thanked him and hung up. Wrangling the kids, I got them up, changed, and ready for the day. We all picked up the living room so Miss Pearl’s house was nice and neat just in time for Jase to tap on the door. He swooped in like my knight in shining armor, snagged the kids, and left in the same breath he came in on.

Sitting around someone else’s house got boring quickly. Her apartment was always spotless, so I snuck into her room and checked on her while I grabbed the wastebasket to empty its contents. I left to take the trash out and was assaulted by the sun and an unseasonably cool breeze. When I came back from the community dumpster, I opened the blinds, the windows, and the door to circulate the fresh air and eliminate the germs. The light seemed to cleanse the space, and it wasn’t long before Miss Pearl emerged from her room, looking refreshed and like the woman I’d grown to love. The clock on the wall indicated it had been several hours since the kids left, but I wasn’t sure where the time had gone. I’m sure I lost it during a nap of my own.

“Gianna, what are ya doing here? Where da youngins?”