The Invisibles Read Free Page A

husband—his name is Henry, by the way—said that she was in the hospital.”
    â€œShe’s sick?”
    â€œYeah, but not physically sick,” Ozzie said. “It was a mental hospital. She tried to kill herself, Nora. Just a few months ago.”
    The pinprick exploded into a flash of heat that spread out across the front of Nora’s chest and down into her stomach.
    â€œAnd it was no joke, either,” Ozzie continued. “You know how some people kind of do it half-assed because they don’t knowhow to ask for help and making a few scratches on their wrist is the only way they can get anyone to take them seriously? Well, Grace wasn’t asking for anyone’s help. Henry said he found her hanging in the closet. She was blue. Her eyes were bulging out of her sockets.”
    Nora blocked a cry that was trying to escape from her mouth with the side of her fist. It just didn’t seem possible. Grace had always been horrified by death. Once, when the two of them had been walking back to Turning Winds from school, they had come across a dead bird lying on the sidewalk. It was a sparrow, small and brown, with tiny feet that curled up under it like fern fronds. There was no sign of violence, no mark that gave any indication as to how it had died, and for a moment, as Grace sank down next to it, Nora had been sure it would wake up and fly away. It hadn’t, of course, and when Grace turned to her, her wide face stricken, and said, “What do you think happened ?” she hadn’t known how to answer.
    â€œWhy? ” Nora asked now. Her voice was a whisper.
    â€œHenry said they’ve been having a lot of problems,” Ozzie said. “I mean, obviously. But I think she’s been struggling with depression for a while. And then she just had a baby this past May. Henry thinks it was postpartum depression mixed in with everything else. I guess it made her suicidal.” She paused. “If he hadn’t come home when he did that day, we’d all be meeting up again at her funeral instead of talking like this.”
    Just for a moment Nora wished Ozzie had learned not to speak so bluntly. And then, in the next breath, she was glad she hadn’t. Ozzie had always been the one who said the things that the rest of them could not.
    â€œShe has a baby then?” Nora pulled at the soft skin along her throat.
    â€œYeah. A little girl. Henry’s parents have been taking care of her until he can get things sorted out, I guess.”
    â€œIs Grace back home? Or is she still in the hospital?”
    â€œNo, she’s been home for a while. Since the end of July, I think. Henry said she’s really been making progress. But he also said that he was worried she was starting to relapse again.”
    â€œRelapse?”
    â€œYou know, reverting back to her old behaviors. Crying a lot, not sleeping. Especially in the last two weeks or so. I think he’s scared.”
    â€œWell, he should bring her back to the hospital!” Nora stood up and raked her fingers through the top of her hair. “What’s he doing calling you?” She bit her lip, realizing how that sounded. “I mean . . . you’re not a doctor. He should be calling her doctor, right?”
    â€œHe’s done that.” Nora could hear a catch in Ozzie’s voice. “Her therapist, too. They upped her meds, and they’re monitoring her pretty closely. Henry says rough patches are normal; that they’ll come and go.”
    â€œOkay,” Nora said uncertainly.
    â€œHere’s the thing, though, Nora. Henry says that she just wants us. If he said it once last night, he said it ten times. Apparently Grace keeps telling him over and over again that all she wants is to see the three of us.”
    â€œThe three of us?” Nora repeated. “You mean you and me and Monica?”
    â€œUh-huh. That’s why he called.”
    Nora let her hand fall from the back of