Mama glances at her name tag. “Ms. Dillard, my daughter and I are friends of Miss Jewel Knight, a patient here.” Mama takes the pill bottles out of her pocket. “And we need to talk with her doctor about medication she needs.”

The nurse frowns at the orange bottles. “How do you happen to have the patient’s medication?”

Mama nods at me.

I look from Mama to the nurse. “It’s kind of a long story,” I say.

The nurse, Ms. Dillard, crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m all ears.”

I give the nurse the shortest version of Jewel and Baby’s story I possibly can. Let me tell you, it’s not easy.

When I’m finished, Mama turns back to Ms. Dillard. “Could you please contact Miss Knight’s doctor and explain the situation?”

The nurse’s puckered mouth softens. “I had no idea about Miss Knight’s situation,” she says. She picks up the phone. “Her primary physician is Dr. Wells. I think she’s working today.”

While we wait for Dr. Wells, Mama asks, “Do you know if Miss Knight has been assigned a caseworker?” I remember some of the people at the nursing home where Mama worked had caseworkers. Some were good, some were, as Mama said, as useless as a bicycle is for a fish.

The nurse frowns. “She should have been, given her, um, living situation.” She flips through Jewel’s file. She shakes her head. “Doesn’t look like it, though.” She taps her pencil on the counter. She types something into the computer. “Let me call a friend of mine at Human Services.”

Before you know it, the nurses station is filled with talking. Mama talking on the phone with Mrs. B downstairs. The nurse talking to Dr. Wells and a pretty lady named Samantha Madison. And then they’re all talking to each other and across from each other, only getting bits and pieces of Jewel’s story right. And none of Baby’s story.

I pull on Mama’s sleeve. “Jewel and Baby’s story together is what’s important.”

Mama nods. “Excuse me, y’all,” Mama says in a loud voice.

Everybody stops talking.

“If we’re really going to help Jewel, you need to know the whole story.”

Mama pulls me to her. “My daughter here, Piper, is the one who knows more than anybody about Miss Knight.”

Dr. Wells nods. “Go on, Piper.”

Oh Lord. I take a deep breath and tell them the story of Baby and Jewel.

I tell about meeting her in line at the Sixth Street Community Kitchen and falling in love with Baby. Mama’s face turns a little bit pink when I say we were standing in a food line to eat. Mine does too, but I have to tell it straight.