Mrs. Malone

"Have you checked in yet?" Mrs. Malone asked the nurse, holding up her empty clipboard. The hospital gown was tucked into her skirt like it was a blouse.1

The nurse smiled.2

"Mrs. Malone, where are you supposed to be?"3

"I'm checking you all in. For the bus ride. You know." But her face showed some doubt.4

"Here, let's go back to your room." The nurse took her hand and led her through the door and into the little bedroom.5

"This isn't my room." Mrs. Malone said, her voice certain.6

"Are you sure?"7

"I'm positive. My room had a picture of my kids sitting there, by the bedside."8

On her bedside table sat a photograph of three middle aged guys and one woman, all smiling, in front of an old farmhouse.9

"Those aren't mine. My kids are... different." She nodded, as if conveying some knowledge to the nurse.10

"Alright then, we'll see if we can find your room." The nurse led her out, down the pristine white hall, and back into the room. 11

Mrs. Malone grinned.12

"This is it," she said happily. The nurse watched as Mrs. Malone sat down on her bed and picked up a portable c.d. player. She put on the earphones and pressed the "on" button. She sat for a moment, listening intently.13

"Listen to this!" She held the earphones up to the nurse. The nurse took them politely and put them to her ears for a second before handing them back. Mrs. Malone snapped them back on her ears. "I betcha my Charles brought me this disk and left it in here for a surprise. You know, he always likes surprises too." She held the c.d. player up and watched the disk spin round and round in the case, making a pattern of purple and red, just as it had for the last seven years she had owned it. The c.d. was the plastic demo that had come with the player.14

Mrs. Malone took the silent headphones off and set the player down on her bedside table.15

As the nurse pulled the curtains over the windows to dim the noon sunlight, Mrs. Malone got into bed slowly, pulling her bed covers over herself gently, as she was made of glass.16

Before the nurse stepped out of the room, Mrs. Malone gave her a sad smile and then closed her eyes.17

When she opened them next, there was a strange man standing over her. He smiled when he saw she was awake.18

"Hello, Ma."19

Mrs. Malone looked concerned. "Are you lost?20

He smiled gently. "Ma, it's me. Charles."21

She squinted at him. "Wait, I know you, did I see you at the grocery store Sunday? Because if you're the person I think you are, you shouldn't smoke so much. It makes you stink."22

Charles looked sad, and she couldn't figure out why. He certainly wasn't her son, even though he kept calling her "Ma". She didn't know anyone named Charles.23

"Ma, this is Jenny. We're getting married this August."24

Mrs. Malone sat up in bed to study the girl that was standing there in the doorway.25

"Hi Jenny." Mrs.Malone said, just like she had said the first three times she had met her.26

Jenny smiled. Her smile was slightly familiar. But not very.27

"I brought you a new picture Ma, it's of us all at the farm."28

He handed her the picture frame, in which rested an old photo of four kids and a man and wife. The man had the little girl on his knee, and the wife was holding an infant.29

"Who's he?" She pointed at the man with the little girl.30

Charles bit his lip and closed his eyes for a second.31

"That's dad. Ma, do you remember dad?"32

Mrs. Malone shook her head.33

"Ma, that's you. See? You're holding Christopher there." He glanced at her to see if she reacted. She only looked closer at the picture.34

"That's not me. Definitely not me."35

Charles bit his lip again and kept speaking.36

"That's me there, see it Ma? I'm holding onto your leg. And there's Mary, she's sitting on dad's lap," he continued frantically. "And there's Jamie, that little boy on dad's shoulders." He looked at her and felt the tears burning his eyes. "Ma, remember how dad and you used to sing to us after we finished picking?"37

Mrs. Malone sat, just studying the picture.38

"And remember that porch?" Charles pointed to the big wrap-around porch in the background. "You built that, Ma. With these hands." He picked up an old wrinkled hand and held it in his young fingers, his tears falling onto them both. Mrs. Malone looked at their hands and then looked up at her son.39

A knock came on the door, and the doctor stuck his head around the corner.40

"Sir, I'm looking at her monitor, she only has a few minutes left."41

Charles looked back to his mother. He watched as a single tear fell down her cheek.42

"I don't remember," she said. She slowly closed her eyes.43

Charles tightened his grip on her hand. She opened her eyes again, only partially, and asked him in a calm voice, "Did you know that you look like Jesus?" Another tear fell, and she shut her eyes.44

And then Mrs. Malone was still.45