They sat at a table, Jonah at her side, and they waited.

It wasn’t long before the door on the far side of the room opened and the orderly led her mother in. Raven hoped she hid her shock well. Her mother was still recognizable, but she was heavier, yes. Her once glorious deep black hair was short now, shot with gray.

Raven stood and moved toward her mother.

“Beautiful Raven-Haired Baby Girl.” Her mother used Raven’s full, given name and then she opened her arms. “Got a hug for your momma?”

She went into the hug and tried very hard not to cry. And failed.

“Shhh. Everything’s gonna be all right now.” Lena patted her arm and they walked over to the table together. “Sit now and introduce me to your young man.”

Jonah stood and took Lena’s hand, kissing it in chivalrous fashion. Lena blushed.

“Ma’am, I’m Jonah Warner. Not so young, but certainly Raven’s. I’m very pleased to meet you.”

“You’re alive. My lord, girl. For so long.” Her mother had to stop speaking, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Raven made a mental note to buy her mother some more and send them. They had said she could send care packages.

“I know. But I’m here now. I missed you so much.”

“Dolly, I’m sorry. So very sorry I wasn’t there. I’ve been sick a long time. I kept losing my way. Heard voices. I was afraid I’d hurt you. I got arrested and they put me in a mental ward. That’s when they finally found out about the schizophrenia. And then I tried to get better. Sometimes the pills worked. But before they’d let me out, they wouldn’t work no more. And then my sister Lorene came and told me you were dead! I lost myself for a long time. Can’t say I cared much about getting better then. And those nice people came. Mike and Bonnie. They told me you was alive and that my sister lied. I can’t imagine why she did that, Raven. My goodness, you’re a beauty. Like Mama Eula in her day.”

Eula was Raven’s great-grandmother. “She sure did love you. I think they lied to her too, Momma. I don’t know why they did it either. But I’m going to go down there and find out. Lorene is still alive and living in Happy Bend.” And she was due a reckoning.

“She ain’t worth your time. Don’t you let her get you all worked up.”

“Answers need to be had. But never you mind. Now that I got you back, I’m not getting worked up.”

Lena looked to Jonah. “You be sure of that. I don’t want her down there near my people alone.”

Jonah nodded, solemn. “Yes, ma’am.”

They talked for the entire hour allotted for the visit and Raven promised to return the following day for another visit. She could stay a week or so and she planned on it. And on her way back home she was going to pay a visit to her aunt in Happy Bend.

Jonah walked her out, an arm around her shoulder.

“I figure I can visit her once every two months or so. Write her. They said I could. I’ve been without her a really long time. It’s strange to think I have a mother. I was so used to being alone. And now I have her. And you. God, next thing I’ll start being nice.”

He laughed, pulling her closer. “Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

“I know you need to get back to Seattle.” She moved around their suite, putting things away, organizing them. He’d figured out some time before that it had to be connected with a childhood of total chaos. She liked things where she knew they’d be. Wanted to know they were in their place.

So he tried to make that easy for her, though he had to admit to being messy at times to watch her get grumpy and then smooth out as she worked. It made them both feel better, to click. She needed to fix things just like he did. So he gave her things to fix and when she did, it fixed him too.

“I have the time. I’m not leaving you here.” He worked at his laptop at a makeshift office space he’d created at the table. He could totally work from there and so it wasn’t necessary for him to leave until two days from then. After they’d gone to Happy Bend to deal with her bitch of an aunt.

Even if he’d had to back out of his cases, he would have rather done that than have her face any of this on her own. The week with her mother had strengthened her in several ways, but it wore on her. Her mother was not okay. Her medications were stabilized, yes, but she’d lived a long time with a great deal of upheaval and it had taken a toll. Her physical health was also in bad shape. Her liver was shot from having been exposed to years of the medications she’d been on. Her heart was bad. Raven wanted to move her up to Seattle, to a private facility. He’d secretly looked it up and would take care of the costs himself, though he knew it would be a big fight. That kind of care was ridiculously expensive. But if that’s what she wanted and if the doctors approved it, he’d make it happen.

Raven had endured enough heartbreak for multiple lifetimes. He’d do his damndest to spare her any more. Even if she got testy.

But he didn’t think it would come to that anyway. Lena had a life there in Oklahoma City, such as it was. She had physicians who knew her and who she knew and trusted. She had relationships with some of the other patients and the orderlies and other staff she dealt with. It was her life and he knew, deep down, that Raven knew it too.

He’d let her work it through and be there every step of the way.

His mother had checked in several times. The way Raven had backed Liesl at Thanksgiving had forged a bond between the two. He was grateful for it and Raven seemed to be as well. He had only given a small bit of information to his family, not wanting to share until Raven was ready. They knew she was dealing with a family health crisis here, but not anything more specific.