Pineapple, she thought, beginning to smile. And then she led the way to the kitchen with Moishe following at her heels. Michelle was baking something with pineapple.
When woman and cat entered the kitchen, they parted ways. Moishe’s feeder, the one Norman had given him that never ran out of dry kitty crunchies, sat against the far wall. Moishe made a beeline for the rug Michelle had placed under the feeder. He took a bite, crunched loudly, and moved to his water bowl to drink.
“Good morning, Hannah,” Michelle greeted her. “Sit down and I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”
Smart sister, Hannah thought as she slid into the cushioned booth her mother and Doc had installed in a corner of their kitchen, and accepted the mug of coffee that Michelle handed to her. I’m really glad Michelle didn’t ask how I was feeling. The word I might have chosen is not the right word to utter before one’s first sip of coffee.
“Thanks, Michelle,” Hannah said, taking a big sip of coffee and swallowing. “This should help. I don’t know why, but I’m a little groggy this morning.”
“I know why,” Michelle said, pouring a cup of coffee for herself and setting it down across from Hannah. “Doc said he gave you something to help you sleep last night.”
“He did?” Hannah thought back to the previous evening, but she didn’t remember taking any pills except a couple of aspirins for the headache she’d felt coming on.
“He put it in the paper cup with your aspirin,” Michelle explained. “He told us that it was a very light tranquilizer that would keep you sleeping without nightmares.”
Just then the stove timer sounded and Michelle grabbed oven mitts, opened the oven door, and took out two muffin tins. She hurried to the wire cooling racks sitting on the counter and set the pans on them.
“Remind me to get Mother new oven mitts,” she said to Hannah. “Hers are wearing out and they’re thin.”
Hannah began to smile. “That’s okay. Mother doesn’t bake anyway.”
“True,” Michelle agreed, coming over to sit in the booth.
“Are those pineapple cupcakes?” Hannah guessed.
“Close, but no cigar. They’re Pineapple and Walnut Muffins. Mother had crushed pineapple in the pantry and I found a package of walnuts. I made up the recipe as I went along. I hope they’re good enough to eat for breakfast.”
“I’ll be happy to make that decision,” Hannah offered. “I’m as hungry as a bear this morning.”
“That’s probably because you didn’t eat any dinner last night.”
“No wonder my stomach’s growling.”
Michelle took a sip of her coffee and then she looked up at Hannah. “What are you going to do, Hannah?”
“I’m going to work. Thanks for the notes and the clothes, Michelle, but I can’t just sit here in Mother’s penthouse and think about things.”
“Okay. But does that mean that you’re planning to . . .” Michelle’s voice trailed off. “Never mind. I’ll ask you when you really wake up. You still look like you could drop off to sleep any second.”
“You’re right,” Hannah admitted. The cobwebs in her head were beginning to dissipate, and she wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. “Is Norman still here?”
Michelle shook her head. “He went home after you went to bed last night, but he should be back any minute with Cuddles. Mother thought Moishe would like to have a play date with Cuddles in the penthouse garden and she invited Norman for breakfast.”
The doorbell rang and Hannah began to slide out of the booth, but Michelle held up a hand to stop her. “Stay here, Hannah. You still look a little unfocused. I’ll go let Norman and Cuddles in. And don’t try to get those muffins out of the pan while I’m gone. They’re too hot to eat.”
When Michelle left to open the door for Norman and Cuddles, Hannah was sorely tempted to see if she could extricate one muffin from its cup. Somehow she managed to control herself despite the mouth watering scent, and she waited impatiently for Michelle to come back.
“Rrooww!”
There was a plaintive cry from the living room and Hannah heard a soft thud as Norman set the cat carrier down on the living room rug.
“Rrroooooow!” Moishe gave the yowl he usually used to greet Cuddles and abandoned Hannah without a backward glance, streaking out of the kitchen door to greet his favorite friend.
A moment later, Norman walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. “Michelle took them out to the garden,” Norman told her. “How are you, Hannah?”
Since she’d already almost finished her coffee, Hannah felt calm enough to answer his question. “I’m okay, Norman . . . or as okay as I can be under the circumstances.”
Michelle came back into the kitchen, smiling broadly. “I seeded the plants with the ladybugs that I picked up from CostMart’s garden center last night. The cats are having a great time trying to catch them.”
Norman looked slightly worried. “Do they ever succeed?”
“No,” Hannah reassured him. “They just paw at the plants and the ladybugs fly to another plant. Don’t worry, Norman. I think it’s a game with the cats and also with the ladybugs. Neither Moishe nor Cuddles has ever caught one.”
“Good.” Norman gave her a smile. “So how did you sleep, Hannah?”
“Deeply and soundly. Doc gave me something to help me sleep and I didn’t even know that I was taking it. It knocked me out for a solid eight hours and that’s the most sleep I’ve had in weeks.”
“Hello, Norman.” Doc came into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. “How are you doing, Hannah?”
“Better,” Hannah settled for a short reply. “Thanks for whatever pill you gave me last night, Doc. I slept all night and didn’t wake up once.”
“She was a little groggy this morning, but now that she’s had a cup of coffee, she’s fine,” Michelle reported.
“Good. I thought it would work that way. What’s that great aroma? It’s making me hungry and it smells like I actually have a wife.”
Delores came in the kitchen door just in time to hear her husband’s comment. “You do have a wife. But your wife doesn’t bake like Hannah and Michelle do. What do we have this morning, girls?”
“Oops! You weren’t supposed to hear that,” Doc told Delores, going over to give her a hug. “I love you just the way you are, Lori.”
“You’d better.” Delores sat down at Doc’s place at the table and commandeered his coffee cup. “Just for that, I get your coffee. Go pour another cup for yourself.”
Doc laughed and went off to the coffeepot, and Delores reached over to give Hannah a hug. “Are you okay, Hannah?”
“I will be,” Hannah answered. “I decided that the best way to deal with all this was to pretend that it was a normal workday.”
“You’re going to work?” Norman asked, sounding shocked.
“Yes. Work calms me down. If I stay here all day, I’m just going to think about . . .” Hannah stopped speaking and took a deep breath. “You know what I mean.”
Norman nodded. “I do. Work is the best cure for a lot of things. If you’re going through your normal, everyday routine, you don’t have time to feel angry, or depressed, or sorry for yourself. Work is one of those all-consuming things that don’t allow for any other emotions.”
Hannah turned to look at Norman in surprise. She’d never thought of work in quite that way before, but he was right.
“That’s exactly the way I feel,” Hannah told him. “I do my best thinking when I’m baking. There’s something about gathering ingredients and mixing them together that’s very satisfying. And when you’re doing something like rolling cookie dough balls, or dipping them in sugar, or anything else that you have to do by rote, you don’t have to think.”
At that point, Cuddles raced into the kitchen and jumped up on Norman’s lap. Moishe was right behind her and he jumped up on Hannah’s lap. The two cats looked at each other and began to purr.
“I think they approve,” Norman commented.