“Did you save room? I’ve got shrimp chow mein and boneless barbecued spare ribs,” Ronnie said while pulling the white boxes out of the bag along with two sets of plastic utensils.


“When it comes to food, I always have room,” Rose replied, taking the plastic fork offered to her. Her legs were throbbing but somehow the pain seemed to be diminished by the presence of her new friend.


“They didn’t give me any bowls or plates so we’ll just have to share,” Veronica said as she opened the boxes to reveal steaming hot food. “I didn’t know what you liked but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with the ribs.”


“I’ve never had shrimp chow mein but yeah, the ribs won’t last long.” Her fork was already headed for the box.


“Oh, you’ll have to try it. It’s really good.” She pulled out a forkful of the chow mein and put it into her mouth, drawing air in at the same time to try and counteract the burning hot temperature of the food. Rose was making quick work of the barbecued pork ribs, pushing several small pieces of meat into her mouth and humming with delight.


“Oh, this is sooo good,” she mumbled around the mouthful of pork. “Thank you.”


“You’re welcome. We’ve even got fortune cookies for dessert.” Since Rose did not think anything of talking with food in her mouth, Veronica relaxed and did the same. “I didn’t have time to stop anywhere for dinner so I figured I’d pick some up and have it here.”


“Oh, I’m glad you did. This is delicious,” Rose said. “Thank you.” She pulled the box of chow mein close to her mouth and pulled out a forkful of vegetables and shrimp. “Oh, this is good.”


“Told you,” Veronica smiled, pleased that her choices were so well received. “So did you rest well? I’m sorry I had to leave but I had some matters to take care of at the office.”


“Is everything all right? You’re helping me isn’t causing any problems, is it?” Rose asked with concern, not wanting to do anything to add stress to her new friend.


“No Rose, my problems are with one of the divisions.” She set her fork down and gave a polite burp. “Oh, that was good. I’ve forgotten how tasty Chinese food was.” The theme music for Jeopardy began on the television followed by the host introducing the contestants. “So you didn’t answer me. Did you have a good rest?”


“Yes, I slept very well, thanks.” She turned to catch the deep blue eyes of the older woman.

“Thanks for staying until I fell asleep.”


The nurse returning interrupted their picnic. She took one look at the two empty boxes and the guilty looks on the women’s faces and frowned. “You really shouldn’t be bringing food into the hospital,” she chastised. “Miss Grayson, you’re not on any special diets, are you?”


“No. I’m sorry. I asked her to bring it,” Rose said, trying to take the blame.


“In the future you really should stick to the food we serve. Our nutritionists work hard to design a meal…”


“Who is Abraham Lincoln,” Rose blurted, her attention on the show and not on the lecture she was receiving.


“Naw, it was Johnson.”


“No. He didn’t take office in February, he took it in April.” The host verified that Rose’s answer was correct complete with the dates that the presidential succession took place. The nurse looked at the two women focused on the television and gave up her attempt to explain why the Chinese food was not as good for a patient as hospital food. She left the room knowing full well where she was going to go on her dinner break.


Just as the theme music was ending the announcement came over the loudspeakers that visiting hours were over. “I guess that’s my cue to leave,” Veronica said reluctantly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She stood up and picked up her jacket. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She reached into the pocket and pulled out a business card and pen. “Let me leave you my number in case you want to call or if you want me to bring you anything.” She scribbled her private phone number down on the back of the card and set it down on the bed tray before picking up the empty food boxes and bag. “Really, if you want or need anything, just give me a call. I’m usually up until eleven.” She smoothed an imaginary wrinkle on the blanket before donning her bomber jacket. “Rest well, Rose. I’ll see you tomorrow.”


“I don’t want to keep you from your work.”


“Trust me, I’d much rather be here than there. I’ll be by sometime after breakfast. Remember what I said. Call me whenever you want to, even if it’s just to talk.” Just to be sure, Veronica pushed the phone a bit closer on the side table.


“Thanks. Good night, Veronica.”


“Hey, call me Ronnie. All my friends do,” she said with a smile.


“Ronnie. Good night, drive carefully.” Rose did not notice the look that flashed across the older woman’s face before being covered with a fake smile.


“Good night, Rose.”



* * *

Ronnie was curled up in bed with Tabitha laying next to her, when the phone rang. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was almost eleven. “Hello?”


“Um…hi, it’s Rose. I hope I’m not calling too late.”


“No, no you’re not calling too late at all.” She sat up, much to Tabitha’s displeasure. “You okay?”


“Yeah, I um…I guess I just wanted to…see how Tabitha was,” came the lame excuse. Ronnie smiled, propping a pillow behind her back and leaning against the oak headboard.


“The purr machine is fine. You want to say hi to her? She seems to think that wherever I am is a good place for her to be.” Without waiting for an answer she put the phone near the cat. “Say hi to Mommy, Tabitha.” She held it there for a few seconds before putting the receiver back to her ear. “Did you hear her purring?”


“Yeah.” Ronnie could feel the smile through the phone and in turn smiled herself. “Is there anything you want me to bring tomorrow? I’ll probably be there around ten or so.”


“Um…if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, do you think you could check my mail for me?”


