Her mother’s voice echoed from the kitchen and Cassie slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her so Birdie could keep sleeping.
“So, how was the appointment?” Cassie helped Bobby into her chair at the kitchen table, then sat next to her.
“Bah! Ridiculous!” Bobby said. “They asked me so many questions it made my head spin. And I had to draw a clock. Waste of time.”
Anna, her face strained, fell into the chair next to Cassie’s. “I told you, it’s a standard test to assess your mental faculties.”
“I’m fine.” Bobby slammed her fist on the table. “I don’t need doctors to tell me that.”
Anna massaged her forehead. “Cassie, will you get me some aspirin? I think there’s some in the medicine cabinet. If not, then check the nightstand in Bobby’s room.”
“Sure, Mom.” Cassie left the two of them still bickering and opened up the mirrored doors above the bathroom sink. No aspirin, but since the last time she’d checked, three cans of beets had taken up residence there.
She walked down the hall to Bobby’s bedroom and pushed open the door. The room smelled like old lady perfume and incense. Family pictures and colorful embroidered pictures filled the walls.
Cassie resisted the urge to pilfer through the box in the closet again and instead sat on the bed and rifled through the various bottles on top of the nightstand. When she didn’t find what she was looking for, she opened the top drawer. There, next to a loaf of bread and five cans of sardines, she found the small bottle of aspirin.
Curious, she opened the next two drawers and found them packed to the brim with bags of prunes and raisins, cans of diced pears, and boxes of macaroni and cheese. Cassie cursed and grabbed a can of pears.
“Here you go.” She set the pill bottle on the table. “So, what did they say at the appointment?”
Anna gave a tight smile. “Her doctor wants to do further testing.”
Bobby glared at Anna. “I’m fine!”
“Bobby, we aren’t doing this to be mean.” Cassie held up the can of pears she’d tucked under her arm. “We’re worried about you. Why are you hiding food all over the house? Why are you wandering around the yard at night burying it?”
Bobby paled. “Where did you find that?”
“In your nightstand. Along with a bunch of other stuff.”
“Who put it there?” Bobby demanded.
Cassie cocked her head. Did she really think someone else had done this? “You did. Don’t you remember when I found you the other night out in the yard? You were burying food. Barefoot. At four in the morning.”
“No. I didn’t do that.” She pushed away from the table, her eyes clouded, as if she’d disappeared into some distant part of her mind and couldn’t be reached. “I haven’t had to do that in a long time,” she said as she walked into the living room.
Cassie frowned. “There’s got to be something else going on that we’re missing. Some kind of trauma she went through long ago that’s exacerbating this whole thing. Maybe it’s related to those notes I told you about? The ones asking for forgiveness from Alina?”
“I wouldn’t know since she won’t talk about it. My whole life, I’ve had no idea who my grandparents were or if I had any cousins, or aunts and uncles. It was just us.” Anna crossed her arms. “Let’s give her some time. Today took a lot out of her.”
“And you, too, by the looks of it,” Cassie said. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest? I’ll keep an eye on her.”
Anna scrubbed her face with her hands. “Thanks, I will. I’ll check back in later.”
After her mother left, a strangled cry rang out from the living room. She ran in and found Bobby kneeling on the ground next to her holy icon corner.
“It fell! Do you know what that means?” Bobby said.
Cassie dropped to her knees and gathered up the fallen picture and rushnyk. “I’m sure it’s nothing. The nail probably slipped out. I can rehang it for you.”
“No.” Bobby shook her head and fixed her glassy stare on Cassie. “When an icon falls, death is coming. I’m running out of time.”
“Bobby, stop talking like that. I can’t think about losing you.” Cassie’s stomach knotted as she pulled Bobby to her feet. “Now, come on. Let’s get you into bed so you can rest.”
Cassie tucked Bobby in, then sat on the edge of the bed and held her grandmother’s hands. “I’ll sit here with you until you fall asleep.”