Despite being a nurse, Hayden hated the way hospitals smelled. It had nothing to do with antiseptics and medicines—as a nurse she was used to those scents. No, it had everything to do with the odor of fear that clung to the patients.
A fear of an illness.
A fear of pain.
In some cases, a fear that came from knowing that time was short.
Hayden’s fear wasn’t for herself, but for the woman in the wheelchair she was pushing. Kathleen Conway. Her surrogate mother. Her mentor. Her friend.
Hayden wanted to say something reassuring. She wanted to say something that would comfort Kathleen, but she couldn’t think of anything. Kathleen had always had a way of finding the right words. Hayden remembered one of her own most vulnerable moments, and Kathleen had been so eloquent. Even after all this time, the words had stuck.
“Kathleen, I’ve been thinking about the past.” Kathleen nodded. “Me, too. I keep seeing the little g ...
read full excerpt from The House on Briar Hill Road ebook
