Veena exchanged a quick uncertain glance with her head nurse, who nodded that it was okay.

“I don’t mind.”

“Maybe we could step over to those chairs by the window,” Jennifer said, pointing to a small sitting area with a modern couch and two chairs. Jennifer felt crowded by the head nurse and the clerk, who were standing like statues, hanging on every word.

Veena again looked to Nurse Kumar, which began to confuse Jennifer. The woman was acting as if she were twelve, whereas Jennifer guessed she was in her twenties, even if just barely. She was acting as if she would have preferred being anywhere but where she was, facing a conversation with Jennifer.

Nurse Kumar shrugged and gestured toward the sitting area.

“I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable,” Jennifer said to Veena as they walked over and sat down. “I didn’t even know my grandmother was in India when I learned she had died. So I’m not very happy about her death, to put it mildly, and I’m looking into it to a degree.”

“No, you’re not making me uncomfortable,” Veena replied tensely. “I’m fine.” For a brief moment the image of Maria Hernandez’s contorting face flashed in her mind’s eye.

“You are acting very nervous,” Jennifer commented, trying vainly to make sustained eye contact.

“Maybe I’m afraid you are angry with me.”

Jennifer reflexively laughed, not loud but more in surprise. “Why would I be angry with you? You helped by grandmother. My goodness. No, I’m not angry. I’m thankful.”

Veena nodded but seemed unconvinced, although she did allow herself more eye contact.

“I just wanted to ask you how she was? Did she seem happy? Did she suffer at all?”

“She was fine. She wasn’t suffering. She even talked about you. She told me you were becoming a doctor.”

“That’s true,” Jennifer said. She wasn’t surprised. Her grandmother was extremely proud of what Jennifer had done, and to Jennifer’s chagrin bragged about it to anyone who would listen. Jennifer tried to think of what else to ask. She actually hadn’t given it a lot of prior thought. “Was it you who found Maria after her apparent heart attack?”

“No!” Veena said comparatively explosively. “No, no,” she repeated. “Mrs. Hernandez died on the evening shift. I work days. I’m off at three-thirty. I was home. This is my first month working here. I work days with supervision.”

Jennifer regarded the young nurse, who was, in actuality, a contemporary. Jennifer couldn’t help but feel there was something amiss, as if they weren’t quite on the same wavelength. “Can I ask you a couple of personal questions?”

Veena nodded hesitantly.

“Have you recently graduated from nursing school?”

“About three months ago,” Veena said, nodding.

“Is my grandmother the first patient you’ve lost?”

“Yes, she was,” Veena said with another nod. “The first private patient.”