halfway up the stairs again, this time carrying a tray
with a mug of hot tea and some biscuits.
"He wanted a cup," she explained. "I'll be right there to help put it all away," she added, nodding at
the bags of groceries we carried.
"We'll take care of it, Ma," Cary said, his jaw
taut with anger. "He's going to wear her out
completely," he told me as we watched Aunt Sara
continue up the stairs.
It wasn't a wild prediction. Uncle Jacob had a
bell next to his bed that he would ring about every
five minutes it seemed. He interrupted supper twice
that night demanding things from Aunt Sara. She
never uttered a word of complaint, she was so happy
to have him home, but it was apparent to both Cary
and me that she couldn't run up and down the stairs all
day and night. She wasn't even able to relax enough to
eat!
"Maybe you could get them to hire a special
duty nurse for a while, Cary," I suggested. "If your
family needed the money, maybe Grandpa Samuel
and Grandma Olivia would help."
"It's not the money. You know how my father is
when it comes to strangers in his house," he replied. "Then maybe we can get him to sleep in the
living room until he's a lot better," I said. "At least
your mother wouldn't have to go up and down the
stairs so much."
Cary thought it was a good suggestion, but
when he brought that idea to Uncle Jacob, he roared
with anger.
"Turn my house into a hospital, would you? I'll