“Hey, Valerie?” one of the other nurses called from the desk adjacent from the room.

“Yeah?”

“Mrs. Morrison has another visitor.”

“No problem.” Valerie stepped out of the room and Katie waited for her brother and father’s return.

A petite woman walked to the door of the room and gasped when she looked at the bed. “Oh, Annie.”

Katie waited for the woman to realize she was there before she said anything. The visitor’s tearful gaze found hers and she gasped a second time.

“Oh, my, you must be Katelyn.”

“You have me at a disadvantage,” Katie said.

“I’m Tina, a friend of your…of Annie’s.” The woman’s hesitation in calling Annie her mother didn’t go unnoticed.

“I didn’t know she went by Annie,” Katie said, making conversation with the stranger.

The woman moved farther into the room and placed a hand on the side of the bed. “She hates Annette. Says it makes her feel old.”

Tina pulled a chair closer to the bed and stroked her mother’s hand. “You’re not looking too young right now, are you, Annie?” she whispered, obviously upset.

Seeing someone holding her mother’s hand and talking softly reminded Katie of just how removed she was from her mother. “You’ve known her for a while?” Katie asked, hoping the woman would paint some kind of picture of the person her mother was.

“At least five years now. We met at the club.”

“The club?”

“A health club. Well, you know, a place for a little exercise and plenty of play.”

OK, so her mother wasn’t completely without funds.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Annette still has my father on an emergency contact list.”

Tina opened her mouth, closed it. “Oh.”

If Tina was shocked to see her, perhaps she shouldn’t be here.

“Maybe I should go,” Katie said suddenly feeling out of place.

“No. Please, I’m sorry I said that. I’m sure Annie would want to see you when she wakes up.”

“Really? I’m not so sure. She’s not tried to see me in years.”

Tina shook her head. “She saw you every time your picture ended up in a paper.”

Great, so her mother followed the tabloid crap. “Not the same.”

“No. I’m sure it’s not.”

Katie’s gaze skirted to her mother and then out the window. “She told my brother and me that she was living in Europe. Sent Christmas cards from there. Do you have any idea why she did that?”

“No. I thought perhaps all of you had a falling out. I knew about you and Jack…it is Jack, right?”

“Yes.”

“But she didn’t elaborate as to why she had little to do with you.”

“Nothing! She’s had nothing to do with us. My brother was married two months ago. She sent a gift and a card.” Reminding herself of her mother’s behavior brought back the anger she’d felt on the plane. The room started feeling a little smaller and the desire for fresh air became a need.

“She’s not a bad person, Katelyn. She might have been a terrible mother, but not everyone is built to nurture others.”

“Then why have us in the first place?”

Tina offered a sympathetic smile. “You’ll have to ask her that.”

Katie stood and grasped the handle of her purse. “Not an option right now, is it?” She knew her anger was misguided toward the woman in the room, but it didn’t stop her from snapping. Katie hated that this stranger, this woman who had a good ten years on her mother, knew more about Annette than she did.

It pissed her off that her mother waited until something awful happened to remember she had children.

“I should go,” Tina said.

“No. I’m going. Please ask the nurse to call me if anything changes.”

Katie left the room and the unit in a rush.

Built to nurture others!

Could it be that simple? Could it be that Annette, no Annie, just didn’t want to be a mom?

The suffocating heat hit her as she exited the hospital and started walking.

She found a coffeehouse, ordered an iced tea, and dialed Dean. She was never so thankful to have him pick up.

“Hey, darlin’,” his voice was low, concern for her poured through the phone.

“I need you to talk me down,” she told him.

“Oh, no…what happened?”

She relayed the short conversation with Tina and did her best to explain how torn she was about the entire ordeal. “If it wasn’t for Jack and my dad, I’d get the hell out of here right now. Built to nurture others! Can you believe she said that? Thinks that?”

“What bothers you more, Katie, the fact she said it or that you already knew it to be true?”

“Both! It’s just so infuriating, Dean.”

“I know, darlin’. Do you want me to fly out?”

“No. I’m all right. The nurse said they were going to take her off the ventilator and wake her up slowly tomorrow morning. Then maybe she can tell me herself that she could give a shit about us and I can leave.”

Dean cleared his throat. “Do me a favor, Katie. Don’t let her have the power to make you this upset.”

Katie watched a woman walk by pushing a stroller and drew in a deep breath. “I’m trying. I was doing great until Tina showed up. Let’s talk about something else. How’s Savannah?”