The threat of another serious illness on the heels of Hope’s measles had her trembling in anxiety. Cara was no stranger to sorrow. What woman was as she approached sixty years of age? Life, she knew, was like the tides. They rushed in, filling the marshes to the brim, then retreated, revealing the dark mud.
She brought the sheet over her shoulders. No one really knew what this virus was capable of, only that the elderly were the most vulnerable. David was nearing sixty-five, and he’d been in London, which already had cases skyrocketing. Cara closed her eyes tight. Please, God, do not take another husband from me. I could not bear it.
Her restless thoughts drove her from her bed. She glanced at her phone—3 a.m.—and sighed. Her usual wake-up time. Too early to get up, yet impossible to fall back asleep. She’d read once that one should give up the fight and embrace the early hours. Do something and wait for sleep to return. Cara pushed back the covers, rose from her bed, and stepped out into the steely gray of early morning. The moon was waning. In the darkness, she heard the ocean crashing against the shoreline, fierce, aftermath of the storm.
Countless stars formed constellations and her thoughts turned to her first husband. Brett could name them, she thought. They used to lie next to each other on the beach and he’d stretch his arm toward the sky and point out the constellations: “There’s Hydra, Leo, Cancer.”
Cara brought her hand to her forehead, frowning. Why did her former husband come to mind while she was worrying about her current one? Crossing her arms tightly around herself, she sighed deeply, awash in memories. She’d never forget Brett. Never wanted to. He was the love of her life. The one man who had taken hold of her heart and dragged her, kicking and screaming, away from her life of determined isolation and loneliness and into love. She’d come home to Isle of Palms for her mother. She’d stayed for him.
There were nights, like tonight, she could hear his voice so clearly. His presence was palpable.
Cara wiped away the moisture welling in her eyes. Scents assailed her—salt, honeysuckle, rain—punctuating the memories that were coming on strong.
Damn fate, she cursed. How much more death did she have to face? She’d lost Brett. Her mother, Lovie. Last year she’d nearly lost Hope. Not again, she vowed. She would not sit idly by and let illness strike her family again.
Cara was not one to sit in a corner and wait. Her mind began clicking off possible solutions. The threat of coronavirus was real—she accepted that. But she needed to know more. At first light, she’d research how to effectively handle quarantines and, if necessary, how to minimize the contagion and prevent it from spreading. The Centers for Disease Control website advised everyone to wash their hands and practice social distancing. But she had more to learn, and she had to learn it fast. If David was sick…
Her gaze traveled across the pool to her master bedroom on the other wing of the house. The doors were open there too. She could see the big four-poster bed through the screen. Her heart thumped with love for her David. It felt so odd, so wrong not to be lying beside him. She hoped David was sleeping well, and that all that ailed him was exhaustion. He needed all his strength to fight off any virus. She wouldn’t let him down. She would dig deep to find the strength. Wasn’t that what women did? She’d nursed her mother. She could take care of him too.
She turned to look back at the guest room she’d moved into. Just across the hall was Hope’s room. Maternal resolve fluttered in her heart. Hope was the one she had to worry about most. Her bout with the measles the previous summer had taken its toll, leaving Hope immunocompromised. Cara would never forget how close she’d come to losing her, and the months of watching her little girl valiantly fight to regain strength. Hope was healthy again, but if she caught the coronavirus, she’d be highly vulnerable. Of course she had to keep Hope away from David. But was that good enough? Could Hope stay here in this house? With David?
Cara began pacing and brought her hands to her face as a solution took root. It would break her heart to separate from her daughter for two weeks, but what choice did she have? Cara stopped walking. Hope had to leave the house. The answer was simple. Tomorrow, she’d make plans. There’d be pushback, but she had to be strong for all of them.
Cara brought her fingers to her head and scratched vigorously—then, dropping her arms, felt sleepiness ebb slowly through her body. Her eyelids felt heavy. Her decision made, she could finally go to sleep.
Tomorrow, she would call Linnea.
* * *
LINNEA OPENED THE front door to find Cara, wearing her mask, half-hidden by a large bouquet of flowers.
“Cara! What a surprise. Come in!”
“Is this a bad time?” Cara asked.
Linnea tightened her pink robe at the waist, embarrassed to be caught still in her pajamas at 10 a.m. Cara looked positively chipper in black jeans, a jacket over her tee, and white tennis shoes.
“It’s never a bad time to see you.” Linnea stepped aside, giving Cara a wide berth to enter. “I’m feeling like I’m in limbo. I can’t go to work, and I can’t go shopping or to a restaurant. I’m not used to being stuck at home. So, believe me, seeing you is a treat.” She laughed shortly with self-deprecation. “If in my pajamas.”
“I know it’s early and I didn’t call. I barely slept last night.” Cara stretched out her arms. “These are for you.”
Linnea accepted them, surprised by the gesture. “What did I do to deserve these? I should be giving you flowers. You’re the one who bailed me out.”
“I’m about to ask you to bail me out too.”
Linnea paused, then said, “Want some coffee?”
Cara shook her head. “I’d love some, but I can’t stay. Hope is in the car. I can’t leave her home because David isn’t feeling well. He’s in quarantine.”
Linnea felt her blood drain and knew a moment’s fear for her own well-being. “Is it the coronavirus?”
“We don’t know for sure. There are no tests and the doctor told him to go into quarantine, just in case. Don’t worry, he kept his distance from the moment he arrived home and went straight into our room and closed the door. He’s going to stay in the master bedroom and I’ll stay in the guest room on the other side of the house.”
Cara paused to take a breath, and Linnea readied herself for the but that she knew was coming.
“But… and here comes the ask,” Cara said. “I’m worried about Hope. She’s at risk because of the measles last year. I’ve been up all night thinking about this, and I called her pediatrician this morning, just to make sure I’m not being an alarmist. She agrees that we should take extra precautions for Hope. So…” Cara took a breath. “Would you please consider letting Hope live with you for the two weeks that David is in quarantine?”
Linnea hadn’t expected this, and it took a moment to process. “You mean, I’d take care of Hope and you’ll be living at your house?”
“Yes. Just across the street. I don’t want her in the same house as David. The virus is contagious, and even being careful, if he ends up having it, the risk is too great for her. I’ll pay you, of course.”
A moment’s hesitation gave way to her willingness to support her aunt, who, after all, had just forgiven her rent payments. “I’ll do it, of course,” Linnea said. “But before we agree, you should know… I took your message about paying it forward to heart. You remember Annabelle?”