“Damn, I completely forgot about that. I’ll have to stop at the post office and put a forwarding address in for you before that jerk Cecil starts going through your mail.”


“Oh…I don’t know where you could have it forwarded to.”


“I’ll take care of it, don’t worry. But yeah, I’ll swing by there tomorrow and see if you’ve gotten anything.”


“I’d really appreciate it.” There was a momentary silence before Rose continued. “Ronnie?”


“Yeah?”


“Um…sleep well, okay?” That caused the executive to smile again.


“You too, Rose. I’ll see you in the morning.”


“Good night.”


“Night.” She waited a few seconds before pushing the off button on the phone and putting it back in the charger on her night stand. Tabitha crawled onto her chest and began trying to imprint her paw marks on Ronnie’s internal organs. “Oof, I don’t think so, Missy,” she said, gently pushing the cat back onto the bed and receiving a dejected meow in response. “Come on, I’ve got a lot of things to take care of tomorrow. It’s a huge bed. There’s plenty of room without you having to be right on top of me.” Nonetheless, the black-haired beauty ended up falling asleep with the purring feline curled up against her.




The alarm went off at six as usual, announcing the start to Ronnie’s day. “Mrrow?”


“In a minute,” she replied sleepily, throwing the blankets off and sticking her feet into the soft blue slippers waiting next to the bed. With eyes half closed, she trudged into her bathroom. Returning a few minutes later, teeth brushed and bladder emptied, she stripped off her sweats and donned her light gray spandex workout suit before heading for the basement.


Ronnie’s private gym was the envy of any fitness junkie. With the exception of the room that held the furnace and water heater, the rest of the basement was devoted to her myriad of benches, machines, and mats. Growing up in the house that was now hers and hers alone, Ronnie had often dreamed of renovating the once musty basement into a place where she could just be herself, pumping iron and working up a healthy sweat. Her goal was accomplished with the private gym. The room was brightly lit with overhead fluorescent fixtures and enhanced by the walls of mirrors. She grabbed a fresh towel from the shelf, turned on the stereo, and headed for the stair climber to get warmed up.


Duran Duran blared through speakers placed throughout the large room while Ronnie pushed her calves and thighs to the limits on the stair climber. In her own private haven, no one could hear her singing to the music, see the sweat forming on her brow, neck and chest, or notice the way she pushed herself. She prided herself on her fit body and strength but both required constant maintenance. Twenty minutes climbing stairs that never went anywhere and she moved on to the next piece of equipment, taking the time to tie her hair up to keep it off her face and the back of her neck. She checked the amount of weights on the bar before lying down on the bench, pulling the bar off of its rest, and bringing it down to her chest. She wiggled her fingers to make certain her hands were in the proper position and began her grueling repetitions, pushing the barbell up to maximum height before lowering back down to her chest. Then it was off to the leg press, the crunch machine for her abdominals, the forearm grips, then the skiing machine for a good overall workout. By the time the CD was finished, Ronnie was a mass of well-earned sweat and muscles that begged for a break. She threw the soaked towel into the hamper near the door and made her way back to her bedroom where she peeled the sweat covered spandex from her body and entered her bathroom. Her showerhead sent pulses of hot water against her body, massaging while cleaning. Ten minutes with the hair dryer and Ronnie was refreshed and ready to face whatever the day had to offer.


Snow had fallen during the night, covering the city with a light coating of white. The bright blue Cherokee made its way up the narrow Albany streets, fighting the rest of the Friday morning traffic. She found a parking space on Morris Street and carefully made her way up the stairs to retrieve Rose’s mail. She picked through it, planning on leaving the junk mail for Cecil to deal with when one small envelope caught her attention. She tucked it into the inside pocket of her bomber and returned to the warmth of her sport vehicle. Only then did she pull it out and examine the return address. D. Bickering, RR 3 Box 4120, Cobleskill. Cobleskill, known more for its agricultural college than anything else, was a small village over an hour away from Albany. It was thought of as being mostly farmland, although there were a fair number of residents in the area. The overwhelming majority was either farmers or people who were willing to travel forty minutes or more to get to work each day, so far from any real cities was the village. Ronnie shoved the letter back into her pocket and put the Jeep into gear, determined to get to the hospital and hand the letter to Rose before the urge to go home and steam the envelope open got the best of her. She desperately wanted to know how the mysterious Delores Bickering fit into Rose’s life and why the young woman with no money was writing checks to this person.


Ronnie arrived just as the nurse finished checking Rose’s vitals. As expected, the young woman’s face showed the pain that the drugs could not completely erase. “Hey you,” she said softly, drawing Rose’s attention from the nurse to her.


“Hi,” the blonde woman smiled. “Looks like the snow got you.”


“Just a little,” Ronnie replied, brushing the melting flakes off her dark hair and the shoulders of her soft brown jacket. “Should I come back in a little while?”


“I’m almost done,” the nurse said without looking up from her task. She stood and made several notations on Rose’s chart. “There. All finished for now.” She peeled the latex gloves off into the red waste container. “Doctor Barnes will be in to see you in a little while,” she said before leaving the two women alone.


Curiosity won out the instant they were alone. Ronnie pulled the envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Rose. “Here’s your mail.”