When Rachel arrives at her mother’s nursing home, she’s told something unthinkable — her mom was discharged a week ago. But Rachel never signed her out. Someone else did.
And the name they give her? A ghost from the past who was never supposed to return.
“What do you mean my mom was discharged a week ago?” My voice rose to a panicked pitch as I leaned on the nursing home’s reception desk.
“That’s what it says on the system, Rachel,” Denise, the receptionist, replied. “Maybe it’s an error…”
Denise’s fingers flew across the keyboard.
I stared at her face with my heart in my throat, waiting for her to smile and tell me it was all a big mistake.
Instead, she frowned.
“It’s not an error,” she said softly. “She was discharged last week. I wasn’t working that day, but according to our records, her daughter signed her out.” Denise looked up at me then.
“I’ve only ever seen you coming to visit Joyce, but the woman who signed her out is called Lauren.”
“Lauren?” the name came out on a gasp. “That… that’s impossible!”
“She provided all the necessary documentation,” Denise continued. “Are you telling me this woman is a fraud?”
“I… no, probably not.” I glared down at the freshly baked banana bread and cozy cardigan I’d brought with me to give to Mom.
“Thank you, Denise. I’ll take it from here. You can keep the banana bread.”
I took the cardigan and spun on my heel.
Denise called after me, but I didn’t turn back. All I could think about was hunting Lauren down and finding Mom.
Out in the parking lot, I took a deep breath of fresh air and tried to gather my whirling thoughts.
Lauren, my sister, who I hadn’t seen or heard from in a decade, had taken Mom from her nursing home.
Lauren, who hadn’t even called on Mom’s 70th birthday, who’d never read the message I sent three years ago to let her know Mom was in the early stages of dementia, was now playing the caring daughter?
I shook my head and marched toward my car.
Nothing about this made sense.
When Lauren left (following a fierce argument with Mom), she made it clear she wanted nothing more to do with us.
She disappeared overnight.
How did Lauren even know Mom was here?
And why would she take her, after all these years?
The most frightening question of all struck me as I unlocked my car: how on earth could Lauren take care of Mom?
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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