Rain (Hudson 1)

"It doesn't look it. There's dust on those window casings. You need to vacuum them, not just wave a feather brush at them. All that does is move the dust to another spot. I think I've told you that about one thousand times, if I told it to you once."

"I did vacuum," Merilyn asserted.

Grandmother Hudson made a gruff noise in her throat and then looked into the kitchen.

"If there's anything wrong in there, it isn't my fault, Mrs. Hudson. Rain used the kitchen too. She even had a guest for dinner last night and cooked their dinner herself," Merilyn revealed.

Grandmother Hudson raised her eyebrows and gazed my way.

"And who might that have been?"

"Audrey Stempelton," I said.

"Mrs. Hudson, if you're not going to pay any attention to my orders, I might as well not be here," Mrs. Griffin said sharply.

Grandmother Hudson looked at her the way she would look at an annoying house fly, but then headed back toward the stairway.

"Bring me some tea and biscuits," she commanded

Merilyn and started up the stairs. She turned to me. "Come to my room in twenty minutes," she ordered.

"Yes, Mrs. Hudson," I said as I stood beside Jake and watched her and her nurse go up the stairs.

"I give that nurse forty-eight hours," Jake said. "See you in the morning," he added and backed out as if he was happy he was able to escape, closing the door quickly behind him.

Merilyn gave me a fiery look.

"I thought you washed down that dinning room table last night," she whined and pivoted like a toy soldier to go into the kitchen and prepare

Grandmother Hudson's tea.

After Grandmother Hudson was settled in, I went to her room. She was propped up in her bed, looking comfortable. Mrs. Griffin had just finished taking her blood pressure.

"You can go get yourself some lunch now," Grandmother Hudson told her.

"I think I can decide for myself when I want to have lunch, Mrs. Hudson," the nurse replied dryly. "If you want me to leave the room, just ask for privacy."

Grandmother Hudson gazed up at her with a look that could burn a hole through the Washington Monument. Mrs. Griffin turned away, took her time, and left the bedroom.

"A most annoying, impudent, arrogant person, just like all those medical people. There's no better reason to stay healthy and well than avoiding those self-anointed saints. The doctors act like they walk on water. The nurses treat you as if you were interrupting their coffee breaks. I refuse to ever go back there. I'll live and die in this bed if I have to," she vowed.

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

"And what is so funny, might I ask?"

"The operation obviously hasn't slowed you down, Mrs. Hudson," I said.

"Of course not. It was unnecessary and it's quite annoying having this ...this thing in my chest. Now what's been going on here?"

"Not much," I said shrugging.

"I realize that from one superficial look at the house. It doesn't look as if she was in this room once since I've been gone. I hate to go into the bathroom and see what condition it is in. Why is it so difficult to find reliable help?"

"Maybe you should try to relax for a day or so, Grandmother," I said in a lower voice. "Get your strength back."

"Everyone's got advice. Get my hairbrush off the vanity table. I look a fright," she said.

I found it and brought it to her.