out a bunch of random clothes. “I hope these fit. You’re a little taller than me. Chest is bigger too.”
The weight loss apparently hadn’t affected everything equally. “Thanks,” Caroline said. “I appreciate it.”
“Just telling you the truth.”
“I’m probably a lot smaller now than I used to be.” She winced. Her ribs hurt. “I think I’ve lost at least ten pounds.”
“Probably. You’ve had nothing but glorified sugar water for almost two weeks.” Maureen rummaged through the duffle bag again. “I’m sorry. We did what we could to help you get better.”
The doctor had no reason to feel guilty about anything, and Caroline felt compelled to reassure her. “I know you did.”
“I’ve got some food in here too.” Maureen pulled out a couple of granola bars and a bottle of apple juice. “You hungry?”
Her stomach felt like a lead balloon. “Not really,” Caroline said. “But I should probably force something down. Am I allowed to eat?”
“You can do whatever you want. Just don’t run out of here without me.”
Caroline stretched out her legs. She wasn’t exactly in prime shape. “I’m trusting you,” she said. “You’d better not be bullshitting me.”
“I’m not.”
Maureen rubbed her forehead, and for the first time Caroline noticed how tired she looked. She would have pegged the woman’s age at late fifties, but guessed that she was actually a little younger than that. No doubt recent events had taken their toll on her as well.
Caroline chugged down the apple juice and shoved a granola bar into her mouth as she put on a bra that was indeed a cup size too small but was better than nothing. The food and drink felt terrible going down. She slipped on the rest of the clothes, not giving a shit about modesty. The shoes she grabbed from the bag were at least a size and a half too small, and the pants were too short. Hopefully she could remedy that situation in time. Unusual dress attracted attention. The kind she didn’t want.
“You have tiny feet,” she told Maureen.
“Sorry. I couldn’t very well measure your shoe size. I took what I could get.”
Maureen twisted her hands nervously, waiting for her to finish getting dressed, and it was enough to spark Caroline’s suspicions again.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked. “Why are you helping me?”
“Because I’m stupid. And I think you’re being railroaded.”
“No shit.” She wolfed down another granola bar. “Why put yourself at risk?”
“Okay, I’m not stupid. I’m really just terribly bored.”
“It’s not that either.”
Maureen closed her eyes. “I think good people need to stand up for what’s right before there’s no one left to do it.”
She was holding something back, but Caroline didn’t see the point in pushing her. She tugged a hoodie with a Boston College hockey logo over her head, pulling the sleeves up out of habit. She liked this woman, despite her shitty taste in clothing.
“BC?” Caroline asked. “Really?”
“Class of 1988,” Maureen said.
“You know, at Notre Dame they call it Backup College.”
“I am aware of that.”
Caroline rose shakily to her feet. She lifted each foot up and down, orienting herself. She didn’t feel as badly as she thought she would. “I don’t think we’re going to have any problem with finding things to talk about in the car. Even if this hoodie does make me feel dirty.”
Maureen laughed, but it sounded hollow. And it wasn’t because of the subject matter. “Sit back down on the bed for a minute. How are you feeling?”
Caroline could think of no accurate way to describe how she felt. Bluntness would work. “Things hurt.”
“Obviously. Does your head hurt?”
“I feel like I’m speaking too slowly, like my mouth can’t catch up with my brain. It takes longer than usually to process things.” Her thoughts usually rushed through at a mile a minute, and it felt as if they were stuck in molasses.
“You sound tired,” Maureen said. “I know you’re not in fighting shape, but can you walk?”
Standing up hadn’t been too bad. “I think so. Probably won’t be running any marathons any time soon.”
Maureen continued to prod at her, apparently satisfied with what she’d seen so far. “All you have to do is propel yourself toward the door and down the stairwell.”
“I can manage that.”
“Your cheekbone and nose are still healing, as are your ribs. Leg looks to be okay, but that was never the main issue. And you seem to be communicating all right, so that answers any questions we had about your cognitive abilities.”