Alain glances at me and then back at Gavin. “I understand that she had some help and encouragement from you, young man.”
Gavin shrugs and looks away. “No, sir. She did it on her own. I just told her a few things I knew about Holocaust research.”
“Do not take away the importance of what you did,” Alain says. “You helped reunite our family.” He blinks a few times and asks Gavin, “Can we see her now? My sister?”
Gavin hesitates. “Technically, visiting hours are over. But I know a few of the nurses here. Let me see what I can do.”
I watch as Gavin approaches a pretty blonde nurse who looks like she’s in her early twenties. She laughs and twirls her hair while she talks to him. I’m surprised to realize that watching them together makes me feel a little jealous. I blink a few times, turn away, and put a hand on Alain’s arm.
“Are you okay?” I ask. “You must be exhausted.”
He nods. “I just need to see Rose.”
Annie launches into a rapid-fire series of questions—“When did you last see Mamie?” “How come you thought she died?” “How did you escape those Nazis?” “What happened to your parents?”—which Alain answers patiently. As Annie bends her head toward his and continues to babble excitedly, I smile.
After a moment, Gavin returns and puts a hand on my arm, and as he does, a strange jolt of something shoots through me. I pull away quickly, like I’ve been burned.
Gavin frowns and clears his throat. “I talked to Krista. The nurse. She says she can sneak us back. But only for a few minutes. They’re pretty strict about visiting hours here.”
I nod. “Thank you,” I say. Oddly, I can’t bring myself to thank Krista as she leads the four of us down a narrow hallway, her blonde ponytail bobbing perkily behind her as her narrow hips swish back and forth exaggeratedly. I could swear she’s walking that way for Gavin’s benefit, but he doesn’t seem to notice; he has a hand on Alain’s shoulder and is guiding the older man gently toward a doorway at the end of the hall.
“Five minutes,” Krista whispers as we stop in front of the last door on the right. “Or I’ll get in trouble.”
“Thank you so much,” Gavin says. “I owe you.”
“You can take me out to dinner sometime?” Krista says. The end of the statement rises like a question, and as she bats her eyes at him, she reminds me of a cartoon character. I don’t wait to hear his reply; I tell myself it’s not important. I follow Annie and Alain into the room, and I gasp at the sight of the still figure lying in the hospital bed, seemingly swallowed by a mound of sheets.
Mamie looks tiny, pale, and shrunken, and beside me, I can feel Alain flinch. I want to tell him that the last time I saw her, she didn’t look like this. In fact, I hardly recognize her without her signature burgundy lipstick and kohl eyeliner. But I’m as dumbstruck as he is. We both approach, Annie trailing behind us.
“She looks real bad, doesn’t she?” Annie murmurs. I turn and put my arm around her, and she doesn’t pull away. I put my right hand on top of Mamie’s left hand, which feels cold. She doesn’t move.
“They apparently found her slumped over her desk when she didn’t come down for dinner,” Gavin says softly. I turn and see him standing in the doorway. “They called 911 right away,” he adds.
I nod, too choked up to speak. Beside me, I can feel Annie trembling a little, and I look down to see her blinking back tears. I pull her closer and she wraps both arms around me for a hug. We watch as Alain approaches the bed and kneels down so that his face is even with Mamie’s. He murmurs something to her, and then he reaches out and strokes her face gently. Tears are glistening in his eyes.
“I thought I would never see her again,” he whispers. “It has been nearly seventy years.”
“Is she gonna be okay?” Annie asks Alain. She’s staring at him as if his answer determines everything.
Alain hesitates and nods. “Annie, I do not know. But I can’t believe that God would reunite us, only to take her away without a good-bye. I have to believe there’s a reason in all this.”
Annie nods vigorously. “Me too.”
Before we can say anything more, the perky nurse reappears at the doorway. “Time’s up,” she says. “My supervisor is on her way.”
Gavin and I exchange looks. “Okay,” Gavin says. “Thanks, Krista. We’ll get out of here.” He nods at me, and I slowly lead Annie away from Mamie. I glance back over my shoulder as I near the door, and I see Alain with his head bent over Mamie’s again. He kisses her on the forehead, and when he turns, there are tears rolling down his face.